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Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Well-known Hollywood actor, Ben Stein, blows the lid on the thinly veiled discrimination that occurs in our educational institutions—and it’s worse than most people realize. It appears that unless you completely subscribe to the naturalistic evolutionary view, then you are in danger of being ‘expelled’ from holding any teaching post, effectively rendering years of professional study and research worthless—in short, ruination!. The shocking facts detailed in this movie have already caused it to be one of the most watched documentaries of all time during its North American cinema release. Stein (who is also a lawyer, an economist, a former presidential speechwriter, author and social commentator), reveals that although we live in supposedly democratic countries, academic and religious freedom is being quashed and censorship is rampant. He draws parallels to Hitler—and yes, it’s that serious! Please Note: CMI Australia received special permission to import a limited quantity of the overseas NTSC release of Expelled for sale to supporters early in 2009. This is the same presentation but has now been remastered in the Australian PAL format, for the Region 4 market (Australia/NZ/PNG). CMI has reviews on this movie. See: Not too old to be Expelled Expelled: New movie exposes persecution of anti-Darwinists Cracking the wall in science an interview with Mark Mathis the producer. (High School–Adult) 90 min.

Slaughter of the Dissidents

by Dr Jerry Bergman

Author: Dr Jerry Bergman Christian persecution in academia is widespread, destroying countless careers and families today. In real life cases, Dr. Bergman documents the strategies anti-Christian use to suppress intellectual freedom in our universities. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Learn from those who have paid a high price for honesty and freedom. Protect your career, your family and your future. (High School–Adult) 480 pages.

The Greatest Hoax on Earth? Refuting Dawkins on evolution

by Jonathan Sarfati

Author: Jonathan Sarfati Richard Dawkins, the undisputed high priest of evolution/atheism, says his book The Greatest Show on Earth: the evidence for evolution is the first time he has presented all the evidence for evolution/long ages. It is promoted as an unanswerable demolition of creation. Scientist, logician, chessmaster and author of the world’s biggest-selling creationist book, CMI’s Dr Jonathan Sarfati, relentlessly demolishes Dawkin’s claims point-by-point, showing biblical creation makes more sense of the evidence. A must-read—and a must-give (to all evolutionist acquaintances)! (High School–Adult) 336 pages.

Evolution: Good Science?

by Dominic Statham

Exposing the Ideological Nature of Darwin’s Theory Author: Dominic Statham Audience: High School–Adult Pages: 160 Darwin’s theory of evolution is often presented as scientifically proven fact—in schools, universities and by the media. Belief in the biblical act of creation has been relegated to the domain of myth, and many have now been led to understand that it has no place in real science. Few are aware, however, that there are very serious problems with Darwin’s theory. This is because students and the general public are only told about the evidence that appears to support it; little is said about the many scientific observations that seriously undermine it. Using plain English, Dominic Statham explains the main arguments presented by evolutionists in support of their theory and shows that these have major flaws. He argues that much of the scientific data can actually be seen to be consistent with a biblical account of creation and history. He concludes that, rather than being scientifically driven, the theory of evolution is driven by a desire to justify the belief that life on earth arose by natural processes rather than by the hand of God. Finally, the reader is encouraged to hold fast to the Bible as the true revelation of God, his creation and his dealings with mankind. The Author Dominic Statham is a chartered engineer and graduate of Loughborough University in the UK. He has twenty-five years’ experience in aeronautical and automotive engineering, with Rolls Royce (Aero and Industrial & Marine Divisions) and GKN, a leading supplier of automotive driveline components. His recent vehicle projects include Land Rover Discovery 3, Freelander 2 and the Jaguar XF. He has extensive experience of both manufacturing and product development, and holds a number of patents. Features and Benefits Provides a summary of the arguments presented in support of evolution, together with a clear rebuttal of each; Written in plain English with clear explanations of the relevant scientific principles; Well illustrated; Explains why so many scientists subscribe to evolutionary beliefs despite the many problems with Darwin’s theory Endorsements This book presents an excellent summary of the origins debate. As an experienced engineer, Dominic Statham is well qualified to take on the task of analysing a mass of disputed evidence and making conclusions that are fair and justified.—Stuart Burgess, Professor of Design and Nature, University of Bristol I enjoyed this book very much! It is both well written and illustrated in a style that clearly explains the problems with evolution—its history and current popularity—and offers a cogent alternative. I recommend it to anyone interested in the origins controversy.—Dr. R. Terry Spohn, Professor of Biology and Associate Director of Creation Studies, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, USA Contents INTRODUCTION CLARIFYING PRINCIPLES 1. What is Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN SUPPORT OF EVOLUTION (And a Creationist response.) 2. The Fossil Record 3. ‘It is Observed Today’ 4. Homology 5. Vestigial Organs and Embryology 6. Biogeography 7. ‘It is Recorded in DNA’ THE COUNTER ARGUMENT IN SUPPORT OF SPECIAL CREATION 8. Evidence of Design in Nature SCIENCE OR IDEOLOGY? 9. Is Belief in Evolution Necessary for Scientific Progress? 10. Why do so Many Scientists Subscribe to the Theory of Evolution? 11. Is Evolution Compatible With Christianity? GLOSSARY INDEX

