[RSteyn]

>>What is at issue is not biological kinship but the uniqueness of the human being, with his relationship with God.

Studies of animals increasingly are showing that many behaviors and abilities previously thought uniquely human are not. It doesn't bother me being on the far end of a not-unique continuum, but some people must have their mythology.

[RobbyS]

The intellectual gap between a five-year old child and a five-year old chimp is vast, even though the latter is far more mature physically and maybe emotionally. What I am complaining about is anthropomorphism. Liberals quickly accept the assertion that religious people pro ject human qualities onto invisible spiritual beings. They resist the possibility that researchers are projecting human qualities onto other animals. Chimps are physically 99.9 per cent. like us physically. That is a bit lile a rocket that has achieved 99.9 % of escape velocity, but more like being able to tie a shoe lace and not.