Some things said are calculated to stop an argument. When one side delegitimizes the opposition, then the argument is over. That is why Godwin’s law matters. The first person who calls the other team nazis should be declared the losers, because they are no longer engaging on substance and have moved over to ad hominem.
a recent example of this type of fallacy is the argument by a Professor Bruce Waltke that young earth creationist Christians are a cult. Here is what he said:
Dr. Waltke said, “If the data is overwhelmingly in favor of evolution, to deny that reality will make us a cult . . . some odd group that is not really interacting with the world. And rightly so, because we are not using our gifts and trusting God’s Providence that brought us to this point of our awareness. . . . To deny the reality would be to deny the truth of God in the world and would be to deny truth. So I think it would be our spiritual death if we stopped loving God with all of our minds and thinking about it, I think it’s our spiritual death.”
Thus there is no legitimate basis for disagreeing with the professor. Any argument on the merits does not have to be considered.
Carl Trueman has an interesting take on this controversy talking about life on the “cultic fringe.” Give it a read when you get a chance.
a taste:
In addition, I would also exclude belief in silly ideas as making one into a cult member. True, those who believe that the earth is flat, that the moon is made of green cheese, and that Sarah Palin’s speeches are models of substance, logic and insight are clearly somewhat out of touch with reality, but the holding of such views, and even the tenacious and militant propagation of the same, do not indicate the existence of a cult. The free world is a whacky place; and one can be whacky without necessarily engaging in organized mind-control, brainwashing, and violent manipulation. Stupidity and gullibility are often quite sufficient as explanations; and being stupid and gullible do not make you a cult member.