Students and controversial topics

I have been interested by the ways in which my students have handled controversial topics on my class blog. I have definitely learned to state in the original post exactly what I expect from them. And although it is easier for them to steer the conversation away from the intended question when they are blogging instead of participating in a classroom discussion, they are also beginning to use the delay of the blogging discussion to research their comments and really provide thoughtful, rather than off-the-cuff, statements of opinion. Right now this is particularly true with the discussion about the role that religion should or should not play in presidential decision-making. This can be viewed at http://crosbyblog.blogspot.com/2005/10/in-answer-to-bill-cs-question.html