In the News

Casey Luskin from the Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture interviews ARN Executive Director, Dennis Wagner and Kevin Wirth, ARN Director of Media Relations, about the top Darwin and Design news stories for 2008 in this 30 minute podcast. Summaries of the stories with links to the original news sources can be downloaded here.

By Dennis Wagner

I must admit I'm not a big fan of Rap or Hip-Hop. I think its a result of being born in the wrong generation and not finding anything particularly uplifting about Hip-Hop lyrics. However, that may be changing with my recent discovery of Atom tha Immortal who has recorded the first ID Hip-Hop song I know of. This is one philosophically, theologically, and scientifically astute dude. Check out his ID song at the IDarts.org website

by Dennis Wagner

What do Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln have in common? They were both born on the exact same day (February 12, 1809), and their Bicentennial Birthdays will be celebrated in 2009. Darwin enthusiasts are tying Darwin to Lincoln and putting Darwin on a pedestal as the greater liberator. Robert Stephens, an American who in 1995 founded the annual Darwin Day Celebrations, was interviewed on BBC. The reporter asked how best to celebrate Darwin alongside Lincoln. Stephens answered, "Feb. 12, 1809 was a very good day for our planet because Lincoln became the great emancipator of the slaves in America, and Darwin became the great emancipator of the human mind!"

And the celebration will not end in February. In fact it will build to a second climax on November 24th. That date marks the 150th anniversary of Darwin's Origin of Species. Just check out the cascade of festivities planned in dozens of countries at DarwinDay and Darwin200.

I don't know about you, but to me, celebrating Darwin as the great emancipator of the human mind seems to be a bit of a reach. Especially after reading the news stories from this past year: Darwin's tree-of-life declared unscientific, Darwinism declared dead as a theory of evolution by the Altenberg 16, and widespread discrimination against Darwin doubters. From my vantage point it appears Darwin is the great enslaver of the human mind, not the great liberator. As a culture we are stuck on a 150 year old theory that no longer fits the data, even though the theory has been modified many times to try and force it to fit. Science has moved on and left Darwin's molecule-to-man theory behind.

Standing on Darwin's Shoulders

But rather than demonize Darwin as some want to do, or put him on a pedestal as the great emancipator of the human mind as others want to do, I recommend a third alternative. I recommend we stand on Darwin's shoulders during this coming Bicentennial year and look to the future. What do I mean by "Standing on Darwin's Shoulders"? Darwin gave us several gifts, and I think we should graciously accept those gifts for what they are and move on. First, he gave us the gift of observation. Darwin was a naturalist of the highest order and his ability to observe and document the natural world is something we should all aspire to.

Second, Darwin was a rhetorical genius. His ability to use the success of the British artificial breeding industry to build broad support for his concept of natural selection was brilliant. In a nutshell Darwin gave us a very successful formula in his Origin of Species for overthrowing the current scientific paradigm. We would be well served to study his formula carefully as we attempt to replace his theory of random mutations and natural selection with a theory of design.

The third gift Darwin gave us was the courage to put forth a bold idea. While some of his ideas have advanced our understanding of the world we live in, we have learned over the past 150 years that it is not the whole picture. There must be something else that explains how life originated from non-life. There must be something else that explains where the gigabyte of information in our DNA comes from. There must be something else that explains why the laws of physics and our universe appear to be finely tuned for our existence. So let us stand on Darwin's shoulders and have the courage to proclaim our own bold ideas of design in nature to which the evidence continues to point.

Darwin Bicentennial Celebration Party Favors

Darwin Balanced Teaching Bookmarks (Free): We've put together some party favors to help you celebrate the Darwin Bicentennial in 2009. The first is our Darwin Featured Author page at ARN. Here you can find links to free online editions of Darwin's major books, as well as audio versions you can listen to. I must admit that it requires some mental fortitude to read Origin of Species from cover to cover, but those who do will be rewarded with some little gems like this quote from the introduction:

I am well aware that there is scarcely a single point discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I have arrived. A fair result could be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts on both sides of each question, and this cannot possibly be done here.

We are in such complete agreement with Darwin's sentiments about teaching the pros and cons of his own theory that we have put this quote on a bookmark that you can download for free at the bottom of the ARN Darwin author page and distribute far and wide. You can also order this quote on a t-shirt or coffee mug.

Darwin Bicentennial Celebration: A Retrospective Look at the Origin of Species ($25). For 2009 we are re-releasing our interview with John Angus Campbell, one of the world's leading authorities on the rhetoric of Charles Darwin. In this one hour DVD Dr. Campbell reveals why Darwin’s rhetoric was so persuasive in overturning the origins theory of the day, even though his data was lacking in so many ways. After watching this interview, you will know more about Origin of Species than 99% of the world's population, you will appreciate Darwin's talents and gifts to us, and you will be able to articulate his bold idea and why it is not the whole story.

Expelled Super Bundle ($50). To further help you celebrate the Darwin Bicentennial we've put together the Expelled Super Bundle to highlight the lack of academic freedom that exists today to explore both sides of Darwin's theory, as he advocated. In addition to the Expelled DVD, the Super Bundle includes a copy of Dr. Jerry Bergman's new book Slaughter of the Dissidents, which dives even deeper into the issues raised in Expelled. To make this bundle even sweeter we are throwing in free copies of three of the best DVD documentaries on intelligent design: The Privileged Planet, The Case for a Creator, & Unlocking the Mystery of Life. Purchased separately these products would cost $125, but since we want to help get you in the party mood for 2009, the entire bundle can be yours for only $50.

ID DVD Give Away. Finally, as our way of saying "thank you" for your year-end donation to the ongoing work at ARN, we would like to send you a free set of the three ID documentary DVDs for each $25 you donate before February 12, 2009 (or B-Day as we call it around here). I can't think of a better party favor to be handing out during the 2009 Darwin Bicentennial Celebration than The Privileged Planet, The Case for a Creator, & Unlocking the Mystery of Life. Just indicate in the comment field of your online donation as you check out how many sets you would like with your donation.

I can't wait for 2009. Let the party begin!

(excerpted from the ARN 2008 Annual Report)

Darwin or Design with Dr. Tom Woodward is a Podcast on Intelligent Design and Apologetics presented by the C.S. Lewis Society.

Dr. Tom Woodward interviews Caroline Crocker about the obstacles she has faced teaching at George Mason University and moving on to help coordinate IDEA clubs across the country.

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Colorado Springs, CO - December 22, 2008
Access Research Network has just released its annual "Top 10 Darwin and Design News Stories" and its "Top 10 Darwin and Design Resources" list for 2008.

Gaining top honors on the news list was a detailed expose on the Evolution Industry by freelance reporter Suzan Mazur. Mazur broke the story with an article in March and followed with a six-part e-book on the "Altenberg 16," the 16 biologists and philosophers of rock star stature who met at the Konrad Lorenz Institute in Altenberg, Austria in July. What is the significance of this event? Each of the participants recognizes that the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution which most practicing biologists accept and which is taught in classrooms today, is inadequate in explaining our existence and they met to try and formulate some new mechanism for evolution.

"What is ironic about this story" stated ARN Executive Director, Dennis Wagner, "is that on the eve of the Darwin Bicentennial Celebration kicking off in 2009, we have the leading scientists of our day declaring that Darwin's molecule-to-man theory of evolution, which purports to explain our existence purely by random mutations and natural selection, is essentially dead. What exactly are we celebrating about Darwin in 2009?"

"Part of our mission at ARN is to help educate the public about issues relating to Darwin and Design. One of the things we do is monitor science news and other reports related to this topic, and provide access to resources designed to help others better understand the full scope of this issue" says Kevin Wirth, ARN Director of Media Relations. "For example a growing a number of breakthroughs are being made by scientists who are 'reverse-engineering' living systems and applying the design principals they discover to man-made technologies. One interesting story from 2008 was the report of engineers who are building better turbine blades and wings. They studied the shape of whale flippers with one bumpy edge, which inspired the creation of a completely novel design for wind turbine blades. This design has been shown to be more efficient and also quieter, but defies traditional engineering theories."

An online version of the Top 10 Darwin and Design stories for 2008 with hyperlinks to original news sources can be found at www.arn.org/top10.

David Perlman, for the San Francisco Chronicle, reports that President-elect Barack Obama's decision to name two of the nation's most prominent scientists to crucial roles in his administration was being heralded in the scientific community as a signal that the new president is serious about taking on the challenges of climate change and creating a new energy policy for the nation.

"Holdren is a physical scientist who is very comfortable dealing with biology, and this scientific multilingualism is ideal for a post like science adviser," said Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education that monitors school district clashes between Darwin supporters and advocates of "intelligent design," or creationism.

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Hold on to your hats...it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Biola University concluded its centennial year Friday with a fall commencement that featured renowned apologist Lee Strobel and the "godfather" of the Intelligent Design movement, retired UC Berkeley professor Philip E. Johnson.

According to the La Miranda, Calif.-based biblical institution, Strobel served as the keynote speaker while Johnson was awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Laws for distinction in public service.

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NewScientist reports that it's not just the nature of dark matter that's a mystery - even its abundance is inexplicable. But if our universe is just one of many possible universes, at least this conundrum can be explained.

Seems as if scientism will continue to bow to their transcendent "maker", multiverse. Intelligent designer or eternal multiverse. Which is more plausible?


Reported in ENV...Philip A. Pizzo's (Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine), latest December 1, 2008 newsletter extols those who would make scientific research "free" by keeping it "protected from non-scientific influences such as 'Intelligent Design.'"

In his November 14, 2005 newsletter, Dean Pizzo expresses his fear that interest in teaching intelligent design is a sign that some communities "increasingly see[m] to be promoting theocracy over democracy." He plays heavily on the theocracy theme.

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Sounds like Dr. Pizzo is engaged in just so much fearmongering.

As reported by Fox News, President George W. Bush said his belief that God created the world is not incompatible with the scientific theory of evolution.

Asked about creation and evolution, Bush said: "I think you can have both. I think evolution can - you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president. But it's, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an Almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution."

He added, "I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully explain the mystery of life."

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It appears President Bush is playing loose and fast with the definition of "evolution".

Elisa Sand, writing for the Madison (SD) Daily Leader, reports that two films will be shown at the Madison Public Library to introduce area residents to the concept of intelligent design and create some awareness of a local IDEA chapter that has formed here.

Madison resident Don Parker has chartered a local chapter and is looking for interested individuals to join.

IDEA stands for intelligent design and evolution awareness.

"It's promoting freedom in science to go where the evidence leads," Parker said.

To spark discussion, Parker plans to show two films at the library... "Where the Evidence Leads" (Dec. 4 and 10) and "This Privileged Planet" (Dec. 18 and again in January.) Each meeting begins at 7 p.m.

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Anna Patty, in the Sydney Morning Herald, reports that the state school registration and curriculum authority has investigated the teaching of creation theory in science classes at a Christian school.

The Board of Studies responded to a complaint about Pacific Hills Christian School in Dural, Australia.

The board referred the complaint to Christian Schools Australia, asking it to investigate.

The head of Christian Schools Australia, Stephen O'Doherty, said his organisation had found no reason for Pacific Christian School to lose its registration. "The whole thing is a complete furphy," he said. The school did not teach intelligent design or "creationism" - creation as scientific theory. He said the school had met the Board of Studies syllabus requirements in teaching evolution theory as science.

Interesting that a Christian school gets in trouble for alledgedly teaching ID.

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Peter Williams' ID.Plus blog reports on Bradley Monton's position on ID. Bradley Monton is a philosopher of science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has specialised in the philosophy of physics and the anthropic fine tuning argument. Prof. Monton thinks that Intelligent Design theory is science, and that its arguments have some force, although he is more impressed with ID arguments in physics than in biology. He is also an atheist.

Monton recently took part in a series of audio interviews with Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute Centre for Science.

