Movie Review: Dismantled

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen

During October 9-11, a free online viewing of Dismantled: A Scientific Deconstruction of the Theory of Evolution was announced. It was publicized here as a component in an article to discuss false accusations by atheists of Christian profiteering. We will focus on the movie itself now.

Image taken from a screenshot of the trailer by Back2Genesis

Dismantled raises the question early on, a question that people have wondered for millennia: Where did everything come from? There have been many speculations throughout time, but the main considerations can be narrowed down. One is that life, the universe, and everything are the result of blind natural processes and chance; we are lucky accidents. The other idea is that the book of Genesis is real history. Rational people want evidence to support ideas.

The movie makes the case for the differences between operational and historical science. Some people get on the prod about this (including a scientist who is a Christian I could mention) but the distinction is quite valid. Operational science is repeatable, testable, and so forth. Nobody can repeat or test the origin of the universe or the evolution of all things from a single-celled organism, for instance. Yes, scientists use methods in the present to attempt to see if past events can be explained (forensic scientists do this in crime labs). Cosmic, biological, and other types of particles-to-paleontologist evolution are history, old son.

Note than nobody, scientist or layperson, is a blank slate. We all have presuppositions from which we interpret evidence and draw conclusions. Both biblical creationists and secular scientists work from them and see if their conclusions are warranted. (Unfortunately, we have seen many times that the narrative of naturalism trumps evidence for secularists.) After all, no scientist goes around gathering evidence and building from that alone.

I took several pages of notes, but those need to be trimmed down. Otherwise, this review will become cumbersome and I don't think I'll be doing justice to Dismantled. Mind if I give you highlights drawn from the seven scientists involved?

I'll slip in a few of my own thoughts as well.

This movie used information from several areas of science. These included biology, genetics, and paleoanthropology. One major fallacy that internet evolutionists and textbook writers persist in using is unfounded extrapolation. Essentially, a little evolution leads to a lot of evolution. They conflate microevolution with macroevolution. There are biological limits. Many biblical creationists avoid these terms, preferring instead to distinguish between variations and full-on universal common descent evolution.

The nature of mutations is discussed and how the overwhelming majority of them are harmful — or at least neutral. ("Beneficial mutations" are often based on opinion, and some alleged benefits are harmful to other areas in the genome of an organism.) Indeed, the assumed common ancestor of all living things needed to have beneficial mutations on an incredible scale over an impossible amount of time. The evolutionary tree of life is increasingly shown to be untenable. 

In paleoanthropology, alleged transitional forms between humans and apes are called hominins. Most are evolutionary dead ends, and much is made of little because things like Lucy, H. habilis, and others were assembled from bits and pieces scattered over wide area, and other specimens submitted for approval are unconvincing — and based on the faulty presuppositions that the other versions actually existed.

Neanderthal man was discussed and the concept itself evolved over the years. Originally, he was a transitional form that was brutish, but now he is acknowledged to have been fully human.

Appeals to geology and radiometric dating are of no help to evolution and deep time.

The fake science about human-chimp DNA similarities are one of the first subjects examined in the genetics section of Dismantled. The original genome sequencing was risibly bad science at the beginning. Today, evidence shows that the similarities are actually closer to eighty-five percent between humans and chimpanzees. That is far too low for evolutionary purposes. 

We also learn that Mitochondrial Eve (not exactly the real Eve of the Bible) studies show one ancestor for humanity on the female side. Y-Chromosome Adam is not helping matters for evolutionists. Interestingly, the secular Adam and Eve are within the same time span.

Genetic clocks are winding down, and genetic entropy rates show that if Earth was as old as claimed, and that if  evolution happened the way naturalists maintain, humans should have gone extinct long ago. The biblical model postulates that Adam, Eve, other created kinds were genetically rich and capable of producing variations and adaptations. The biblical model is supported by honest scientific research. That is, when assumptions and doubletalk are stripped away and the evidence is honestly examined.

Racism is common when different ethnic groups encounter one another. Darwin (whose only earned degree was in theology) ignored the biblical statement in Acts 17:26 that indicates only one race. Naturally, his own white European group was the most highly evolved. While the word race is used as a convenience, the scientific fact fits the Bible: humans are ninety-nine percent genetically identical, and there are no races.

I reckon these points have given you some things to consider, and I hope they prompt you to get the disc. No, I am not being paid or rewarded for writing this; Back2Genesis does not even know I exist (until I send them a link to this review). By the way, for those who want references for points made in the movie as well as additional resources, those are found at the same place that you can order the movie, Dismantled Evolution.

They may have a follow-up movie, and I'm looking forward to that.