The more I study it, the more it seems as though there is no more conclusive evidence for evolution as there is for creationism. But people (the scientific and academic communities) stifle any debate by dismissing it altogether, which also bugs me.
Sorry, just got a little off topic there.
I wonder if your studies have encompassed visiting any university libraries. Visit one, and you will find literally tens of thousands of volumes and articles of data, experiments etc concerning evolution across numerous scientific disciplines.
Below in this post is the scientific evidence that supports separate creation of kinds:
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[Sagebrush rolling]
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Perhaps debate is stifled, in the same way that debate about the proposition that the earth is a hollow sphere that we are living on the inside of is stifled. If you want to overturn the central paradigm of biology then you need to bring substantial physical evidence to the table. The "creation of separate kinds" proposition is lacking this. I don't buy conspiracy theories in which the conspirators gain nothing, and have to co-operate in their tens of thousands for over 150 years.
If Christians find it more to their liking to believe in Creationism, that's fine with me. If other Christians are able to believe in evolution, that is also fine with me. As I said, I don't think there is necessarily a conflict, except in our own minds. I just don't see why it is necessary to fight a war over something that is not essential to salvation anyway.
My pastor says that the world is only 5,000 years old. I have trouble believing that, and I don't see in the Bible where it says that. Of course, his claim is based on the genealogies, but the genealogies themselves have some ambiguities in them. I don't know why a clergyman would make evolution the litmus test for whether you're a Christian, when that is not what the Bible says. Like I said previously, the Midieval Church was convinced that Copernicus was wrong & that his lie would lead to the destruction of the Church. Here we are 500 years later, the Church is still here, and it's more accurate to say that the demonization of Copernicus is still being cited by the anti-Christians as "proof" that the Church is warped.
It's better to simply accept the idea that science and Chrisitianity have two theories for the creation of man, etc., which are not necessarily inconsistent, but even if they are inconsistent, there is no way either side can prove the other wrong. It's a matter of faith that will determine whether you believe, and that's OK with me because that is what the Bible says the key is anyway. If there were any other way to resolve this debate, then the Bible would be wrong.