You said “…The most interesting comment I got was from a lady in the group who is also a preacher (who also gave a very good speech today). She said that I had done well at discussing the issue without dragging too much of the religious controversy into it…”

I wonder why she seems to approve of your not “dragging too much of the religious controversy into it, given that the creation-evolution controversy exists in the first place because of the two opposing points-of-view, one from religion, one from science. Ah well…