oh, lord, "expelled" has really sent your most fervent supporters over the edge...

[MnFats]

this 'review and commentary' of "Expelled" by someone named Nina May just arrived in my inbox....be afraid, be very afraid...


Nina May is the producer/director of the award-winning documentary, Emancipation Revelation Revolution, which tells the history of the civil rights movement in America, the role that both parties played in it, and what happens to blacks who leave that liberal plantation and embrace conservative values. Nina is an artist, writer, producer and commentator, and has had her own TV show, “An American Renaissance,” and wrote and produced a daily radio commentary for over 1200 stations. Contact: Kelly Alexander at [e-mail] or call 703-595-0112

April 14, 2008, For Immediate Release-Broadcast release and Op-ed offering below:



The reality of those who deny the existence of God is that they want to foist that limited view on the rest of the world, and have been successful in several cultures throughout history in perpetuating that very myopic opinion
The reality of those who deny the existence of God is that they want to foist that limited view on the rest of the world, and have been successful in several cultures throughout history in perpetuating that very myopic opinion
The polemics of the discussion of the theory of evolution versus creative design, is that it is so reminiscent of the flat earth society where any discussion of the possibility of a rounder playing field was met with not only similar elitist derision, but certain death


Op-ed offering. Permission to Publish (please let us know). Word count 1,137. Edit to Fit.

Response to Movie “Expelled” Proves Its Point . . . Man Has Not Evolved
By Nina May, www.RWNetwork.net

In our office on Capitol Hill, we have a graffiti wall that has been there for almost 30 years. One of my favorite benign scribbling is not only humorous, but in a cute way, shows who will ultimately win in this pitiful battle of man vs. God. The little ditty was, “God is Dead . . . Nietzsche, 1891,” followed by . . . “Nietzsche is dead . . . God, 1900”. At first blush you laugh, but then the reality of what that statement says, should cause true believers to be sad, not only for Nietzsche’s fate but also for those today who share his beliefs.

It is not that they should be forbidden from having these beliefs, or forced to accept any other belief system. But the reality of those who deny the existence of God is that they want to foist that limited view on the rest of the world, and have been successful in several cultures throughout history in perpetuating that very myopic opinion.

There is a wonderful new documentary out, called Expelled, produced by Ben Stein, that looks not only at the conflict between the two views of whether or not God created all we behold, or if it just happened by accident. It looks at the move by the unbelievers to keep the concept and even discussion of a “God possibility” out of the marketplace. The film successfully tracks the history of “godless” nations, their inhumanity to man, and the ultimate failure of their systems while tracing the move to eradicate God from the educational system in the U.S., intimidating professors and scientists who even suggest that creative design is not only possible, but a reality.

As interesting as it is to track the desperation of god-denying apologists, it is more interesting to read their rantings in response to the very simple supposition in the film that creationism should at least be allowed to be discussed as a viable alternative to . . . well . . . to what? It reminds me of the joke where man claims he is God and can do anything God can do and better, so God says, cool, make a man like I did, out of dust. The arrogant atheist reaches down to grab a handful of dirt and God says, “Un ah, make your own dirt.”

So where did it begin, and if it was as simple as a big bang, then recreate it. If man really did evolve from an ameba . . . a simple one celled creature, then certainly he should be able to make a man from one today. With all the science, the technology, the internet, and the huge crowd of followers desperate to prove there is no God and that man, in his total stupidity, really thinks he can become one, then prove it. Has anyone seen a perfect man yet . . . besides Jesus of course? How many have come back from the dead, walked the earth for 40 days then ascended into heaven leaving men and women willing to die to keep that truth alive?

These men and women went forth into a godless world where the smallest infraction could find you hanging on a cross for hours until you literally drowned from the fluid rising in your lungs. They would be the weekly entertainment in lion infested arenas, with the cheers of a ruthless, godless crowd, being the last sound they would hear on earth. We have seen brutal dictators who reject God, setting themselves in that lofty position only to exemplify the very opposite characteristics by slaughtering, torturing, dehumanizing and devaluing all life. Yeah, that’s the kind of god we want to follow. And with all that power, none of these self-appointed gods have ever been able to make a flower or a hummingbird.

