SALON

Friday, Mar 21, 2008 11:24 PM UTC

Expel, expelling, expelled!

Richard Dawkins inadvertently smuggled into a private screening of pro-creationist documentary.

By

Topics: War Room,

A soon-to-be-released Ben Stein movie, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” which attacks evolutionary theory and its defenders in the culture war, has been screening to hand-picked audiences around the country for the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, PZ Myers, an evolutionary biologist and blogger, says he was politely waiting to take a look at the film when he was hand picked by a policeman to leave the theater. The cop told Myers that the producer had ordered him to leave.

Myers, who is well know both for his defense of evolutionary biology and his attacks on creationism, had a special reason to see the film; last year he was interviewed by its producer, Mark Mathis, who’d told him it was going to be called “Crossroads” and that it was going to be about science and religion. Myers agreed to the interview, only to find out that the film is actually a pro-creationist documentary accusing the academic community of unfairly “expelling” scientists who support intelligent design from their academic departments. Intelligent design is the hypothesis that there is evidence in the natural world for the existence of a supernatural designer. A federal court in 2006 deemed it a form of creationism.

Myers, who calls the film’s allegations nonsense, was not alone. Also interviewed for the film was the far more famous, and far more notorious in pro-intelligent design circles, Richard Dawkins. Dawkins, the face of modern atheism, is an Oxford evolutionary biologist and the author of “The God Delusion,” a best-selling book lambasting religion.

Expulsion from a screening of a film purportedly defending the importance of freedom of thought and academic tolerance would seem ironic enough. But apparently the atheist detection system set up at the door was overwhelmed. While Myers ended up out on his ear, the friend he’d gone to the film with was allowed to pass. That friend: Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous atheist, himself.

“I feel mighty,” Myers writes in Pharyngula, his blog. “When the creationists saw me and Dawkins in a lineup, I am the one that had them so frightened that they had to call for the guards.”

Gordy Slack

Gordy Slack is the author of "The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA." He is currently writing a book about epilepsy. More Gordy Slack.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 58 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

War Room is our political news and commentary blog, with coverage and commentary throughout the day.

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations