What we dispute is that a series of random mutations is what had lead from one species to another species. We often see species 1, species 2, etc., ... species N. But even the adjacent species on that imaginary line are still too far apart: they do not appear to be a product of a single mutation. So finding one more species does not really help your case: what I want to see is a cloud of specimens with species 1 at one edge of the cloud and species 2 at the other edge. Until I see that, all I see proven is that we previously knew of N species and now we know of N+1 species and all have similarities.
It is not semantics. The theory postulates that one mutation at a time, one species becomes another species. So prove the theory.
You and I, being both Catholics, have no real need to debate this however since ultimately, in our Church, both "sides" are allowed to co-exist. One can be a strict "evolutionist" or a strict "creationist" or anything inbetween so long as no one maintains that the soul itself "evolved".
This is another reason I rarely post on these threads, because ultimately this is an issue that has no real bearing on true Christianity, IMO. It doesn't matter *how* we got here, even the strict "creationist" so much as admits this by the utter lack of regard they have for science in general. That is, for the creationist it IS irrelevant *how* we we got here. The only thing that matters for the creationist is that God created us to be with Him fully and not "through a glass, darkly".
Well, that's pretty much what anyone like myself believes too. Ultimately, the theory of evolution can only answer HOW we got here, but the more important question of WHY is left to theology. Why we all can't just focus on that commonality instead of insisting that "our view is the only view" is beyond me. Speaking for myself, I couldn't care less if someone believes in a 6-day literal creation. I don't think that will send anyone to Hell.
I don't know why it's implied that people like me are hellbound, simply because we are more curious about the mechanism of God's creation than others. (not that you say that, but some around here SURE DO imply that)