As though it is a new idea to discuss creationism in the arena of science exploration, and this movie has exposed a truth that has never been discussed, the responses to its release have been amazing. But oddly, the most venomous attacks have been responses to a press release, to the media, which are on “press lists.” It is so cute to see these professional journalists send back, expletive deleted responses ending with, “Take me off your list.” ……..Oooookkkkk. So that means, you, oh brilliant journalist, want to be taken off the key media list that disseminates all the press releases for all the major activities in the country. Yeah, you could be god. Here is a sample of the brilliance of man . . . "Expelled will open wide on the 18th, but mostly in rural and poor neighborhoods. It’s got just one theater in all of New York City, in Times Square, none in places like Beverly Hills or wealthier, better-educated urban neighborhoods where more "evolved" people might live.”

Wow, that statement, in a review of the film, is a perfect illustration as to the dangers of the very elitist, arrogant supposition that man slithered out from under a rock, sans divine coercion. A person who thinks they are god sees everything through a prism of shifting absolutes and a sense of superiority over those he does not know, and what he can not see. To suggest that people in Beverly Hills, New York City, Times Square, etc. are better educated and more “evolved” is a perfect illustration of what the movie Expelled is trying to say.

The great thing about this discussion, is the blatant hypocrisy when you consider the fact that this film is being vilified by the very open-minded left, who will argue to the death that alternative lifestyles should be celebrated, embraced and encouraged. Yet the alternative lifestyle of believing in a creator, who made each of us in His own image, is not only reviled and marginalized, but those who express this belief are condemned as not being smart enough to even engage in the discussion. We are the inner-city ideologies, while the brilliant bourgeoisie live in Beverly Hills and New York City.

The polemics of the discussion of the theory of evolution versus creative design, is that it is so reminiscent of the flat earth society where any discussion of the possibility of a rounder playing field was met with not only similar elitist derision, but certain death. I guess it is a good thing that these poor “journalists” took up that profession and not that of bloody dictator otherwise, poor Ben Stein might not be with us much longer. And that would be a shame because not only is he funny, brilliant, talented and creative . . . he is right. And arguing against truth will not alter that fact that it is. Sorry Nietzsche.

[mike_c]

1. religious insanity apparently interferes with normal cognitive development....

Maybe we'll find a cure someday, but I'm afraid that it's a basic flaw in humans-- essentially a genetic disorder with psychological symptoms-- and so will likely never be healed.

[AZ Criminal JD]

7. So if you believe in religion you are insane?

[mike_c]

8. imaginary dudes or dudettes living in the sky...?

Yes, that's pretty crazy.

[Echo In Light]

9. Human consciousness is rich, varied, textured: I suspect it's a tad more complicated than how...

You're depicting it. After all, you're suggesting that a majority of our species, over very long spans of time, different cultures, civilizations, all walks of life, have apparently suffered from a recurring form of mental illness.

Now, I'm a firm believer that such mass delusion can occur with a certain contextual framework {the phony "war on terror," say} ...but to make the claim that everyone with any type of religious or spiritual belief is actually mentally ill...?

[mike_c]

11. yes, I'm suggesting precisely that....

It's 5:30 AM here on the left coast and I'm cramming to prepare for early lectures so I won't do much to develop the thesis, but consider that the commonness of a shared delusion doesn't make it any less delusional. Not too long ago all cultures shared the delusion that the world is flat and that insects emerged from rotting organic matter. Human history is filled with such shared delusions.

[Echo In Light]

12. True. America in its current form comes to mind: reality here/propagandistic version there

Who had that quote about {paraphrasing} "if 250,000,000 people say a foolish thing, it's still a foolish thing."

My earlier point was that classifying such large numbers of people as crazy is perhaps oversimplifying the matter.

[mike_c]

13. but when people do crazy things while acting under a delusion...

...do we deny that they're mentally ill simply because the action is common? The norm *can* be abherant, even if it is the common tendency, and as you say, "it's still a foolish thing."

Either one accepts that there is a supernatural dude living in the sky who created everything according to rules of his own or one doesn't. Truly insane things are perpetrated everyday in support of various versions of the crazy sky dude belief. How are such actions, based on delusions-- voices in their heads that people believe in EVEN WHEN THEY DON'T ACTUALLY HEAR THEM-- how can such actions be classified as sane? Take away the religious label, put those actions into any other context, and psychologists will search for pathologies. It's only under the umbrella of religious belief that they acquire "normalcy," and I think that is utterly inconsistent.

Full disclaimer: the only voice I ever hear in MY head is my own thoughts. Maybe I'm the one who's insane if everyone else really does have those supernatural conversations going on.

[Echo In Light]

19. I have spiritual beliefs yet don't hear any "voices," never have, and don't suspect I will

There are more ways of perceiving and wondering about the big everything than looking at it as the "either/or" you've postulated.

If you want to, or seek to, label any and everyone who shares in the various shades of spiritual beliefs {bearing in mind that true believers of any cause or belief do experience periods of doubt} as being mentally ill, than so be it. I'll agree that human beings are quite far from basing their every belief, choice and action on reason {haha}, beyond that however, we'll have to agree to disagree...which is fine.

[mike_c]

33. if you don't mind my asking, what do you mean by "spiritual beliefs...?"

My view is that spiritual *feelings* are genetically hardwired into our psychology. They emerge from the pattern recognition that is one of the hallmarks of human thinking. We begin to ask where we ourselves fit into patterns that we observe in the universe. Some of those patterns are intangible, and that leads us to feelings of spirituality. I know I didn't articulate that clearly, but I won't burden you with an essay-- the point is that I think spiritual feelings are natural for humans.

On the other end of the spectrum are religious beliefs with absolutely no basis in reality that are utterly irrational-- what I've been talking about when I reference "crazy sky dude theories." Creation myths, supernatural beings, exceedingly improbable events, and so on, as well as the consequences of those beliefs such as irrational rejection of alternative explanations, unremitting hatred and warfare based on differences in religious dogma, etc. These, I'm afraid, constitute the majority of what most people consider their "faith."

Somewhere between these extremes lies a continuum of what you've called "spiritual belief"-- as I understand it, beliefs arising out of those normal spiritual feelings that might or might not be rational depending upon where they fall upon that continuum. For example, it is rational to believe that humans have a place in nature, whatever that place might be, but not entirely rational to conclude that place entitles them to an eternity spent with seventy two virgins, or whatever. I chose that particular example arbitrarily, so please don't read anything else into it!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

35. I 100%

Agree with you.

I find it downright offensive to have the idea of an omnipotent creator parlayed around like fact, all in the name of FAITH. I am supposed to be tolerant of every single faith out there and by tolerant I mean I am supposed to spare the faithful my own opinion that belief in a GOD is delusional. What about how I feel? Never does that enter into a discussion with a person of faith. It is all about them and their belief and how I am supposed to remain quiet and allow them their (delusion) faith and keep a lock on my thoughts & feelings of ME being persecuted by the religious masses. I would for once like to engage in a philosophical exchange about theology that was not immediately reduced to quoting from a text that has been edited for several hundred years by people who are undoubtedly pushing their own agenda - And - that text, it is so untouchable, so holy and so sacred that to question it has been punishable by death for friggin' ever. It could be the Old Testament, the New Testament, The Koran or any other holy book... If you question the basic soundness of their book(s), their FAITH, you are committing a crime. So with that in mind, how can people who have persuaded themselves that we are all here due to a GOD's musings, ever carry on a debate about the idea that it is all about how uncomfortable they are with their own immortality and how, it is convenient and comforting to believe that we will all be reunited with those we love when we die?

