To what do you attribute your ignorance? Did you not read widely enough?
Don't let these sad sack wannabe bullies bother you. They have never held a pipette in their lives but obsess over their quasi religion in the delusion they actually know anything about biology or evolution.
They are very defensive about their religious beliefs and anger easily if proper respect is not paid to their icons -- and moreso if the blasphemer actually knows more than they about the field they ostensibly venerate.
They actually fear and resent your honesty and lack of pretension.
Perhaps these fellows can apply for a position at a pharmaceutical company or the like. As for their experience and skills they can say, "no I don't know how to subclone, transfect, do PCR, run a mass spec or do an elisa or radioligand binding assay, but I sure have heard of Ernst Mayer."