I never meant to imply the writer was being Churlish.
==== just the opposite!

He was being given the run-around.
I think my point was I believe in an intelligent Design, a Creator of the universe.

When I say that sort of thing, it offends people.
Therefore, I do come off as being vague to people.
It’s because I fear my receiving party will think I’m a “God Merchant”
seeking out your foibles and sins.

I try to walk the line, as it is, to avoid fighting over my beliefs.
I do care what others believe in, a great deal.
My whole childhood and young adult life have been spent in Christian
schools and churches.
It’s no question that I feel over exposed to religion in general!

I simply feel following rules isn’t always following God.
I try not to make people feel as if I have all the answers or that I have some
super agenda.

I would be a liar if I even pretended to be a follower of others.
I just try to be respectful of the beliefs of others when in their company.
On a regular basis I make fun of most religions and systems.
It is one of my greatest pleasures in life!

…but it is not to hurt people, some religious beliefs are just down right stupid!

The fatal flaw of the internet as a device of communication is the sometimes
absent sense of absurdity or humour inserted into a communique.

Simply put : I don’t take myself that seriously.
I find myself somewhere between Robert Anton Wilson and Jesus Christ.
I can’t imagine a setting on this planet where God or his representative
would be relaxing and socializing with any certain religion.
The individual must find God within, his kingdom is not of this world.

C

I like what you said on your blog about Stein’s sincerity and the Wedge movement. I would be very interested in getting your thoughts on the curriculum I proposed in an earlier post. You stress that you want to keep religion out of research designs. I have no problem with that. However, I don’t see why one must reject faith-based interpretations or at the least the possibility of such interpretations from discussions of the larger implications of some scientific experiments. What is the harm in discussing and respecting alternative philosophies to materialism and naturalism?

To the extent that the scientific community considers materialism and naturalism the only legitimate philosophies through which scientific findings may be interpreted (even when science is considered outside the lab), I think defenders of religion are correct in asserting that scientists promote atheism.

To Shapka,
I would propose that the job of schools is not exclusively to “impart knowledge as it is known” and never has been. Schools have always attempted to shape the character of their students and promote responsibility, patriotism, and yes, morality. If you doubt this is so, I would urge you to read the standards that state education departments and local school boards REQUIRE to be taught in the classroom. Education is never values-neutral. This was true before the Supreme Court banned school prayer in ’63 and it’s still very much true now. And most of us, however much the concept of state indoctrination makes us squirm, would prefer for public eduation to continue to condemn racism and sexism and deplore the evil of the Holocaust and teach children that they must work hard in order to succeeed. Public schools will teach values, and inevitably those values will reflect local community standards (with occasional state and federal intervention). I am NOT suggesting that this means evolution should be disgarded simply because most parents in a particular school district don’t agree with it. However, the public school is not and never has been an ivory tower removed from society, and those parents have a right to demand input in the curriculum that their tax dollars pay for. That right may be overridden by a compelling public interest AGAINST those parents’ demands, such as the threat that universities will devalue high school diplomas from school systems that do not teach evolution. But parents have a right and an interest in staking their claims regarding what is taught in public schools.

There are ways to acknowledge the importance of faith in cosmological questions without violating the Establishment Clause.

Respect for a variety of views is one of the values that I deeply hope public schools will continue to teach and model America’s children.

Parents don’t like Evolution? Fine– parents have the right to teach their kids otherwise, to advise them otherwise, or to simply Home School them.

Parents have the right as well as the responsibility to imbue their children with morality. This is not the job of schools. The job of schools is to impart knowledge as it is known.

Ultimately, it isn’t wrong in any way for parents to teach their children that Science can fit inside of Religion. However, it isn’t right for any school to try to fit Religion into Science.

Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:46:00 -0700
From: Bob Dixon
To:
Subject: Interview Opportunity with Ben Stein
Part(s):

We would like to extend an invitation for you to interview Ben Stein
TOMORROW, Friday, March 28th. He will be available between
2-5pm (PST). Each interview is set up for 15 minute increments.

