Knocking down the "straw man" is a common debating technique.  An opposing view is first described as challenging what everyone knows is true, then showing it is in fact true, and then highlighting how silly it is to believe what the opponent is said to believe.  Some people, including a few Christians, seem to think the world is flat.  It isn't.  But believing this concept opens Christians as a whole to needless ridicule.  In a discussion on the origins of life, what is needed is thoughtful, informed discussion because the question of how life originated is still and open question in the 21st century. Uplook Magazine, July 2005, p.18. References: Johnson, P.E. Darwin on Trial. InterVarsity Press. Downers Grove, IL, 1993.