A Moral Duty to Mud?

Last night I had the opportunity to go to an American Studies Institute lecture by actor,author and economist Ben Stein. Harding University's Benson Auditorium was standing room only.

In addition to discussing his Arkansas connection (his wife has family in Arkansas) he discussed his recently released documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed which covered the history of evolution and intelligent design. In the documentary, Stein interviews several academic professors or scientists whose works have led them to a conclusion that evolution has serious scientific flaw. These individuals have basically been blacklisted from teaching because of their beliefs in intelligent design or their questioning of Neo- Darwinian evolution. 

According to Stein, the Neo Darwinists believe that life must have been created by a lightening strike hitting a mud puddle. Or through something on a diamond. Or life was created through intervention from beings out of this world. Stein says that despite numerous attempts over the past decades by Darwinists to recreate life in a lab, no such effort has succeeded. 

No Intelligence  was not received warmly by  those supporting Darwinian beliefs. Stein has been the recipient of numerous personal attacks because of the documentary. However, he continues to stand up for his beliefs. 

He says that he felt at home in Searcy because he was among people with common sense, a drastic departure from his home in Malibu and his native Washington, D.C. 

The other part of the night was spent discussing the economy. Stein related a story from the 1949 movie The Third Man in which a character played by Orsen Wells sells diluted penicillin to sick individuals (which makes them worse) for financial profit. When one of his friends finds out, Well's character takes his friend to the top of a tall tower overlooking the city and says something to the effect of "What difference does it make? Do you see people? All I see is black dots?" 

Therefore, Stein said, what one believes about the beginnings of life has a direct correlation to how one ought to treat one's fellow man. He did not believe that we had a moral duty to mud, because did not believe that life began in a mud puddle. We have a moral duty to one another because life began with the hand of God. 

Ben Stein proved himself to be a good man, as I suspected he would be.