Sunday, April 20, 2008

Expelled



Earlier this week I saw the movie Expelled, it's a documentary about the
silencing of Intelligent Design. I didn't agree with all the arguments made
in the movie by Ben Stein but I thought he made three compelling arguments.
The first argument being that people with different opinions shouldn't be
silenced. He documented cases of scientists and professors who are fired for
their their work with ID and for questioning Darwinism. I think whichever
side of the aisle you are on the ID debate, we should at least agree they should
have a voice too.

He also makes the argument that social Darwinism was part of the mindset that
led to Nazism in Germany. People who were considered "weaker" were murdered
by the Nazi regime. This is the continuation of the debate between atheists and
religious scholars, "Whose ideology has caused more mass murder?" I think it's
ridiculous to have this argument. Let's face it there are skeletons in the closets of
both secular and religious history.

The third prominent proposition is that science is not filled with objective people.
The field of science has people with religious and political biases. This is most
effectively shown with Stein's interview with Professor Richard Dawkins. I'll just
say throughout the movie Professor Dawkins has a lot of cringe-worthy moments.

Brent Bozell
has a good summary of the film. Here's an excerpt:
It's understood that God had nothing to do with the origins
of life on Earth. What, then, is the alternate explanation?
Stein asks these experts, and their very serious answers are
priceless. One theorizes that life began somehow on the backs
of crystals. Another states electric sparks from a lightning
storm created organic matter (out of nothing). Another declares
that life was brought to Earth by aliens. Anything but God.
I recommend the movie to the religious and non-religious a like. Hopefully, it
starts a conversation.

1 comment:

Michael M. said...

Interesting blog, thought provoking discussion and good writing...I'll be back.

(...found you via Blogrush...)