"I am far more pro-science than the Darwinists," comedian/presidential speech writer/thinker Ben Stein wrote in an e-mail to a newspaper.

Recently Stein withdrew as the University of Vermont's commencement speaker because of complaints about his critical views on evolution in favor of intelligent design.

Academe's "ruling clique"

UVM President Daniel Fogel said he chose Stein based on the warm response to a lecture he gave on campus last spring. Fogel said that he was deluged with e-mail messages from people offended by Stein's views of science. He was sorry that he did not anticipate the extent and intensity of the concerns expressed about Stein.

While Stein is best known as an entertainer, he is a graduate of Yale Law School and wrote speeches for presidents Nixon and Ford. He told the Burlington Free Press that he was not "anti-science" as some critics have labeled him. He expressed a desire for all scientific inquiry to happen, not just what the ruling clique calls science.

Mr. Stein has drawn fire previously for criticizing evolutionary theory and speaking in favor of intelligent design. That view contends that life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone, implying that a higher power must have had a hand in creation.

No intelligence allowed

In a 2008 documentary titled Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Stein asserted that scientists are afraid to challenge the theory of evolution because they fear they'll be ostracized or fired. In the film, he visits professors who were "expelled" from universities and think tanks for merely mentioning the words "intelligent design" in their work.

The film is a documentary about intelligent design and the shortcomings of Darwinism. It explores the limitations of Charles Darwin's famous book The Origin of Species, and seeks to uncover the mind-set of Darwinism that has sought to replace traditional understanding of God with pure materialism.
In simple terms, Darwinism focuses on material (physical) changes thought to take place in cells during evolution, but it never addresses the origin of life itself. In a world where materialism prevails, there is a wide gap between Darwinism and intelligent design.

Biblical intelligence allowed

How do Christians view these evolutionary claims? The most obvious statement the Bible makes is, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

Numerous other places in the Bible confirm God as creator. "You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them" (Nehemiah 9:6).

The apostle Paul of New Testament fame conveys the same thing with an added bit of advice to people who were trying to worship him for performing a miracle: "You should turn from these vain [worthless] things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them" (Acts 14:15).

We cannot believe both the Bible and evolution. Insightfully, God says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 53:1).

You can learn more by checking out "Collateral Damage: The Darwin Bomb."

Isn't it a good thing that vertical thinkers don't let themselves be fooled by those who will not listen to anything that goes against their preconceived beliefs? VT