Intelligent Design vs John Lennon: I'm Angry and Confused

David Heath
Tuesday, 03 June 2008 17:30

Your IT - Home IT

In the last 24 hours, a US District Court Judge has ruled the use of a fragment of John Lennon’s “Imagine” in a movie in support of Intelligent Design is legitimate use under copyright law.

A little over an hour into the movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (it’s not yet available in Australia, so I’m relying on published accounts), the viewers are treated to old footage of a military parade and scenes of Joseph Stalin, next, a guest comments that there is a link between transcendental values and what it is that human beings permit themselves to do to each other.  All of this to the strains of “Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too."  The very clear inference (not specifically stated in the movie) is that religion is the only thing standing between us and the next Stalin.

That may-well be true, but it has very little to do with Intelligent Design (BTW, who is this Intelligent Designer anyway?  I’d like to lodge a complaint: no intelligent designer in their right mind would have given me an appendix.  I want it removed, now!  And ask my wife just how intelligent the designer of child-birth was – MUST have been a man!).

Here’s a summarised version of the ruling (unsurprisingly, the only link I could find is on a site in support of ID!).  In short, the judge ruled that use of the clip was “fair use” under copyright legislation.  Observing that the film was on a topic of public interest, the judge ruled that the use if the extract was for “criticism and commentary.”

For a song, so heavily in abhorrence of formalised religion, to be used in such a movie absolutely disgusts me.  Intelligent design is completely anathema to any intelligent person.  We should all stand up strongly and reject it totally.