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Charles Garner, chemistry professor at Baylor University, is a guest columnist in the Waco Tribune-Herald.

He addresses worldviews. The other side usually cries foul, and uses the science - religion dichotomy when speaking on education issues.

Read the full opinion HERE.

Below is a link to the Douglas Wilson - Christopher Hitchens debate at Westminster Theological Seminary made available on October 30th. The debate is the 12th item down on the audio list.

LINK

Martin Beckford, in the London Telegraph, reports that the poll also disclosed that pupils in almost a third of schools already learn about the controversial divine explanation of the universe, with even science teachers thinking it has a place in classrooms.

Almost all of those questioned by Teachers TV, a satellite television channel, agreed that children with strong religious beliefs would feel excluded from science lessons if their views were ignored.

The findings support the views of the Rev Professor Michael Reiss, who lost his job as director of education at the Royal Society, Britain's prestigious scientific academy, after calling for creationism to be included in school science lessons.

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Whenever biochemist Michael Behe's argument for design from "irreducibly complex" molecular machines appears, there is a Darwinist waiting in the wings with a devastating critique (or so he thinks).

More on ENV...

In ENV...science standards review processes always seem to send Darwinists into a misinformation flurry. The current review of Texas' standards is no exception. Josh Rosenau has a post up recently attacking Casey Luskin that has a number of errors. Josh is in elite company, as these are the very same errors that spread like the flu through the main stream media last spring. At that time we reported how the New York Times and Washington Post, among others, were misreporting the facts about "strengths and weaknesses" language in the Texas science standards.

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In The Spectator (UK), Melanie Phillips reports on the latest Dawkins-Lennox debate.

Phillips attended the debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox at Oxford's Natural History Museum. This was the second public encounter between the two men, but it turned out to be very different from the first. Lennox is the Oxford mathematics professor whose book, God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? is to my mind an excoriating demolition of Dawkins's overreach from biology into religion as expressed in his book The God Delusion - all the more devastating because Lennox attacks him on the basis of science itself. In the first debate Dawkins was badly caught off-balance by Lennox's argument precisely because, possibly for the first time, he was being challenged on his own chosen scientific ground.

The latest debate, however, was different because from the off Dawkins moved it onto safer territory - and at the very beginning made a most startling admission. He said...

"A serious case could be made for a deistic God."

This was surely remarkable.

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William Dembski and Sean McDowell did a seminar on understanding Intelligent Design. This is based on their new book. Below is the link for the mp3.

LINK

Dr. William Dembski will present a lecture at Baylor University, Tuesday, October 21st at 5:30 p.m., Rogers Building, Room 109.

Natural selection is widely supposed to be an information ratchet that gradually accumulates the information organisms need to acquire novel adaptations. Yet natural selection is nothing of the sort. The Darwinian mechanism of natural selection and random variation is a low-level trial-and-error method for solving routine problems that is unequipped to handle the innovative problems that biological systems have solved in the course of natural history. Darwinism and evolutionary biology more generally, committed as they are to unguided material mechanisms, do not have the resources to solve biology's information problem. This talk will indicate why biology's information problem is unresolvable apart from intelligent design.

Physicians and Surgeons for Scientific Integrity will sponsor three events in mid-November in Oregon and Washington.

PSSI - www.doctorsdoubtingdarwin.org) is an international physician-member organization with members in 17 countries. PSSI is dedicated to educating the public and academia on the inability of Darwinian macroevolution to account for the origination and complexity of life.

Event Web Page...

The EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed DVD featuring Ben Stein can now be ordered at ARN. In addition, ARN is offering an EXPELLED Super Bundle which includes the EXPELLED DVD, Slaughter of the Dissidents book by Dr. Jerry Bergman. And for a limited time when you order this bundle we will include free copies of the three of the best selling Intelligent Design documentaries: Unlocking the Mystery of Life, Privileged Planet, and The Case for Creator. Normally this bundle would retail for $125 but for a limited time you can order this EXPELLED Super Bundle for only $50 (including shipping anywhere in the U.S). Even if you already own some of these ID documentaries or the book, this is a great opportunity to pick additional copies to give away to friends and colleagues. The EXPELLED DVD is officially released on Tuesday October 21 and orders will be shipping next week. Those who are interested in hosting a public showing of EXPELLED can purchase a license and movie event kit from Wing Clips Cinema.

NOTE: While the ID documentaries will play in any region worldwide, the EXPELLED DVD will only play on Region 1 (US & Canada) DVD players.

The fellowship enables ten print, broadcast or online journalists to
pursue an intensive two-month course of study in issues of science
and religion. The programme includes three weeks of seminars at the
university of Cambridge featuring eminent, well known authorities in
the field. Fellows are paid a stipend in addition to travel expenses
to Cambridge.

The fellowship, now in its fifth year, seeks to promote a deeper
understanding and a more informed public discussion of the interface
of science and religion. Potential areas of study include Islam and
science, neuroscience, cosmology, quantum uncertainty, multiverses,
the New Atheism and spirituality and health.

Applicants must demonstrate an interest in the field, originality of
thought displayed in previous writings and a superior record of
journalistic achievement. The awards are open to all journalists with
a minimum of three years’ experience, though priority will
be given to mid-career and senior journalists.. For more details on
the program and to apply for the fellowships, please go to

http://www.templeton-cambridge.org

Application deadline is Monday, December 15, 2008.

The Intelligent Design Network of New Mexico will hold its next scientific issues discussion meeting on Tuesday, October 14 from 7 to 9 PM in room 2405 of the UNM Law School. In preparation for a visit by Jonathan Wells in January, participants will listen to and discuss a lecture that he gave at a conference, "Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe," at Yale University in 2000, on the relationship between genes, development, and form. Participants will also listen to and discuss a lecture by Steve Meyer entitled "The methodological equivalence of design and descent."

These meetings are designed to be a forum to discuss new scientific findings related to origins from an open philosophical view. The goal is to become more knowledgeable about the subjects and to debate the evidence for and against Design and Naturalism. The public is welcome to engage in this open forum of guided discussion.

While the suit was dropped, the 15 second segment will not appear in the DVD version of "Expelled".

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Laura Heinauer, for the Austin American Statesman, reports that the state released an early committee recommendation for the new science curriculum that would excise ideas "based upon purported forces outside of nature" from what Texas students are taught in biology classes. The curriculum, once approved, will outline what will be taught about science to every public school student in the state.

Organizers of the 21st Century Science Coalition said the group formed about two weeks ago and blossomed in membership in response to comments by State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy, R-Bryan, who opposes a committee proposal to remove the requirement that the "strengths and weaknesses" of all scientific theories be taught in biology classes.

McLeroy has also said he wants to spell out in the curriculum that there are limits to what science can explain.

Of course, there is strong opposition from the other side.

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Skye Kincaid reports in the Mt. Shasta Herald that Members of the Butteville Union Elementary School District believe the issue of possibly teaching intelligent design at their school as discussed at a board of trustees meeting in August was "blown out of proportion."

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Sarah Delaney in the TimesonLine, reports that the day after the Church of England issued an "apology" for having "misunderstood" the work of Charles Darwin, the Vatican has announced that it will organise a debate on the thorny question of Christian belief and the theory of evolution.

Two Cambridge lecturers, the archaeologist Lord Renfrew, and the paleontologist Simon Conway Morris. will join an international line-up of scientists, theologians, philosophers debating faith and evolution at a Vatican-sponsored event in Rome. The five-day encounter, entitled Biological Evolution, Facts and Theories. A critical appraisal 150 after "The Origin of Species" has been timetabled to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin's seminal work on the theory of evolution. Forty-eight speakers will speak at the conference, which begins on March 3rd 2009.

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No Intelligent Design or Creationism proponents will be allowed to participate.

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Reported by the BBC...Professor Michael Reiss has quit as director of education at the Royal Society following the controversy over his recent comments on creationism.

Last week Prof Reiss - a Church of England minister - said creationism should be discussed (not taught) in science lessons if pupils raised the issue.

So much for open discussion in schools...

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An excellent post by Jeremy Pierce on Parableman, should clarify the situation...and is definitely worth a read.

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Melanie Phillips opines in The Spectator (UK) about Sarah Palin.

Middle America has found its champion: someone who embodies its values and makes it proud to hold them. She has pulled off something that the left assumed was as likely a development as the sun rising in the west: she makes conservatism attractive, optimistic and fun. She is totally authentic, the real deal: she turns the values of small-town America that she so proudly embodies into a lethal boomerang against the sneering elitists who scorn them. The repercussions will cross the Atlantic: British Tories who have tried to reinvent conservatism as social liberalism may well be sucking their teeth if Sarah Palin actually makes it to the White House.

Well okay, say her detractors, so she's a good performer - but she's still way out there in fruitcake-land because she's a creationist...

But here's where the confusion among commentators kicks in. Palin is a Christian, which means she believes that the world had a Creator. She shares that belief with other Christians along with Jews and Muslims the world over. Unless one takes the view that all religious belief is certifiable, there is nothing remotely odd about a person of faith believing in God.

Then there is the further confusion - fomented in large measure by the astoundingly ignorant assertions made by lawyers and judges in the various US court cases over the teaching of creationism in American schools - that creationism is the same thing as Intelligent Design. It is not.

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As students around the country gear up to head back to classes and homework, some of them will be learning the complete story of evolution for the first time.

Adopted by secondary schools and colleges, Explore Evolution (Hill House Publishers, 2007), the first biology textbook to present the arguments for and against neo-Darwinism, is invigorating the study of biology for a new generation of budding scientists.

Discovery Institute is marketing and selling the book.

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The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Austrailian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the ordered nature of the cosmos convinces him of the existence of God.

Mr Rudd, a regularly practising Anglican, says that "For me, it's ultimately the order of the cosmos or what I describe as the creation."

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Bill Sammon, writing in Fox News, says,

"Biden also used unusually strong language to ridicule those who believe in creationism or intelligent design."

"'I refuse to believe the majority of people believe this malarkey!' the senior senator from Delaware exclaimed."

"But less than six months earlier, CBS News conducted a poll that found a majority of Americans (51 percent) do believe that God created humans in their present form. Even larger majorities reject the theory of evolution, according to the poll."

Biden knows what he said would be very unpopular with more than half the country.

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Butteville (CA) Union Elementary School District trustees, as well as school administrators, are considering adding "intelligent design" to the school's seventh-grade science curriculum.

In a discussion on an information / action agenda item, "Evolution versus Intelligent Design Taught in the Classroom," during the district's board meeting last Wednesday, trustees agreed to seek legal counsel regarding the issue.

"I think this will be a big issue in the Supreme Court before long," said board president Stephen Darger, a practicing attorney and former police officer.

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Ben Stein, the famous conservative speaker and star of "Win Ben Stein's Money" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", will be speaking in Raleigh at a Chamber of Commerce event.

Stein has also been in the news lately for his recent film called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed", which he says questions the education field's acceptance of the theory of evolution, which Stein calls "Darwinism," while blocking other theories such as intelligent design.

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Slaughter of the Dissidents: The Shocking Truth About Killing the Careers of Darwin Doubters by Dr. Jerry Bergman

August 2008, 488 pages, softbound, with index and extensive bibliography

Ben Stein's movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed has been called the "tip of the iceberg" regarding the discrimination that exists in academic and media communities against those who challenge Darwin's theory of evolution. With the release of Jerry Bergman's new book, Slaughter of the Dissidents, you are about to meet the rest of this Titanic-sized iceberg. Bergman experienced the slaughter of his own career over thirty years ago while teaching at Bowling Green University, which started him on a life-long quest to document the academic and religious discrimination exhibited against students, scientists and educators who dare to doubt Darwin. Bergman interviewed over 300 people in his quest to document one of America's growing hate crimes. He also went to great lengths to interview folks on both sides of each case and sought to have each victim review his case description before publication. Kennedy, Eidsmoe, Bergman and Wirth lay the ground work in the opening pages to help you understand the context of this situation. Then Bergman dives into a page-turning narrative describing how career after career was mowed down by the big Darwinian machine...and there is no end in sight of this growing discrimination, unless you get this book into the hands of everyone who cares about our academic and religious freedoms.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY.

