Expelled

"Beware of the sound of one hand clapping."

Tyler and I got the rare opportunity to go see a movie last night, and we saw "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" with Ben Stein. It was very interesting and well put together. My favorite quote from the movie is the one I typed at the beginning of this blog. The scientist who used that quote explained that just like clapping has two sides to it, each viewpoint has a counter argument on the other side. But for some reason, in scientific circles, there is only one hand - or one argument (Darwinism), and the other side (Intelligent Design) is not represented, nor is it allowed to be discussed.

The issue that struck me most in this movie was the fact that scientists are so desperate to prove that God had nothing to do with our world, or that He just does not exist. One scientist thinks the origin of life is molecules that piggybacked on crystals. You read that right. And the beloved Richard Dawkins is so anti-God that he is even willing to believe that aliens started life on this planet. Somehow that is more believable than God creating it. But actually, it's not about what is more believable, it is about the repercussions of each theory. If molecules came to earth on crystals, or if aliens started life here, then it changes nothing. We can continue going about our lives as we please with no concern over morality, religion, or an afterlife. BUT, if God meaningfully created life here on earth, then we are indebted to Him for our very existence. That theory leads to dangerous and painful questions such as "what is my purpose here on earth?", "How will my life be judged when I die?", "Do my choices in my life bear eternal consequences?". Man spends a lot of time trying to convince himself and everyone else that he is self-made. Scientists seem to be no different. They work hard to make evolution work as THE only option for our existence. The stakes are too high to think differently.

There have been some arguments over the reason that some of the scientists featured in the film were "black-listed". Truly, those people are missing the entire point of the movie. Whether those people were black-listed for suggesting I.D. or not, the fact remains that I.D. is NOT represented in our schools - especially in higher education. The silence is deafening. Education is about exploring possibilities, becoming well-rounded, expanding knowledge. How are we letting students explore, become well-rounded and expand their knowledge, if we only present one theory on the origin of life? It's asinine.

The movie was well done. I would recommend it to everyone. I know it's not your first choice when you're looking for entertainment, but it's a subject that we should all understand and spending 90 minutes learning a little more about it won't kill you - you'll actually leave the theater smarter. When was the last time a movie did that for you?


"The wise man forms his theory from the facts - not the facts from his theory."