Expelled from Expelled!

[Mallon]

Had to post this. Thought it was funny.

From:http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2008/03/expelled.html#comments-new

There is a rich, deep kind of irony that must be shared. I'm blogging this from the Apple store in the Mall of America, because I'm too amused to want to wait until I get back to my hotel room.
I went to attend a screening of the creationist propaganda movie, Expelled, a few minutes ago. Well, I tried … but I was Expelled! It was kind of weird — I was standing in line, hadn't even gotten to the point where I had to sign in and show ID, and a policeman pulled me out of line and told me I could not go in. I asked why, of course, and he said that a producer of the film had specifically instructed him that I was not to be allowed to attend. The officer also told me that if I tried to go in, I would be arrested. I assured him that I wasn't going to cause any trouble.
I went back to my family and talked with them for a while, and then the officer came back with a theater manager, and I was told that not only wasn't I allowed in, but I had to leave the premises immediately. Like right that instant.
I complied.
I'm still laughing though. You don't know how hilarious this is. Not only is it the extreme hypocrisy of being expelled from their Expelled movie, but there's another layer of amusement. Deep, belly laugh funny. Yeah, I'd be rolling around on the floor right now, if I weren't so dang dignified.
You see … well, have you ever heard of a sabot? It's a kind of sleeve or lightweight carrier used to surround a piece of munition fired from a gun. It isn't the actually load intended to strike the target, but may even be discarded as it leaves the barrel.
I'm a kind of sabot right now.
They singled me out and evicted me, but they didn't notice my guest. They let him go in escorted by my wife and daughter. I guess they didn't recognize him. My guest was …
Richard Dawkins.
He's in the theater right now, watching their movie.
Tell me, are you laughing as hard as I am?

The hypocrisy, eh?

 

[Hnefi]

This ties in to something I was thinking about the other day. I usually don't post here, because I'm not a theist, but I lurk. When TE's or atheists post in the creationist subforum, they usually get told in no uncertain term that they aren't welcome. When creationists post in the TE subforum, noone seems to mind.

And it's not just this forum. Most religious forums I've visited are heavily censored. Why is that? Why are the deeply religious (but not the moderates) so anxious to keep critics away? Most moderate christians I've met are more than willing to have a civil discussion where criticism is received by both parties, but fundamentalists and creationists rarely are.

I guess I'm mostly wondering whether these people are deeply religious because of their isolationist tendencies or the other way around.

 

[ClearSky]

This ties in to something I was thinking about the other day. I usually don't post here, because I'm not a theist, but I lurk. When TE's or atheists post in the creationist subforum, they usually get told in no uncertain term that they aren't welcome. When creationists post in the TE subforum, noone seems to mind.

And it's not just this forum. Most religious forums I've visited are heavily censored. Why is that?

Let me try to explain. I am also sometimes embarrassed by most Creationist's fear of exposing their belief to critics and discussions. However it is not the same as when Creationists, such as me, post in an Evolutionist forum.

The reason for Creationism is a feeling of the truth of the biblical creation. This is deeply connected to someone's personal religion, and that is not a thing that you easily open for intellectual discussions and debates. You're making yourself vulnerable when you do.

For Evolutionists on the other hand, Evolution theory is hardly related to deep religious feelings and they thus have no problem to discuss it. I suppose that 90% of all Evolutionists want to debate evolution, but only maybe 30% of Creationists want to debate creation.

That's why there is often an asymmetry in the debates and I ask to respect that.

 

[Hnefi]

Okay, the vulnerability is the issue. So you are saying it is fear of having their views challenged? Why? What point is there in having faith if you can't stand having it challenged, particularily when it's considered okay to challenge the positions of others? I mean, most people on both sides are not interested in the debate (the 90% figure is waaaaay off the mark - it might be 0.01%), and those who aren't can and do simply stay out of it.

But we do see creationists - and the makers of Expelled are a prime example - who see fit to attack others peoples stances, yet feel threatened when others challenge them. Isn't that dishonest? Isn't it, as Mallon says, hypocrisy? Shouldn't their own tenets of faith, which according to themselves help them be moral human beings, prevent this kind of behaviour?

 

[ClearSky]

But we do see creationists - and the makers of Expelled are a prime example - who see fit to attack others peoples stances, yet feel threatened when others challenge them. Isn't that dishonest? Isn't it, as Mallon says, hypocrisy? Shouldn't their own tenets of faith, which according to themselves help them be moral human beings, prevent this kind of behaviour?

Creationists who debate evolutionists of course open their view also to debate. It is certainly stupid to expel an Atheist from viewing a Creationist movie. I only spoke of the Creationists majority who want to protect their faith and don't want to enter debates. They also won't attack Evolutionists. If you challenge other peoples' world view, you have to accept that your own world view is challenged too - that's clear.