A Web site named

X-Ray Technician Schools [Alabama]

has offered its "Top 100 Cutting-Edge Science Blogs" list, and ID Update (#39 on the list) is included under the Biology section.

Is evolution about to enter a new phase? Three hundred biologists, computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians, philosophers and social scientists from around the world are gathering in Winchester, UK. Their aim is to address one of the greatest challenges in modern science: how to create a genuine artificial life form.

Maybe the facts are beginning to cause cracks in the wall of scientism...

Prof Mark Bedau of Reed College in Portland, Oregon, argues at the 11th International Conference on Artificial Life that despite the promise that organisms could one day breed in a computer, such systems quickly run out of steam, as genetic possibilities are not open-ended but predefined. Unlike the real world, the outcome of computer evolution is built into its programming.

His conclusion? Although natural selection is necessary for life, something is missing in our understanding of how evolution produced complex creatures. By this, he doesn't mean intelligent design (of course not) - the claim that only God can light the blue touch paper of life - but some other concept. "I don't know what it is, nor do I think anyone else does, contrary to the claims you hear asserted," he says. But he believes ALIFE will be crucial in discovering the missing mechanism.

Additionally...

Dr Richard Watson of Southampton University, the co-organiser of the conference, echoes his concerns. "Although Darwin gave us an essential component for the evolution of complexity, it is not a sufficient theory," he says. "There are other essential components that are missing."

And for good measure...

"Evolution on its own doesn't look like it can make the creative leaps that have occurred in the history of life," says Dr Seth Bullock, another of the conference's organisers. "It's a great process for refining, tinkering, and so on. But self-organisation is the process that is needed alongside natural selection before you get the kind of creative power that we see around us.

Changing one's worldview is like trying to turn a bus around on a one-lane road with no shoulders. Some can do it...and some will not.

Lori Yount, of the Wichita Eagle, reports that five seats on the State Board of Education are up for grabs this year. Education advocates say how children learn about evolution hangs in the balance - and who voters choose could affect Kansas' national reputation.

A frequent flip-flop between moderate and conservative majorities on the 10-member board has resulted in the state changing its science standards four times in the past eight years.

Conservatives have pushed for standards casting doubt on evolution, and moderates have said intelligent design does not belong in the science classroom.

In 2007, a new 6-4 moderate majority removed standards that called evolution into question.

This year, none of the three moderates whose seats are up for election are running again. Only one of the two conservative incumbents is running for re-election.

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In Casey Luskin's final installment in ENV on Evolution and Intelligent Design, he writes on the semantic trouble folks can get into when engaging evolutionists.

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In bethinking.org, Professor Flew has recently written his forthright views on Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion.

Antony Flew was a lecturer at the Universities of Oxford and Aberdeen, before posts as Professor of Philosophy at the Universities of Keele and of Reading. He has now retired. He is renowned for his 1950 essay "Theology and Falsification" and his atheistic work, before announcing in 2004 his belief in a Creator God.

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Sir John Templeton, the American-born investor and philanthropist who devoted his later life to funding the scientific study of religion, died July 8 at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. He was 95.

The John Templeton Foundation, his charitable organization, said the cause of death was pneumonia.

Once called "arguably the greatest global stock picker," Templeton founded a prize for "progress toward research or discoveries about spiritual realities" in 1972. He sought to make the million-dollar Templeton Prize the world's largest annual award bestowed on an individual, always exceeding the monetary value of the Nobel Prize.

In 1987, Templeton, a Presbyterian, set up an eponymous foundation dedicated to exploring what he called the "big questions" of science and religion: God's plan, man's faith, and the order of the universe.

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IDURC Announces 2008 Casey Luskin Graduate Award

The Intelligent Design Undergraduate Research Center (IDURC) is proud to present the 2008 Casey Luskin Graduate Award, presented annually to a deserving college graduate for excellence in student advocacy of intelligent design.

The recipient of the 2008 Casey Luskin Graduate Award will remain anonymous for the protection of the recipient. The many students, professors, and scientists who have been denied degrees or tenure and removed from positions and jobs for no other reason than acceptance of - or even sympathy to - intelligent design theory is very telling of the importance of keeping these bright young minds out of the crosshairs of those opposed to open-minded investigation and critical thought.

The recipient of this year's award is a graduate earning a degree in history. This student has demonstrated great courage in promoting intelligent design and academic freedom, working previously with the IDURC and also serving as an IDEA Club president. The recipient will receive a certificate of achievement, a $100 award, and an autographed copy of Dr. Michael J. Behe's newest book, The Edge of Evolution: the Search for the Limits of Darwinism.

The Casey Luskin Graduate Award was established in 2005 and in 2007 its name was changed from the "IDURC Graduate Award" to the "Casey Luskin Graduate Award." The award is named for Mr. Casey Luskin, a graduate of the University of California at San Diego, who was the first student truly to step out of his comfort zone as an undergrad and take a stand for intelligent design - a stand that would be seen across the nation. His founding of the Intelligent Design Evolution Awareness (IDEA) Center has been a great step forward for the intelligent design movement and, more importantly, for academic freedom everywhere. Today, Luskin continues his work with the ID movement as a lawyer and legal analyst for the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture in Seattle, Washington. Students everywhere today are indebted to the work that Luskin has done.

Each July, the IDURC will present the Casey Luskin Graduate Award to an outstanding student who has just completed his or her undergraduate degree and has demonstrated exemplary dedication to both the rigorous investigation and the widespread promotion of intelligent design. This year's recipient joins the recipients from past years, since the award was initiated in 2005, in demonstrating such excellence.

Much thanks needs to be given to the board of directors at the IDURC for their work in preparing this year's award and for their efforts year round. A very heartfelt thank you also goes to Dr. Michael J. Behe of Lehigh University for his support of the work we do at the IDURC and for his autographing and inscribing The Edge of Evolution for this award.

As always, I must thank Mr. Dennis Wagner and Access Research Network for the donation of the $100 prize money and for their continuous and generous financial support of the IDURC.

ScienceDaily reports that Berkeley Lab scientists have for the first time pieced together the three-dimensional structure of one of nature's most exquisite pieces of machinery, a gossamer-like filament of proteins in the inner ear that enables the sense of hearing and balance.

"It's one of the most beautifully deigned systems in the body," says Manfred Auer of Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division. "But how it really works remains a mystery. Our goal is to determine what the system looks like, so we can determine how it functions."

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Interesting how the scientists cannot seem to get away from the word "designed". To the materialist, the "design" is accomplished by time, chance, and natural selection. Materialist bow at the alter of time. For ID proponents the apt phrase is, "If it looks designed, maybe it is!"

More...

"Okay ID proponent, who designed the designer?" This is a question often asked. There comes a point where we look to the best candidate for ultimate explanation.

Jay Richards provides a brief podcast on the ultimate explanation. Is it a designer: a personal, immaterial, eternal mind, or nothing? The materialist is backed into a corner, having to assert that physical reality came from absolutely nothing: no space, no time, no matter, no energy...nothing. Bertrand Russell, and many other atheists and agnostics, are willing to take this radical leap of faith.

On the other hand, a personal, immaterial, eternal mind is the likely stopping point. Every existing thing has a explanation for its existence, either in an external cause, or in the necessity of its own nature. As the saying goes, from nothing, comes nothing. It's either everything from absolutely nothing, or the self-existent mind. Which takes more faith to believe in?

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Anika Smith reports in ENV on the many factual errors in a New Scientist piece about the nasty minions who promote Intelligent Design.

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More on the flatfish flap from Casey Luskin on ENV...

Science News reports that a new look at the fossils of primitive flatfish offer evidence that these fish - well-known for having both eyes on one side of their head - started out symmetrical and gradually evolved their one-sided trait.

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You could ask two questions...

Since the eyes move during normal development, how do we know that the fossil intermediates found are specimens that had not completed their normal development yet?

Is the eye migration genetically preprogrammed (which would be necessary for Darwinism) or is it environmentally induced already being in the genetic code and then expressed? This question is likely the most important.

More...

ScienceDaily reports that when it comes to cellular communication networks, a primitive single-celled microbe that answers to the name of Monosiga brevicollis has a leg up on animals composed of billions of cells. It commands a signaling network more elaborate and diverse than found in any multicellular organism higher up on the evolutionary tree, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered.

This treasure trove of diverse and novel tyrosine kinases took the study's lead author Gerard Manning, who heads the Razavi-Newman Center for Bioinformatics, by surprise since it was long thought that tyrosine kinases are restricted to multicellular animals where they handle communication between cells.

"We were absolutely stunned," says Manning. "Based on past work, we had expected maybe a handful of these kinases but instead discovered that this primitive organism has a record number of them.

More...

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Of course, from an Intelligent Design perspective, we should not be stunned, but rather amazed and humbled by the intellect of the designer.

Critics of intelligent design sometimes claim they are defending the principles of American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson in trying to ban discussions of intelligent design. In the words of one writer, "Thomas Jefferson makes it quite clear that there was not a consensus of support among the authors of the Constitution... to support theological doctrines such as intelligent design." But would Thomas Jefferson himself agree? In this special July 4th edition of ID the Future, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow John West explores the real views of Jefferson on intelligent design.

podcast

Two new articles on the Louisiana Science Education Art are spot on with respect to what is going on. They clearly state what is in the bill, and what the other side is doing, and will do, to fight it.

John G. West in the New Republic

Roddy Bullock in WorldNetDaily

This list just in from ENV, via Casey Luskin...

More...

This story has made the rounds worldwide.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Chris Comer, who resigned under pressure, says state neutrality on creationism amounts to religious advocacy.

The article reports that more than 130 Texas university science professors in December signed a letter to Scott calling evolution "a central pillar in any modern science education" that is supported by a "massive body of scientific education." Intelligent design is a religious idea that deserves no place in the science classroom at all," according to the letter, sent in response to Comer's resignation.

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Now...this is odd. There are, or may be metaphysical implications in IDT, but that is true for an atheistic (naturalistic) worldview as well. A point is eventually reached when matter, energy, space, and time emerge either from absolutely nothing, or a necessary, eternal, immaterial, personal mind, who exists through the necessity of its own nature.

Either absolutely nothing, or this mind brought matter, energy, space, and time into existence. Therefore both atheists and theists are dealing in metaphysics, with the theists having the more plausible arguments. This fact is lost on most.

Atheists play the "religion card". Often not willing to admit it, they have their own metaphysical (religious) beliefs. They often exercise quite a bit of faith, one example being the multiverse assertion, based on pure speculation. It's multiverse vs God. The atheist has no idea if there is an ensemble of universes, or, for that matter, what mechanism (which had to be finely tuned) generated the varying universes in the multiverse. It takes more faith to believe in the bloated multiverse theory, than to believe in one, eternal, immaterial, personal being, who exists necessarily.

More...

Caroline Crocker, on National Examiner.com, opines that our embracing of divergent peoples and viewpoints marks us as unique and we are rightly proud of being broad-minded, a "melting pot," welcoming people of different nationalities, cultures and races. This has enabled us to be world leaders in innovative ideas, in marked contrast to what is produced by totalitarian regimes where citizens are only allowed to think one way.

A study published in Forum (2005) by Lichter, Rothman, and Nevitte reported that 72 percent of university faculty are liberal (87 percent in elite universities). That this is reflected in the teaching is easily seen in the prolific displays of left-wing propaganda displayed on campuses.

More...

In the Montreal Gazette, Bill Brownstein gives a review typical of what has been seen across Canada after the opening of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Those in the know where not expecting the documentary to be a blockbuster in Canada, and there probably have been few kind words in the press either (I have not come across any).

