Maybe if you used a simple concrete example with letters or playing cards it would sink it. Though I have my doubts whether anything will convince these fine gentlemen.
I wrote some code once to simulate random mutation and natural selection. It convinced almost no one who was already in the YE group.
They don't, and they won't. The problem here isn't the science or the math, or even the facts. There are two main issues here:
1. These Creationists think that the Bible, that is God himself (in their viewpoint), said otherwise. So somehow, anyhow, Evolution is wrong wrong wrong.
Mark Twain summed up that process by writing "Faith is believing what you know ain't so."
2. This is also part of a culture war.
Yep. And it's dying, but slowly. You see attempts by the culture warriors who realize that they've lost, to build enclaves to preserve their ideology:
We've lost the culture war.
I wish I could tell you otherwise and go happily along with the many Christians who still think we can recapture America, return to our moral and spiritual roots, and revitalize our wayward institutions. But I can't, and someone needs to tell you -- loudly and clearly. We are not going to reclaim the culture in America and return to the days of June and Ward Cleaver. We won't see a majority of the officials in legislative and judicial branches of our government go back to the original intent of America's founding fathers as reflected in the U.S. Constitution and other original documents. We are not going to witness prayer, Bible reading, and posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools again. There will be no drastic decline in divorce, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, and homosexual "marriage."
http://www.church-of-yehovah.org/culturewar.html
He turned out to be wrong about the effects, mostly. Divorce is down (and highest among evangelicals) STDs are down. Abortion continues to decline. Homosexual marriage is now legal, though.
You think you are on the side of Knowledge and Light, and they are on the side of Ignorance and Dark.
I don't think of it that way. Yes, there are some creationists who have made their new doctrines into an idol and have abandoned His ways. But most have not. Creationists are generally good people, and those who are Christians, are generally decent Christians. Don't let the crazies lead you to think they are all like that. They generally aren't.
They think you are on the side of Evil, plain and simple.
Some do. Those who made an idol of man's revisions to Genesis have. But many, many more don't think of it that way. I taught in public schools for years and had lots of parents talk to me. Many were creationists, and I think I managed to allay their fears. Never had anyone complain about me. It was in the curriculum, and I had to teach it. My stand was that students had to know what scientists say about evolution, but they don't have to accept it. So they could write "I don't believe this is true." On any answer in a test, and there would be no penalty for it. (edit: so long as they knew what scientists say about it)
Worked for everyone, apparently.
They are on the side of God.
Most are. They know that I am, too. We differ in something that God doesn't even care how we feel about it.
They can't allow even one tiny crack in their view of Evolution as Evil.
Those have made it into an idol.
