The New Testament says that scripture is useful for instruction, reproof, etc., not that it is a science text or even a history book (although it is full of verifiable historical material).
Actually, the young-earthers don't even hold to a literal meaning of the creation story. The word "yom" has many meanings, ranging from part of a day, to a day, to a lifetime, to a very long and unspecified length of time.
The Young-Earth Creationists insist that "yom" has to mean a literal 24-hour day in the creation story. Yet there is nothing in the Bible that points to that notion.
Young-Earthers use a bad interpretation of scripture and try to twist science to match their beliefs. When people laugh at them, they believe that they're being persecuted for the cause of Christ. In reality, they're being persecuted for being ignorant.