[StJacques]

"It's increasingly obvious that FR has turned into a fun-house for the most rabid kind of religious fundamentalist . . ."

I've actually seen some of this myself lately RWP. And I happen to be a very religious person in my own right. It's just that I do not accept the Christian fundamentalist interpretation of the Book of Genesis as negating the Theory of Evolution and I refuse to accept such arguments as those put forth in AnswersinGenesis.com and the Theory of Intelligent Design as valid, whenever their proponents on this site refuse to address directly the hard science that refutes them. The responses I have seen instead include "refutation by lying" (there's no other way to describe it), irrelevant answers that refuse to address hard evidence or the subject at hand (and which frequently attempt to win an argument by repeated lengthy postings that misdirect attention from problematic positions), a retreat to meaningless jargon, and, when all else fails, outright hostility expressed to those who do not share the notion, which I regard as ridiculous, that the Theory of Evolution has been effectively undermined either by science itself or by its critics. All of this demeans the entire process of frank and open discussion which Freepers are supposed to exhibit.

[grey_whiskers]

I haven't seen your name much on these threads, and I'm a semi-pro lurker (and occasional punster, too).

What brings you out with the frustrated Evolutionist crowd all of a sudden--this thread has been more civil and productive than many I've seen!

Cheers!