Richard Dawkins Retweets Post Including Link to Promo for Anti-Evolution Film
Notable atheist intellectual Richard Dawkins recently retweeted a post for his 756,000+ followers featuring a recently released anti-evolution film.
Last week, Dawkins retweeted a post that included a video by Ray Comfort titled "Richard Dawkins' Dirty Little Secret" and a link to a Facebook group for the film "Evolution vs. God."
"'Dawkins will have a cow.' http://bit.ly/12CSGb4 Fascinated to know what that means. Has the Banana Man finally over-reached himself?" tweeted Dawkins after posting the link.
The pejorative name Dawkins gave Comfort derives from a video Comfort made years ago wherein he claimed that by their design bananas are the "atheists' worst nightmare."
It is not the first time Comfort and Dawkins have been at odds with each other. In the past, Comfort has challenged Dawkins to a debate, with Dawkins agreeing under the condition that Comfort donate money to the skeptic's foundation.
"@RichardDawkins The meaning of 'have a cow'? --from childbirth. You are going to need anesthesia for pain Aug. 7th http://evolutionVsGod.com," tweeted Comfort in response.
Evolution vs. God
The film at the center of the Twitter comments, "Evolution vs. God," will be released on DVD and YouTube in August.
Made by Living Waters, the same ministry that produced the pro-life hit "180," "Evolution vs. God" is a collection of interviews with major evolutionary scientists who are pressured to give evidence for Darwinian evolution.
It is through these interviews with proponents of evolution, including atheist biologist and blogger PZ Myers, that Comfort argued that the Theory of Evolution lacks good evidence.
"The movie is going to shatter the faith of the average believer in evolution, and strengthen the faith of every Christian," said Comfort in a statement. "Every person interviewed believes in evolution … and they are the ones who show that evolution is a fairytale for grownups."
A trailer for the film was posted June 21 on YouTube and has garnered over 166,000 views, along with over 1,400+ likes and 900+ dislikes.
The Response
Presently available for download from Living Waters' website, "Evolution vs. God" has garnered attention from supporters and critics alike.
According to the online publication TheBlaze, popular interest for the film was such that not long after offering it for download, Living Waters' website crashed.
"I believe it's going to take down evolution. It exposes it [as] bogus science … That sounds like a bold claim, but it's true. The movie delivers, and it's not just our claim," said Comfort to TheBlaze.
Dr. Michael Zimmerman, founder of the pro-evolution Clergy Letter Project, wrote in a Huffington Post essay about his issues with Comfort's film.
"Ray seems to have a very warped sense of how science operates, acting as if there are doctrinal texts that control both scientific information and interpretation," wrote Zimmerman. "No scientific text, in the mind of any scientist, can have the last word on any scientific topic. Even more to the point, scientific knowledge is cumulative and our understanding of every topic, including evolution, increases with each new published work."
Zimmerman also took issue with the inherent dichotomy of the title and theme of "Evolution vs. God," pointing to the many Christian denominations that have said there is no conflict between the two.