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design

by Jonathan Wells

Author: Jonathan Wells Darwin is an emperor who has no clothes—but it takes a brave man to say so. Jonathan Wells, a microbiologist with two Ph.D.s (from Berkeley and Yale), is that brave man. Most textbooks on evolution are written by Darwinists with an ideological ax to grind. Brave dissidents—qualified scientists—who try to teach or write about intelligent design are silenced and sent to the academic gulag. But fear not: Jonathan Wells is a liberator. He unmasks the truth about Darwinism—why it is wrong and what the real evidence is. He also supplies a revealing list of ‘Books You’re Not Supposed to Read’ (as far as the Darwinists are concerned) and puts at your fingertips all the evidence you need to challenge the most closed-minded Darwinist. (High School–Adult) 273 pages

Is Intelligence allowed?

Expelled UK Premiere sparks more debate

by Dominic Statham

Published: 23 March 2010(GMT+10)

Ben Stein

On Saturday 27th February, I attended the UK premiere of Ben Stein’s film, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. In a lively, fast moving and entertaining way, Stein makes a very serious point: any academic who dares to question Darwinian dogma risks censure, limited career prospects and, quite possibly, the loss of his or her job. After the film, there was a live debate, in which two proponents of Intelligent Design, Dr. Alastair Noble1 and Professor Steve Fuller2 faced two opponents of Intelligent Design, Professor Keith Fox3 and Professor Susan Blackmore.4

At one point, Blackmore, who flatly denied that there was any real problem with academic censorship, explained that one of the reasons she could not take ID seriously was that she was not aware of anything useful that had come out of it. As I listened to this, I recalled all the scientific blunders that could have been avoided if scientists had not been constrained in their thinking by the evolutionary paradigm.

Expelled

The latest, of course, is the debacle arising from the erroneous belief in ‘junk DNA’. Believing most of the genome to have no function, being just a relic of our evolutionary past, medical researchers had ignored it, and missed many keys to how we could treat diseases arising from genetic disorders. According to John Mattick, Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Queensland, “the failure to recognize the implications of the non-coding DNA will go down as the biggest mistake in the history of molecular biology.”5 Had scientists believed the genome to be designed, it is most unlikely that they would have made this mistake.

Blackmore, presumably, is also unaware of the considerable body of evidence supporting the view that modern science was born out of a belief in a universe that had been designed. In his Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae, Kepler wrote of how his scientific work was driven by “the highest confidence in the visible works of God”, and he often interspersed his reflections on scientific method with biblical quotations on the wisdom, power and glory of God.6

Believing most of the genome to have no function, being just a relic of our evolutionary past, medical researchers had ignored it, and missed many keys to how we could treat diseases arising from genetic disorders.

