Dec
22
Ben Stein – Expelled
ByKaren at Only Sometimes Clever had a great post and I wanted to share here about it as well. Ben Stein has created a movie called “Expelled – No Intelligence Allowed” referring to Intelligent Design within the scientific community. Click here to go the website and read about it and watch the trailer. I also have a banner on the side that you can check out. You won’t regret it!
[...] you familiar with this yet? Posted on March 31, 2008 by momlovesbeingathome I posted about Ben Stein and the movie he’s creating called “Expelled: No Intelligence [...]
This films’ main thesis, that anyone in the science community who believes in God, or is a Darwin dissenter is being “expelled” is false at its core.
In a New York Times interview, Walter Ruloff (producer of Expelled) said that researchers, who had studied cellular mechanisms, made findings suggestive of an intelligent designer. “But they are afraid to report them”.
Mr. Ruloff also cited Dr. Francis S. Collins, a geneticist who directs the National Human Genome Research Institute and whose book, “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief”, explains how he came to embrace his Christian faith. Mr. Ruloff said that Dr. Collins separates his religious beliefs from his scientific work only because “he is toeing the party line”.
That’s “just ludicrous,” Dr. Collins said in a telephone interview. While many of his scientific colleagues are not religious and some are “a bit puzzled” by his faith, he said, “they are generally very respectful.” He said that if the problem Mr. Ruloff describes existed, he is certain he would know about it.
Similarly, Dr. Ken Miller is a professed Christian who wrote “Finding Darwin’s God” (which I suggest you read). Dr. Miller has not been “expelled” in any fashion for his belief in God.
The movie tries to make the case that “Big Science” is nothing but a huge atheist conspiracy out to silence believers, but only presents a very one-sided look at some of the Discovery Institute’s “martyrs”.
Carolyn Crocker “expelled”? – No.
Her annual teaching contract was not renewed. Was she “fired” for daring to bring God into research? – No. She was hired to teach Cell Biology, and she decided to ignore the schools’ curriculum and substitute her own curriculum.
Guillermo Gonzalez “expelled”? – No.
He was not granted tenure. The film doesn’t bring up the fact that in all his years at ISU he had only brought in only a miniscule amount of grant money. Nor does it bring up the fact that in all his years at ISU he failed to mentor a single student through to their PhD. Nor does it mention that in his career at ISU, his previous excellent record of publication had dropped precipitously.
Richard von Sternberg “expelled”? – No.
Sternberg continues to work for NIH in the same capacity. Of course the movie doesn’t bring up his underhanded tactics in getting Meyers work published.
This movie attempts to influence it’s viewers with dishonesty, half-truths, and by a completely one-sided presentation of the facts.
If a scientists’ research is not accepted by the scientific community, it isn’t because the scientist either believes or doesn’t believe in God or Darwin, it is usually because they are producing bad science.
Benjamin, whether you believe it or not, whether you admit it or not, and whether you’ve experienced it or not – Christians are censored every day in this country and especially in schools. Disagreeing with someone (such as Ben Stein) who sheds light on the situation doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.
In regards to your last paragraph – science that doesn’t line up with what the Bible teaches is bad science – regardless of what the “scientific community” accepts.
M.L.B.A.H.
Six hundred years ago, St Augustine wrote these words which you should take to heart.
It is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on [scientific] topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason? Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think support their position, although they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make assertion.
For hundreds of years, the church held that the earth was flat, because that was their interpretaion of the Bible. Until only about 500 years ago, it was accepted that the Sun rotated around the Earth, because that was their interpretation of the Bible.
I think the problem you have is that its not that the theory of evolution doesn’t line up with what the Bible teaches, it could merely be that the particular interpretation of bible which doesn’t line up with proven science is an incorrect interpretation of scripture.
Galileo once said “the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin, I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to respond to your comment. Part of me would like to take your comment piece by piece and explain how ridiculous some of the statements are. But the other part of me says it’s not worth the time it would take to do so. You see, I have no interest in entering into foolish debates with people who believe the opposite as I do. It serves absolutely no purpose. I’m not going to be able to say anything to convince you that you are wrong and you aren’t going to be able to say anything to convince me that I am wrong. One day we will both find out the truth. Until then we will just have to agree to disagree and leave it at that.
Hi, MLBAH. Just thought you’d find it interesting that the same “Benjamin Franklin” user copied and pasted that same first comment onto my blog, which reviews Expelled favorably. You might be interested to read what the producers said about some of their “controversial tactics,” which you can find here: http://subthemag.com/tss/2008/03/31/ben-stein-expels-some-expelled-rumors/68
A quick look around the blogosphere turned up several of the same comments on other blogs, many by the same usernames, which would seem to indicate that there are certain individuals who have a personal interest in seeing this movie fail.
I do find that very interesting, Marc! I’ll have to check it out more. Thanks for stopping by and sharing that!
He left one on my blog as well. They were exactly the same as yours. Cut and paste is a great thing. I have seen the exact same comments on numerous blogs. This one gets around.
I removed the comments, since his name is obviously fake and he did not leave an email address to reply to. He did comment that he (or she) wanted to openly debate this and I was not letting him. Oh well, my blog… my rules. It’s a free country to make your point known and it’s also within my rights to not agree and remove your comments.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Mark. Sounds to me like he’s very afraid about what this movie is going to bring to light.
As I stated in an earlier comment, I’m not interested in debating him either – it would be pointless.
Kudos on a wonderful website. My wife and I are firm believers in a Christian sense and also in the homeschool way of life sense.
I have been tracking a lot of the posts on various blogs across the web trying to get a feel for the public’s initial reaction to the “Expelled” documentary, and ended up here. I found your statement in response to Ben Franklin interesting and wanted to comment on the “science that doesn’t line up with what the Bible teaches is bad science” segment.
I agree 100%, but I think as believers we must be very careful in our understanding of what the Bible does teach regarding the creation. Most evangelicals polled would reply that the Earth was created in seven literal days, as in a Monday through Sunday seven days, with a day being defined as a complete cycle of the rising and setting of the sun. However, on what “day” was the object which defines our standard (the sun) created? Further study shows that the original Hebrew text uses four separate meanings for the word day; i.e., “back in my day” or in the day of the horse and buggy, etc. Those words lose a lot of their meaning in today’s translations.
The bottom line is that the very God that created you and me also created this universe and the rules that govern it. We must never fall into the trap of believing it is Science versus God; He invented it. If the world was not created in one week, does this prove evolution to be true? I would argue no. Does it make God any less powerful or change His nature in anyway? Again, I would argue no.
Just food for thought, humbly submitted. Thanks.
Jarod, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! Thanks for complementing my site too – I’m glad you liked it.
If I were one that you polled, I would be one that would say that Creation was created in seven literal days as well. I have no reason to believe that God didn’t mean what He said when he said, “the first day… the second day,” etc. As for the sun, Genesis 1:14-19 tells us that the sun was created on the fourth day. Yes, we define a day based on the rising and the setting of the sun but that doesn’t mean that God had to have the sun in order to have a day. God created things in the order He did for His reasons. I don’t believe we have to understand them in order for them to be true. We can’t even understand God if you want to get to the bare facts – but I still believe He is there.
As far as the Hebrew words go, I will admit that I don’t speak Hebrew but have learned that the word used to represent ‘day’ in Genesis 1 is the same word used to represent a literal day in all other places in Scripture. So to me, there’s no confusion – a day is a day.
I think too many people think it can’t be a literal day because our minds cannot comprehend how that is possible. But there are so many things that our minds cannot comprehend and that doesn’t make them any less true. I believe in a seven day creation because I believe God’s word to be true.
“We must never fall into the trap of believing it is Science versus God; He invented it.” AMEN! I agree completely! That’s why I made the statement that I did about science not lining up with what the Bible teaches being bad science. Since God created everything, He knows what He’s talking about.
If somebody comes up with something that contradicts what the Bible says, then, in my opinion, they are wrong. I know a lot of people don’t like that kind of thinking but that’s okay. I’m not afraid to be different. 
Thanks again for stopping by, Jarod!
just saw Expelled; the fact that Ben Stein isn’t trying to win any popularity contests helps to validate his message… i gather that his goal is to promote free thought, especially more thinking about the worldviews that drive American academia
Patrick, hello and welcome! You make a very good point! Ben Stein isn’t too worried about what people think of him – he’s simply trying to show the bias that exists against Intelligent Design. I think he did a great job of that too! The movie was fabulous!
By the way, I stopped by your site and read your post on the topic – it was fantastic!
Thanks for stopping by.