For a while, creationists were more respectable than trolls. Republican frontrunners' hands popped up like prairie dogs when asked who disbelieved in evolution. The late McCain was smarter than that, at least.
Creationists say living entities are so complex that instead of evolving by chance, they must have been designed and created by an even more complex entity.
Of course they have heard the scientists' reasonable theories. But they would rather agree with half the public than a few scientists.
Just because a complex system seems ridiculously unlikely doesn't mean that it is impossible. Surely, even an entire cell coming together by pure chance should seem infinitely more likely than an unseen supreme being assembling the first cell?
Even technological progress is a case of natural evolution in action. Ridiculously many things have to happen just to copy a Windows virus or load a screensaver. No human understands most of this process.
Are creationists devious, or do they have a small point? Yes, but not in the way they imagine.
Biology and especially physics turn out to be extremely complex, in fact (it would appear) needlessly so (see 'Anthropic Intelligence').
There may actually be a deeper meaning here. Why hasn't there been a single detectible radio signal from our universe that contains a sextillion suns?
This takes us into the realm of speculation, so we have to beware not to cross into pseudoscience. Creationists dimly sense certain anomalies that are mostly ignored by mainstream science.
Human existence may be far less probable than it appears. Humans may also not be a random sample of all minds existing throughout reality.
The excessive complexity of our universe might amplify the awareness of the creatures therein, while also making it harder for evolution to take place at all.
If they HAD to guess, most biologists would speculate there are many other planets with life, but most only have simple organisms. Intelligence is incredibly rare, and may even be unique at this early stage of the universe.
So how did it evolve at all? Blind luck plus the anthropic principle. And maybe something else.
Stephen Gould believed life is the inevitable outcome of emergent complexity, all controlled by an undiscovered, self-organizing principle.
The reason we are here and not somewhere very different is probably that our universe is among the most common reality patterns.
Perhaps it has evolved through earlier versions, or it may be the sum of many chaotic systems interfering.
The only way creative designers can hope to make themselves useful is by finding real flaws and anomalies for mainstream science to investigate further, thereby inadvertently strengthening their rivals.
Probably the best hard SF novel ever written: Infinite Thunder by Jack Arcalon.
Buy the book
Read the chapters