Expelled

Darcie and I took the Forge students to see Ben Stein's movie, Expelled, last night. Normally we don't go see movies in the theatre, but I wanted to support any movie that was bringing to light a topic like Intelligent Design.

It is a documentary film, so don't expect to be entertained - although it is riddled with Ben Stein's subtle, dry-witted humor throughout the film. In as much as the movie focuses on the topic of Intelligent Design, it is more a movie about freedom of thought and importantly makes a case not that Intelligent Design is the "right" theory - simply that it should be allowed to be a part of the discussion.

Although Stein's argumentation may be a little non-sensical at times, his seemingly innocent approach to this subject is quite revealing and compelling. I even found Dawkins & Myers struggling to find some way to criticise the movie. Dembski's blog wasn't impressed with the response either. What is most unexpected and pleasantly surprising about this film is that it's not an attack on Darwinism or Evolution - it's an attack on the community that holds those beliefs for not allowing other hypothesis to be honestly investigated - regardless of what conclusions they may lead to. The parallels to the Berlin wall and Nazi-ism are certainly harsh and perhaps extreme - but Stein uses the metaphors to effectively advance his argument.

This is an important film and should be supported with your time, money and attention.