"Expelled" Movie Comments (Part 4: The "crisis" in evolutional theory)

by Bernie Dehler, 5-7-08

The movie quotes an ID sponsor as saying that evolution is in trouble:

Dr. Jonathan Wells: If you define evolution precisely to mean the common descent of all living life on earth from a single ancestor via undirected mutation and natural selection, that’s the textbook definition of these terms. Biologists of the first rank have a real question. (at about time 22:20 into the movie)

Really, first-rank biologists have a problem? If that were the case, couldn't the movie drum-up just one who was an evolutionary biologist? It appeared as if David Berlinski was one, but it turns out he's a leader in the ID movement. So where, or who, is an evolutionist that debates these things?

The idea that these detractors can't be named because they will get "exposed" just doesn't ring true.

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Series on the movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed"
Website: http://www.expelledthemovie.com/

Comments

[LJ]

Hi,

Pope John Paul around ten years ago declared evolution theory to be "more than a valid hypothesis". He stated that there were seven separate branches of science.. gene, bone structure, geology (and others) that all pointed to its verification. I guess a couple of decades earlier, the catholic church declared evolution as a "valid theory" and began teaching it in catholic schools. The catholics seem to be slowly accepting evolution theory. Slowly, like the way they embraced the idea that the earth was not the center of the universe.

A problem that I see is that we take the story of our creation as telling us what direction we should be going. I shout NO to using evolution theory for this. There are two stories.. one based on the study of the earth, stars, atoms, plants and animals, and another story that governs who we are mentally and spiritually. They are different stories and need to be kept separate. The earth story helps us manipulate things on earth (studied using the scientfic method, lets us know about bricks and electrons) and the heaven story governs our person-to-person relationships.

Jesus said he was a king of heaven, not earth. Kind of validates the idea that there are two import worlds that we live in, both important, both valid, but separate.

LJ

[Bernie of FreeGoodNews.com]

Hi LJ-

Yes- some do take that approach- that science and religion ask two different kinds of questions (Francis Collins comes to mind as a recent prominent Christian with a recent book and that attitude). Francis Collins is actually one of my role-models, along with CS Lewis, in this regard. However, I think there is some overlap. The Genesis creation story does give creation details, and so does science, so the two have to be analyzed to see how they relate to each other. There is some overlap there, in my opinion. They need to duke it out and see a "win, lose, or draw" conclusion.

...Bernie