[mike_c]

41. the lunatics have achieved control of the asylum....

That's why we cannot discuss the rationality of their "faith" like reasonable, intelligent adults. To do so calls their entire world view into question, a level of self examination many of the religiously insane simply cannot confront. Personally, I suspect this is one of the hallmarks of the religious insanity syndrome.

[Marr]

17. I don't think insane is the word, but religion does teach people to think irrationally.

It teaches that belief without supporting evidence is a virtue. The standard response, 'that's why it's called Faith', only gives it a name. It's irrational thought.

[mike_c]

28. I've equivocated about that for years...

...but the more I think about it, the more difficult it becomes to accept religious belief as *simply* irrational thinking. The problem is that most irrational thinking can be changed when the irrationalities are pointed out but most religious believers seem incapable of adopting rationality under any circumstances. As you suggest, religious "faith" is a sort quintiessential irrationality, irrational thinking that celebrates its own irrationality. A meta-irrationality, if you will. Most forms of mental illness exhibit the same hallmark-- irrational thinking that is intractable to persuasive rationality.

[Marr]

36. I suppose the line between "insane" and "irrational" is pretty thin.

I shy from the word "insane" only because it's so loaded with imagery. I see Renfield chasing bugs around his cell. I'd be just as hesitant to call someone with OCD insane, even though their behavior is irrational in that one respect.

[mike_c]

42. perhaps "mentally ill" is a better descriptor....

Just as alcoholism and schizophrenia are variant forms of mental illness. I suspect you're right-- the term "insane" has unfortunate pejorative connotations. I did not intend that-- I'm more comfortable with the term 'mental illness." It's just cumbersome to say "religiously mentally ill" rather than "religiously insane," but the former term completely encompasses my meaning.

[Richard Steele]

29. That's not what that post says. nm

[girl gone mad]

15. I've read it is a vestige of our earlier days..

when unquestioning faith in the alpha caveman was an essential element of survival.

Kind of puts the last 8 years in perspective, now that I think about it.

[Echo In Light]

20. Puts too many things in perspective! ...yikes

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

25. Then I'm afraid I'm a very sick person

because I am a Christian and I am loose in the world.

Do I really disturb and frighten you that much?

Good!

[mike_c]

31. to be honest, I feel sorry for you...

...and hope we find a cure some day. Until then, if your delusions only affect your own life you're the only one they can harm.

Unfortunately, religious madmen and madwomen have acquired broad control of society, and their delusions affect us all. That really is a problem for the rest of us.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

37. Yes...

It is true.

But as I have said, FAITH somehow makes delusional belief okay... or more importantly "good." If, for example, I decided to believe that my electric smoker in the backyard was emitting "positive vibes" and I expressed this to my neighbors, they would instantly contact my husband at work to let him know that I was insane. If however, I let on that a crucifix I have on my wall as a piece of art, began emitting the same "positive vibes" They would ACCEPT this delusional thinking as FAITH.

Finally, I was raised in religiosity and at one point became saved and I wanted to believe that there was a reward at the end of this life. One day, I looked at it differently and began to doubt my FAITH - when I saw my FAITH was nothing more than delusion - I realized that was when I was truly saved.

[MnFats]

38. a cure? who's going to decide who gets 'the cure' and who doesn/t

there's a lot of people out there who want to cure people who don't live their lives as the rest of us. Others want to "cure" them of the offensive behavior and beliefs... I do not want to start mixing it up witih you, and maybe it was just a flippant remark but.....I do not like this .cure"idea//

[mike_c]

39. well it wasn't a flippant remark at all...

...but on the other hand I certainly would never advocate forcing anyone to be cured of insanity against their will. Unless there was broad agreement that their insanity rendered them incapable of acting rationally in their own best interests. Therein lies the problem with treating mental illness-- if chronic belief in the irrational and supernatural is in fact a form of mental illness, and I believe that it is, then how do we address that problem as a society? Most of the time we do our best to make services available for those who wish to seek help but we don't impose treatment upon them unless they are a danger to themselves or others.

