Some of what you said (I responded to an email Brian sent in which I gave him some of the pros and cons of debating theists) reminds me of Chapter 2 of George Smith's Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies which talks a little about debating with theists, both rational and irrational. It contains two quotes that I've found really helpful: "To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead." -- Thomas Paine; and "Only fools argue with fools" -- I think George came up with that one on his own. If you haven't read that book, I recommend it. It's of a fairly beginner-type level, but it's really enjoyable and reads quickly. It has interesting discussions on things like how George became an atheist, the history of freethought, and his thoughts on other stuff like censorship and justice in a system of political anarchism.