The anthropic principle is just way too convenient, and I fear it de-motivates scientists from looking deeper into issues that really need explaining.
This I must take issue with. The anthropic principle is what drove the Renaissance. It's what motivated people like Sir Isaac Newton to better understand the universe, they believed that this was the way to get closer to God. The anthropic principle is responsible for the single biggest leap in science in the history of mankind. Saying "God created it" doesn't excuse anyone from anything; you still need to work on it, in fact the good Christian has no excuse not to.