Ben Stein is popular in some circles, but not so much with me. I didn't see Ferris Buehler, but I did watch with amusement his monotone droning playing what apparently was a similar character in The Wonder Years.
Now, the conservative pundit and actor takes on an issue that I've some interest in -- the faith/science debate. I've not seen the movie
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, and don't know if I plan to do so, I can't offer my review of it. That being said, I find the debate surrounding the "documentary" interesting. Stein's purpose is to demonstrate that the "Science Establishment" persecutes those alternate voices that espouse Intelligent Design. Part of the purpose of the film from what I've seen, seeks to stain Darwin with the atrocities of Hitler and Stalin, as if his biological theories will naturally lead to such ends -- a kind of guilt by association.
So far, most of the reviews have been negative, but that shouldn't keep it from having a strong box office receipt. Lots of movies get bashed by the critics only to do well. Besides, the marketing company is reaching out to Christian schools and home schoolers, offering donations to those who attend as a group.
You may have also read that P.Z. Meyers. a biologist and critic of ID, who was interviewed for the film, was tossed out of a Minneapolis screening (funny thing, Richard Dawkins slipped through). Whatever the merits or the demerits of the film, the controversy over the film raises the more important issue of an unfortunate ongoing attempt to use religion to undermine science or use science to undermine religion. In my estimation, as a non-scientist, science and religion should be in conversation. They approach reality from very different perspectives, but that doesn't mean they can't have fruitful conversations. There was, of course, a time when theology was the "Queen of the Sciences," but that time has long since passed.
What is unfortunate in this long debate is that whether it is the Creationists or the ID folk, partisans have attempted to fill the gaps in our knowledge with God. When science finds an answer, God gets pushed back. Remember it wasn't all that long ago that it was believed that epilepsy was demon possession or that small pox was a divinely authorized plague. Many refused to receive small pox vaccinations because they believed that small pox wasn't a disease but divine punishment. But, finally science prevailed and God stepped back. Expelled, from what I've seen, doesn't help with this dilemma.
Becky Garrison, Evangelical author and satirist for the Wittenberg Door, takes a crack at the film in a
God's Politics post. I think she hits this on the head!
She writes, compellingly in my mind:
In fairness to Stein, this film wasn't as biased as The God Who Wasn't There, a pseudo-documentary that pitted Ph.D. level scientists against the webmaster for raptureletters.com. Still, the editing left me with the clear impression that practicing scientists who are people of faith subscribe wholeheartedly to intelligent design. Where were the voices of leading evolutionary biologists who are also practicing Christians, such as Francis Collins, Joan Roughgarden, and Kenneth Miller? Furthermore, leading Christian thinkers such as Alister McGrath, John Lennox, and John Polkinghome were presented in a manner that one could think they are in full agreement with Intelligent Design, when in fact, they have written material critical of this movement. (See Intelligent Design: William A. Dembski & Michael Ruse in Dialogue for a more nuanced discussion of this debate including essays penned by McGrath, Lennox and Polkinghome.)
Let's have a real conversation, not one designed for the arena. Garrison points to people who can have that kind of conversation, if we're willing to be patient enough to learn what the issues are.
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