What I Got Out of Ben Stein's 'Expelled'

This weekend I finally managed to see Ben Stein's film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, and I liked it. I am glad that the film didn't spend it's time trying to 'end the debate once and for all' or just add more fuel to the us vs. them battle between Creationism and Evolution. Here are some main ideas from the film that I really liked hearing:

• Intelligent Design is not Creationism. It is also not a religion, en effort to put God in schools, or a political agenda.
• Believing that life was formed by the design of nature or visiting Aliens is a form of intelligent design.
• Many professionals who have given credence to Intelligent Design as a possibility or a point worth debating have been fired from their jobs. This is unfair and shows that opponents of Intelligent Design do not know what they are talking about. (Are we all supposed to take a purely nihilistic approach to everything? Carl Sagan certainly did not take this approach in believing that the answer would be found in contacting Aliens.)
• It was once believed that the cell was a very simple thing. We now understand that a single cell is more complicated than the Starship Enterprise and our views about how such a cell could arise from non-living matter should be updated accordingly.

Let's talk about that last point. In science, it is normal to challenge older beliefs. We no longer believe in all 5 of Dalton's Atomic Laws. Current theories about physics are being created with the basis that Einstein was wrong about the speed of light. We must update our beliefs as new discoveries are made. Now that we understand how complex a cell is, we must not assume it could be formed in a simple manner from mud.

It is agreed that he may have spent too much time discussing the Holocaust, but this is an important point to Ben Stein and was part of his journey, so it belongs in the film.

I was very happy with this documentary. There are too many misunderstandings about Intelligent Design that make discussions between people of differing views complicated. This film may help clear the waters for better discussions.

UFO over Arizona?

While reading the news, this morning, I have seen ore prominent headlines for a recent duet of UFO sightings than today's primary election in Pennsylvania. What are they talking about?

There were sightings in Florida and in Arizona and there were many videos made of the phenomenon. Here's one from Arizona.



The explanation that we have been given is that these lights were created by sky Lanterns and local residents admit to launching sky lanterns that evening in celebration of a wedding.

Here is a video of what sky lanterns look like. What do you think? Are these UFO's just sky lanterns? Do they appear to be staying in one place sometimes and them moving sideways? Do they look like they are flying in formation or moving through the sky randomly like a sky lantern or a kite? I really can't tell, but I think it's interesting.

How did Ben Stein's Movie, Expelled, Do Over the Weekend?

I don't have numbers for the entire weekend, but Ben Stein's film, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, opened quite well. Another documentary film titled, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden, also opened this weekend. (It was made by the same guy who made Super Size Me a few years ago.) Here are some early facts from this weekend:

One notable success has been the intelligent design documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, featuring Ben Stein. Released on a little over 1,000 screens... the film picked up another $1.03 million on Saturday, and it will finish the weekend with just under $3 million. Not bad for a movie shot on a shoestring, released by a virtually unknown distributor and promoted very lightly.

Expelled earned a per theater average of $2800 on around 1000 screens, while Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden earned less than half of that, just coming in at $1373 per theater on about 100 screens.

Excellent Video

I would like to ask you to watch this video; it would mean a lot to me.

But, I warn you, it is difficult to watch this video. If you are squeamish or can't watch blood and gore I will understand if you don't want to indulge me.

This came from my friend Jared who works for a group represented by the video, you'll see his boss talking toward the end.

Watch the video here.

The Car Crash

One night, I was driving my pickup down the highway with my friend Tim, when Tim pointed out his window and told me a car was "down there."

"Hmm." I said.

"No, you don't understand," Tim explained in a rush, "Cars can't be down there."

After a moment I realized he was right. We were driving on an elevated part of the highway, any cars below us would be on a steep incline far from any road; there must have been an accident.

I stopped the car and we started jogging down the hill. When we got closer to the car we could see that it was totaled and that it had been crushed violently on many sides. Also, there was a woman stumbling around.

Tim called the police while I checked on the woman. She was incredibly dazed but she seemed perfectly fine. After I started talking to her she began to tell me about her problems. Being in a car crash was nothing, she was going through some rough stuff and this accident was just enough to make her a little nuts. She was depressed and was dealing with some difficult and complex issues that weighed her down. She talked like she had given up hope.

"Look at your car." I told her, "It's totaled. Every part of this car has been crushed except for a small area around the driver's seat, just enough room for a person to survive a crash like this!"

She looked at the car, for the first time since leaving it, and she was amazed. Anyone sitting in the back seat or the front passenger seat would have been killed as the car was severely flattened in those areas. The car was so badly damaged it looked like a pile of scrap, but around the driver's seat there was no damage. It was uncanny to see a car flattened except for one small part. It looked like God had simply put her in His hand while the car tumbled so He could keep her safe. I told her to take heart, Someone was looking after her.

Someone is looking after me, too and I need to remember it each day. God is looking after me, he cares about me, even though I can't always see it. Sure, life is hard, but He is going to carry me through those hard times.

Interesting Take on the Economy

There's an interesting point of view on the economy over at The Corner, today. I couldn't really justify quoting anything from it, since it's such a small piece, so I'm just recommending you check it out.

Going to Court because Your House is Haunted?

A married couple living in Rome thought they had a great deal on their hands when they bought their old house, but soon they will be going to court to sue the previous owners. According to Italian law, any previously known problem with the house must be disclosed when the house is purchased. And what is wrong with this house? It's haunted.

Their first night in the old home the new couple witnessed their first haunting when water seeped in from under the bathroom door.

"The hot water tap was pouring out boiling water and the room was full of steam. My wife was stunned, because she had turned off everything before going to bed."

They claim that the hautnings have continued and go on to describe more incidents. Also, one historian claims that an exorcism was once performed on the premises, or nearby. Anyway, it will be interesting to see if the courts will make any ruling on this, seeing as how they must first admit that a haunting is real before they can hold the previous tenant accountable for anything. Of course, it sounds like a scam to my naturally skeptical ears, but I maintain an open mind.

I wonder if a court of law has ever declared something haunted.