Republican senatorial candidate Herschel Walker echoed a talking point frequently used by the scientifically illiterate in an appearance at a Georgia Church on Sunday. And I have to say if I had a nickel for every time one of these idiots asks these questions I wouldn’t be sitting in a writing chair that’s falling apart.

But they do and I am, so here we are.

On this day in question, Walker took a dig at the theory of evolution, more or less suggesting that the fact that apes and humans coexist disproves accepted science, HuffPost reports.

“At one point, science said man came from apes, did it not? … If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it,” he said in an appearance at Sugar Hill Church on Sunday.

“Now you’re getting too smart for us Herschel,” said lead pastor Chuck Allen.

Well, he may be too smart for those people but for the rest of us who understand how evolution works, no. He’s not. He didn’t get the news that humans are in the family Hominidae, which, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is one of the two living families of the ape superfamily Hominoidea, while the other superfamily is the Hylobatidae (gibbons). The Hominidae includes the great apes — the orangutans (genus Pongo), the gorillas (genus Gorilla), the chimpanzees, and bonobos (Pan), and yes human beings (Homo).

Since evolution has twists and turns, humans didn’t evolve directly from the apes you see at the zoo. While humans are still apes, we share a common ancestor (now extinct) with those apes at the zoo. That ancestor lived about 10 million years ago.

As HuffPost notes:

“Walker’s summary of evolution is incorrect, and there’s nothing incompatible with humans coexisting with apes.”

Some more intelligent Christians, including some who are (or were) quite prominent, have said it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time.

But Walker has other, um, interesting ideas about science and God. He’s also been dismissive of scientific progress in other areas, suggesting that science “can’t do” the “conception of a baby.”

“They’re still trying to do that, but they can’t because there has to be a God,” he said.

This would probably be news for people who have undergone such methods as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Of course, the scary part about this is that Walker remains the front-runner in the midterm elections, even as he faces domestic violence allegations. Walker’s ex-wife alleged in divorce records that he was physically abusive and threatened to kill her.

In the divorce proceedings, his ex-wife alleges he displayed “physically abusive and threatening behavior” while they were married. At one point this even included an instance where he pointed a gun at her head and said, “I’m going to blow your … brains out.”

Wow, what a guy!

And two other women have come forward, saying he threatened them.

So, not only is he scientifically illiterate, but he’s also a misogynist. No wonder the Republicans love him and Donald Trump has endorsed him.

Herschel Walker, “At one time science said, man came from apes. Did it not? .. If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.

Pastor: “Now you’re getting too smart for us here, Herschel.” pic.twitter.com/HWQAiqBmka

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) March 15, 2022