Creationists in the US have put together a movie-documentary in the US called Expelled, which is to open sometime in April. In the meantime a rough cut is being screened around the country.
Dr. PZ Meyers, a professor in the US went with his family and a guest to see a screening and was asked to leave. (He was interviewed for the film) His family and a guest were permitted in. His guest also happens to be in the film.
This happened in Minneapolis, where Meyers is known as a critic of creationism; however his guest was not recognized until a Q&A at the end of the screening. The producer told The New York Times that Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion was permitted in because:
Mark Mathis, a producer of the film who attended the screening, said that “of course” he had recognized Dr. Dawkins, but allowed him to attend because “he has handled himself fairly honorably, he is a guest in our country and I had to presume he had flown a long way to see the film.”
Dawkins was in town for a convention.
Jeffrey Overstreet, a movie critic with Christianity Today found his blog swamped with traffic and hate mail when he put up an email from an over excited student with an opinion who was standing nearby when Dr. Myers told his family he was asked to leave.
PZ Myers account is here, (he blogged from the mall while waiting for his family and guest) here and here, his third post has a round up of links, prior history with the film and it’s production people, as well as eye witnesses to his being escorted off the theatre property, etc. The internet certainly has changed how events are reported hasn’t it?
The overexcited college student wrote Overstreet because he knew a story when he saw one.
Overstreet covers movies for a living, Dawkins showing up is credible news, a student opinion is fair game for a post.
Myers being expelled from the screening of Expelled is not as exciting or sinister as the student tells it; Overstreet’s blog got flooded with traffic, comments and hate mail.
Dawkins is the most famous creationism critic in the world and he simply wasn’t recognized.
The producer attempting to put a spin on ’letting him in’ doesn’t work in internet time.
So he tries to diminish him to a national newspaper reporter to keep control of information. Pathetic.
Mr. Mathis said in an interview that he had confronted Dr. Dawkins in the question and answer period after the screening and that Dr. Dawkins withered. “These people who own the academic establishment and who have great friends in the media — they are not accustomed to having a level, open playing field,” Mr. Mathis said. “I watched a man who has been a large figure, an imposing figure, I watched this man shrink in front of my eyes.”
What disappoints me is Christianity Today’s Liveblog.
CT doesn’t need to be acting like World Net Daily. CT writers are usually even handed and less polorized in their coverage; I’d like to see writer Mark Moring show some ethics and balance, and correct his mistake.
But several critics have worked their way in to some of the screenings…
A critic of another kind “crashed” a screening in Minnesota on Thursday night…
Dawkins himself appears in the documentary–but claims he was duped into believing it was going to be an objective account of Darwinism vs. ID.
CT Liveblog is on moderate mode, I’ve asked Mr. Moring to correct his error; given the uproar, misconceptions, accusations and bad behavior around the expelling of Dr. Myers, I’m not optimistic.
Previous post here.
Colorado Confidential review
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I’m cautious about CT’s research at times. It is somewhat prone to “looks good until a domain expert sees it” (I call it the Von Daniken effect)
A recent article on transsexualism they did looks almost reasonable until you realize that all of their “experts” that they cite are affiliated with either NARTH or the ex-gay movement. They didn’t cite a single professional affiliated with WPATH, or deals with transsexuals in an affirming way; nor did they talk with any of a number of transsexuals who are ordained.
The article almost sounds rational and reasoned - until you recognize the gaps in the underlying research, and then it’s painfully clear that it’s only a step or two removed from the insanity usually pedalled at Worldnet.
I’m really disappointed with CT, I admit it.
A half hour of research would have sorted out the facts.
Screening could be attended by applying here. http://rsvp.getexpelled.com/events/movies/expelled
Wandered over to the Harvard site after watching the YouTube interview with Richard Dawkins and PZ Meyers about the incident and Dawkins comments on the film.
Course one would expect that kind of behaviour from some of the wingnuts in the States. What is sad is that Harper got rid of the scientist who was the advisor to the government and is slowly leading Canada down the same path.
The incident as described by Meyers is funny - no doubt about it.
Is Christianity Today receiving some of it’s funding from these types of groups favoured by the Republicans, hence the slanted version of thie events?
As long as there is such polarization of beliefs there will be division.
What’s really sad about this is that the “fundamentalist Christians” (and I use the word loosely) are not bearing witness to God’s love, nor is their message credible or inticing to a non-believer. Is CT is being sucked into the vortex too?
The more I see the more I run from ‘mainstream’ Christianity. Sadly good churches are seriously undermined by such extremists.
I am sure God is not amused.
Here are the scary ‘critics’ producers of Expelled think are going to be disruptive.
I went over to the science forum to see why the producers feel so threatened, to see if threats were made.
This is political, this is about hype for box office.
You may enjoy this exchange between Dr. Myers and Dr. Dawkins after Dr. Myers was expelled.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=c39jYgsvUOY
This is seen as threat.:^(
http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2007/08/im-gonna-be-a-m.html
This isn’t about Jesus versus Darwinism, the debate is being framed politically. The debate is about whether or not people accept or reject a body of evidence and accept for scientific reasons or reject for none-scientific ones.
The behavior of Christians does matter. We can participate by valuing common sense, personhood and telling the truth.