Ra's rhetorical rant: prophecy 'appeals to the paranoid' and Christians 'arbitrarily shift between literal and metaphorical.' Winger identifies this as ad hominem and misrepresentation.

Ra says: prophecy appeals to the paranoid; is popular with conspiracy theorists; Christians arbitrarily shift from literal to metaphorical readings with no rhyme or reason. Winger responds: (1) 'appeals to the paranoid' is an ad hominem — attacking the person/audience rather than the argument; (2) 'conspiracy theorists' is a rhetorical smear with no evidence; (3) the charge of arbitrary literal/metaphorical shifting is precisely what Winger believes he consistently avoids through careful literary-genre-aware contextual interpretation. Winger argues that in his experience, it is the skeptic who more frequently twists the Bible to mean anything they want — not to defend theology but to defend skepticism (e.g., claiming the Bible teaches cannibalism).