PBS Offers Intelligent Design Documentary

CREATION - Evolution Headlines ^ | 04/28/2003 | Illustra Media/CREATION - Evolution Headlines

[Remedy]

According to Illustra Media, the Public Broadcasting System uploaded the film Unlocking the Mystery of Life to its satellite this past Sunday. For the next three years, it will be available for member stations to download and broadcast. In addition, PBS is offering the film on their Shop PBS website under Science/Biology videos (page 4).

The film, released a little over a year ago, has been called a definitive presentation of the Intelligent Design movement. With interviews and evidences from eight PhD scientists, it presents strictly scientific (not religious) arguments that challenge Darwinian evolution, and show instead that intelligent design is a superior explanation for the complexity of life, particularly of DNA and molecular machines. The film has been well received not only across America but in Russia and other countries. Many public school teachers are using the material in science classrooms without fear of controversies over creationism or religion in the science classroom, because the material is scientific, not religious, in all its arguments and evidences, and presents reputable scientists who are well qualified in their fields: Dean Kenyon, Michael Behe, Jonathan Wells, Steven Meyer, William Dembski, Scott Minnich, Jed Macosko, and Paul Nelson, with a couple of brief appearances by Phillip E. Johnson, the "founder" of the Intelligent Design movement.

Check with your local PBS Station to find out when they plan to air it. If it is not on their schedule, call or write and encourage them to show the film. Why should television partly supported by public tax funds present only a one-sided view on this subject, so foundational to all people believe and think? We applaud PBS's move, but it is only partial penance for the Evolution series and decades of biased reporting on evolution.

This is a wonderful film, beautifully edited and shot on many locations, including the Galápagos Islands, and scored to original music by Mark Lewis. People are not only buying it for themselves, but buying extra copies to show to friends and co-workers. Unlocking the Mystery of Life available here on our Products page in VHS and DVD formats. The film is about an hour long and includes vivid computer graphics of DNA in action. The DVD version includes an extra half-hour of bonus features, including answers to 14 frequently-asked questions about intelligent design, answered by the scientists who appear in the film.

This is a must-see video. Get it, and get it around.

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Intelligent Design Gets a Powerful New Media Boost 03/09/2002
Exclusive Over 600 guests gave a standing ovation Saturday March 9 at the premiere of a new film by Illustra Media, Unlocking the Mystery of Life. This 67-minute documentary is in many ways a definitive portrayal of the Intelligent Design movement that is sweeping the country. Intelligent Design is a non-religious, non-sectarian, strictly scientific view of origins with both negative and positive arguments: negative, that Darwinism is insufficient to explain the complexity of life, and positive, that intelligent design, or information, is a fundamental entity that must be taken into consideration in explanations of the origin of complex, specified structures like DNA. The film features interviews with a Who's Who of the Intelligent Design movement: Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, Jonathan Wells, Paul Nelson, Stephen Meyer, Dean Kenyon, William Dembski, and others, who explain the issues and arguments for intelligent design as the key to unlocking the mystery of life. The film also features nearly 20 minutes of award-quality computer animation of molecular machines, manufacturing plants, and storage libraries of elaborate information - DNA and proteins at work in the cell, climaxing with a dazzling view of DNA transcription and translation.
In his keynote address, Dr. Paul Nelson (who appears in the film), gave reasons for optimism. He said that Time Magazine, usually solidly Darwinian, admitted just last week that these Intelligent Design scientists may be onto something. U.S. News and World Report is also coming out with a piece on I.D. And Stephen Meyer, who also appears in the film, could not be at the premiere because he was on his way to Ohio (see next headline), armed with copies of the film to give to the school board members. Nelson said that scientists should not arbitrarily rule design off the table. "Keeping science from discovering something that might be true is like having a pair of spectacles that distorts your vision," he said. "It does profound harm to science." He described how Ronald Numbers, evolutionist, once told him that design might be true, but science is a game, with the rule that scientists cannot even consider the possibility of design; "that's just the way it is," he said. (See this quote by Richard Lewontin for comparison.) Yet design is already commonly considered in archaeology, cryptography, forensics, and SETI, so why not in biology? Apparently this arbitrary rule has become a national controversy. Intelligent Design, says Nelson, is finally removing a "rule of the game" that is hindering science. If the reaction of the crowd at the premiere luncheon was any indication, Unlocking the Mystery of Life has launched a well-aimed smart weapon at the citadels of Darwinism.

We highly recommend this film. Copies are just now becoming available for $20. Visit IllustraMedia.com and order it. View it, and pass it around. Share it with your teachers, your co-workers, your church. You will have no embarrassment showing this high-quality, beautiful, amazing film to anyone, even the most ardent evolutionist.

 

 

[longshadow]

Go back far enough (in some cases not very far) and we've all got some dude like that for an ancestor.

And in a few cases, you can go back not far at all to find an ancestor or relative who EATEN by someone who looked like that.

Ah, it must be tough being a Rockefeller.....

[Theophilus]

If reproduction is the goal of evolution, then bacteria must be the most highly "evolved" form of life because nothing reproduces as successfully and prolifically as bacteria. We humans are in the last quartile when it comes to bio mass not to mention sheer numbers. Evolution has no goal. Evolution cannot select a goal because evolution is not a concept of a thing it's a concept of a process. Without faith, evolution is impossible.

[cookcounty]

Me thinks PBS Chicago is too PC to run this.

[Anneleize]

I'm no scholar, however, just a quick observation.

It is the book of Revelation, no s. The Revelation of Jesus the Christ. It is written to the believers. (Rev. 1 1-3)

Satans two most hated books of Gods word are Genesis and Revelation. They are fast becoming my favorites.

That, Whattajoke, is not even up for debate. Just the facts.

Peace! Peace!

