Some of the most recently posted reviews on expelledexposed.com are particularly interesting. First,
a report of an interview with Expelled producer Mark Mathis in the
Real Detroit Weekly. Here are some highlights:
Quote:
"...I confront Mathis with this point, and he counters that evolutionary theory is also untestable. This is patently untrue—to give just one example, scientists have witnessed speciation, the arisal of a new species from an old one.
When I point this out, he interrupts me immediately: “Whoa! Wait a minute! Please send me whatever material you have that demonstrates that we can observe speciation because I have not seen anything. I’ve never heard anyone even claim that!”
Is he serious? He’s just produced a film about evolution, and he’s never heard of the fact that speciation has been observed and thoroughly documented in the scientific literature? I’m stunned. I send him peer-reviewed research confirming this fact via e-mail, and he later responds, “This isn’t an important argument for me.”
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That final statement is really quite baffling: irrefutable proof is provided to Mathis to counter his insistence that evolution is untestable, and he dismisses it as unimportant. But there is more...
Quote:
"So I ask him about falsifiability. Clearly, evolution could potentially be disproved, but how could one ever disprove the existence of a deity? He laughs. “You can’t apply falsifiability to Darwinian evolution. How is it falsifiable?”
I respond by quoting the biologist J.B.S. Haldane: “Fossil rabbits in the Precambrian.” One instance of fossils appearing in the wrong strata would disprove current evolutionary theory in an instant. Mathis pauses before saying, “If you want to get into the science...” He then trails off and mutters something irrelevant before finally confessing, “Look. You can get into the intricacies of the science on both sides. And I am not qualified.” On that point, we can both agree.
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It is becoming ever more abundantly clear that "intelligent design" hasn't the faintest interest in science. Responses like Mr. Mathis's are becoming more commonplace all the time. Any evidence for evolution is decried as uninteresting, unimportant, or just simply too complicated.
The other interesting review has come courtesy of
Reason to Believe. for those unfamiliar with this group, RTB is an evangelical apologitic ministry founded by Canadian astronomer
Hugh Ross. They are committed to the infallibility of the Christian Scriptures and the infallibility of Science, and it is their goal to somehow integrate the two as rationally as possible (Check out
8 myths about Reason to Believe on their webpage).
What is most intriguing about RTB's response to Stein's film is in how they are
distancing themselves from the movie:
Quote:
"In Reasons To Believe's interaction with professional scientists, scientific institutions, universities, and publishers of scientific journals we have encountered no significant evidence of censorship, blackballing, or disrespect. As we have persisted in publicly presenting our testable creation model in the context of the scientific method, we have witnessed an increasing openness on the part of unbelieving scientists to offer their honest and respectful critique.
Our main concern about EXPELLED is that it paints a distorted picture. It certainly doesn't match our experience. Sadly, it may do more to alienate than to engage the scientific community, and that can only harm our mission.
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While I very seriously doubt that there is much "dialogue" produced within the scientific community of a scientific nature because of the creation/science models of RTB scholars, I do believe that the last statement is very telling. This is very string criticism from a highly conservative evangelical Christian group, and I would expect that the producers of Expelled would find it alarming: they've just been thrown under the bus by one of their closest allies.