While Brownstein harps on the Nazi analogy, he mentions nothing about Dawkins' claim that he believes in intelligent design...just as long as the intelligence is from a far away place in the cosmos that evolved through random chance and natural selection.

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In Intelligent Design the Future...a short podcast discusses the up-to-date OOL research...with Dr. Ed Pelzer, who holds a PhD in oceanography from Scripps Oceanographic Institution at UCSD.

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Much was said during debate over SB 733 (Louisiana's Science Education Act) concerning "code language" and the accusation that Senator Ben Nevers was trying to sneak something other than quality science (i.e., creationism) into Louisiana's science classrooms. Today's WWL-TV report quotes the Louisiana ACLU Executive Director whose choice of words suggests "code language" conceding that the bill really is on solid constitutional footing after all:

"ACLU Executive Director Marjorie Esman said that if the Act is utilized as written, it should be fine...."

Stand by for news of whether Governor Jindal will seize this teachable moment to give America a badly needed academic freedom lesson in the form of a public signing ceremony!

Judge Darrell White (Retired)
www.judgewhite.com/origins
225 603-2544

In Penn State Live, it is reported that in recent years, U.S. courts have consistently ruled that teaching explicitly religious alternatives to evolution in public schools is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. But Penn State political scientists show that despite these many legal victories, a surprising number of public high school biology teachers still include creationism or intelligent design in their curriculum. However, the disparity in teaching evolution is not linked to differences in state regulations, but can more likely be attributed to differences of personal beliefs about human origins and scientific training among teachers, according to the study.

More...

Gil Dodgen comments in Uncommom Descent about the History Channel's How Life Began. He remarks that the title of the show was a dead giveaway about what I would see, hear, and experience. The title of the show should have been "How Did Life Begin?" and the answer should have been, "No one has the faintest idea."

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Control Congress reports that Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Governor, and potential McCain running mate, was interviewed on CBS's Face The Nation. Among the topics covered, Jindal was asked about his opinions on the debate over intelligent design's place in the public school curriculum. Jindal supports teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in the classroom.

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In ENV...This week Glenn Altschuler, professor of American Studies at Cornell, reviewed (among other books) Ken Miller's Only a Theory for the Baltimore Sun.

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Nicholas Bakalar, of the New York Times, writes that last December, researchers published a novel explanation of the function of the appendix in The Journal of Theoretical Biology. The appendix, they suggest, is a "safe house" for commensal bacteria, the symbiotic germs that aid digestion and help protect against disease-causing germs.

It has long been asserted that the appendix is a vestigial organ of evolution. Probably not.

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Kenneth R. Miller, a professor of biology at Brown University, has written a new book Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul, in which he defends Darwinism, attacks intelligent design, and makes a case for theistic evolution (defined as something like "God used Darwinian evolution to make life"). In all this, it's pretty much a re-run of his previous book published over a decade ago, Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution. So if you read that book, you'll have a very good idea of what 90% of the new book concerns.

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In ENV...The Chicken Littles at Americans United for Separation of Church and State are now running around WARNING that

The Louisiana House of Representatives [has]... approved a measure that opens the door to teaching creationism in public schools...
Well, no, it didn't. The proposed Louisiana law expressly states in Section 1C that it "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion."

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On ID the Future...the new textbook Explore Evolution: Arguments For and Against Neo-Darwinism is discussed. This is the first biology textbook to present the scientific evidence both for and against key aspects of Darwinian evolution.

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The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) will recognize Ben Stein with its "Freedom of Expression Award" during EMA's Home Entertainment Awards ceremony June 24. The ceremony is part of EMA's Home Media Expo 2008, June 24-26 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Stein, a writer, actor, filmmaker, economist and lawyer, recently starred as the host of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, a documentary on intelligent design and its contention within the scientific community. The film hits DVD Oct. 21, from Vivendi Entertainment.

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ENV reports that by a vote of 94-3, Louisiana's House of Representatives today passed an academic freedom bill that would protect teachers and school districts who wish to promote critical thinking and objective discussion about evolution and other scientific topics.

More...

TBSE (Texans for Better Science Education) was not contacted for comment by the New York Times in a recent article. The NYT is afraid that both "strengths and weaknesses" might be taught. We've noted an interesting evolution of arguments by the Darwinists.

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From ENV...

According to the Associated Press:

Yoko Ono has lost her Manhattan legal battle to block the use of John Lennon's song "Imagine" in a film challenging the theory of evolution.
EMI still has a state level suit in New York against Premise Media for the inclusion of Imagine in Expelled.

More... and scroll down a bit.

In ENV, Casey Luskin takes Barbara Forrest to task.

Opponents of academic freedom in Louisiana have been putting out a smokescreen of misinformation in their effort to kill legislation to protect the rights of Louisiana's science teachers. Rather than discuss the real issues at stake, they are trying to get their way through misrepresentations, scare tactics, and the demonization of those who support honest discussion of scientific controversies.

More...

ENV reports that after the clock ran out in Florida and Alabama, it seems that Louisiana might actually take a big step forward and send an evolution academic freedom act to the governor.

A state legislative committee unanimously has passed to the full state house a bill that will protect the rights of teachers to present scientific evidence both for and against modern evolutionary theory. A slew of local scientists were on hand to support the bill, along with educators and students. It's not hard to understand why when you know what the bill actually says:

"teachers shall be permitted to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught."

The next step is for the House side of the legislature to vote on the bill, which has already passed the Senate with a 35-0 vote, and that could happen as early as next week. Because of a new amendment allowing for the state board of education to have final say on supplemental texts used the bill will still have to go back to the Senate for final ratification.

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Casey Luskin, on the IDtheFuture podcast, talks with videogame artist Dennis DeMercer about his recent work on the Nintendo DS version of the forthcoming game Spore. Working with Amaze Entertainment, DeMercer was responsible for animating 3-D creatures ranging from single-celled organisms to advanced intergalactic civilizations in a game that centers around players evolving creatures from one species into another in order to climb the evolutionary ladder.

More...

A total of forty seven entertaining "Just So Stories" gleaned from Science writers on the internet since February 2007 are on the blogspot...

darwinstories

In ENV...John West talked at length with a Washington Post editorial writer named Jo-Ann Armao. Ms. Armao said she was working on a possible editorial about the academic freedom bills on evolution currently being considered by legislatures of various states.

Predictably, the Post asserts that the academic freedom bills are about "inviting creationism back into the classroom." Except that they aren't.

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Seems the editorial was mostly written in advance, with the predictable "macros" inserted.

More...

There are literally scores of letters to the editor across the country each week on the Evolution - Intelligent Design. There are also hundreds of blogs.

A recent opinion piece in the Eugene (OR) Herald-Guard by Norm Fox, a Springfield, Oregon resident and retired Christian school administrator, is a great example of clear-thinking. He easily shows the embarrassingly shallow thought of Richard Dawkins.

He rightly points out that Richard Dawkins is indeed positing a self-creating cosmos, and is trumpeting intelligent design, just as long as the designers are evolved creatures in the cosmos. But, how did life spontaneously come forth in another part of the cosmos and evolve? On that question, silence from Dr. D.

Dawkins, in "Expelled", asks the naive question, "Who created God?"

Fox rightly points out that "Something is eternal". Either matter, energy, space, and time is eternal (either in this cosmos or in the unknowable, untouchable multiverse)...or a necessary, self-existent personal being is eternal. Since something exists rather than absolutely nothing, the necessary, eternal entity is either material stuff or an immaterial personal being. This ultimate reality is a metaphysical matter, beyond science. Can impersonal stuff create itself out of absolutely nothing, or did stuff come about from a personal, self-existent intelligent designer? It takes a lot more faith to be an atheist.

More...from Fox...

Legislatures in three states - Louisiana, Michigan and Missouri - are considering academic freedom bills that would give teachers greater protection and freedom in teaching the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution.

"There has definitely been a raising of consciousness among people that there is a problem of censoring scientific information that challenges evolution," the Discovery Institute's Casey Luskin told Baptist Press.

The language of the bills in Louisiana, Michigan and Missouri does not allow for ID to be taught.

More...

Science Teachers and Professors...

You are invited to attend Biola's 2008 Science Teacher Symposium: Intelligent Design after "Expelled"

Presented by Biola University's M.A. Program in Science and Religion
Thursday July 17, 2008, 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Biola University
Friday, July 18, 2008, 8:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Biola University

Cost: $99 ($109 if postmarked after July 1).

What will it be like to teach about Intelligent Design in the wake of the movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed". Internationally known design theorist Dr. Paul Nelson, who appeared in "Expelled", will give us an answer. Dr. John Bloom and Dr. Mike Keas of Biola's M.A. Program in Science and Religion will also contribute to the program. The symposium grants teachers with ACSI (Christian) Continuing Education Units. Public and home school educators are also welcomed.

Symposium Topics Important to all Science Teachers
- Introduction to Science and Religion
- Resources for Teaching about Intelligent Design
- Human Origins: Issues in Physical Science and Biology

Parallel Sessions
- Physical Sciences
- Inferring Design from Anthropic Correspondences
- Biochemistry: The Biochemical Prerequisites for Life
- Life Sciences
- Recent Advances in Biological Intelligent Design Research
- Using the "Explore Evolution" Curriculum (going beyond topics in our
2007 Symposium)

NOTE: We do not favor mandating (as public policy) the teaching of intelligent design (ID) in schools. Even so, many teachers will want to know more about ID as an exciting new scientific research agenda. After "Expelled" more students will be asking about ID than every before. Be prepared to respond to student curiosity!

To get more information and register, click HERE.

A new Web site covers the problem of discrimination against Darwin skeptics. The Web site will document each case learned of and give advice on how to survive in academia. The Web site will also respond to the common false charges against individuals, such as the claim that there was no evidence that Dr. Gonzalez (Iowa State University) was denied tenure due to his support of intelligent design.

On the Web site, there is a form at the bottom of the page, which will give you a free chapter of an upcoming book. You will also get updates on what is going on with this projects.

Click HERE for the Web site.

Tim Woods, of the Waco-Tribune Herald, reports that the school's faculty senate passed a "failure of shared governance" resolution, complaining that Lilley and Provost Randall O'Brien exercised their own judgment in denying tenure to 12 of 30 candidates this spring, in at least some cases overruling University Tenure Committee recommendations.

The resolution goes on to state that "standards in academia provide that the President and Provost should 'concur with the faculty judgment except in rare instances and for compelling reasons which should be stated in detail.' "

The faculty senate also complains there are other university matters where the faculty's voice isn't heard or its recommendations aren't followed.

President John Lilley has not been friendly to ID at BU, and an upcoming Board of Regents meeting could mean he's out.

More...

For a limited time only save over 50% when you buy this 3-DVD package

One of the criticisms of Ben Stein's movie Expelled is that very little time was spent on the scientific evidence for intelligent design. Of course this was not the purpose of the movie, which instead focused on the need for free inquiry and the rights of scientists, educators and the media to critique prevailing theories of origins and explore scientific alternatives. But for those of you who felt like the little old lady in the old Wendy's commercial wanting to know "Where's the Beef?" we've put together a package of three of our best selling science documentaries on ID at an unbelievable price. Normally these DVDs sell for $25 each, but for a limited time you can get all three for only $35 including shipping--a savings of over 50%. This impressive 3-DVD documentary set by Illustra Media presents a comprehensive, visually stunning and intellectually compelling argument for intelligent design. You can watch samples clips or place your order here.

The critical reviews of the movie Expelled are almost more instructive than the movie itself in demonstrating the absurd lengths to which champions of Darwinism will go to silence, discredit and destroy those who challenge their cherished theory. Perhaps the most stellar example is John Derbyshire's recent review in which he accuses Expelled of being creationist porn that includes dishonest interviews with scientists, and uses stolen video and music clips. Those are pretty heavy charges. Especially for a man who admits he hasn't even seen the film!

