Saw the Intelligent Design vs. Evolution film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and as I was leaving I asked another patron of the theater (unknown to me) what he thought of the film. His words were, "I thought it was brilliant."
I thought of the line in Ecclesiastes, "There is nothing new under the sun."
Ben Stein travels and interviews people from both sides of the theory aisle (evolution versus intelligent design) simply asking questions that show both sides have questions and many of their answers are couched in terms like "maybe" and "if".
Basically the film shows that the evolution crowd has pushed the ID'ers out of the classrooms and laboratories blackballing them from scientific research and research grants. Some evolutionists are sitting around wearing earmuffs and blinders and this while they are still forced to say "maybe" and "if" when questioned about the origins of life...
I saw it as showing the power struggle for control of the cash. - But then I'm a cynic.
Did a bit of running around the net before posting this and I came up with a couple spots that are worth viewing.
Six Things in Expelled That Ben Stein Doesn't Want You to Know... is a Scientific American article by John Rennie and Steve Mirsky which says in it's opening paragraph,
"In the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, narrator Ben Stein poses as a "rebel" willing to stand up to the scientific establishment in defense of freedom and honest, open discussion of controversial ideas like intelligent design (ID). But Expelled has some problems of its own with honest, open presentations of the facts about evolution, ID—and with its own agenda."- It does raise some good points but on the other hand lines like this in the article, "Thousands of other biologists across the U.S. who all know evolution to be true are also still religious." makes me wonder when they threw out the word "theory" when talking of evolution. Tsk, tsk. And this from a scientific journal.
I like this one:
Welcome to Expelled Exposed, a detailed look at the Ben Stein movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. We'll show you why this movie is not a documentary at all, but anti-science propaganda aimed at creating the appearance of controversy where there is none.
Excuse me? There is no controversy? Oh! OK! I'll just go back to sleep...
The film shows that there is a controversy and that in the end the origins of life cannot be explained to the opposing layman's or scientist's satisfaction by either side. Ultimately the question is, should both sides be presented in public schools at taxpayers expense? Or should the views of one side be squashed and tossed into the outer darkness.
The Intelligence Design side is not looking to expel the Evolutionist's from the schools, They want both sides taught, yet the Evolutionists have expelled the ID'ers. Free debate is the issue and the film shows if taken to it's ultimate conclusion scientists would find themselves having to form a hypothesis after the world view of evolutionists as opposed to facts seen through a microscope.
What cracked me up in the film is seing scientists saying perhaps life started on Earth (Gaia) by aliens from other planets seeding it or that life started off on the backs of crystals. - Of course this makes much more sense than thinking that God IS and that He created, designed life and used materials common to all life to create different forms, species etc.
Oh! I forgot. There is no controversy. I forgot I was on my way to take a nap...
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