Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Starring Ben Stein. DVD Premise Media. 90 minutes.
Everyone knows that very few of the DVDs, which we promote, have previously been shown in large commercial theatres. Yet here we have one that was shown in the United States in the spring of last year, and in Canada at the beginning of July. In that it was designed for major outlets, everything about this film is highly professional. Ben Stein is a big name star in the United States. His past activities include training in economics and the law, a period as presidential speech writer, as an academic, a political commentator, and as a star of a major film (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 1986).
Since this is a documentary with a serious message, the problem for the producers was to make it interesting and entertaining at the same time. The theme is that highly qualified scientists in the United States are losing their jobs because they dare to see the work of an intelligent creator in the origin of life, of the universe, and of everything else. This calls the objectivity of the scientific establishment into question when they let or encourage this to happen. Â Amusing, but relevant film clips, are interspersed with this serious presentation, in order to make the whole appealing to a general audience.
One section of the film includes discussion on the implications of social Darwinism and the effects of such an attitude in recent European history. Later, interviews with establishment scientists are included. In that establishment science claims to be neutral in attitude and based on fact, this DVD conveys an important message. American scientists, in general, have very biased ideas about what they are willing to conclude about nature. They do not want to see any trace of design in nature, and they are willing, indeed anxious, to banish from their ranks anyone, however qualified, who thinks differently. This is a wake up call for the general public. Establishment scientists are biased in their pronouncements. It is appropriate to consider the work of the banished scientists and of others promoting intelligent design and the creation models. A good place to start is to view this film and to show it to others.
