and are doing it for fun. Creationists, OTOH, take themselves more seriously. They either know that they are wrong, but nevertheless want to discredit evolution in order to further their religious cause,......
Creationists are similar to flat earth theorists, because their theory is pretty much a joke. Flat earth theorists, however, know that they are wrong, and are doing it for fun. Creationists, OTOH, take themselves more seriously. They either know that they are wrong, but nevertheless want to discredit evolution in order to further their religious cause, or they actually think that they are right. In either case, scientists know that creationists are wrong, but they nevertheless need to pay attention to what havoc the creationists want to wreak, especially in our education system. Creationists are anti-science zealots, because not just biology, but also physics, chemistry, geology and even astronomy have produced evidence against creationism. Therefore, creationists are trying to discredit all branches of science, not just biology. Therefore, even though time is better spent further our understanding of science instead of arguing against the creationists, scientists nevertheless cannot ignore the pesky creationists and their disproven claims.
The way they became opposed in society is because they really ARE opposed. Evolution is a scientific description of the world, creationism relies on the Bible as it's reference. Religion appeals more to the emotional side of people, Science does not, it just observes and describes. In the old days, most people were illiterate and were occupied all day just scraping together food and shelter. The world was a scary place--thunder, lightning, and snow all the time, fires, plagues, or floods could come at any moment, a wolf could attack and tear your baby into pieces in front of you or drag it off into the darkness. It was easier to accept a mystical answer to those scary things than to take time away from the pressing immediate daily needs. The Bible and other religions were a handy explanation to all the things people couldn't understand. Common sense tells us that the sun and moon circle around the Earth, don't they? Just watch them for a while. As accurate descriptions of the world around us have replaced mystical answers the Bible has quit being a useful tool for that. Still, it is clear that many people would rather take the easy answer than to observe like you have
