Good points.
AndrewC, long time no talk. I agree with LeGrande... You have always stricken me as a Henry Morris/Duane Gish type (though I think the latter is a YEC) - you know a heck of a lot of real science, but your faith in God has put too much fear in your heart. I’m sorry, I cannot understand that.
I’ve also never been able to understand why you never seem capable of calling bs on creationists when you see bs. If LeGrande posted something I disagreed with, say, a competing hypothesis on the origin of flight - or spiders to stay on topic - I’d challenge him. And he’d most likely accept it and study further if he felt my post warranted it. (And he’s also at least scan the research I’d link to back up my position.)
As you know, this is how science works. We have a good idea when flight evolved, we have a couple hundred good fossils now of feathered dinosaurs, but there is still some argument about the first flight ecological pressure that facilitated it. (ie, like the modern day chuckers’ way of climbing inclines, from the ground, or gliding from trees.)
He and I can disagree and he and I would seek information regarding that disagreement. The day I see a creationist (although you are actually an evolutionist who believes in God, which is perfectly fine) challenge another’s ideas is the day I opus.
For example, this new guy GloryBeToGod (or whatever) constantly calls not only Evolution Satanic (his tagline), but ALL of science is Satanic.
As ridiculous as that is, I’ve yet to see a creationist tell him to knock it off.
Why is that?
Anyway, to your original question - why are LeGrande and I here - I’m going to chase GGG around now that he’s admitted to being an evolutionist. I’m fascinated by his disconnect now that he’s admitted to that - and I will consistently ask him what (spider, in this case) “kind” begat all the other spiders. And where do horseshoe crabs relate to that original kind.
As I think you may know, horseshoe crabs certainly would give a creationist pause, should a creationist ever actually think about such things.
Au contraire mon ami, I do not fear God in the fashion you seem to imply. I don't believe because I have to believe. I believe because I believe in purpose(cause and effect).
As to your other questions, there is a difference between opinion and something that purports to be fact(or at least there should be).