Please confirm a time as soon as possible as they are quickly filling up.

If you are not able to interview Ben during this time frame, please
feel free to join our Live press teleconference at 1:00pm (PST).
See the enclosed attachment for details.

Please confirm receipt of this email as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Bob Dixon
Assistant to Lesley Burbridge-Bates
Motive Entertainment Partnership

**********************************************************

JOIN BEN STEIN TOMORROW, Friday, March 28 at 1:00 pm. PST for an
exclusive, invitation-only LIVE press teleconference!

Hear Ben Stein LIVE as he talks to you and other members of media,
answering your questions about his upcoming, highly-controversial
movie,

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed, to release nationwide APRIL 18, 2008

Hear why leaders like Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Don
Wildmon (American Family Association), Chuck Colson, Luis Palau,
Lee Strobel and many others are so enthusiastic about the release
of this film, and why many others wish it would NEVER come out…

Dear Media Member,

As one of our appreciated media partners, Motive Entertainment
cordially invites you to join a special, nationwide “conference
call” press junket with actor/comedian/author/speaker Ben Stein
TOMORROW, Friday, March 28th at 1 p.m. PST/3 p.m. CST/4 p.m. EST,
regarding one of the most controversial films of 2008, EXPELLED: No
Intelligence Allowed.

CALL-IN TO 800-983-8147 (toll-free) 866-211-2047 (toll-free) AND
ENTER participant code 6481720 # – YOU MUST ALSO RSVP BELOW.

Please RSVP at
http://www.gothamconference.com/rsvp/reg.aspx?eventid=2201711bspjfri
immediately, as this call will fill up fast.

This is a unique, exclusive opportunity for you to listen to Ben
Stein and to ask him questions live, via e-mail. The call will also
be recorded and available for Podcast use.

The call will be held via phone on:

TOMORROW, FRIDAY, March 28th

1 p.m. PST/3 p.m. CST/4 p.m. EST

Please RSVP immediately, as this call will fill up fast

http://www.gothamconference.com/rsvp/reg.aspx?eventid=2201711bspjfri,

Talent available for interviews on the call will include:

Ben Stein, host and star of EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

Logan Craft, Premise Media (producer of EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed)

Walt Ruloff, Premise Media (producer of EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

Mark Mathis, Premise Media (producer of EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed)

Paul Lauer, president, Motive Entertainment (grass roots marketing
company behind films like The Passion and Chronicles of Narnia)

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is already receiving

National News Coverage

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/science/21expelledw.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=4357170&page=1

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080226/1a_bottomstrip26.art.htm

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsdeba225586647feb22,0,882898.story

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57904

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/242196.aspx

One blog is even asking the question Will This Be the “Passion”
Movie of 2008?

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed follows Ben Stein on his journey
around the globe where he discovers that scientists, educators and
philosophers are being persecuted in a modern day witch hunt
because they dare to question Darwin’s theory of evolution and
propose that life on this planet could be a part of some
intelligent design and not random chance.

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed exposes Darwin elitists who
suppress all who disagree with them – even scientists whose new
EVIDENCE erodes Darwin’s claims. The film confronts scientists such
as Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, influential
biologist and atheist blogger PZ Myers and Eugenie Scott, head of
the National Center for Science Education.

The creators of EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed crossed the globe
with Ben Stein, interviewing scores of scientists, doctors,
philosophers and public leaders. The result is a startling
revelation that freedom of thought is being expelled from high
schools, universities and research institutions.

