Thank you! You're right, the intro was poorly worded there (early morning), but I meant the debate rages BETWEEN science, politics and religion, not AMONG scientists.
As for the bit about apes, I didn't think I said we evolved from apes anywhere in the post itself (correct me if I'm wrong!). You're totally right, and I'm usually quick to correct people who claim we "evolved from monkeys". We are two points on a forked path, and where those paths intersect is our common ancestor. It may again have just been some poor wording on my part but the intention was definitely not to suggest we arose from today's apes!
Thanks for all the praise and support! Wow!
I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. You never said anywhere that we evolved from apes. My point was that, since this is one of the most common misconceptions, it should have a "section" of its own. I said you only tangentially mentioned this misconception when you say that all living organisms are evolutionary winners, so to say. But I believe it should be cleared once and for all that evolution does not say that we have evolved from other living apes.
Absolutely!