Ellis: "It amazes me how much heat there is in this topic."
It's no surprise to me, Ellis. Neither does it amaze me is that this site is visited by certain individuals to whom science is anathema. It's a non-event in the UK too, but, as noted in other threads, in the US it's a huge cultural and political issue. The discovery of evolution is, of course, a threat to creationist ideology - hence the vigorous attack on science. Conversely, creationist ideology is a threat to reason and science, and moreover, being based on ignorance, it's a threat to humanitarian ethics. "Irrational" is not a piece of junk rhetoric - it's a serious problem. In the US, in 1925, a school teacher was fined $100 dollars for teaching Darwinism. Why? - because of the political power of creationism. Mr. Galilei would have understood how he felt. There are serious concerns that a return to those days is imminent.
