Much agreed -- back to on topic!
The rationalization mechanisms biblical literalists will use never cease to amaze me. But then, I didn't grow up in a religious household. For many of these people, their religion is the central aspect of their lives -- without they would be lost. Any slight attack on it seems to draw out the fight-or-flight instinct.
It reminds me of the Star Wars fans I grew up with. I am 29, and for most people about my age, Star Wars was the first movie we remember seeing. At the age of 3 or so, it wowed us with the special effects and that Darth Vader character was pretty cool (never mind that he was the bad guy -- what a costume!). We all got the action figures and played Star Wars at recess. Some fans with VCRs got to the point where they could recite the whole thing. For them, it was becoming that central pillar of their lives. I remember in 3rd grade someone emphatically insisting that the force was REAL and almost getting in a fight over it.
But sequels took time, and in that time we grew up. The second one was actually pretty good, and the Star Wars rapture continued, but by the third one, we were 9 years old and could actually think a bit. NOW we started to notice the dialogue was kind of stupid, the acting lame, and frankly the story kind of dumb. The big bad empire got whupped by a bunch of teddy bears with pointy sticks?? Come on . . . Some of us had read Dune and even realized that Lucas had borrowed quite liberally from it. Still, some could NOT outgrow their devotion to Lucas -- he did NOT rip off Frank Herbert. And Lucas' version was better anyway! Some still played Star Wars at recess, but many fewer now.
Fast forward 15 years to Star Wars Episode 1. Most of us thought it would be fun reliving a bit of our childhoods. Others took 3 days off of work to wait for tickets. Crazy? Not in the least -- it was going to be the event of our LIFETIMES (in retrospect, I saw it -- an event, but that summer I discovered girls was still better). Of course, the movie stunk. Lousy acting, stupid dialogue, and abhorrent characters. Still, these people did logical backflips to explain why it was such a great movie (you just don't understand what Lucas is trying to DO).
The point of this? There are two. First, people this devoted to ANYTHING, whether biblical inerrancy or Star Wars infallibility, need to work on objectivity in their lives. Until they develop a bit of this, no evidence will even cause them to QUESTION their beliefs. Secondly, I chose the Star Wars example because I KNOW there are Lucas defenders of both evolutionist and creationist leanings. So hopefully the evolutionists who are LIVID that I had the audacity to "attack" Lucas might develop a wee bit of sympathy for the biblical literalist's position.
Actually, just a bit of joking with that last bit -- hope it isn't too close to home for anyone!
Ian
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