Some of Derbyshire's cheap shots are aimed at David Berlinski, who not only has seen the film, but is featured in it. Berlinski is not about to take these charges lying down and delivers Derbyshire the tongue lashing he deserves while setting the record straight in this National Review Online commentary: The Dang Thing: John Derbyshire and the movie he hasn't seen.

Seems a librarian was motivated to gen up a compenhensive index to ID materials. "Consider Intelligent Design" also has blogs. Consider checking out this Web site...

More...

There is a pretty funny guy at www.whatyououghttoknow.com that has entertaining opinions about lots of stuff like Richard Dawkins and Al Gore. Someone needs to straighten him out on the definition of intelligent design, but other than that, we find him pretty well informed on stuff you ought to know (at least regarding evolution and global warming...we haven't watched all of his stuff). Apparently his goal is to irritate everyone, no matter what your position on origins, and he does a pretty good job of that. We think he's ready for a monologue on the Jay Leno show.

The standard media definition he uses is "Intelligent design is so complex it must have been designed." The actual definition of intelligent design is "The study of patterns in nature that are best explained as the result of intelligence" which is further elaborated in The New World Encylopedia.

The Wall Street Journal reported today (5/2/08, pg A10) on the academic freedom bills sweeping the nation that would protect teachers who want to teach scientific evidence for and against neo-Darwinian evolution. Bills are currently being considered by legislators in Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama and Michigan. Some legislative efforts have included private screenings of the documentary Expelled.

The story includes this quote from John West of Discovery Institute:

"It shouldn't be a crime for teachers to give the best evidence for evolutionary theory and then, if they want, spend a day saying, 'Some people are raising questions,'"

and then this curious statement from the opponents of the academic freedom bills:

Evolution's defenders respond that there are no credible scientific critiques of evolution, any more than there are credible alternatives to the theory of gravity.

In a related online article(subscription required), The Wall Street Journal asked the Discovery Institute's John West, a prominent advocate of intelligent design, to list several critiques of evolution that he'd like to see teachers present in class. Then we sought responses from Eric Meikle, who promotes evolution instruction through the National Center for Science Education.

The Fair Use Project of Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society today announced that it is signing on to defend Premise Media's right to use a clip of John Lennon's song "Imagine" in its documentary, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," [www.expelledthemovie.com] for the purposes of commentary and criticism.

The film, released in the United States on April 18, 2008, is about alleged discrimination against people who support alternative theories of evolution such as intelligent design. The song is played for roughly 15 seconds to illustrate and criticize the ideas suggested in it - that the world might be a better place without religion.

More...

Ross Anderson, in Crosscut Seattle, writes on the Discovery Institute, and offers an extended biography of Bruce Chapman.

More...

This just in from our IDArts website:

"We recently received a large brown envelop from our mail carrier with no return address. Inside we found photocopies of what appear to be internal memos from the Natural Sciences Department at the University of Ivory Tower. A note inside indicated that the sender was a graduate student at the university who felt these documents needed to be made available to the public. The sender simply referred to himself/herself as "Sager". We will be posting these memos (that our staff dubbed the "Ivorygate Documents") one at a time as we are able to review and authenticate them. Today we are releasing the memo entitled 'Educators Guide to dealing with intelligent design'".

AP reports that a requirement for public schools to teach "critical analysis" has passed in the Florida House.

The issue now returns to the Senate, which already has rejected the House approach and passed a different version.

The term "critical analysis" is one used by intelligent design advocates. The bill's sponsor, though, denies it would require or allow teaching intelligent design.

More...

Tim Woods of the Waco Tribune-Herald reports on Baylor's part in the documentary "Expelled".

(to read this article you will need to provide some information)

More...

Tristen Abbey reports in the Stanford Review on Darwinism's impact on the world.

In a point-counterpoint Q & A, Michael Ruse and Richard Weikart weigh in.

More...

Does neuroscience leave room for God? That was a question debated Saturday April 19, 2008 at the University of Minnesota. While Dr. PZ Myers was appearing in theaters around the country that night as Darwin's bulldog in the movie Expelled, he also appeared in person to debate Dr. Angus Menuge, Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University Wisconsin. The central issue of the debate was to examine the materialist contention that the brain reduces to the mind. Does the scientific evidence indicate that something more is going on in the brain that can't be explained purely by material causes? Dr. Menuge provided us a full report of the event along with a copy of his Powerpoint presention, and a link to a web video of the debate.

Here are a couple quotes from the report:

Myers was surprisingly passive in debate and did not really seem eager to spar. I got the sense that he had previously dismissed me as another creationist "ID-iot," and that he was not really prepared for me to make a serious case. Here are some of the main points of our discussion...

I had two very big surprises. First, Dr. Myers denied being a Darwinist, which produced the kind of stunned silence one would expect if the Pope announced his non-Catholicity. Myers' stated grounds were that Darwin has been dead for over a hundred years. I wished I had pointed out that I am on many issues a Platonist, even though Plato has been dead for 2400 years. Second, as I mentioned, Myers denied that science is really about truth. I had to wonder why it was so important for him to exclude design from science if all that matters is what works. After all, I had noted earlier on in my presentation that the Darwinist philosopher Michael Ruse agrees that methodological design does work in biology by helping scientists decode the machinery of life.

In ENV, Jonathan Wells writes that "surprisingly, in a lengthy interview with Ben Stein in Expelled, Dawkins says that living things on the Earth could be actually (and not just apparently) designed - and that the design might be detectable. Dawkins thereby concedes the central claim of ID, though he insists that the designers - if there were any - must have been highly evolved space aliens, not God."

More...

From AP...

An assistant professor at Iowa State University who says he was denied tenure because of his support of intelligent design has accepted a new position.

Guillermo Gonzalez will continue to work in ISU's physics and astronomy department until the end of the semester, but is leaving by August 1st to take an associate professor position at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

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William Mayer, in Pipeline News, wordsmiths one of my favorite reviews of "Expelled" and reaction from the opposition.

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Chris Mooney, no friend of ID, tells it like it is...

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In the American Spectator, Richard Weikart, who appeared in "Expelled", writes that Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers, and some other Darwinists are horrified that the documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, will promote Intelligent Design to a large audience. Ironically, their campaign to discredit Ben Stein and the film confirms its main point, which is to expose the persecution meted out by Darwinists to those daring to criticize Darwinian theory.

More...

A review of "Expelled" and reactions of critics by Martin Cothran in ENV...

Bill Dembski's review of "Expelled" at townhall.com...

The Uncommon Descent website has a blog entry with impressions of opening day for the Expelled movie. The early showings were sparsely attended (as expected on a work day) but Friday night showings were selling out to enthusiastic audiences.

With the opening of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed on over 1000 screens, the rhetoric on the evolution side has been at fever pitch. It has been said that "people believe what they want to believe, not the truth". People's judgment can be warped by prejudices, emotions, and plain bullheadedness.

At the base level, there are those who do not want to surrender self-autonomy to a higher power. They will claim that there is no debate.

They defend their view by going for emotional appeal, and by personal attacks on their opponents. It is easier to call someone an ignoramous or a moron, then to debate the science.

They say Intelligent Design cannot be determined by science, and yet science can determine intelligent agency in archaelogy, forsenics, search for extraterrestial life, etc. Of course, in their thinking, in those disciplines of science, the intelligent agent is a being created by evolution...so, no problem. But, if a cause is posited outside the physical cosmos, forget it. Even though science sees remarkable evidence of design in microbiology, THAT intelligent agency is forbidden...that is religion. Funny, because the multiverse theory, which attempts to explain the fine-tuned cosmos we live in, is putting faith in an entity which cannot be seen or measured, the multiverse. So who has to exercise more faith, the atheists/agnostics or the theists? Evolutionists in the past 50 years have been walking on thin ice, especially in the discipline of microbiology, and the cracks are widening.

Roger Moore, the man who snuck into a private screening of the documentary film in Orlando months ago, gives Expelled a poor rating. Because the film was not released to film critics, his review is getting a lot of play this week. See the review...

Meantime...Brent Bozell III, who initially was expecting little from Expelled, came out of the showing stunned. See his review...

The LA Times reports that the film could have a bigger opening than expected by many. See story here...

We shall see. One thing for sure, the blogs will be on fire with comments about Expelled once people see it for themselves.

Watch for one of the most stunning parts of the film, which was the interview with Richard Dawkins near the end. His bumbling response to the question, "How did life arise" is priceless.

Darwin and the Nazis
By Richard Weikart
Published 4/16/2008, The American Spectator

Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers, and some other Darwinists are horrified that the forthcoming documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, will promote Intelligent Design to a large audience when it opens at over a thousand theaters nationwide on April 18. Ironically, their campaign to discredit Ben Stein and the film confirms its main point, which is to expose the persecution meted out by Darwinists to those daring to criticize Darwinian theory. more...

Regis Nicoll, in the Salvo Blog...

For those who think that the object of science is to follow the truth wherever it leads, there's this in from the AP: "Some scientists are urging Florida's Legislature to reject a bill that would protect teachers from being fired if they present information challenging evolution."

If you're wondering why any scientific theory should be immune from criticism in institutions which are supposedly training young people for critical thinking, it's because the stalwarts of science orthodoxy have proclaimed, ex academia, that evolution is "a scientific fact" and that its alternative, Intelligent Design, is "religion posing as science." Neither is true.

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Michael Behe will give his first lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 17th in the Ballrooms of the University Center of the University of Northern Colorado, 11th Avenue and 20th Street in Greeley. He will then speak at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 18th at the Colorado State University Lory Student Center Theater and again at 7 p.m. on Friday at Timberline Church, 2908 S. Timberline Road in Fort Collins.

All of the lectures will be free and open to the public.

In ENV...The National Center for Science Education has just unveiled its expanded website denouncing the upcoming movie "Expelled," but the website's clunky attacks merely provide confirmation that the film's essential thesis is correct: Darwinists really don't believe in academic freedom regarding evolution, and they're more than willing to smear any scientist who disagrees with them.

The basic thrust of the NCSE's website seems to be the preposterous claim that pro-ID scientists never, ever face harassment, intimidation, or persecution. Not ever! Scientists who claim otherwise - such as biologist Richard Sternberg, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, and Baylor University engineering professor Robert Marks - must be cry-babies or worse.

The NCSE's approach is otherwise known as "blaming the victim."

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Where does the truth lie, Neo-Darwinian Evolution or Creative Design? On the heels of the April 18th release of the film "Expelled" by Ben Stein, the Antelope Valley Chapter of Reasons to Believe in cooperation with the Department of Biology at Antelope Valley College will be hosting a "free to the public" scientific discussion of creation and evolution presented by three distinguished scientific authors and educators. On Wednesday evening, April 23rd at 7:00 pm at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center in Lancaster, California, Dr. Hugh Ross, Ph.D., and Dr. Fazale Rana, Ph. D. will be presenting scientific arguments on the evidential merits of Creative Design theory. They will be questioned by Dr. Matthew Rainbow from the Biology Department at Antelope Valley College. Dr. Rainbow favors a naturalistic interpretation of the evolution of life. The implications and scientific merits behind both positions either supports or negates the plausibility of a Creator of the universe. For additional event information, please contact: Lee Bush at (661) 724-0341 or by email at leebush@verizon.net.

(Los Angeles, Calif.) April 14, 2008. - Even before its April 18 release nationwide, Ben Stein's movie, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed has triggered heated reactions from both sides of the debate between religion and science.

Atheists are "crashing" EXPELLED screenings and conference calls; critics are slamming it; and leaders are raving about it. One organization is urging theaters to reject the film, while another is holding a movie marathon for all 15 EXPELLED showings at their theater.

And EXPELLED screenings for legislators in Florida and Missouri are causing political firestorms and driving "Academic Freedom" bills that challenge Darwinism. more

Agnus Menuge, Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin will debate PZ Myers on April 19th at 8 p.m. in the Science Auditorium.

