One absolutely last thought, then I have to get back to my real life, I’m losing too much time…
To illustrate my underlying point from a different angle…
When people want to challenge the authority of Scripture, based on various recognized biblical difficulties, or challenges, or the like, I generally am happy to engage with such doubts, challenges, or skepticism, without suspecting that there is (necessarily). And I am happy to engage with a basic give-and-take on any particular difficulty raised. There are some that I readily grant have no obvious solution (exact time of day of the crucifixion, whether or not Jesus told the disciples to take a staff, etc.)
But there are other challenges, or claims of biblical errors or contradictions, that speak to me more about the mindset of the complainant than the Bible itself… Bart Ehrman is the prime example… I’ve written more extensively elsewhere, but in his book on the topic, his exhibit A, first example, and “textbook case” of a biblical contradiction was laughable… he had to do linguistic and hermeneutical contortions of the text just to invent a contradiction that really wasn’t there, and simultaneously had to gloss over rather obvious alternate (and straightforward) interpretations, and downright ignore explicit and incontrovertable counter-evidence.
Such an approach begins to look not like the objective search for the facts by a dispassionate scholar, but a desperate crusade to force evidence to fit predetermined conclusion. And the very need to resort to such tactics makes an observer like me seriously doubt the strength of the overall position.
That is essentially where I find myself when I examine so many defenses of evolution, especially when critiquing alternate theories as ID… the if the case was so clear, obvious, and straightforward, there would not be the need to resort to the kinds of exaggerations, assumptions, wishful thinking, ignoring of counterevidence, leaps in logic, or the like that I so routinely see.
And if YECs doubt the overall evolutionary approach for the same reasons, their belief in the alternate position as offered in their understanding of Scripture may well be to that extent strengthened. And to that extent I find a certain sympathy with their inclinations.
(That said, I cannot find myself comfortable with the scientific creationist or YEC position, sympathetic though I am, for essentially the same reason - their own habit of resorting to strained biblical interpretation, as well as exaggerations, ignoring of counterevidence, baseless assumptions, etc.).