expelled

i went to see this movie with my family this weekend, not really knowing what to expect. i had heard something about it once about 3 weeks ago, but other than that, i had no idea what i was walking into. this movie was an intriguing documentary about evolution vs. intelligent design. it is important to remember that intelligent design doesn't necessarily mean creationism, though. ben stein, who starred in this documentary, is a Jew, and therefore believes in the Old Testament God, and yes, He believes in Creationism. however, all he wants to do is learn why evolutionists (an American society in particular) are so opposed to even the theory that some deity (not necessarily the God that I know and love) somewhere somehow created the world. even if mr. stein doesn't imply that the Judeo-Christian God is the one who created the world, it seems as if almost all the people opposed to i.d. automatically assume that is the only God in question (honestly, i am not sure if they care much about the gods of other religions or if they are as vehemently opposed to them as the Christian God - the one and only true God).

it was absolutely fascinating and horrifying to hear all the stories of people who have been ostracized for even merely suggesting that some intelligent being might have designed the universe. it was mortifying and heartbreaking to watch and listen to these lost, hurting, confused people adamantly cursing God and denying His existence, and calling those who do believe in God fools and idiots with no common sense.

i remember last semester when jill and i took biology together. before taking biology at A&M, i had taken it in highschool, and as i was homeschooled, i took it though a co-op. therefore, i had never really been taught evolution; i had been taught everything but evolution, in fact. i was severely disappointed in the class at A&M, though, because it truly was like taking "evolution 101" as opposed to biology. at the time, jill and i laughed at the ridiculous ideas that were being presented to us. there were so many holes in the theories, so many things they had no evidence to support...but after watching this documentary, i realize the seriousness of the situation.

one cool thing that i realized was that my opinion of evolution mirrors many experts' opinions, which is this - if you use the textbook definition of evolution, it claims that all life on earth descended from a single molecule, and that through natural selection and adaptation, all the species on earth have come about. what evolution fails to explain is how the single molecule was formed and how it has resulted in trillions upon trillions of life forms. one molecule? really? therefore, i don't believe in the textbook definition of evolution. however, if you define evolution as change over time, then yes, i think it is quite clear that our world has changed over time. species have changed over time. however, i do not think it is out of the Lord's control. because of the fall, the world was forever changed. because of the fall, we no longer live in perfection. we live in a world that is decaying and dying. yes, ALL creation suffers as a result of adam and eve's sins in the garden. because God is all knowing and all powerful, i believe He either gave species the ability to adapt or changed them Himself when He saw the need to.

ben stein earned my respect in the way he dealt with every single person in this documentary. he asks many experts in mollecular biology and other fields about their views, and no matter what they say, he always remains respectful and level-headed. even if the other person is being really rude or unreasonable, mr. stein doesn't even flinch!

our hearts should be broken for the lost. for the people who adamantly proclaim there is no God. for the people who ostracize and condemn anyone for their belief in any kind of intelligent design. for people who are so angry and they don't even know why. we should be praying. we should be loving. we should be doing. so what are we doing?