Ben Stien's new movie EXSPELLED

Introduction: The Science of God - a Jewish physicist considers the design of the universe and life
by Denyse O'Leary
ARN correspondent

Contrary to legacy media scaremongers, intelligent design is not a "Christian" idea. Serious theists the world over have assumed - quite obviously - that the universe and life forms show evidence of design. Many agnostics agree.

The least theists expect of God is the ability to design and execute a universe. We divide into religions and sects on more immediately pressing subjects, such as whether God permits war, revenge, alcohol, polygamy, divorce, or married clergy.

Nineteenth century materialism created an intellectual market for theories that attempt to explain how the universe and life hoisted themselves into existence without design. "Many universes" and Darwinian evolution are the two most popular today. These theories are given vastly more weight than the evidence allows. And yet their enthusiastic, often fanatical backers wonder why the public remains skeptical.

Recently, I had a chance to read The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom (New York, Free Press, 1997) by physicist Gerald Schroeder - a Jewish take on design in the universe.

Formerly at MIT, Schroeder - who now lives in Israel - was one of the people who helped convince highly respected atheist Antony Flew that, There IS a God, on account of design.

He starts off with the arresting question he was asked hundreds of times around the world: "If the Bible is true, why doesn't it mention dinosaurs?"

He doesn't answer that question directly or immediately. It is a difficult question to answer.

The questioner clearly supposes that if the Bible is reliable, it must provide an answer to every question about which we are curious, whether or not the answer is needed for a righteous life. If that is the questioner's standard, the Bible must seem very deficient indeed.

Schroeder uses the dinosaur query as a jumping off point, from which he argues that the design of nature is best understood in the light of the Book of Genesis - interpreted, of course, in the Jewish rather than the Christian tradition.

One thing that struck me about The Science of God: is that Schroeder admits freely and with no sense of angst - back in 1997! - that there is very little evidence for Darwinian evolution as a cause of origin of species. Yet here we are in this 2008-2009 season of ridiculous Darwin hagiography, and on the very eve of the Expelled documentary on the suppression of scientists who favour design as an explanation.

So why doesn't the monster just die?

The eagerness of "anti IDers" to denounce a film they haven't yet seen, or to cite the pronouncements of the high priests of their particular beliefs

Wolf ODonnel wrote:

New Scientist, Richard Dawkins and others have all reviewed it. They have told me all there is to know about the movie...

tells us all we need to know about their scientific objectivity and quest for real understanding.

Typical of all propaganda, it also distorts language. The narration talks of "Darwinism" -- not evolution -- to make it sound like a dangerously secular cult; creationism is replaced by the more scientific-sounding "intelligent design." After an hour and a half, my faith in Darwin was shaken because, judging by what was on screen, we haven't evolved one blessed bit.

the problem we do with allowing controversial new ideas to be discussed in classrooms.

Very excellent film and an important one; I watched it last night and highly recommend it.

Quote:

the problem we do with allowing controversial new ideas to be discussed in classrooms.

I don't have a problem with allowing controversial new ideas to be discussed in the classroom if it's the philosophy classroom or the theology classroom but I do have a problem with it when they try to teach it in the science classroom.

are there big blocks of tickets being marketed through churches in your area gunga?

One thing they did include which I was not aware of was an interview with a German historian who indicated that the kind of thing which you read about in connection with the holocaust during WW-II did not originate with the nazis but in fact came about some 20 or 30 years earlier than that with the eugenics movement, which was basically just evolution theory put to practice.

All such things basically start with the idea of viewing your neighbor as a meat byproduct of stochastic events rather than as a fellow child of God.

did not originate with the nazis but in fact came about some 20 or 30 years earlier than that with the eugenics movement, which was basically just evolution theory put to practice

Stein asks a simple question: What if the universe began with an intelligent designer, a designer named God?