Ben Stein and Intelligent Design
May 1, 2008
The debate over evolution has been going on ever since the concept was first devised by Darwin–even Darwin struggled with the idea of evolution, because it challenged his belief in God, and he was a deeply faithful man. Indeed, one of the reasons Darwin didn’t publish his Origin of Species was because of its contradiction with Christian beliefs.
Now, many years later, the debate still rages. True, many Christians and members of other faiths have accepted evolution, but many have not. To get this right out in the open, I believe that evolution is the only sensible theory. It explains how things change over time. It strikes me as very obviously true. In fact, I think it would make me all that more fascinated with Creation–if I believed in creation. Evolution is the perfect tool. If you were going to make a world that could change, both in terms of climate and on a geological level, with shifting tectonic plates, ice ages, floods, and all the rest, you would either have to make indestructible species, or you would have to create species who were capable of adapting to the changes in resources, climate, available land, etc. Well, it’s quite apparent to me that no indestructible species exists. We know of a few that have gone utterly extinct, and of others that are precariously close to extinction.
So, then if there is a God, He must have made species that could adapt–evolve, if you will.
Thus enters the question of Intelligent Design. More importantly comes the question of the scientific validity of Intelligent Design, and whether this quasi-religious theory should be taught alongside the “secular” teachings of evolution.
Once again, I’ll just throw my view right out there: If I believed in God, I would believe in Intelligent Design. I don’t think he would sit around tinkering constantly with his creation, but rather program his creation to intelligently adapt. This requires that some species fail so that others survive. But that’s part of the beauty of a changing Universe.
Still, my belief or lack of belief in God’s creation should not be the subject matter of a public University or Grade School. Kids should learn how the science of evolution works. After all, the science is just the study of the process and the functions by which this world works–it is not a refutation of God, just an explanation of how it’s all been put together. So once our kids know how the biological world functions, then they can seek out their own theological explanations at Church, at home, in a book, on TV. Whatever. That’s my view. In auto-shop, I want to learn how the car works, not who built the car or why. Just teach me how it works, and if I want more info later, I’ll go find out. I’ll take a “history of the automobile” class. Subject matter, especially when it refers to faith, should be kept separate.
Not everyone agrees with me, however, including Ben Stein who has just made a movie called Expelled which discusses the bias Intelligent Design scientists and teachers face in Universities. So, for this issue of Both Sides of the Coin we bring you two opposing articles–the first, arguing that Stein’s movie is a terrible abuse of science; the second arguing that Stein’s film is essential viewing, an important commentary on the state of affairs in our education system today.
Heads, Atheist Ethicist: Ben Stein Expelled
Dear Ben Stein:
Naturally, I have not seen the documentary yet. Consequently, I am not going to raise any objections against the movie itself. However, I have read reports about its content and if true these reports indicate that the documentary will try to portray the claim that intelligent design is not science as a violation of freedom of speech.
I have heard that you have a movie coming out – a documentary, “Expelled – about how creation scientists (a.k.a., intelligent design theorists) are suffering from violations of their free speech rights in academia.I
Read the rest of this article…
Tails, American Thinker: Ben Stein’s Expelled
Ben Stein’s new film, Expelled, should be seen by anyone interested in the new Dark Age of totalitarianism which seems to be creeping through our institutions of communication, information and education. Perhaps only Stein could properly portray the Kafkaesque persecution of scientists, journalists and other professionals who challenge the increasingly untenable proposition that an almost incomprehensibly complex mechanism — the living cell — could have evolved through the oafish mechanism of natural selection.
The object of hatred by the automatons of hoary Darwinism are not just those honest and open minded thinkers — some of whom are Christians, some of whom are Jewish, some of whom are agnostics — but also hated is the very idea of a Blessed Creator. Not only are these haters clear about the necessity of Darwinism to be true, even if it is not true, but they are equally clear about their lust to deconstruct morality and to reduce life itself to a meaningless treadmill.
Related articles...
Written by E.D. Kain · Filed Under Both Sides of the Coin
Comments
2 Responses to “Ben Stein and Intelligent Design”
Got something to say?
A Thing that has not yet been disproved … can hold it’s reasonable assumption that it exist; And as long as a Thing remain unproven, it can maintain it’s greatest possibility of being so. Indeed in this world, Intelligent Design has faltered, but because the beautiful and shinning crystal glass was shattered when it fell to the floor, doesn’t mean it’s Superior Design didn’t exist before it’s fragments were disarranged.