For more information, go to http://www.expelledthemovie.com. Leader
resources can be found at http://www.getexpelled.com

Sincerely,

Lesley Burbridge-Bates
Motive Entertainment

lesley@motivemarketing.biz

What people are saying about

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed:

“Ben Stein’s film, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed, makes a
powerful case for “Intelligent Design” in explaining the origins of
life and the creation of the universe. It also exposes an
entrenched and aggressive Darwinist establishment in academia that
suffocates all competing points of view. Highly qualified
professors and scientists who dare to question evolutionary
orthodoxy are systematically excluded or summarily dismissed. It is
political correctness run amuck on university campuses. Stein sets
out on a mission to find out why I.D. is most often expelled from
the public square, and what he discovers in this riveting
documentary is incredibly enlightening. I recommend the film
enthusiastically.”

-James C. Dobson, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, Focus on the Family

“Ben Stein’s EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed packs a powerful and
entertaining punch that will shake the foundations of Darwin’s
fortress within science and education. Those who are suppressing
belief in God and trying to make materialism the law of the land
should beware. Ben Stein is on a mission to stop the suppression,
and millions of Americans are behind him.”

-Pat Robertson, Host, The 700 Club, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)

“Embracing and endorsing chaos devalues all aspects of life.
EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed reveals that truth and scientific
discovery has been disregarded by the guardians of atheistic
Darwinism. Thank God for a few courageous individuals who dare to
ask the difficult questions with no fear of the real answers.”

-James Robison, Host of LIFE Today

“I love Ben Stein. We worked together in politics
many years ago.
He’s a charming, engaging, and very bright guy. He’s on the right
track here. What he’s doing in this film is extremely important
because it is opening up an honest debate in the public square
where people can hear reasoned arguments on both sides and make
their own conclusions.”

– Chuck Colson, Radio Commentator, Founder of Prison Fellowship

“This is an enormously important project and I am so proud of the
fact that Ben Stein, who is a national treasure, is part of it.
People know that there is a dictatorial impulse at work in the land
to shut down even the most elementary questioning of this
unquestionable belief in random evolution and the American people
don’t like being told by their ‘betters’ what they are supposed to
believe.”

-Michael Medved, nationally syndicated radio host

“EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is earthshaking. I was
absolutely blown away. Ben Stein boldly shines a light of honest
inquiry revealing that evolution’s emperor has no clothes. It will
have Darwin’s disciples scurrying for the shadows. Everyone in
America, even skeptics of Intelligent Design, must see this film.
They can’t possibly walk away without at least admitting that the
debate over who we are and how we got here is far from over. The
controversy will be intense, so get ready for a rollercoaster
ride.”

-J. Matt Barber, Director for Cultural Issues, Concerned Women for America

“Recently, our entire North America executive leadership team had
the opportunity to preview EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. As
we discussed the movie following the viewing there was unanimous
agreement that the movie is very well done and clearly addresses
the seemingly unending attack on those who reject the notion of
evolution as the cause of our being; that is, evolution, simply
defined as life emerging from the ooze. The pervasive bias of many
academics against exploring the reality or non-reality of
transcendence is pointedly evident in the film. Ben Stein has done
an outstanding job of pulling together a cross section of
interviews that point out the blatant discrimination against many
in the scientific community who would embrace “intelligent design”
or even more specific aspects of the reality of God. At the same
time his interviews with avowed atheists is well done as he elicits
responses that leave grave doubt regarding their position of
absolute disbelief in a creator and/or God. We highly recommend the
movie to anybody. It is not only informative and challenging—it is
fun to watch.”

– Ken Smitherman, President, Association of Christian Schools International

“EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed offers a compelling examination
of an important topic for everyone who values the freedom to
explore ideas that challenge conventional wisdom. Ben Stein has
given us a powerful documentary about the widespread repression of
faith-friendly scientific scholarship. Along the way, he also makes
a strong case for a return to civil discourse in a time when
political correctness often overshadows the search for truth.
EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is an engaging film that features
a winning combination of humor and reason with just the right tone
needed to bring its significant story to the worldwide audience.”

-Ronald D. Ellis, Ph.D., President, California Baptist University

“It’s no surprise to those of us trying to communicate the Good
News that God is now excluded from most scientific discourse on
campuses and in the media. We are seeing the consequences of
locking matters of faith out of our classrooms. We applaud Ben
Stein for casting light on today’s challenges to academic freedom.”