:)

[Aric2000]

You know, when I see goofy comments like this, it just blows me away.

If you believe in evolution, then you don't believe in God.

What kind of crap is that?

You running out of arguments Shawne?

When Creationists fall back on, you don't believe in god because you believe in evolution, you are just about out of brain power and are running scared.

Evolutionists= atheists, is about as right as 2+2=150.

You need to get a grip Shawne.

[Boiler Plate]

The book of Revalation was in the original 27 books cannonnized in 400AD. A short history and explanation can be found here.

http://momo.essortment.com/cannonzationbib_rbnd.htm

[Lurking Libertarian]

Theistic evolution placemarker.

[Aric2000]

It was generally directed at people who think that the Theory of Evolution is scientific and founded on evidence that makes it the most probable theory out there.

You, by saying what you did, attacked ALL evolutionists, as creationists call them, as Atheists.

Yes, it was directed at me, and I found it offensive and a lie, so I remarked on your ridiculous comment.

[PatrickHenry]

Deletion-proof placemarker.

[plusone]

How does a scale modify to become a feather? What natural process can account for that? I don't think that natural selection, the primary tennet of evolution, can explain such development. I'm not a religionist, so a fair question might be then, 'why would God create such things as dinos, what was he thinking?' I think both ID and Evolution fall far short of a complete answer.

[Dimensio]

If reproduction is the goal of evolution

I'm not sure of anyone with credibility who has argued that evolution has any 'goals'. That's like asking about the 'goal' of gravity.

Evolution has no goal. Evolution cannot select a goal because evolution is not a concept of a thing it's a concept of a process. Without faith, evolution is impossible.

The last statement does not seem to logically connect with anything else that you said.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The Book of the Revelations to Saint John is mentioned in the Muratorian Canon which is dated to the second half of the 2nd century. It was also included in the New Testament at the Council of Nicea in 325.

It was the last book included due to the difficulty in interpreting the apocalyptic symbols of the book. But since the revelation was given to Saint John, it was included. In the spirit of cut and paste, I give you the following:

"One notices as well that there is a universality and finality about the symbols and images of the book of Revelation, a meaning to be applied to them which has already been revealed in the scriptures of the Old Testament. Thus, for example, the image of Babylon stands for every society which fights against God, every body of persons united in wickedness and fleshliness. The image of harlotry universally applies as well to all who are corrupted by their passions and lusts, unfaithful to God Who has made them and loves them.

The symbolic numerology also remains constant, with the number 666 (13:18), for example, symbolizing total depravity, unlike 7 which is the symbol of fulness; and the number 144,000 (14:3) being the symbol of total completion and the full number of the saved, the result of the multiplication of 12 times 12 -- the number of the tribes of Israel and the apostles of Christ.

Thus, through the images of the book of Revelation, a depth of penetration into universal spiritual realities is disclosed which is greater than any particular earthly reality. The insight into the meaning of the book depends on the inspiration of God and the purity of heart of those who have eyes to see and ears to hear and minds willing and able to understand."

[capitan_refugio]

If that passes for wisdom in your family, junior, I feel sorry for you. ID doesn't infuriate "evolutionists." It just saddens then. If you wish to revel in your ignorance, be my guest.

[plusone]

The shortcomings with natural selection is that it can't explain how an incomplete adaptation confers any advantage to its holder. Feathers for example. Obviously, they allow a bird to fly. Yet that isn't the only thing needed for flight. A bird has hollow bones to reduce weight. It has a gizzard and beak instead of a heavy tooth lined jaw for chewing food, this is important since it moves the center of weight to the middle of the bird, making it less front heavy and allowing a better balance for flight. A bird has air sacs located near the breast bone which pump extra air into the lungs as a boost during strenuous flight. And of course, feathers. This entire system is needed to make flight possible. How can an entire system evolve intact? A different example, the eye. Think how intricate the eyeball is, if any part is not working properly, it doesn't see correctly. And not just that. The muscles and nerves that connect to it must be working properly as well. And one more important thing; the neural connections within the brain itself that are needed to take the information given by the eye and use it to create the perception of sight. How can the perception of sight evolve? What good is a one percent eye? What advantage would that confer to an animal to allow it a slightly greater chance of survival so that its off spring would be more likely to survive and multiply? The entire sight system must be intact or it doesn't work. How would a 1% eye evolve into a 10% eye over time? These are intricate and complex systems, if any one component doesn't work or is not present, then the whole thing becomes a waste to the animal. Carrying around a non functioning 10% eye would seem to be a slight disadvantage to a creature. Have they found fossils of animals with undeveloped eye sockets? Of course, the religionists think that by discrediting evolution, they have by default proven the de facto existence of ID/creationism/God. No, knocking down one theory doesn't mean that some competing idea must then be more correct. If God created the Earth and put life on it, then why did he create the other planets and leave them uninhabited? What was the point? And if God created the heavens and the Earth in 6 days then rested on the seventh, does that mean that God got tired?

[capitan_refugio]

"50 years ago, Creationists were catastrophists and evolutionists were uniformitarian. Everyone is now catastrophist. Which group had to change?"

This is a bizarre statement. I can't wait to read the replies and the replies-to-the-replies. Which branch of science did you say you work in?

[Aric2000]

Whew, you got me confused with that post, BIG time.

So which is it that you believe, or are you just playing devils advocate?

Because the first part has been explained beyond ad nauseum, and the 2nd part seemed like an attack on someone that believes the first part.

[plusone]

I don't believe either side, I think both are in error. Evolution claims to be scientific, yet cannot account for how NS can create partially developed, non-functioning appendages which confer no advantage to the holder. How can a 1% eye survive as an advantage to be passed on to the offspring? My second point is that the ID group would use such an argument to defend their belief in God, when it does no such thing.