Big Questions

Perhaps you heard about "Expelled", a movie that is coming out to theaters in April. I can't say much about it, because I haven't seen it. It sounds like it will be pretty critical of evolution and evolutionists. I saw a preview that claims that some scientists who believe in God have been treated unfairly. If this is the case, let's get it into the open. Science needs debate and criticism to grow.

Unfortunately, the preview I saw gave me the impression that the movie won't be a fair presentation of the facts or an honest exploration of the issues. It included an incomplete and misleading description of how scientists view evolution. It dismissed evolutionary thought as belief that life started from mud being animated by lightning. (This is a pretty inaccurate description, but it still seems more plausible than the Biblical assertion that man is dust animated by God. At least the mud and lightning hypothesis can provide evidence for the existence of lightning and accounts for the fact that the human body has a lot of water in it.)

I just heard about some more troubling news about this movie. P.Z. Myers, a prominent atheist, was expelled from a free screening of "Expelled" at the Mall of America. This is terribly ironic, especially since P.Z. Meyers appeared in that film and the end credits contain a thank you for his assistance.

Please see this news article for further details. You may also enjoy visiting P.Z. Meyers blog.

Part 1 (Tree Rings)

Part 2 (Potassium-Argon Dating)

Cool Optical Illusions - Watch more free videos

Scientists believe the Earth is almost a million times older than the figure given by young earth creationists. This video helps to put this discrepancy in perspective.

How Wrong Are Young Earth Creationists?

Don't let the boring name fool you. This is one of the most exciting and counter intuitive experiments in the the history of scientific exploration. If you are not already familiar with this, be prepared to have your view of the universe changed in a profound way.

Double Slit Experiment

The Bible has a fascinating history and has had a profound impact on our culture. I think it is worth learning about, even if you don't believe it is the inspired word of God. This series of videos discusses the various apocryphal writings that didn't make it into the official Bible. These videos provide an interesting perspective on religion, history and human nature.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

The videos, slideshows and links on this site will not always reflect my opinions. The main purpose of this blog is to ask questions and explore diverse views on a wide range of important subjects.

I don't intend to offend anyone or be disrespectful. However, that may not always be the case for the makers of the videos, etc. that appear here. I'm merely trying to promote thinking on difficult subjects. Please feel free to voice your disagreements, in a respectful manner, in the comments sections.

Also if I comment on legal matters, it should not be taken as legal advice, since I am not a lawyer.

Sometimes I think questions are more important than answers. Questions encourage thinking while answers often stifle it, especially if they are given dogmatically or in a controlling environment. In my view, answers are most valuable when they prompt further questions and exploration.

I grew up in a very strict religious environment. Asking questions was allowed, but questioning the answers could get you into trouble. And it did get me into trouble, if you consider being shunned by that community trouble. (I view it as a type of freedom.) I have learned the value of asking difficult questions. That is the purpose of this blog.

I will question belief and I will question science. I don't think any of us can afford to be complacent with our worldview. I tend to promote a rational way of trying to understand the world, while recognising that we humans aren't really very good at being strictly rational. I'm not sure that we would even want to be. We also have intuitive, emotional and even spiritual qualities. Regardless of whether you think these qualities were given to us or evolved, they are important and deeply influence the way we look at the world. There is danger in either dismissing these or giving them unquestioning allegiance. Much has been said about the dangers of religion, but rationality can be just as dangerous if the person fails to recognise the limitations of reason and the sometimes unnoticed influences of our irrational human nature. A search for insight through questioning may require that we first question ourselves.

I will try to include videos, slideshows, links and comments on subjects that are of interest to thinking people. How will this project turn out? Well, I guess that's another question.

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