Myers has postulated that "religious belief is an emergent consequence of much broader genetically determined property of the brain." He will argue that "there is no 'god gene', no specific hard-coding of religion into human brains, and that religion itself is a kind of conceptual parasite that takes advantage of other desirable and even 'virtuous' intrinsic qualities of the brain."

Casey Luskin interviews Iowa State University alumnus Dave Eaton on FreeGonzalez.com, a new organization created by ISU alumni concerned about supporting renowned astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, who was recently denied tenure at ISU.

Dave Eaton explains how FreeGonzalez.com came about and why it is necessary to support scientists such as Dr. Gonzalez who have been expelled.

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The Florida Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-3 this week to submit the Evolution Academic Freedom Act, which would guarantee the freedom of teachers and students in Florida public schools who challenge theories of Darwinism, for debate in the Senate.

Lawmakers felt prompted for the need of an academic freedom bill after the Florida Board of Education voted for the first time in its history to require the teaching of evolution in schools back in February.

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On TED.com, the incredible innovations of underwater life are looked at in this short video. Having just finished Michael Behe's book "Edge of Evolution", and seeing the paltry innovations that random mutation and natural selection can achieve, the only conclusion you can draw from these sea creatures is "DESIGNED!"

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Discovery Institute is pleased to announce two intensive summer seminars on intelligent design, science, and culture from July 11-20, 2008 in Seattle. The first seminar is for students in the natural sciences and philosophy of science; the second seminar is for students in the social sciences and humanities (including politics, law, journalism, and theology). Both seminars are designed for highly-motivated college students who seek a deeper understanding of science and its implications for society.

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In the Baptist Press, Michael Foust writes on an interview with Ben Stein, and the upcoming documentary film "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed".

The film opens April 18, and Stein believes he's involved in one of the leading cultural and political battles of his life: the fight for academic freedom against an establishment that teaches Darwinian evolution as fact. Intelligent Design (ID) - the belief that certain aspects of the world are so complex that they must have been created by an intelligent being, instead of by a random process - deserves a place at the academic table, he says.

"I think I'm engaged in a struggle that's very much uphill in which the establishment is very much against me," he said in a recent telephone conference call with reporters. "But I'm a rebel to my core ... and happy to be in an uphill struggle, as long as the cause is right."

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Dr. Larry Moran is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Toronto. He is a materialist, and some striking comments he makes tie in nicely with the upcoming release of "Expelled".

Intellectual bullying is going strong.

More at ENV...

David Berlinski, teacher and author of books on mathematics, challenges the fields of science and atheist thought by arguing that science has not been able to prove the inexistence of a God nor explain the start of the universe. This event was hosted by the Discovery Institute in Washington, D.C.

Details...

Here is the LINK...

Katherine Phan, of the Christian Post, reports that The Florida Senate's pre-K-through-12 education committee approved a bill Wednesday that protects teachers who include theories questioning evolution in their coverage of the much-debated topic.

Legislators voted 4-1 to advance the "Academic Freedom Act," or SB2692, which provides "public school teachers with a right to present scientific information relevant to the full range of views" on evolution.

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The controversy around Premise Media's upcoming movie Ben Stein's EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed became the hottest topic in the blogosphere. According to BlogPulse, a service of Nielsen Buzzmetrics, the issue held the number one slot throughout the day on Monday, March 24th (http://www.blogpulse.com). There were also over 800 results on Technorati (www.technorati.com).

"It is amazing to see the reaction of PZ Myers, Richard Dawkins and their cohorts when one of them is simply expelled from a movie. Yet these men applaud when professors throughout the nation are fired from their jobs and permanently excluded from their profession for mentioning Intelligent Design," said producer Mark Mathis. Mathis was at the event that has raised this controversy.

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Some are wondering why Premise did not use Myers' comment about taking out the steel toes boots and brass knuckles.

This shows Myers expicit intemperance and hostility.

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A new, provocative book, attempts to take a middle road in the origins and evolution debate.

Born in London, Shaun Johnston's father was a Church of England clergyman, He read biochemistry at London's University College, then turned to graphic design. On moving to New York City he became a medical and science writer.

He claims his upbringing makes him immune to the lure of the supernatural. He says he matured first into epiphenomalism, from that into a non-supernatural intelligent design theory. As a result he finds himself lodged halfway between the two extremes of scientific materialism and creationism.

This could be a unique niche...an atheist who believes in intelligent design. Excuse me? See for yourself.

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The Fairfax Community Church, in Fairfax, Virgina, invites all ASA members in the area to participate in their conference "Awesome Wonders: The Genome, the Oceans, and the Heavens".

Details...

Christianity Today reports that 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.

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Whatever you think of Rush Limbaugh, one thing is sure; he has influence. Seems he got a hand delivered copy of Expelled from Ben Stein. Check out his take on the upcoming documentary.

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The New World Encyclopedia has an entry for Intelligent Design available online that fairly and accurately represents ID concepts and history. It is well referenced and includes a list of books and websites that are both pro and con ID. This entry is highly recommend for any student doing a report on ID.

In Scoop Independent News, Susan Mazur reports that atheist evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins spoke to a packed auditorium at Manhattan's Ethical Culture Society recently night about his best-selling book, The God Delusion. He admitted in a Q&A that followed of being "guilty" of viewing Darwinism as a kind of religion and vowing to "reform" (no one was allowed to tape Dawkins' confession, however, with organizers of the event threatening to march offenders around the corner to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). She met up with Richard Dawkins the night before at Barnes & Noble in Tribeca where he told her in front of an audience of roughly 200 people (tape recorders were allowed) of the importance of the role of form in making a proper theory of evolution. Dawkins has long been associated with the gene-centered theory of natural selection.

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In the blogspot "Reasonable Kansans", a summary of recent posts are given.

Michael Egnor comments on why he became skeptical of Darwinism.

Also, why do Darwinists consider ID a science stopper? How does the idea of common descent advance science more than the idea of commonality among organisms due to intelligent design. Would scientific progress have slowed if someone had not advanced a materialistic view of change over time in the 19th century? I doubt it...

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Gailon Totheroh, of CBN News, reports that national attention has been drawn to the looming state battle over science and health textbooks that teach evolution. Attorney Cynthia Dunbar is serves on the Texas State Board of Education.

"What we want is for our students to be taught critical thinking skills, to be taught the scientific method," Dunbar explained to CBN News. "And what rises to the level of being deemed a theory - teach the strengths and weaknesses of any and every theory."

Amid the controversy, which evolutionists deny, the new documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" will shed light on the past and present academic struggles.

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Supporters of an "academic freedom" bill permitting students and teachers to challenge evolution teachings in Florida's new science standards brought actor-activist Ben Stein to the Capitol today for a private screening of his new film before an audience of state lawmakers.

Stein, a conservative commentator on CBS scheduled meetings with House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, and other legislators to endorse bills by Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, and Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon.

In making a documentary titled "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," Stein said he met many scientists and professors who lost laboratory projects or grants, were shunned by scientific publications or suffered other forms of reprisals for questioning evolution.

"This bill is not about teaching intelligent design," Stein said at a news conference. "It’s about freedom of speech."

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Dorian L. Jones, writing on ISN Security Watch, reports that an unlikely alliance exists between Islamists in Turkey and conservative Christians in the US.

Creationism advocates from the US traveled to Istanbul May 2007 to meet with their counterparts, seeking to galvanize their link in the fight to bring creationism to schools and universities in their respective countries. The meeting was endorsed by Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbas, a member of the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

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Creationism and ID Theory are wrongly used interchangeably in this piece, though.

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In ENV, Casey Luskin report on the fireside chat at Stanford this past weekend. For the most part, they agreed with one-another on nearly everything. It's clear that they fear intelligent design. They equated intelligent design proponents with "con-men" who are "slimy," "well-funded," and promote "ignorance." (Incidentally, each of these claims is incorrect.) They also appeared to greatly fear religion, as both Dawkins and Krauss held that teaching young children about religion in Sunday School is equivalent to "child abuse."

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Christianity Today reports that Ben Stein's new documentary on Expelled is already being spun by both sides of the debate, drawing fire and praise alike from different political factions.

Jack Cashill, commenting in World Net Daily, is among the film's early supporters, calling Expelled an "often funny, always engaging frontal assault on the oppressive neo-Darwinist establishment." He goes on to laud the movie as "arguably the smartest and most sophisticated documentary ever produced on the right side of the cultural divide on any subject, ever."

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Christianity Today reports that Ben Stein's new documentary on Expelled is already being spun by both sides of the debate, drawing fire and praise alike from different political factions.

Jack Cashill, commenting in World Net Daily, is among the film's early supporters, calling Expelled an "often funny, always engaging frontal assault on the oppressive neo-Darwinist establishment." He goes on to laud the movie as "arguably the smartest and most sophisticated documentary ever produced on the right side of the cultural divide on any subject, ever."

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The Des Moines Register reports that the University of Iowa will host a public lecture on "Evolution, Intelligent Design and Faith" on March 25.

The free lecture is at 7 p.m. in Kollros Auditorium, Room 101 of the Biology Building East on the Iowa City campus.

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ENV blogs on the complaint that Darwinists have about Ben Stein's tactics on getting interviews for Expelled.

No fouls here...in fact, Stein and his group did NOTHING wrong in obtaining their interviews. Even some mainstream media sources have acknowledged that the film's producers used accepted methods of interviewing people.

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Uncommon Descent reports that the IDEA Center's new Executive Director Caroline Crocker has just launched her Web site:

IntellectualHonesty.info

Dr. Crocker will be featured prominently in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

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Baylor's chapter of the American Scientific Affiliation holds lectures concerning religion, ethics and science.

Dr. Walter Bradley, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, discussed "Must a Christian Believe in Design?" March 4th.

Wescosville, Penn., junior Sam Chen, an officer of Baylor's American Scientific Affiliation, said the American Scientific Affiliation is a group of believers who are interested in science and are willing to encourage conversation.

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Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

By Skylar Wagner
Film Major, Biola University
March 1, 2008

I had the privilege of attending an advanced screening of Ben Stein's new documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed last week which is scheduled to be released in the theaters on April 18. Expelled is an interesting and thought-provoking look into important academic freedom issues currently facing our nation. Stein travels around the country interviewing college professors, scientists, editors, and journalists who have lost their jobs or been persecuted in various ways for challenging Darwinism or showing an interest in intelligent design. We see how free inquiry of these professionals, and others like them, is being prevented at every turn by academic, scientific and media institutions that have adopted a Darwin-only worldview.

From the beginning of the movie with old black and white clips of the Berlin Wall being erected, and a rather classy rendition of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall", the film concentrates on the violation of freedom of thought and freedom of speech. Stein proceeds to interview several college professors who have been fired or forced out and then blacklisted because they have mentioned intelligent design at work. Some of the cases are surprising as we learn the details about how their freedom has been violated and why they were "expelled" from their jobs. In most cases the institutions did not think that intelligent design was a valid scientific theory. Stein then interviews several Darwinists to show us that the theory of evolution does not have all the answers either. Hundreds of scientists were interview for this film and Stein travels around the country and around the world seeking to understand. There are a wide variety of interviews and the information is easy enough to follow but at points can be kind of confusing to those not familiar with the subjects. After Many interviews and stops Ben heads to England for a final showdown with lead Darwinist, Richard Dawkins.

Expelled presents a good look at specific problems with academic freedom in our country. It shows us a dark side of our country that many do not know exists. This is a documentary that delivers not only eye-opening information, but entertainment as well. There are many clips from old movies thrown in to accentuate a point that keep you smiling in your seat. The documentary does take a few cheap shots at Dawkins, as he seems to be the butt of many jokes. There is a curious excitement as we follow Ben around, and even through his monotone voice you can tell he is passionate about what he is doing.