My personal feeling is that the religiously insane who wish to accept their delusions and avoid help should be free to do so as long as they don't spread their delusions or trample on the rights of others. Many actively seek to do so today. They should be stopped, IMO.

[MnFats]

48. When Gods are outlawed, only outlaws will have Gods. Or something like that.

with apologies to Charlton Heston, oh, shit I forgot.

[mike_c]

49. lol....

:rofl:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

43. Now let me tell you how I feel about YOU.

I don't.

As a professed athiest you are a self-proclaimed accident of nature. You have no center. You have no meaning. You have no reason to exist- you are simply a biological container of chemical reactions that has no lasting purpose.

There is nothing you can say or do that will make any real difference to me because by your very own definition there is no meaning to anything you do or say. The electric impulses within that accidental chunk of protoplasm inside your skull serve no purpose, thus anything you say is biologically random nonsense that disappears with the wind it's carried upon.

Your birth was nothing more than a nervous imperative and your death will be final. They will put you into the ground and your body will decay and you will be nothing more than worm food. Think about it. That will be the most important function your body will ever serve- to feed mindless creatures that will not ever know or care who you were.

You are absolutely irrelevant and your finite little life will make no difference to anyone once you are gone.

Come to think of it, your life makes no difference to me even now- I will continue and you will not.

And YOU feel sorry for ME?

:rofl:

[Wind Dancer]

44. Wow!

Now that's Christian! :eyes:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

50. No

That's TRUTH.

[mike_c]

46. ok....

I'm not quite sure what to say. Much of what you said about the circumstances of my life coincides with my own view of reality so if you meant it to cause me distress, well, it doesn't. My earlier response was an answer to your inquiry-- not a challenge or anything. You sound rather angry and you seem to be taking this discussion personally.

[MnFats]

2. what worries me more than a little is this:

how do these people know my email address?
what else to they know about me?
If I tell them to lay off with this, does my name go on some sort of list???

[Fumesucker]

3. I thought this little quote was amusing... And revealing.

The polemics of the discussion of the theory of evolution versus creative design, is that it is so reminiscent of the flat earth society where any discussion of the possibility of a rounder playing field was met with not only similar elitist derision, but certain death.

Back when the Catholic Church was denying the heliocentric theory of the Solar System it was the Church which executed Giordani Bruno for heresy for denying the Earth was the center of the universe.

[Fox Mulder]

4. Oh man, you should've read my old biology professor's blog a couple...

weeks ago. He was discussing his encounter while getting a sneak preview of the crappy movie. Here's his blog: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/

[Lars39]

16. I like him.

Doesn't suffer fools...

[Pale Blue Dot]

21. PZ was your professor???!!

That's so cool! What was he like as a teacher?

[Pale Blue Dot]

22. "Expelled" is not going to be screened in advance for critics

That's unheard of for a documentary, and it shows that they know their movie blows. In a month, no one will remember this piece of crap.

Movies: Hiding 'Expelled' from critics a not-so-intelligent move

http://www.sltrib.com/features/ci_8903065?source=email

Every semi-knowledgeable moviegoer and reader of movie criticism knows what the words "not screened for critics" means: The movie is a dog.

"Not screened for critics" means a movie is so terrible that the studio will take its chances, deprive itself of free publicity, and go without release-date reviews. Considering the garbage the studios will show us critics ahead of time (such as the gruesomely lurid "Street Kings" or the laughably stupid "10,000 B.C."), to keep a movie away from critics is usually a sign that things are really, really bad.

Three-plus months into 2008, and 18 movies have arrived in the Utah movie market with the "not screened for critics" label. Horror is the genre most represented on the list, with "One Missed Call," "The Eye," "Shutter," "The Ruins" and this weekend's "Prom Night" all being released without critics seeing them first. Dim-bulb comedies ("Strange Wilderness," "Meet the Spartans," "Witless Protection" and "First Sunday") are also commonly left unscreened.

