I don't actually think this is about tolerance. Sure AC is a rude bastard, but he isn't entirely wrong. It is ... shall we say unwise... to jump upon every minor discovery as supporting a particular world view without considering it carefully first.
Personally, I don't buy a literal interpretation of Genesis, and I have found people who do tend to grasp desperately at anything that seems to support their argument, which often leaves them with egg on the face, as it were. Almost as if they don't really believe, but are trying desperately to convince themselves. It's a position that seems to me to be a bit antithetical to Christianity, and perhaps is ill-advised. I don't doubt that there are literalists who aren't quite like that, but it seems to be a trend of sorts. Perhaps because the television evangelists realised that a good conspiracy sells very well and have been pushing it for years to try and trap people in order to part them with their money.