Hello, Mary - The issue here On 5/31/05 10:07 AM, Mary Rogers's electrons arrived as: > Hello Everyone, > > I have been hearing a lot lately about ID...mostly by way of various groups > (radio stations, etc.) making fun of ID believers. Now we have listers > calling the showing of this movie at the Smithsonian shameful and horrifying. > Although some would call people who believe in ID narrow-minded, I am feeling > compelled to put that same label on those who are bashing those believers and > also those who are so concerned about this situation. > > My comments and questions: > It sounds to me like no one is going to be FORCED to watch this movie at the > museum. Those who want to watch it may do so. > > Individuals may choose to believe in whatever they want, no matter how > ridiculous I think it sounds. > > Aren't museums the perfect place for this type of exchange to take place? If > not here, then where? Do we think that because we don't like what these IDers > are saying that we shouldn't let anyone else hear, either? Isn't it our > mission and job to present ideas? I don't know of any museum whose job is to non-selectively present all ideas. Museums are not newspapers -- are not simply reporting with cheerful balance on the competing ideas of the day. Museums have focus and points of view, and they must be wary about to whom they grant, by association, the credibility of their name. In the context of a disturbing national trend toward distorting the natural sciences so they will appear to support the claims and agendas of supernaturalist organizations, it is incumbent upon institutions such as the Smithsonian to maintain the integrity of their mission -- which at the Museum of Natural History is to conduct science and educate the public about the world according to the discoveries of scientific methodology. > I tend to be somewhat skeptical, but I think that most big-money donors to > museum have some type of agenda for which they intend to use the museum to > further. Isn't this the way the world works? We should expect more, and act when we can. _____________________________________ S t e p h e n N o w l i n http://xrl.us/stephennowlin Vice President,Director, Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery Art Center College of Design 1700 Lida Street Pasadena, CA 91103 626.396.2397 [log in to unmask] http://www.williamsongallery.net http://www.artandscience.us http://www.pasadena-culture.net _____________________________________ ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).