Is most of the promotion of creationism, not just that by the WT, charlatanism?
https://www.fullmoon.nu/sources.bak/CHAPTER%2010/PART%202/gish%20exposed.html [which has an article called "Creationism: Bad Science or Immoral Pseudoscience? - (an expose of creationist Dr. Duane Gish)"] says the following.
'A look at the "scientific" creationist movement and a close examination of the tactics of a well-known and influential creationist will reveal that the creation "science" movement gains much of its strength through the use of distortion and scientifically unethical tactics.
...
With the facts explained and the lawsuits won, scientists declared victory and returned to their labs and offices. But stubbornly, the creationist movement refused to die. Scientists had misjudged their opponents because they had assessed the creationist arguments from a scientific standpoint. Many failed to realize that it is not facts or theories that drive the creationist machine; it is strong religious beliefs, and the need to protect traditional lifestyles and values from the threat of secularism and "godless" evolution. Because of this, creationists do not use the methods of science to spread their message. They rely on charisma, religious faith, and emotional appeals which depict evolution as a destroyer of society (LaHaye 1974) and evolutionists as materialistic atheists who conspire to suppress creationism while hiding the many supposed weaknesses of evolution (Gish 1990a).
In recent years, some scientists have implied or stated that creationists regularly use distortion and deception when promoting creationism (Kitcher 1984; Godfrey 1984). For example, Tim Berra, a zoology professor at Ohio State University has stated: "The arguments of these fundamentalist missionaries often involve tortured logic, a stubborn denial of the evidence, a shallow understanding, or a reckless disregard for the truth" (1990: 125-126). Do creationists knowingly use deception to promote their cause?
...
According to the book, The Creationist Movement in Modern America, the psychology of creationists is very different from that of evolutionists (Eve and Harrold 1991). The authors say that creationists tend to perceive the world through the filter of their religious beliefs, and they differ from their opponents in "their most profound understandings of reality, religion, American society, and the nature of the scientific enterprise" (pp. 67).
In light of that perspective, it is not surprising that some people who have met or debated Gish have come to the conclusion that he is not knowingly dishonest.'
http://www.jwoolfden.com/procreat.html says the following.
'APE-MEN: FACT OR FALLACY?
Bowden, M.
c.1977, Sovereign Publications
ISBN: 0-9506042-0-8
An all-out attack on paleoanthropology, heavily criticizing all aspects
of the evidence for human evolution. Besides being hopelessly mistaken
in many areas, it's mostly obsolete since so many new finds and
reinterpretations have been made in paleoanthro since 1977.
...
EVOLUTION: THE FOSSILS SAY NO!*
Gish, Duane
c.1978, Creation-Life Publishers
ISBN: 0-89051-046-6
Duane Gish has written three books in an ongoing attempt to discredit
the fossil record as evidence for evolution. This was the first of the
three. Long on polemics and short on details, riddled with mistakes in
the few facts it does offer, this book shows little evidence that Gish
really understands the details of the topics he is attacking.
EVOLUTION: THE CHALLENGE OF THE FOSSIL RECORD
Gish, Duane
c.1985, Creation-Life Publishers
ISBN: 0-89051-112-8
Despite the different title, this is really just a rewrite or update of Evolution: The Fossils Say No! Like the earlier version, it's full of errors of many kinds.
EVOLUTION: THE FOSSILS STILL SAY NO!
Gish, Duane T.
c.1995, ICR
ISBN: 0-89051-112-8
The third and (so far) latest version of Gish's ongoing attack on the
fossil record as support for evolution. Like the two earlier versions,
it's full of mistakes and fallacies of many kinds. It's interesting to
note that this book is nearly twice the size of Evolution: The Challenge of the Fossil Record, which itself was twice the size of the first edition, Evolution: The Fossils Say No!
The books keep getting longer because the collection of fossil
evidence that supports evolution, which Gish is trying to refute, keeps
getting larger.'
Months ago I saw the book EVOLUTION: THE CHALLENGE OF THE FOSSIL RECORD at a thrift store and I thought of buying it, but I decided against doing so because I suspected it likely has numerous false and misleading claims in it, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time fact checking it. Due to what the article called "Creationism: Bad Science or Immoral Pseudoscience? - (an expose of creationist Dr. Duane Gish)" says it looks like I made a wise choice to not purchase that book. However, studying Gish's book would have caused me to see specific examples of the extent of the flaws of creationist statements about evolution, as well as seeing some problems with evolutionism. The WT in its criticisms of evolution and evolutionism is considerably influenced by creationist literature.