"it remains to be seen how much would be accomodated when cherished philosophical ideas are challenged."

Then challenge it with observable, testable evidence.

You're dead wrong in thinking cherished beliefs are the sacred cows of science - far from it. Scientists challenge each other constantly, and any review of current discussions would demonstrate that. Science encourages challenge as it's how we test our methods, data and conclusions.

"that may in part be due to creationists highlighting the one cancelling out the other"

Huh? How the heck did they arrive at that conclusion?