What Expelled does best is stay away from conflict. It is not a preachy documentary trying to prove to us that intelligent design is right and evolution is wrong. The film is not one sided, and provides just as many interviews with Darwinists as it does with ID theorists. The point of the movie is to show us that freedom to challenge or examine an establishment viewpoint is being prevented. It does this very well; leaving the viewer with little argument that freedoms haven't been violated based on very specific evidence.

Although the movie is very interesting overall, it loses its excitement at points. After several interviews and opinions on similar matters, I started to lose a bit of interest. The film did not keep me enthralled the whole time as it drifted off towards the middle. But once Ben started traveling again I was immediately interested in where he was going and who he would be talking to.

Expelled is a movie anyone interested in the debate about our origins or the debate about our freedoms should see. It is also a movie for anyone who does not know much about the arguments for Darwinism or Design and would like to learn more. It presents information on both sides in an interesting and tasteful manner. At the end of the movie, I was not persuaded that ID is true and evolution is false, but I was persuaded that the freedom of many to investigate the issue has been violated, which is something as an American, I am very interested in.

ENV reports that Michael Ruse, a philosopher by profession, claims that the anti-evolutionists are "not very good historians." However, he commits some serious historical gaffes himself, undermining his claim to be setting the record straight.

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This is extremely important because of the upcoming documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, where there is a link made between Darwinism and Nazism. Many Darwinists have claimed that the link is illegitimate.

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ENV reports that Discovery senior fellow David Klinghoffer has an interesting piece just out in the new Townhall Magazine, in which he looks at whether or not scientists really are free to research intelligent design. Of course, ID-critics claim that academic freedom reigns supreme...not so.

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Casey Luskin in ENV reports that the Florida State Board of Education voted 4-3 to adopt science standards that call evolution "the fundamental concept underlying all of biology." While it is good that students will learn about evolution, these standards will make for bad science education because they elevate Darwin's theory to a dogma that cannot be questioned. Even worse, some board members thought that they could rectify the dogmatic tone of the standards by calling evolution a "scientific theory." Some news articles are even calling this a "compromise." Those board members were tricked into a false compromise: inserting the word "scientific theory" before the word "evolution" is a meaningless and impotent change that will do absolutely nothing to actually inform students about the scientific problems with evolution.

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Casey is absolutely spot on throughout the piece...and that the board members thought that using the word "theory" was a compromise? That shows how out of touch they are with the idea of a scientific theory...an overarching, unifying concept.

From a press release from Biola University...

Ben Stein, known for his lead role in the film Ferris Bueller's Day and his Comedy Central show Win Ben Stein's Money, believes in liberty and truth. In recognition of this, Biola University's masters in science and religion program will present him with the 2008 Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth on March 27, a month before the release of his major controversial motion picture, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

In his new movie Expelled, Stein wonders whether humans were designed by an intelligent being or whether we were simply the result of an ancient natural accident. In his search for an answer, he discovers an elitist scientific establishment that punishes the scientific proponents of Intelligent Design because they reject some of the claims of Darwin's theory of evolution. "Big science in this area of biology has lost its way," says Stein. "Scientists are supposed to be allowed to follow the evidence wherever it may lead, no matter what the implications are. Freedom of inquiry has been greatly compromised, and this is not only anti-American, it's anti-science."

In light of Stein's contribution to the pursuit of liberty and truth, particularly as it relates to the field of Intelligent Design, he is being honored with the 2008 Johnson Award. The award ceremony will feature premiere clips from the forthcoming movie, the personal appearance of scientists who were expelled from their jobs because they are sympathetic to Intelligent Design, and will include a brief address by Stein.

Biola University, a Christian university in Southern California, established the Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth in 2004 to honor legal scholar and Berkeley law professor Phillip E. Johnson, who was the award's first recipient. The award recognizes Johnson's pivotal role in advancing our understanding of design in the universe by opening up informed dissent to Darwinian and materialistic theories of evolution. British philosopher Antony Flew, once considered the most prominent defender of atheism in the English - speaking world, became the second recipient of this award in 2006 for his Socratic approach of "following the evidence where it leads" and abandoning atheism on account of design arguments.

Ben Stein is a lawyer, economist, former presidential speechwriter, author and social commentator. He has acted and made guest appearances in numerous movies, TV series, and TV commercials. His part as the boring teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off was recently ranked as one of the fifty most famous scenes in American film.

Nanowerk reports that Brown University biologist Kenneth Miller has to hand one victory to the "intelligent design" crowd. They know how to frame an issue.

"The idea that there is 'design' in nature is very appealing," Miller said. "People want to believe that life isn't purposeless and random. That's why the intelligent design movement wins the emotional battle for adherents despite its utter lack of scientific support."

Miller asserted that there is "design" in nature, but it's evolutionary design.

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Here again is the problem...what is meant by evolution? If Miller means Darwinism, which explicitly claims that the process is random chance and natural selection, this hopelessly inefficient process would not have enough time to "design" complex life. The numbers have been calculated by evolution proponents and intelligent design theorists alike over the past 50 years. Evolutionists put too much faith in time.

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Mike Gene's new book The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues is now available at ARN. Here is an except from a review posted at Telic Thoughts...

And Now for Something New
by Steve Petermann

For some time now I have thought that the debate surrounding ID had grown stale. It seems that the ideas and arguments concerning intelligent design were just being recycled over and over again. That has changed. I just finished reading Mike Gene's new book The Design Matrix and it is chock-full of interesting information, ideas, and approaches to the design question. I think you'll find Mike's approach to the design issue very refreshing. You won't find any ideologically driven claims or conclusions. Instead Mike approaches the question of design as an investigation, looking for clues and developing ways to evaluate those clues in a reasonable and thought provoking manner. His Explanatory Continuum offers a fresh and, in my view, very realistic way of interpreting biological data. Then, while acknowledging the subjectivity of the Continuum, Mike provides a way to quantify and systematically assess those judgements. His exposition of new information on the structure of genetic code really caught my eye. And of course, Mike offers lots of intriguing ideas on frontloading. For the biologically astute there is plenty of detail that will be of interest, but even for a non-biologist like me it was easy to read and follow.

In ENV, Logan Gage, explains what I have been saying for years, and what seems so obvious to most in the Intelligent Design movement. There is no such animal as guided, or manipulated randomness. A person who believes that an intelligent being (okay, God) has been tinkering with an evolutionary process behind the scenes, cannot believe in Darwinism...period. Darwinism, by definition requires unguided, random (not guided, directed) processes and natural (not supernatural) selection.

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Angus Menuge will be doing three ID-related presentations in the near future. Here are some details for those of you in those areas...

1) February 21st, "Is Design an Illusion?" 7:00 p.m., Moore 100, UCLA.
For more details, contact Mark Jasa: markjasa@gmail.com

2) March 29th, "Does Neuroscience make room for God?" (a debate with PZ Myers), 8:00 p.m., University of Minnesota at Morris.*
For more details, contact Pastor Jarvis: rjarvis@hometownsolutions.net

3) April 1st, (with Paul Nelson) "Intelligent Design vs. Darwinism: Can Science Discover God?" 7:00 p.m., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Union, The Wisconsin Room.
For more details, contact Vicar Askins: lmc_vicar@yahoo.com

In the Florida Baptist Witness, a statement given at a public hearing on the proposed science standards for Florida held in Jacksonville last month is reproduced.

Robin Brown, a recently retired teacher from Polk County, taught for 31 years with the last 15 years being middle school science

Many quotes cited, questioning Darwinism, are from evolutionists, such as, Stephen Jay Gould, Karl Popper, Paul Davies, Fred Hoyle, etc. Of course, the Darwinists will accuse "quote-mining", as they frequently do.

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Chuck Colson opines that PETA, perhaps like no other organization, follows a Darwinian worldview to its logical conclusions. A cow is no more important than a human, so eating meat would be cannibalism. Of course this drives some Darwinists crazy, particularly the ones who are creating out of whole cloth, proximal meaning and purpose for their lives.

When speaking about Darwinists, we must be careful to define that a Darwinist is one who believes that all life evolved by mindless, purposeless chance and natural selection. This would exclude theistic evolutionists who believe that a God had some say in evolution, either by front-loading the cosmos from the get-go, or playing a more active role through the ages.

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In the Stanford Review...

Summary of the debate

Interview with Jay Richards

Interview with Christopher Hitchens

Interview with Ben Stein

An Interview with Expelled Producer Mark Mathis

Reflection on the debate by the Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford Review

The details are yet to be discovered...

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Should scientists who believe the universe is the product of intelligent design be fired? Should science teachers who tell students about evidence that challenges Darwin's theory of evolution be reprimanded? Should students who want to explore both the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution be discouraged from doing so? If you answered no to these questions, sign a petition.

More from ENV...

The Board of Regents of the State of Iowa has denied the tenure appeal of Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Iowa State University (ISU). Dr. Gonzalez's appeal has been ongoing since the summer of 2007, when he was first denied tenure by ISU.

"We are extremely disappointed that the Board of Regents refused to give Dr. Gonzalez a fair hearing in his appeal," said Gonzalez's attorney Chuck Hurley. "They say in Iowa that academic freedom is supposed to be the 'foundation of the university.' That foundation is cracked."

ISU has consistently maintained that Dr. Gonzalez's tenure denial has nothing to do with intelligent design (ID). But secret e-mails exchanged by ISU faculty who voted against his tenure and statements in Dr. Gonzalez's tenure file showed that intelligent design was the overriding factor in his tenure denial. The Board of Regents refused to admit much of this evidence into the record in Dr. Gonzalez's appeal.

More of ENV...

The Expelled Top 10 Challenge
By Dennis Wagner
ARN Executive Director

Several of you have inquired if Expelled will be showing at your local theater when it is released in April. The answer is only YOU can know for sure. The producers don't have a lot of say about which theaters pick up their movie. Theaters chains and local theater managers schedule their movies based on perceived demand and interest in their community. So if you want to see this powerful documentary in your favorite theater, go to the Expelled website and print off one of these posters and write your name and phone number on it. Go to the theater and ask for the manager. Ask her when this movie will be scheduled in that theater. Tell her you are bringing a boat load of your friends and you are going to be passing posters out at your church, or your office, or your Rotary Club, etc. and you would like to list the theater that will be showing the movie on the poster. Better yet, apply for an Expelled Group Scholarship and buy an entire showing at your theater on opening weekend.

Now here is why you want to do this. You have the opportunity to help launch Expelled into the all time top 10 of theater released documentaries. Take a close look at that list. If we can get Expelled in just 250 theaters with a domestic box office of just $10M, it has a chance to make the top 10 list. 1,200 theaters and a $25M box office will place it in the top 3 above Sicko and An Inconvenient Truth. I've seen Sicko. I've seen An Inconvenient Truth. I've seen Expelled. Expelled is a more balanced and compelling documentary about what is wrong with America then either of these. Unlike these two documentary's Ben Stein does not spend two hours showing you selective data and then try to convince you that you should believe ID instead of Darwin. Instead Stein documents the many lives and careers that have been ruined because people dared to challenge the assumption of Darwinism in a land where we value our freedom to ask questions above all else. I have not talked to a person yet that has watched a prescreening of Expelled and been disappointed.

You may feel that you don't have a lot to say about who our next President may be with your single vote. But you do have a lot to say about what the important social issues of our time are. You start by talking to your local theater and then by helping to get as many bodies in the seats as you can opening weekend. Suddenly your one vote is leveraged into 1,000, just because you asked. So take the Expelled Top 10 Challenge with me. Let's see if we can't launch Expelled high up the Top 10 documentary list by talking to our local theaters and spreading the word to our family, friends and colleagues. If we are successful, we may open the door for other important documentaries in the future. The people in Hollywood make decisions based on box office numbers. Let your voice be counted.