This makes sense, from the studio's perspective, since the people who go to see horror flicks and dumb comedies - teenagers and morons, respectively - don't read reviews, and will be lured by those shiny objects called TV commercials. The same logic applied to the "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus" concert movie, which was pre-sold to its pre-teen audience, who would have attended no matter what wooly-headed critics like me had to say about it.

But the 19th movie of 2008 to be released without critical appraisal is doing so under quite different circumstances.

That movie is a documentary, opening nationwide this Friday, with the title "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." It features Ben Stein - comic actor, former game-show host, conservative commentator and former Nixon speechwriter - on "his heroic and, at times, shocking journey confronting the world's top scientists, educators and philosophers, regarding the persecution of the many by an elite few," as the film's Web site describes it.

[hatrack]

40. No problem - they'll just mine the "Jesus Chainsaw Massacre" demographics . . .

And show it only in those theaters where Mel's Magnum Blowpiss did the best . . .

Critics? We don't need no critics! We don't need to screen for no stinking critics!!!!

[Fox Mulder]

45. Yes!

He was one of the best professors on campus. I had him for Cell Bio. He is a really intelligent person, soft spoken, and willing to help anyone who needed it.

[and-justice-for-all]

5. The usual religious tripe...

with nothing new to offer in support for the existence of the invisible and improbable. Just another rehash of the same BS that they always utter.

Without evidence, there is no case for the existence of gawd...PERIOD.

[Warpy]

6. Jesus Christ on a trailer hitch

The fact that this idiot feels compelled to print the same lie over and over, the lie about the atheist conspiracy wanting to ban all belief in the one true gawd (whichever one that turns out to be, there are so many) reeks of the Big Lie technique used to convince Europe that the Jews were the only things standing between themselves and Utopia seventy years ago.

Know your enemy, folks, and atheists aint it.

[Echo In Light]

10. Remember this?

Introducing The Constitution Restoration Act
Say Hello To Taliban America And Goodbye To Godless Judges, Courts And Law
by W. David Kubiak April 03, 2005

Tired of waiting for the Second Coming to enforce Christ's rule on Earth? Fortunately, so is your Congress and they know how to "bring it on."

Just when you thought the corporatist/Christian Coalition had milked the 9/11 "surprise" for all it was worth in powers, profits and votes, we regret to report that you may have to think again. Just in case you've briefly fallen behind on your rightwing mailing lists, you might have missed the March 3rd filing of Senate bill S. 520 and House version is H.R. 1070, AKA the "Constitution Restoration Act" (CRA).

In the worshipful words of the Conservative Caucus, this historic legislation will "RESTORE OUR CONSTITUTION!", mainly by barring ANY federal court or judge from ever again reviewing "any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer or agent of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official or personal capacity), concerning that entity's, officer's, or agent's acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government."

In other words, the bill ensures that God's divine word (and our infallible leaders' interpretation thereof) will hereafter trump all our pathetic democratic notions about freedom, law and rights -- and our courts can't say a thing. This, of course, will take "In God We Trust" to an entirely new level, because soon He (and His personally anointed political elite) will be all the legal recourse we have left.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=7569

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. ...

:mad:

[KG]

18. ah, latest bleatings form those poor, persecuted, down-trodden, marginalized american xtian sheep.

yawn.

[EOTE]

23. What the fuck is wrong with fundies?

Constantly playing these games so they can both be a helpless persecuted minority as well as a triumphant majority whenever the cause suites them. This asshole has the nerve to suggest that man, who is without a doubt experiencing the infancy of science and technology, should be able to reproduce BILLIONS of years of evolution on demand simply because we can safely say that we were brought to the state we're at now due to those processes and not some divine watchmaker? I guess the Maytag repair man should be able to produce a washing machine out of thin air simply because he knows how to repair them. I'm sorry, but if you believe the earth is 4000 years old, you're just not too bright. The author of that article is even duller than that. Apparently her proof of the existence of god is that men are mortal. I'm guessing that if people stopped dying all of a sudden, she wouldn't take it as a sign that god is dead, rather she'd take it as a remarkable gift that god has bestowed upon humanity. There's just no winning with these idiots. How the fuck can you argue with someone when their inevitable response when they're backed into the corner will be: "Cuz God did it!"?

[Echo In Light]

24. Sort of like how jocks only heap praise on god after scoring

[hunter]

26. I'm religious. I think "Intelligent Design" is rotten.

Who wants to worship a cranky tinkerer of a god who couldn't get Creation right on the first try? If anyone thinks the design of the human is intelligent, they are not paying attention. We seem to be a creature thrown together from whatever the creator found on the shelf, held together with duct tape and a prayer. Evolution explains that fact nicely, Intelligent Design does not. If the god of Intelligent Design exists he seems to be a lazy sadistic drunk. Moms and babies die in childbirth, people are afflicted by mental processes that don't quite mesh together into something functional, people get cancers, their appendixes burst, their own immune systems attack them, their knees, backs, and hips go bad, etc., etc., etc. Personally, I think "Intelligent Design" is blasphemy.

The God I worship is True and Omnipotent. When He creates a universe it comes out just the way He wants, version 1.0 out of the void, no need for version 1.1, 1.2, 2.0, etc., no need for patches, security fixes, upgrades, or any of the other troubles human machines suffer. The universe started out version 1.0 and version 1.0 it remains.

A much simpler explanation of the universe than Creation is that something happened with no need of a God: A dimensionless point of energy goes whoosh, expands, and here we are taking it all in. As scientists explore the physics of this, they are seeking truths, and seeking truths is good, atheist or not.

I have a more spiritual bent than scientists who describe themselves as atheists or agnostics. When I do science there is all the usual human curiosity, discipline, and monkey inquisitiveness motivating me, but I also have the feeling I am exploring Creation. Perhaps I am afflicted by some "God" gene, or I was infected by my family's religious beliefs, but there it is, it is part of me. Evolutionary Biology is my favorite science, the one I keep up with, and it has always seemed very complimentary to my spirituality.

In my own experience, the most outspoken supporters of Intelligent Design and critics of Evolution are simply deceitful. They couldn't get their "Creation Science" brand of anti-intellectualism accepted, so they dressed it up in a lab coat and called it "Intelligent Design."

[LeftinOH]

27. The evolution=atheism claim is a red herring.. and a tiresome one, too;

invented mostly by the anti-science crowd. Many people of faith can (and do) believe in evolutionary biology and all its glory and complexity, and that it is God's design. Atheists can (and do) believe exactly the same thing -minus the God part. I think that some religionists find that this almost-identical belief is 'too close for comfort.'

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. " new documentary out, called Expelled, produced by Ben Stein"

Not produced by Ben Stein. Narrated by Ben Stein. Ben Stein is just greedy, not stupid enough to waste money on such a dumb film.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. Ben Stein showed this film in the MO state capital to the legislature

It sounds horrible.

[Blue_Tires]

34. whoa...even coulter thinks that girl is fucked in the head....

[Johonny]

47. Funny enough

the reviews on this from scientists that have seen it have been basically "where's the science". The movie apparently does a terrible job making ID scientific which is bad for the creationists. Worse, the movies provides a strong linking of religion to ID. That is not a good sign for future supporters of ID (since it's suppose to be "science" with no inherent religious views). The movie seems to be a huge white flag waving we give up ID is religion after all.

[EstimatedProphet]

51. These people are fucking stupid

That's the answer. They're fucking stupid.

They can't get it through their heads that the job of science is to answer questions. Getting to a point in an inquiry where someone can't figure out how to go farther isn't a reason to quit and say a miracle happened, it's a point where more questions need to be asked. If we pursued other sciences the way the fuckwits want us to pursue biology, physics would have never progressed beyond Bohr (if that far), we'd have no knowledge of nuclear models at all, and we'd still be riding horses for transportation.