To answer the original question,
First off, I just think the discussions are interesting. You can see some type of philosophy or science or morale debate is usually involved. It can be about anything really.
It's interesting to hear what other people think. Every Christian is different. Every atheist is different. It's unbelievable.
It was said before. Religion is a pretty big thing. If you believe there is a God then people are going to want to know how you know that.
To comment on what was said also: I don't see how this forum is any different from others. There are people here and there are many. Some are more cautious in their wording than others. Some read what was said before, others just post their own opinion. Some stay on topic, some keep commenting on everything. Either way with enough replies the thread is going to be a mess in a few days or even hours. That's how it always goes.
Religion doesn't get any special protection here. That may seem awkward to you, (Bluepriest) but that's the way it is. I have seen it the other way around on a site I went to because I was interested. It was just a lot of Christians spamming away at a few atheists. I considered that a rather hostile enviroment. It was very hard to get someone to actually explain something and there were enough Christians there for sure. One person was nice and we sort of made her an evolution-Christian. That was of course not the idea of that site. I don't want to be anti religious here, it's just an example of how open debate can change someone's mind. If you are secure in your beliefs, then you don't need to be concerned with any attacks. I do not see Christianity as an attack. If I became convinced it was the right thing for me I just adopt that.