Standing for something is very important. The one thing that I have noticed about standing for a position is that people tend to get emotionally connected which in turn gets them bias towards that position. That pretty much turns their position into an opinion. I am much the same way. I like doing research to validate and reconfirm my position, but there is always something that goes against my position. This means I become bias towards that position because I lean towards those points that validate my position.

Of course, like you stated, it is easier to defend that position when you have evidence for that position.
Great post thank you.