Knowing that the ‘We’ of an Intelligent Mind Soul, are Beings of a ‘’Complex Designed Circuitry of Intelligent Energy’; and knowing that a Soul is that ghost-like Energy which engulfs the Mind at all times; and knowing that the Spirit is but the accelerated state of any energy: I am comfortable being rooted in the knowledge that ‘We’ were brought into existence by the Master Creator.
‘One’ who’s Massive Intelligence of a Complex Circuitry of ‘Charged Plasma Energy’ is Adorned in the immeasurable Gown of Inert and Shiny Blackness of Dark Matter … a Being of the greatest intelligence known and unknown …. One who did create and do hold firm the very Designed Foundation of all Worlds created … that same One who sit in Highest position of all Her Creations of 9 Universal Planes, and who in doing so established 4 Inner Dimensional Levels there in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, Universal Planes and 3 Inner Dimensional Levels there in the and 8th Universal Plane; as Earth now sets in open view here in the 7th Universal Plane of endless darkness. All Planes and their Inner Dimensional levels are held in placed by the stabilizing accomplishments of Quantum Frequencies.
Of such A Creator is said; if Her Shiny Gown of Dark Matter was to transform into a Voltage Being of Lightening, and were to step down from Her hidden Place there in the First Dimensional Level of the First Universal Plane; and were to take journey through our known universe of expanded darkness. Her appearance would stand as a Five Figurative Form of Blue Lightening. Taller than any known Nebula. And that spiraling galaxies would be as tiny lily pads coupling each Her every gigantic Footsteps; and that each lily pad of a galaxy, would buckle to fall in scattered debris at Her passing.
So Knowing what I am sure of, there is no need to debate rather or not that ‘We’ of Intelligent Mind Souls were Designed or a mishap of evolutionized procedures of a natural development. I stand In full knowledge of my Creator. I am just an Old Sold passing through, with something important to say.
[edited out the link in this comment. Sorry, felt a bit too "ad"-like for this site...]
Scientific American has published what I believe to be a good article about the Ben Stein movie. They basically disassemble the lies, falsehoods, mis-steps and confusions that Expelled has shamelessly perpetrated.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ben-steins-expelled-review-john-rennie
As to the god(s) question, I cannot logically resolve a vengeful, vicious god. “His” message comes with an underlying threat that is repulsive. He can wash away all sins if he wants to. He doesn’t want to. Thus he permits the eternal condemnation of most of his children. If his concern was truly safety, he’d change his behavior to one that really embraces safety.
If I were “infinitely merciful” there would be no act that could possibly circumvent my infinite mercy. The comparisons to humans don’t ever work, even as an illustration, because theists insist on a perfect and ultimate and unlimited god. Infinite love and mercy should be what it is– infinite love and mercy. Eternal damnation is a contradiction to those attributes, and there is no way to reconcile a god who establishes amorality as morality.
The only “condemning aspect” of my life is the Christian based idea that as an imperfect being I deserve Hell by default. I’m fairly honest, I work hard, I love my friends and family, etc.– in short, I’m your average person who lives a quiet life dealing with life’s challenges. I cannot imagine rating eternal torment because I don’t acquiesce to the Judeo/Christian defined salvation program. I ask myself:
“Which is more likely: That there’s really this angry god out there who would actually behave that way, or it’s really in the religion’s interest to establish a social dynamic where the threat of [I]eternal torment[/I] is the outcome for not joining in that religion and btw supporting it financially. What’s more likely, man needs a savior for being human, or the Church, an entity of sweeping power for more than a thousand years, needs to convince me I need them and only them?”
I think the answer is really obvious and simple. If such a thing is the reality (and of course there’s no evidence for such) then I’ll have to “account for my actions”. But my worst “crime” in this realm is being imperfect and not believing that which I find is not supported. I can do nothing about such a god who would condemn me for such a trivial issue, nor can I do anything about the fact (my term) that after death it’s nothing but a dreamless sleep. Both are equally depressing, hopeless, and bleak, and there’s a marginal difference between condemning most people who ever existed to an eternity of despair versus [I]everyone[/I] being condemned to an eternity of nothingness. It’s hopeless because if such a god exists, there is no sense in morality, no true justice, and basically we are nothing but minions created to worship an infinite Ego or be consigned to everlasting torment.