I realize I have spent an inordinate amount of time and space critiquing the Leader’s Guide for Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, but a careful examination of this so-called resource is valuable. Parsing it allows me to address the fallacies and inconsistencies inherent in the movie, which opens Friday.

So far, I have examined the Guide’s own presentations of the scientific “proof” against and cultural consequences of Darwin’s theory of evolution. The Guide — typical of many anti-evo websites — takes quotes out of context, misquotes, repeats factual errors, ignores standard rules of logical argumentation and in general provides no scientific basis for the claim that Intelligent Design is a viable scientific theory.

The end of the Guide its readers a list of sources to read, and suggests “talking points” for discussion leaders, pastors and teachers to use.

The source list is hopelessly biased toward only one side of the so-called debate. Under normal circumstances, a reference guide would include the major works on both sides of an issue. In this case, though the Guide quotes them several times, neither Darwin’s The Origin of Species or The Descent of Man are on the suggested reading list. Nor is any modern resource, printed or electronic, on evolutionary theory.

One single source that might be considered pro-evolution is Daniel Dennett’s Darwin’s Dangerous Idea. The rest (excepting Hitler’s Mein Kampf and a letter by Karl Marx) are all pro-ID. There are no links to pro-evolution websites, of which there are a multitude. If the premise of the movie and the Guide is to “teach the controversy,” then omitting evolution resources belies the premise.

Then again, we wouldn’t want the leaders or the movie’s viewers to think critically, would we?

The Guide then offers a fairly detailed set of “talking points” to enable leaders to facilitate discussions about evolution and ID. The Guide refers only to itself and the resource DVD available free of charge to leaders who request it. The DVD contains much the same material as the movie. Since I’ve already hashed over the Guide, I’ll skip critiquing the discussion guide.

Then, the Guide offers advice to churches and teachers. Previously, the Guide insisted that ID is not the same as creationism. Now it offers advice to local churches! Note how the distinction between ID (science) and creationism (religion) seems to get lost here.

Guide:
Faith and Science — Truly at Odds?

Can members of your congregation explain whether Darwinism is compatible with their faith and why? Do they know what the scientific evidence really shows about Darwinism? Do they understand how the findings of science actually support the idea that life and the universe are a product of intelligent design rather than a blind material process? Do they understand the implications of Darwinism for society?

For churches:

5. Who is the Intelligent Designer?
Talking Points:
Science points to an intelligence behind the design of the universe. What kind of evidence outside science can help us understand who the designer is? What does the Bible say?

For additional resources for use in churches check out www.redeemingdarwin.com

For pastors:

Sermon Idea
Who is the Intelligent Designer? (Genesis 1, Romans 1)

Build on the momentum that will be created by this controversial film, using the opportunity to educate your congregation about the science supporting our faith. Then go one step further and show how both science and Scripture reveal God the Creator.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

Comments:
Darwinism, as in evolution, is compatible with faith. Most mainstream churches, including the Roman Catholic, and non-Christian faiths accept evolution. Only those who read Genesis literally, or who hold a theistic belief that God “manages” the universe constantly would object to evolution.

Scientific evidence is just that. It does not include assertions, conjectures, appeals to authority, or insinuations that if we don’t understand something, God is the only explanation.

The “findings of science” do not support the idea of God or an intelligent designer. Faith enables people to believe God exists. Faith does not require proof.

The implications of Darwinism — evolution — to society are minimal. It is a scientific theory. Social Darwinism — a philosophy or school of thought — is a different animal, unrelated to evolution and Darwin. Evolution is not atheism or Satanism. It is not a religion.

Who is the Intelligent Designer? Well the Bible says it’s God. So is ID the same as creationism, or what? Is it science, or religion?

We know the answer to that question …

Guide:
Finally, the Guide offers a series of “debate questions” for teachers to use in their classes, adding a warning that teachers in public schools should familiarize themselves with the legal parameters of such discussions first. (We don’t want any more Dovers, after all.) The value of such questions depends entirely on the teacher and his or her expectations of the students.

I know history teachers who use the debate (or more effectively, mock trial) format to get their students to really drill down into important historical events: Catholicism vs. Luther, North vs. South, etc. They require students to do real, deep research. Any self-respecting teacher would insist his students go far beyond this idiotic Guide and movie to research both evolution and ID, using more comprehensive (and less biased) resources. If you’re a teacher reading this blog, please don’t force your students to take one side or another. Make it a real debate (or trial), with both sides fully informed about evolution, creationism and ID. Do not under any circumstances allow them to depend solely on this Guide.

No matter what anyone tells you, ID is not science. It cannot be taught as a scientific theory in your science classes if you work in a public school, because ID is creationism, a religious concept. Neither should it be taught as a scientific theory if your school is private, parochial or church-related. To do so is to be intellectually dishonest and a disgrace to the science-teaching profession. Science is science. Religion is religion. If students and teachers accept ID or believe God created the Universe, fine. They still need to learn (or teach) the scientific theory of evolution because it is, whether you like it or not, part of modern science. You cannot judge something without knowing anything about it. So they must learn evolutionary theory — real evolution, not the faux evolution presented in this Leader’s Guide and in Expelled.

Evolution is not “evil.” Nor is any other scientific theory. Einstein’s theory of relativity included the famous equation of the equivalence of mass and energy, E=mc². That equation enabled researchers in the US, Europe and the Soviet Union to understand nuclear reactions, and ultimately for the US to develop and use the first atomic bombs. Some believe nuclear bombs to be evil, but they do not typically label Einstein as an atheist, as Satan or as evil, nor do they curse the theory of relativity. Evolutionary theory works the same way. Darwin’s theory, and the refinements made to it since 1859, are not evil. Evolution does not demand that babies be killed, the unfit sterilized, or entire groups of people subjugated by stronger powers. Those are social and political issues, much as the decision to drop the A-bombs on Japan was a military one.

The creators of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed are entitled to their opinions. And that’s all they are giving. Despite the Guide’s emphasis on scientific research and new scientific discoveries supporting ID and disproving evolution, there is none. The movie and the Leader’s Guide are just opinions, not facts. Anyone who takes the movie at its word is frankly just plain stupid.

April 14th, 2008 | Tags: bias, church, expelled, leader's guide, school | Category: Commentary, Media, Science, Skepticism, evolution | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL