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Sci fi film takes on ID?

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purple space alien

So says David Klinghoffer (“In Prometheus, Ridley Scott Takes on Intelligent Design — and the Cambrian Explosion?”, Evolution News & Views, May 30, 2012):

Prometheus is kind of a prequel to Scott’s superbly scary sci-fi classic Alien (1979), and it appears to take Richard Dawkins at his word that alien intelligence could be responsible for the evident aspects of purposeful design in life. The story? In the not-so-distant future, a crew of space explorers journey to a bleak, distant moon in search of revelations about the origins of life on earth. The lone review so far, in the Hollywood Reporter, describes a conflict between two characters, scientist-explorers who debate the question of Darwin v. Design.

Elizabeth [Noomi Rapace] and her scientist boyfriend Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) continue to spar about the potential momentousness of their journey — she, who wears a cross, hopes to find confirmation of her religious beliefs that will point to the existence of a traditional creator, while he is convinced that what they discover will merely prove once and for all that Darwin was right.

Actually, a well-known Canadian sci-fi writer, Rob Sawyer, also tackled the topic in Calculating God .

It is a great idea, as long as it is not turned into Darwin’s bully pulpit, which remains as unpopular as it was 30 years ago. But surely it will be hard to beat Space Odyssey 2001 , which single-handedly saved the space program from aghast American taxpayers. 😉

Prometheus:

See also: The original selfish gene met the original iron man?

Comments
This movie looks awesome!Barb
June 3, 2012
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@Jerad http://www.reasons.org/files/compendium/compendium_part3.pdf I'm affirming that the presence of intelligent life on some other planet would be a mathematical miracle, which literally invites God back to the table as a reasonable hypothesis.Bantay
June 3, 2012
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That a movie brings us these issues is evidence of the power of iD (and yEC a little) threats to the established belief. they must now bring the movies into the conversation. everywhere one looks the modern creationist(s) attack against evolution or general denying the fingerprints of a God in nature is found and found to be seen a a threat to the old order. I remember the "incredible Journey" touched on the contention from the '60's. yet otherwise hollywood presents a world without the contention or Christianity, unless they are attacking you as bad people and probably anti-semetic and smokers, in general. what creationism needs is a blockbuster of a creationist story . somehow intrique, action, dinosaurs, I don't know I don't write them. The Expelled movie caused a great deal of fuss and attention but now a story is needed.Robert Byers
June 3, 2012
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Bantay,
Rather than demonstrate evidence against God’s existence, the existence of exo-planetary life (if ever discovered) would merely affirm the existence of a miracle performing God with at a minimum, the above named characteristics. In any case, the universe is not big enough and there aren’t enough physical resources in the entire universe for a planet other than Earth that fulfills all the required parameters for intelligent life to exist.
Are you saying that the presence of life on another planet would affirm the existence of God AND the absence of life on other planets would affirm the existence of God?Jerad
June 2, 2012
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Bantay,
The probability for occurrence of all 816 necessary parameters for intelligent life is 1:10^-1054. Maximum possible number of life support bodies in observable universe? 10^22
Where do these figures come from??Jerad
June 2, 2012
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Although it looks like an intriguing sci-fi thriller, it is appearing to be a movie in the same genre as Dan Brown's "Davinci Code". It's premise of naturalistic, intelligent alien life in outer space (that seeds earth with life)which is otherwise known as "panspermia" and is unfounded, and in fact contradicted by mathematical probability calculations. The probability for occurrence of all 816 necessary parameters for intelligent life is 1:10^-1054. Maximum possible number of life support bodies in observable universe? 10^22 Thus, less than 1 chance in 10^1032 exists that even one such life-support body would occur anywhere in the universe without invoking divine miracles. Rather than demonstrate evidence against God's existence, the existence of exo-planetary life (if ever discovered) would merely affirm the existence of a miracle performing God with at a minimum, the above named characteristics. In any case, the universe is not big enough and there aren't enough physical resources in the entire universe for a planet other than Earth that fulfills all the required parameters for intelligent life to exist. http://www.reasons.org/files/compendium/compendium_part3.pdf Consider that the French mathematic­ian, Emile Borel, in his book, "Probabili­ties and Life" ('62; in chapters 2 &3), explains that any occurrence with a chance of happening that is less than 1:10^50, is an occurrence with such a slim probabilit­y that it is statistica­lly considered to be indistinguishable from zero. Most mathematic­ians and scientists have accepted this statistica­l standard for many purposes. Thus, the probabilit­­y estimate above shows that earth is the only inhabitabl­­e planet with life support capability by, at a minimum, a factor 49 powers of magnitude less than what is indistingu­ishable than zero. This means that due to the mathematically impossible probability, without invoking God's existence (which will be denied in the movie), it is an outright deception to perpetuate the modern day myth of intelligent, naturalistic life on other planets, as the movie Prometheus will attempt to do. Contrary to those who may find a unique earth to be philosophically unappealing,, the fact remains that neither the vastness of space, nor the abundant numbers of exo-planets have any causal ability to produce little green men, or even microscopic life. Additionally, there is no evidence that life has to exist wherever it can exist, and no evidence that life begins from naturalistic abiogenesis. Rather, the evidence continues to show that a long list of known parameters for life must be met with exquisite precision that defies probability. In other words, if any life is found on an exo-planet, it would literally be a miracle, which then invites God back to the table of discussion. Which God? It would have to be a God who is independent of our 4 dimensions of length, width, height and linear time. In other words, it would have to be an extra-dimensional. immaterial God. Why? Because any God who can do miracles like create or sustain life on an extra-solar planet, must be extra-dimensional. Miracles imply an independence from the 4 dimensions we are accustomed and limited to. Such a God would not be limited in this way. It would have to be a purposeful God. The universe displays purpose in that iit didn't have to exist, yet it does. In other words, independent of matter, energy,space and time itself, the universe must have been chosen to exist. Choice-making implies purpose, rather than undirected, natural processes. It would have to be an intelligent God. The universe's extreme fine tuning for it to exist and for intelligent life requires a careful, delicate, ordered, planned design. Designing, planning, careful arranging...These are all actions that have their source in a mind. How intelligent of a mind? Estimates of the required fine-tuning for the expansion rate of the universe are about 1:10^120th power. The precision of this extreme fine tuning of the expansion rate of the universe exceeds the precision of mankind's most sophisticated, designed object, MIT/CalTech's particle wave detector....by a factor of 10^97. This means that the God responsible for the creation of the universe and of it's fine tuning for intelligent life, is at least 10^97 times more intelligent than CalTech's most intelligent scientists. And finally, this God must be very loving. If the Creator God was not loving, then the living conditions for life to exist on earth would be less ideal than they are. After all, what evil creator would allow such a well designed environment for intelligent life to both comprehend and enjoy? Yet we know that the universe is not completely inhospitable, since we are alive today to both comprehend and enjoy Earth. It follows then that the creator of the universe must also be a loving God. A comparison of alleged gods from a wide range of ancient religious texts reveal that this extra-dimensional , purposeful, intelligent and loving God is the only God that matches the description of the God of the Bible.Bantay
June 2, 2012
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