by Mark Moring

Expelled, a new documentary that argues the case for Intelligent Design from a Judeo-Christian perspective, has been in the headlines lately, prior to its April 18 theatrical release.

The film, hosted and narrated by Ben Stein, has been screened to invitation-only audiences at churches and for various Christian groups. But several critics have worked their way in to some of the screenings, most notably Roger Moore of The Orlando Sentinel, who recently trashed the movie in his blog.

A critic of another kind “crashed” a screening in Minnesota on Thursday night–Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion and arguably the most outspoken critic of Intelligent Design and Creationism. 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.

Jeffrey Overstreet, a film critic for CT Movies, broke the news on his own blog Thursday night after receiving an e-mail from a college student who was at the screening. . .

The bills — HB 1483 and SB 2692 — seek protections from teachers who are critical of evolution and want to discuss the “full range of scientific views regarding chemical and biological evolution.” They are modeled on a proposal made by the Discovery Institute, which backs the concept of Intelligent Design and is critical of evolution. . . .The State Board of Education adopted the standards by a 4 to 3 vote last month, after months of contentious public debate about evolution.

The “academic freedom” bills were filed a few weeks later. The one in the Senate has not been heard yet. The House version in now in committee. The House sponsor, Rep. Alan Hays, R- Umatilla, last week invited lawmakers to a private screening of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, the controversial documentary starring Ben Stein. . .

And the star himself was in town, this time as the conservative political character he plays in real life:

. . .“Let us all debate, let us think,” [Ben] Stein said.

Stein also promoted his documentary, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” It asserts scientists are afraid to challenge the theory of evolution because they fear they will be ostracized or lose their jobs.

Lawmakers were invited to attend a private screening of the movie Wednesday evening, but members of the public and press were not allowed unless reporters signed waivers promising not to write about what they saw. . .

Reporters were shown a trailer for Stein’s new film that flashed pictures of Adolf Hitler and a Nazi death camp amid accusations evolutionists were censoring scientists who disagreed with them.

“This is a one-sided piece of propaganda,” said Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science, a nonprofit group that has supported the new science standards. He said that evolution is as widely accepted as the law of gravity in the scientific world.

Some lawmakers criticized the private screening for violating the spirit, although not the letter, of open-government rules that require the public allowed to be present when lawmakers take action.

“I think it’s ironic that they expelled the media and the public from a film called ‘Expelled,”‘ he said.

Was this movie propagandizing to legislators as a group, meant to affect government “action” on legislation affecting propaganda in public schools, in turn meant to affect children’s beliefs? Let us think indeed.

Just terrific.

Nance

Bill Bunting, chairman of the Republican Party of Pasco County [and] a certified instructor, has taught students such as former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, and is pushing for legislation to allow guns on Florida campuses. Bunting said he supports the club and stressed the impact he thinks a change in carrying laws could have on preventing future incidents.

“. . . with these students; if they know they’re going to get shot, they’re not going to do it. There’s only one state in the nation that has concealed carry permits for both students and faculty, and that is Utah, and they have zero problems, and I think they should be a role model for the rest of the country.”

“The Story of Homeschool Truth: Time We Learned Our Lesson?”