-Luis Palau, President, Luis Palau Association

“Propaganda molds minds in a very direct way and that is the logjam
in this situation, which the Ben Stein movie, EXPELLED: No
Intelligence Allowed, by being entertaining, seeks to break
through. I wish it well – I hope under God it will have a great
effect just at that point.”

-Dr J.I. Packer, theologian

“We had a chance to see a private, pre-screening of Ben Stein’s
upcoming film, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. The movie is
powerful…shocking….intense….humorous at times….well worth
seeing. This message must be given to the next generation or
else….”

-Jack Brown, CEO, Capitol Prayer

“Something we all need to ask ourselves in life is ‘What am I here
for?’ You know, if we are just ‘lucky mud’ then these questions
don’t mean much at all. But there is a God and he did create us. So
if the Ben Stein movie is asking these questions and if somebody is
keeping us from finding out the great answers to the great
questions – then maybe they are more than just questions. Maybe
they are questions with eternal consequences.”

-Peter Furler, lead singer, The Newsboys

“It is rare to find a movie that is entertaining, educational and
motivational, but that is exactly what you get with Ben Stein’s
documentary, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. Ben puts on his
sneakers and interviews highly qualified scientists, academics and
journalists who have had their careers ruined because they dared to
question the modern day creation story of Darwinian evolution.
Equally revealing are Ben’s interviews with the leading academics
behind the Darwinian establishment such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel
Dennett, William Provine and PZ Myers. This movie only samples the
tip of the iceberg of academic and intellectual persecution in the
land of “freedom” and may trigger a cultural revolution as more
people are emboldened to tell their story and make a stand.”

-Dennis Wagner, Executive Director Access Research Network

“Finally, someone has exposed the head-in-the-sand reaction of
mainstream academia when it comes to intellectual honesty and the
theological implications of modern science. This film is a
wonderfully crafted gift to this needy culture. My only regret is
that I didn’t make this film!”

-Ed Flanagan, Manitou Motion Picture Company, Ltd.

“I want to thank you for your film, EXPELLED: No Intelligence
Allowed. I appreciate that you took a thoughtful and sometimes
humorous look at a very serious issue. In the cultural debate,
there are few things more important than our concept of the origin
of life, yet this very topic is suffering from the tyranny of
censorship and honest argumentation and has been expelled from the
classrooms and laboratories. Honest people have no fear of the
truth. Your movie raises the question, “Why would there be such
opposition to the idea of Intelligent Design?” For those who
rejoice in the truth, there is nothing to lose! If ID is wrong, a
healthy debate will point out its errors and if there are holes in
Darwin’s theories, then an honest critique will only bring us
closer to the truth. EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is a great
first step in tearing down the wall and bringing honest, vigorous
debate back to the academies.”

-Curtis Martin, President-Fellowship of Catholic University Students

…

“They singled me out and evicted me, but they didn’t notice my guest. They let him go in escorted by my wife and daughter. I guess they didn’t recognize him. My guest was …

Richard Dawkins.

He’s in the theater right now, watching their movie.”

I suppose using Jewish individuals will make things more acceptable then if they brought out the Unification Church devotees.

Honestly, I don’t know why they don’t bring in the Scientologists. For years they ran their anti-Darwin “Man is Just and Animal!” Dianetics commercial in the US, way ahead of the ID folks.

Oh right…Moonies and Scientos won’t go over with the Choir as well as a few Jewish people would…I keep forgetting.

To update you all on the film in question: I received a mass email to all media, from the production company, of an article written about the film (which I share with you all below). Apparently, this is the type of “journalism” the good people of Motive are looking for:

By Jack Cashill
Executive Editor of Ingram’s Magazine
A rousing SRO preview on Tuesday of the new Ben Stein documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, brought a Kansas City audience to its feet.

