#2951: Zach Guiler

Zach Guiler is a preacher affiliated with the Canal Church of Christ in Waverly, Ohio, and a creationist. In a 2017 letter to the editor of the local newspaper The Pike County News Watchman, he helpfully lays out his reasons for why people continue to believe in the theory of evolution even though Guiler himself has “proven time and again in our Wednesday night apologetics class that the Theory of Evolution is an illogical lie”. The reasons are:

 

1.     that “for the past 50 years, evolution has been the only thing taught in schools”, and not “as an unproven theory, but as scientific fact.”

2.     that “it has been portrayed in popular culture and the media that the most intelligent people believe in evolution”; therefore “people claim to believe in evolution, not based on facts and evidence, but because it will make them appear to be in the same league as those who are educated and intelligent”.

3.     that “it is claimed that the vast majority of scientists believe in evolution”; it is unclear whether Guiler actually believes they do (they do), but in any case “even if the majority of scientists believe in the theory of evolution, that doesn’t make evolution any less of the lie that it is”. Don’t be “a sheep following the masses” or, as the case might be, those who actually know anything about the subject matter. Cynics might also wonder whether he advocates the same attitude in other contexts.

4.     that many accept evolution because they “[t]don’t want there to be a God”. That must be a significant motivation since “[n]o one believes in evolution because of the evidence”. Why not? Because “there is virtually no evidence to back the theory up!” – Guiler hasn’t bothered to try to look up any of it: and indeed, “[E]ven those who believe in evolution must admit this.” It is presumably the influence of Satan that prevents them from voicing this admission.

 

Or in short: “Creationism has evidence while evolution is void of any” and “Creationism is logical while evolution is improbable”. He doesn’t mention any of the evidence; we suppose he means that you should take his word for it.

 

Diagnosis: And just like that, Zach Guiler demolished the core tenets of modern public school science curricula. Why won’t those darned scientists listen? It must be Satan, mustn’t it?