"Expelled" producer tells Catholics what they believe

"Expelled" producer Mark Mathis says that Christians who believe in evolution were intentionally excluded from the film because they "would have confused the film unnecessarily." (Don't confuse people with the truth!) He goes on to say that "the form of Catholicism that Ken Miller [biology professor at Brown University and co-author of a popular biology textbook] accepts and practices is, is nowhere near the form of Catholicism that is followed by Catholics who are members of the Catholic church, who believe in Catholic doctrine."

Mathis, who is not a Catholic, is apparently unaware that Miller's view of evolution is consistent with the official position of the Catholic Church as set forth by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. The Catholic Church's position on evolution has been that it's not in conflict with Christianity, since Pope Pius XII.

Mathis should also take a look at the NCSE's Voices for Evolution, where he'll find that a lot of other Christian sects similarly have no problem with evolution.

"Expelled" and its producers seem to want to force a false dilemma of a choice between Christianity or evolution, just as the young-earth creationists do. They don't seem to realize that this kind of forced choice is one which will make any honest, inquiring mind who accepts the false dilemma to choose against Christianity. J.P. Hunt, a student in Ray Baird's 1980 "balanced treatment" class on creationism and evolution at Emma C. Smith Elementary School in Livermore, California, said on the 1982 PBS show "Creation vs. Evolution: Battle in the Classroom":

Someone that I know has become an atheist because of this class, because the creationist theory was so stupid, he thought. Well, if religion requires me to believe this, then I don't want to have any part of it.

I don't find this too objectionable as a consequence, personally. Learning that I was lied to by young-earth creationists was a significant factor in my abandonment of creationism, then Christianity, and then theism. The rampant dishonesty of the "Expelled" crowd will no doubt serve the same effect for others like me, and cause them to look to see if they've been similarly lied to about other things. Odds are, they will find that they have.

(Via Stranger Fruit.)