Creationists have been successful in convincing some people that their views have scientific merit and/or that evolution has flaws it does not really have. One of the ways this has been achieved has been through the spread of falsehoods. This is not true of all creationists, and sometimes it is not done intentionally; many creationists are simply ignorant of evolutionary science and pass on lies and distortions they picked up from creationist sources without recognizing them as such.
But the fact remains that creationist arguments against evolution depend heavily on falsehoods, distortions, and fundamental misunderstandings of science. Creationists have to do this because their position doesn't stand a chance against evolution from a rational, scientific perspective.
Whom are Creationists Trying to Convince?
Creationist arguments are not designed to convince scientists. Creationists know their beliefs are not and will not be accepted by the vast majority of scientists since there is no scientific support for their position. Creationist arguments are geared towards the "everyday Joe," the average person who is frequently ignorant about evolution and science in general. Their arguments are designed to sound convincing and scientific to people who simply don't know any better.
In fact, creationists will sometimes even talk about a "scientific conspiracy," as if the scientists of the world are conspiring to prevent the creationists' scientifically superior "theories" from being presented for some reason or another. This is, of course, complete nonsense. The reason scientists don't accept creationist dogma is, as will be discussed in other sections, because creationism is not science and the evidence does not support the creationist claims.
Creationist Quote Mining
One of the most common tactics is misquoting scientists, frequently called "quote mining." Creationists take the comments of scientists out of context and make them appear as if they argue against evolution (common descent) when in reality the opposite was being expressed or perhaps something entirely unrelated. Because creationists are often devoutly religious, arguments from authority may seem quite attractive — after all, fundamentalist religion is already rather authoritarian. Added to this is the fact that the target audience is unlikely to have access to the original source material or, if they do, are unlikely to bother checking it — after all, Christian apologists wouldn't lie, would they?
Misquoting scientists is a tempting method because, while there is no disagreement among evolutionary scientists on the accepted fact that evolution does and has taken place, there is nevertheless great debate and disagreement over some of the the particulars of evolutionary theory. Creationists can take criticisms of particular points or criticism of some specific scientific test or practice and try to make it seem as if the scientist who made the statement is criticizing or questioning the idea that evolution has taken place at all.
Creationist Misrepresentations of Science
Another popular tactic of creationists is to misstate or misapply scientific principles. The Second Law of Thermodynamics is a favorite — creationists often claim that the second law of thermodynamics proves evolution can't happen. Creationists also tend to use a shotgun approach to try to convince people their views are correct. This approach entails tossing out a large batch of scientific-sounding objections and misrepresentations of science which can't all be easily refuted because too much basic science has to be assumed or taught to the audience.
This is one of the reasons why smart evolutionists generally avoid public debates with creationists except in controlled environments. A creationist can spew out a vast quantity of convincing-sounding misinformation in a short amount of time but it could take days to correct the misinformation and explain the actual theories and evidence. Indeed, correcting the misinformation could take a lot of time even if the audience were scientifically literate, which most Americans aren't.
Evolution is a complex science; the data that support it come from numerous fields and can be complex to explain. This is one of the reasons why creationists have as much success as they do. It is a lot easier to lie and distort than to explain the truth. (Note that by "truth" I mean the truth about what science actually says, not the truth of evolution.) If it's necessary to debate a creationist, it's better to do so in a controlled environment where you have to stick to a point until it is resolved. Creationists usually avoid these situations like the plague.
Understanding Creationist Tactics
So, creationists will use a lot of "dirty" tactics in a debate. If you want to study the issue of creationism and evolution, examine what creationists say with great care. If something a creationist says sounds interesting, follow up on it from a reputable source. Never trust what a creationist says about science. There are lots of excellent sources for science information — use them if you want to learn about the science related to evolution.
Of course, this also applies to claims made about evolution. Don't take what someone says about evolution for granted just because they aren't a creationist. You should read up on the subject yourself rather than rely on second-hand information. However, when it comes to discussing science, you can trust what scientists say a great deal more than you can trust anything creationists say.
