Annette,
I'm probably going to get myself in trouble here, but will try one more time to explain some of the comments about the devil's advocate position.
As I said, I NEVER questioned the validity of how or what you think. I said that the way you express yourself may not be ideal. Personally, I think it's great to see that there can be truths on different sides of an issue.
The thing is, if you argue a position with any level of passion, people will assume you're committed to it and believe in it. Why else would you speak in its favor? YOU may know that you're just trying to understand something better, but no one else can possibly know this for sure UNLESS YOU TELL THEM. This is what many people here have said, including me.
No one can read your mind. But if you argue opposing sides of an issue or pick an absurd position (the thing about trees being orange springs to mind), people WILL start to think that you're just playing with them and that you don't respect them. I'm NOT saying that this is how you feel, but what others may infer.
Everyone holds conflicting opinions. It's part of being human. The trick in a conversation or debate, for me at least, is to tell others something like, "I can see valid points on different sides of this issue, and I'm trying to understand it better." This just lets others know where I'm coming from.
