Hugs and *smooches* to both of you!!! I know you didn't ask me, RadioAstronomer, but if you don't mind I'd like to field the question you posed to PatrickHenry:
Why is it that some folks (yes even some scientists) try to force fit the observed data into a story written thousands of years ago instead of using that data to formulate a model that best fits the gathered/observed data.
My experience is that it is never necessary to force the observed data to fit the Scriptures. They faithfully agree; not so however with some hypotheses, but that is another discussion. I can't speak for the Jewish side, like Gerald Schroeder, but from the New Testament, we have this admonition which may be in the minds of a number of the Christian scientists:
And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; - Romans 1:28
A healthy mind and all that...