They probably don't know how tricky "literal" reading of something written in a dead language is. :) And of course even the "original" of at least the Old Testament probably wasn't that original - who knows how many oral "editions" there were before it was written down.

I know even non-religious people who feel uncomfortable with the idea of being closely related to the chimpanzees and the other apes. It is humbling, isn't it? But it does promote a higher ecological consciousness. I feel quite comfortable with the idea of being an intelligent ape, but I am more or less a biologist, which helps.

The phrase "intelligent design" suddenly reminded me that Terry Pratchett has a God of Evolution in one of his books - I think it is The Fifth Continent. :)

By the way, what does FSM mean?