#171: Tim Harlow

An exceptionally dense creationist, pastor Tim Harlow is hardly a major figure, and it seems to be a coincidence that his pamphlet containing some of the most common creationist canards (mixtures of ignorance, fallacious reasoning, wishful thinking and dubious respect for veracity) has come to the attention of the rest of us. The pamphlet, “Creationism for my Child’s Teacher”, is apparently intended for parents among Harlow’s flock, to be handed out to teachers (for discussion of various points, see here and here). It really is a collection of quote-mining, dishonesty and desperate twisting of facts, patched up with, uhm, inaccuracies where even the standard dishonest techniques do not work.

There is nothing unusual about Harlow, of course. There are people like Harlow in every small town, people who are diligently doing their own small parts in forwarding delusion, religious fundamentalism, anti-science and anti-rationality. It is their numbers that makes Harlow and his band of liars for Jesus dangerous, of course, and Harlow deserves an entry as a representation of all those delusionally lunatic minor players that seemingly exist everywhere. And for this beautiful takedown by PZ Myers, of course.

Diagnosis: Kook and Liar for Jesus. Apparently a nice chap, but his ignorance and bias make him dangerous nonetheless.