And with good cause. Stein’s often funny, always engaging frontal assault on the oppressive neo-Darwinist establishment is arguably the smartest and most sophisticated documentary ever produced on the right side of the cultural divide, on any subject, ever.

As such, Expelled represents still another blow to the progressive orthodoxy of government-issued science in its winter of discontent.

The winter started early when in November two separate labs, one in Wisconsin, one in Japan, announced the breakthrough discovery that adult skin cells can be reprogrammed to mimic embryonic stem cells.

Just two years earlier, the elfin journalist Chris Mooney had likened adult stem cell research to creationism and assured the readers of his best seller, The Republican War on Science, that this “dogma” had been “resoundingly rejected by researchers actually working in the field.”

As the winter rolled on, and as all four major global temperature tracking outlets showed a precipitous drop in annual global temperature, and as snow fell in Baghdad for the first time in recorded history, only Al Gore remained in meltdown.

Meanwhile, on a seemingly daily basis, the neo-Luddites from the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front have been putting a distinctly left wing face on the “war on science,” in this case a real war on real scientists.

And into this breach, armed with his trademark tennies and bemused grin, marches Ben Stein, America’s only economist/ presidential speechwriter turned comic actor. The producers at Premise Media could not have recruited a better on-screen presence.

Although the role Stein plays has been compared to the one Michael Moore plays in his film, the Stein persona is conspicuously brighter and more benign.

Nor do Stein and his producers resort to the kind of editing that make Moore movies something other than documentaries.

In Bowling For Columbine , for instance, Moore cobbles together five different parts of NRA honcho Charlton Heston’s Denver speech a week after Columbine.

Moore then inserts into the mix a “cold, dead hands” remark from a speech Heston gave a year later. In the process Moore turn Heston’s conciliatory Denver address into a provocative call to arms.

This isn’t film making. This is fraud.

Stein resorts to no such tricks. He gives certain interview subjects all the time and all the rope they need to hang themselves, unedited.

One highlight among many is Stein’s one-on-one interview with Richard Dawkins, the dashing Brit who has made a small fortune as the world’s most visible neo-Darwinist.

To his credit, and to the utter discomfort of the public education establishment, Dawkins does not shy from discussing the atheistic implications of Darwinism.

Indeed, Dawkin’s anti-deity call to arms, The God Delusion, has sold more than a million copies worldwide. Where Dawkins wanders into a black hole of his own making is in his discussion of the origins of life on earth.

To Stein’s astonishment, Dawkins concedes that life might indeed have a designer but that designer almost assuredly was a more highly evolved being from another planet, not “God.”

Stein does not respond. He does not need to. For the past hour of the film, the audience has met one scientist after another whose academic careers have been derailed for daring to suggest the possibility of intelligent design.

If only they had thought to put the designer on another planet!

The choice of Stein as narrator is inspired for another reason. That reason becomes most apparent when he and two “creationist” allies, mathematician David Berlinski and nuclear physicist Gerald Schroeder, visit a remnant of the Berlin Wall, the central metaphor of the film.

At the wall, the three discuss the value of freedom, the central idea of the film, and the need for the same in science. The audience has already met Berlinski, an amusingly sophisticated American living in Paris.

The audience has seen less of Schroeder, but he is wearing a yarmulke. All three are Jewish.

Indeed, it would be hard to imagine any three individuals on the planet who less resemble the Inherit the Wind stereotype that Darwinists have been scaring soccer moms with for the last half century.

Expelled opens nationwide on April 18th. The neo-Darwinists and their allies in the major media will do their best to kill it.

Co-producer Mark Mathis tells me that two network news producers have already chosen not to cover the film because it was “biased,” unlike, say, the much-covered Fahrenheit 911.

The producers have contracted with the same firm that marketed Mel Gibson’s The Passion to get the word out. They will use much the same strategy.

Central to this strategy is the creation of a powerful buzz and a strong enough opening weekend to catch Hollywood’s attention and hold it.

Put April 18 on your calendars. Bring the kids. You won’t be disappointed.