In Florida, Darwinian activists have crowed long and loud about attempts to insert intelligent design into the state science standards and to teach the theory in science classes. Although no one has proposed teaching intelligent design, and no one has suggested inserting anything about intelligent design into the standards, the Darwinists continue to falsely claim this is what is going on. (Not unlike Texas - do we see a new strategy developing?)

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Indeed, why do some Darwinists just make things up. Maybe because they really believe that Darwinism and Neo-Darwinism have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Far from it.

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In the Southern Baptist Texan, Jerry Pierce writes on two professors featured in the upcoming big-screen documentary.

William A. Dembski and Robert Marks appear in the film as ID proponents.

The film aims to expose the scientific establishment's scorn toward academics who question Darwinian evolution.

"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" is scheduled for theaters in April and stars comedic actor and conservative activist Ben Stein as he travels the world interviewing intelligent design (ID) proponents whose careers have been threatened, as well as prominent neo-Darwinists who hold ID in contempt, including Richard Dawkins, author of the best-selling book "The God Delusion."

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The blogs are starting to heat up over the film. Many of the comments are just ad hominem attacks on Ben Stein, or those rascally professors who think there actually may be more to Reality than material processes. Others don't care for the tie-in with Hilter or the Berlin Wall. Stay tuned...

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In The Humanist, Paul Sims blogs on Hitchens performance with Jay Richards.

"It was hardly a fair contest pitching the Hitch against Richards, whose links with the ridiculous Discovery Institute preclude him from being taken seriously by pretty much anyone, and if reports are anything to go by it seems the atheist champion didn't take long to floor the arguments in favour of ID."

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After Hitchens pointed out the obvious, that Richards is an orthodox Christian, he declared the debate essentially over. Of course, Hitchens is confusing science with his scientism, and shows his blatant anti-theism. Just because someone believes that rare miracles occur, doesn't mean that that person cannot practice good, objective science. Can you say non-sequitir? Seems Sims is caught in his scientism and materialism webs as well.

ENV repoprts that technology often aims to imitate biology. But sometimes engineers find that biology itself is a superior replacement for our best technology. This may increasingly be the case for nano-technology, as MSNBC reports that the "[f]lagellum could potentially provide locomotion to send future nanobots or other tiny medical devices zooming around the human body." According to the article, engineers have found that a useful mechanism for transporting ATP, an energy-molecule of biology, is found within the energy-transport system that runs along the cilia of sperm (cilia are also sometimes called flagella, as is the case in this MSNBC article). The article reports that there are plans to integrate other components from biology into nano - biomedical devices.

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Shelby Martin, of the Stanford Daily reports on the debate, moderated by Ben Stein.

"There are no atheists in foxholes, but there are plenty in universities," said host Ben Stein,

"I can't imagine it'll take me 14 minutes to demolish intelligent design, as I refuse to call it," quipped Hitchens.

He cited the existence of evil as evidence against a benevolent designer.

"Whose design?" asked Hitchens, to applause from many audience members, including a dozen wearing "Atheists of Silicon Valley" T-shirts. "What kind of design? What kind of caprice, what kind of incompetence, what kind of cruelty?"

Richards congratulated Hitchens on his rhetoric, but dismissed the atheist's perspective.

"A sneer is not an argument," said Richards.

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CREV reports that a veteran origin-of-life researcher died last October: Leslie E. Orgel of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Orgel had co-authored Origins of Life on the Earth (1973) with Stanley Miller, the man whose spark-discharge experiment launched the modern origin-of-life craze in the 1950s. Orgel worked in the field for decades and was familiar with all the different approaches.

Apparently Orgel was working on an essay when he died. Gerald Joyce (Scripps Institute), who wrote a eulogy to Orgel in Nature last November submitted Orgel's manuscript to PLoS Biology. It was published posthumously this week on January 22. Origin-of-life [OOL] researchers will not find much encouragement in Orgel's last scientific will and testament.

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Salvo, an edgy, educated-youth/student-oriented magazine deals with social issues from a conservative perspective. It's published by the publishers of Touchstone Magazine. Their 4th issue is all about intelligent design. For details see...

http://www.salvomag.com/new/mag/salvo4.php

Casey Luskin will be on the Frank Pastore Show on KKLA, Los Angeles, Friday, January 25th at 5 p.m. PST. Be there...

Link to KKLA...

On ID the Future Web site, the latest podcast is an interview by Anika Smith. She interviews CSC program officer Casey Luskin on the history of the National Academy of Sciences report, titled "Science, Evolution, and Creationism." Luskin takes us back to the first two editions of this booklet, tracing the evolution of this document by the NAS's design.

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Tony Campolo, opines in the Philadelphia Inquirer, about the ramifications of Darwinism.

Arguing for what they believe is a nonprejudicial science, Darwinists contend that children in public schools should be taught Darwin's explanation of how the human race evolved, which they claim is value-free and depends solely on scientific evidence.

They, along with the rest of us, should really fear the ethical implications of Darwin's original writings.

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Seattle Times editorial writer Bruce Ramsey has a short review of John West's Darwin Day in America.

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ScienceDaily reports that a newly discovered parasite so dramatically transforms its host, an ant, that the ant comes to resemble a juicy red berry, ripe for picking, according to a report accepted for publication in The American Naturalist. This is the first example of fruit mimicry caused by a parasite, the co-authors say.

Presumably, the dramatic change in appearance and behavior tricks birds into eating infected ants - parasites and all - so that the bird can spread the parasite in its feces. The fruit-eating birds' droppings, which are mostly seeds and insect parts, are gathered by other ants who then feed and unwittingly infect their young.

I will be interesting to see how the evolutionists try to explain this one. Oh wait, they will make up a just-so story.

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Dinesh D'Souza writes in TownHall.com...If you haven't yet seen my Cal Tech debate with atheist Michael Shermer - a debate held December 9 before an audience of more than a thousand - you can watch it at

michaelshermer.com

One point I did make was that the new atheists - people like Richard Dawkins - who use science to promote atheism are in fact an embarrassment to science. They are abusing science for ideological ends.

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Who: Christopher Hitchens (author, God is Not Great) vs. Jay Wesley Richards (author, The Privileged Planet)
Hosted by Ben Stein and Moderated by Michael Cromartie

What: Atheism vs. Theism and the Scientific Evidence of Intelligent Design
When: SUNDAY January 27th - Doors open 2:45 PM -- SHUT @ 3:30 PM -- LIVE Broadcast on CCN Commences 3:55 PM
Where: Dinkelspiel Auditorium
How: Get FREE tickets w/ SUID at White Plaza 12-1 PM Tuesday-Friday or at the Ticket Office

This debate is sponsored by the IDEA Club, The Stanford Review, and Vox Clara: A Journal of Christian Thought at Stanford.

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Christopher Hitchens is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School. He regularly writes for the Atlantic Monthly and Slate, and is the author of numerous books, including Letters to a Young Contrarian and Why Orwell Matters. He was named one of the "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy and Britain's Prospect. As foreign correspondent and travel writer, he has written from more than sixty countries on all five continents. From 1982-2002, he wrote a column called the "Minority Report" for The Nation. Since 1992, he has been columnist and contributing editor at Vanity Fair and, at different times, Washington editor and columnist for Harper's magazine, American columnist and correspondent for the Spectator, the New Statesman, the Times Literary Supplement, Sunday Today, and the Sunday Correspondent. .

Jay W. Richards is Research Fellow and Director of Acton Media at the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology with honors from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was formerly a Teaching Fellow. He also has a Th.M. from Calvin Theological Seminary, and an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He is the author of many scholarly and popular articles in publications such as the Washington Post, National Review Online, and Washington Times, as well as several books, including The Untamed God and The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery, with astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez. He is executive producer of the documentary, The Call of the Entrepreneur (Acton Media, 2007), and is currently writing The Christian Case for Capitalism (HarperCollins/HarperOne, 2009).

Michael Cromartie (Moderator) is Vice President at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and he directs both the Evangelicals in Civic Life and Religion & the Media programs. On September 20, 2004, Mr. Cromertie was appointed by President George W. Bush to a two-year term on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and elected chairman the following year. He is a senior advisor to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and a senior fellow with The Trinity Forum. He is the host of Radio America's weekly show "Faith and Life"; an adjunct professor at the Reformed Theological Seminary; and an advisory editor of Christianity Today. He is also on the Board of Directors of Mars Hill Audio, and served as an advisor to the PBS documentary series With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Christian Right in America. He is the co-editor, with Richard John Neuhaus, of Piety and Politics.

Ben Stein (Host) is a multi-talented journalist, economist, author, actor and lawyer. Well known for his acting career and signature role in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the highly talented Stein graduated with honors from Columbia University and was elected as valedictorian of his Yale Law School graduating class. He has worked as a poverty lawyer in New Haven and Washington, D.C., a trial lawyer in the field of trade regulation at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., and a university adjunct at American University in Washington, D.C., the University of California at Santa Cruz, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. In 1973 and 1974, he served as a speech writer to Presidents Nixon and Ford. He has been a columnist and editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal and a syndicated columnist for numerous papers and magazines. He has written and published sixteen books, seven novels and nine nonfiction books.

Casey Luskin, of the Discovery Institute, responds to a booklet put out by the National Academy of Science.

With a picture of a cute baby chimp on its cover, the NAS's new Science, Evolution, and Creationism booklet states, "Evolutionary biology has been and continues to be a cornerstone of modern science." This sweeping statement does not speak for all NAS members.

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CNS (Cybercast News Service) interviews Ben Stein on his take of the persecution of ID proponent in academia, and about the upcoming documentary "Expelled".

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Catholic World News reports that a group of Italian academics have protested plans for a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to a leading university in Rome, charging that the Pope should not be honored in an academic setting because he has shown hostility toward scientific advance.

Some 67 professors signed a protest statement calling for cancellation of a visit by the Holy Father to La Sapienza university on January 17. Led by Andrea Frova, a physics professor at La Sapienza, the protesters said it would be "inappropriate" for an institution committed to scientific progress to honor the Pope, arguing that the Church has worked to suppress science.

Another example of anti-theist scientists...

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Tim Harlow, of the Star-Tribune, reports that Minnesota Atheists are taking their message to the air waves with a new radio program that will debut in January on the talk station Air America Minnesota.

Called "Atheists Talk" - the same name as a show the organization airs on cable access television - the live radio broadcast featuring news, interviews, listener call-ins and special guests is believed to be the first show of its kind in Minnesota, said August Berkshire, a spokesman for the Minnesota Atheists.

The show will air Sundays from 9 to 10 a.m. on AM 950 starting Jan. 13 when Oxford professor, evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins will be the featured guest.

Call in, as the program will be live-streamed.

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Rachel Courtland, in NatureNews, reports that by mating blind fish from distant underwater caves, researchers have bred offspring that can see.

The results, published this week in Current Biology 1, show that the two populations took different evolutionary paths to blindness.

This is another example of micro-evolution at work, for these blind cave fish have sighted cousins outside of the caves.

In some recent anti-intelligent design blogs it is remarkable that the authors continue to say that proponents of intelligent design do not believe that species can experience genetic drift and lose or enhance certain characteristics that would be more advantageous in a certain environment. Setting up a straw man and knocking him down does not refute ID.

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At a public hearing in Jacksonville, Florida, religious conservatives, school teachers and others hotly debated evolution and intelligent design.

The state school board is considering revisions in science standards that would substitute the word evolution for so-called "biological changes over time."

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ScienceDaily reports that a coalition of 17 organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Physics, and the National Science Teachers Association, is calling on the scientific community to become more involved in the promotion of science education, including evolution. According to an article appearing in the January 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal, the introduction of "non-science," such as creationism and intelligent design, into science education will undermine the fundamentals of science education.

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Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.

Of course, if you are a scientist who goes against the "consensus", you may be called a moron, crackpot, etc., similar to what evolutionists call IDers.

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This story has really been making the rounds.

Imagine how this symbiosis evolved. Can you?

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