Dear Martin,
You have written an outstanding essay to buttress the proposition contained in its title. Combining a very creative presentation format with a careful and thorough reference to all the factors relevant to your argument, you have essentially exploited every way to make your case as convincing as it can be.
Now, I happen to draw from all the considerations that you mention not your conclusion but the one that we have not yet truly "understood" QFT (in Feynman's sense) and that once we "understand" it, it will be obvious that there is a distinction between the map and the territory, but this takes nothing away from the fact that you have made as strong a case as one could make for your viewpoint.
Best wishes,
Armin
