I grew up with it (private Christian schools) and read it all the time, sitting in these folks as guest speakers at church and this 'evidence' I realize is what is driving more and more away from the Church. So much is flawed, illogical, or kindergarten level, it makes many of faith look plain silly.
I’m sorry you feel you’ve had a bad experience. but there are plenty of questions that the current bad science does not answer.
for example the idea that layers accumulated over millions of years is a farce. the theory was thought up in the 1800s and should not be taught today. the layers are clearly the result of the sorting action of water. very many fossils and trees are found “polystrata”, sticking through the layers. and millions of years would not lead to ordered layers anyway. there would be events, animals, weather, that would churn the layers up before they even got a chance to settle. the sorting action of water is a MUCH more reasonable theory.
And the idea that the colorado river carved the grand canyon is LAUGHABLE. the top of the canyon is higher than the bottom! water does not flow uphill. there is no way that river carved that canyon. the canyon was carved very quickly by a large amount of water
the diomataceous earth mines near the san andreas fault have no explanation under the current bad science, but fit right in with the Bible’s account of water coming up from under the earth, which would be very hot, and instantly killing trillions of diatoms, and billions of fish. they even found a whale in the vertical position.
there is tons more. the fact is, there are huge, gaping errors in the earth sciences, errors which would be fixed, but for the fact that the real answer supports the Bible.
LBT?
The bible warns that the devil disguises himself with extreme cleverness. In my opinion, Creationists fall into the category of those who are fooled by pride into enabling a well-disguised Satan. Your observation above shows how Satan is working through them, IMO.
I've not read C.S. Lewis (yet!), but sure like your quote from him that the science tells us how God created the world and the Bible tells us why. You're also the only other poster I've seen on FR who suspects that pride is behind so much of the Young Earth fixation. My own thinking is that evolution doesn't challenge God, it challenges human pride. If God formed us from the lowly ape, then so be it -- it doesn't alter a thing with regard to how the bible instructs us to treat each other and if anything, it makes the gift of Jesus, our Saviour who died for our sins that we may live, even more poignant.
Our spiritual world is as dog-eat-dog as is the natural world, and in the natural world, the rule is "Adapt or Perish." The bible shows us humans how to adapt anytime, anyplace, in the spiritual realm to survive both materially and spiritually. Human civilizations that adapt to the environment that is God's reality by embracing the rules of Scripture, thrive. Those that don't, perish. Our Judeo-Christian Western Civilization is in danger of perishing precisely because it is no longer adapting to God's reality, and rejecting it instead.