[CSM]

One more thing, do you feel compassion for the people of Sodom and Gomorra? (spelling police feel free to correct my spelling.)

[Rembrandt_fan]

An ad hominem fallacy is one wherein the character of a person is impugned to discredit his argument, rather than debating the points of his argument directly. Ad hominem translates as 'at (or to) the man'. Thus, calling you and your like-minded friends cult members is not an ad hominem attack. I do so directly--and correctly--using a method my attorney father called the duck test: 'If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.' Empty heads and glassy, vacant stares are common attributes of cult members, thus that particular allusion.

Of course I feel compassion for the dead in those two now-defunct cities. 'Love the sinner, hate the sin' is a central tenet of my faith. Surprised, though, that an objectivist would use a Biblical reference. I would think someone ascribing to Ayn Rand's belief system would draw from a different well.