I don't have a facebook account, but as a general rule of thumb, what people think about me (us) and two bucks gets me a large coffee. (a large coffee is $2).  

I was AWOL for the first topic and I don't want to hunt it down.  So I scanned the facebook posting.  (Yes, I have an account.)  

Up front - I haven't read a lot of Hitchens, so I won't comment on the comments about him.  And I have never heard of the other theist guy.  Maybe I will do some research at a later date.  So I will confine my comments to a more general nature.  You will have to forgive me as I've been taking psych courses and you know what that can do to an otherwise rational mind.

Everyone uses straw man arguments at some time or another.  Sometimes it is appropriate, usually not.  We have a tendency to categorize and stereotype other people in order to create shortcuts - for talking with them and talking about them and so on.  Most of the time, this tendency is harmless.  It allows us to make snap judgements as we wend through our day and walk down the street ( "I better not bump into that big guy, he looks unhappy already and he is probably mean." )  But it also leads very easily to straw man arguments in the heat of unscripted debates.  Usually it is not good as it can piss the other person off and then you do not forward knowledge or understanding.

If you are trying to win the collegiate debate team championship, there are problems with using straw man arguments.  If you are prominent in the media advocating for one side or the other of any issue, it is probably best to try to avoid logical fallacies just so the other side won't point and snicker.  I can not condemn the average person for generalizing, stereotyping, and creating straw men arguments on either side of an informal debate. If you are not trained to watch out for it, you can slip into it with out being aware that you have.  I would encourage everyone to watch their p's, q's, and logical fallacies just on general principles.  If you are not familiar with more than one or two, I suggest a quick google to learn some more - just so you can avoid them.

Personally, I always try to focus on the person I am conversing with.  I have experience from attending adult bible study classes that not everyone in a particular church, let alone a particular religious sect, entertains the same views as the rest of their congregation.  If I don't know what they believe, feel, or think, I try not to make assumptions.  I don't always succeed.  Then I apologize and move on.

I have noticed on RRS that many people try to focus on what a particular person believes, and not what their religion professes to believe.  Generally, people here are aware and try to stick with well thought out debates.  When straw men start up, we call each other out on it.  It is much easier to have a reasoned discussion with people who are truly reasonable - unless you hit their hot button.  But we all own at least one hot button, don't we?