As much as i can see your point on some occasions and i think mutual respect is a "must". In my opinion it's bound up to the poster's judgement too, guess you could say it's an issue that haves to do with manners too and how you say certain things. Imo, the poster was inviting debate and controversy by just the first post. It's not an issue of presenting a different point of view, but the manners which i think most took issue with, it's called common sense. I won't go to a mormon's subforum forum and state "you know what? god doesn't exist" for just innocently state my views, but to invite some controversy. The thread title wasn't inviting nor hinting at debate in the first place, so it's obvious that some may go and get irked by what he said. It's completely legitimate to get heated under these circumstances.
Personally, i recognize myself as a very obnoxious person sometimes, here sometimes (but not that much lately since i've been on and off with the forum for the last months), but irl, been into many debates, and i like to invite controversy to push other's buttons just for the heck of it, but i don't shield myself into a "just stating my views, please by civil and respectful" and i wouldn't even allow others to patronize my intentions in such way.
I'm far from offended by his, or anyone's views on spirituality, but when this kind of things derail into a discussion of "discrimination", narrow mindedness and even crime as [MENTION=13723]Misadventure[/MENTION] said, it is disproportionate and way off the mark. @JJAA was indirectly asking for it, and stiring the waters up, and he got it.
This has happened before as i recall were some people just challenges other's views in a plain rude way and heats people up and ends up like a poor victim of this forum's narrow mindedness. It's a low move, imo. If i challenge someone's views, i'll do it directly adressing the point, not with a wordplay that heats the delivery of the message.