Galileo wrote that “the book of nature is a book written by the hand of God in the language of mathematics”7 and referred to the divine Creator as a ‘craftsman’ and an ‘architect’, concepts which inspired him to conduct experiments so as to learn about God’s creation. Believing the human mind also to be the work of this Creator, he confidently pursued his research in the expectation that the mind created by God was capable of understanding at least some of the rest of his creation. According to Galileo, it was this Christian belief that the principles of the universe were fathomable that led Copernicus to postulate the simple theory that the earth revolved around the sun.8

For Robert Boyle, “the doctrine and belief in the Creator represented the very foundation of sound reasoning about the world”, and Newton “most explicitly endorsed the notion of a Creation once and for all as the only sound framework of natural philosophy.”9 In an essay written for the Royal Society, John Maynard Keynes said of Newton that “he regarded the universe as a cryptogram set by the Almighty.”10

According to Robert Hooke, the pioneer of microscopy, the more we magnify objects, “the more we discover the imperfections of our senses, and the omnipotency and infinite perfections of the great Creator”.11

That the faith of these creationists provided the basis for modern science was also acknowledged by the leading anthropologist and historian of science, Loren Eiseley:

“… the philosophy of experimental science … began its discoveries and made use of its method in the faith, not the knowledge, that it was dealing with a rational universe controlled by a creator who did not act upon whim nor interfere with the forces He had set in operation … It is surely one of the curious paradoxes of history that science, which professionally has little to do with faith, owes it origins to an act of faith that the universe can be rationally interpreted, and that science today is sustained by that assumption.”12

…the founders of modern science, such as Galileo and Newton … persevered in their work because they believed in a Creator who had ordered the world in such a way that scientific research and engineering endeavour would be fruitful.

Keith Fox, who also argued against ID, is a theistic evolutionist. Apart from the violence that the doctrine of theistic evolution does to scripture, the logic behind Fox’s position amazes me—I just cannot see how someone can believe in a creator and deny ID. The theistic evolutionist argues that God used natural processes to create and, presumably, set up the universe with natural laws that inevitably gave rise to the kind of life forms he wanted to populate the earth, including man who was intended to carry His image. If so, then it follows that intelligence may be seen in the laws of nature, and what issues from these laws will also carry the mark of an intelligent origin. ID, then, would still be a valid premise upon which to pursue science.

Clearly, as a biblical creationist, I do not believe that God only used natural laws to create, but that the world and all life was made supernaturally. I have, however, also come to see evidence of design in the ‘character’ of the material world. Let me explain. As a young engineer, I would often meet technical problems in my work—manufacturing processes would not do what I wanted them to do, vibrations prevented mechanisms working properly etc—and I often questioned whether a solution actually existed. Could I spend many fruitless hours trying to solve a problem which had no solution? I was always encouraged by the senior engineers to keep going, however, and, without exception, always found an answer. Over time, I realised that their expectation that solutions would be found arose from their experience—over many years they had consistently found satisfactory ways round problems. They had seen a pattern! It occurred to me subsequently that the founders of modern science, such as Galileo and Newton, did not have the benefit of this experience. They persevered in their work because they believed in a Creator who had ordered the world in such a way that scientific research and engineering endeavour would be fruitful.

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8:1)

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References and notes

  1. Alastair Noble was Inspector of Schools and Head of Education Services in Scotland. Return to text.
  2. Steve Fuller is Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick. Return to text.
  3. Keith Fox is Professor of Biochemistry, University of Southampton. Return to text.
  4. Sue Blackmore is Visiting Professor in the School of Psychology, University of Plymouth. Return to text.
  5. Genius of Junk DNA, Catalyst, 10 July 2003. Return to text.
  6. Jaki, S., Science and Creation, Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1986, p. 268. Return to text.
  7. Stark, R., For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-hunts and the End of Slavery, Princeton University Press, Oxford, 2003, p. 165. Return to text.
  8. Jaki, S., ref. 6, p. 276–279. Return to text.
  9. Jaki, S., ref. 6, pp. 285 and 287. Return to text.
  10. Keynes, J.M., Newton, the Man. Essay read to the Royal Society, 1946. Cited in Stark, R., ref. 7, p. 173. Return to text.
  11. Harrison, P., The Bible, Protestantism and the rise of natural science, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001, p. 174. Return to text.
  12. Eiseley, L., Darwin’s Century: Evolution and the Men who Discovered It, Anchor Books, New York, USA, 1961, p. 62. Return to text.
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