An Amazing, Energizing Documentary

Being Mormon, I've long believed that our Father in Heaven created the universe and all life. I believed evolution was an unsound idea, and recently I've come to believe that creationist "scientists" were a kooky lot. (Hey, turns out I'm still right.)

What I was wrong about was my understanding of "Intelligent Design". Though that term has been applied to many things and even people, it's most correct meaning is "the idea that intelligent design might possibly be the most likely cause" for a given scientific phenomenon. For example, intelligent design might be the cause of some aspect of molecular biology.

You may know this (I didn't), but molecular biology research is at a relative stand-still. Much of the evidence points to some intelligent influence of cellular development, but mentioning this leads to pretty dire consequences if you are a scientist.

All this and more is delved into in an amazing, energizing documentary by Ben Stein "Expelled." We just watched it tonight on Netflix Instant. You must watch this movie.

"Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed" mainly asks the question, why are scientists (in the United States in particular) being silenced or discredited for asking questions outside of Darwinian theory? Ben Stein argues for freedom of scientific debate in this thought provoking movie. He interviews dozens of scientists, and other well-credentialed professors, of varying opinions and backgrounds. (Oh, and there is a really cool 3-D section where you can see the inner workings of a living cell simulated!!! -E)

As you might imagine, this documentary has attracted some opposition. One of the websites that I came upon claimed that since the roots of intelligent design are in creationism, it is an inherently religious idea. But by that logic, all of science is a religious idea, as all of science has it's old roots in creationism.

Watch the movie, check out his website, sign the petition for academic freedom of inquiry here: http://www.academicfreedompetition.com/ (If you want a free Netflix trial through us, just email me.)