Did The Mercedes-Benz Create Itself Episode 2 #ATHEISTLOGIC from QMP on Vimeo.

Did The Mercedes-Benz Create Itself Episode 2 #ATHEISTLOGIC

3:21

1 Jun 2015

Evolution

none named

This animated video with a voice-over (the narrator is not named) presents a spoken word poem.  This is the second “episode” of an earlier version (on the Portal here), but this version’s emphasis on poetry has tended to override the message somewhat, giving it a rather jumbled logic.  The video repeated suggests there is a single truth, although it’s not especially clear from this video alone what it is.

This video also has a much stronger political statement: “False tried and obviously framed makes one feel ashamed to live in a land where justice can be a game” (1:08-1:14).  Several slogans of the recent past from the US and Australia (“I can’t breathe”, “I’ll ride with you”) also appear.  The video presents material critical of mainstream science, noting (correctly) that medical doctors once endorsed cigarette companies, and suggesting that “you can’t change the truth, even if you pin it on science”.

The only mention of Islam is at the very end, after the bumper for Quest Media Productions ends and the music that has played behind the narration ends, and the same text from the Qurʾān that appeared in the first video is displayed (52:35-36) without cutting off the citation.  There is also an instance in which prayer (here a duʿāʾ) is suggested, showing hands held as Muslims do when making this type of prayer.

Quest Media Productions seems to be the originator of the videos, although Atef Elmohandis has asserted being the writer and producer.  The hashtag “#atheistlogic” is used on several videos that present Intelligent Design from a Muslim perspective.

Evaluation:

The one clear reference to Islam, the use of 52:35-36 from the Qurʾān, seems to have had some dramatic license taken with the translation.  It is not included in the voiced part of the video.

There are a variety of sources one might examine to consider a scientific response to the very common Intelligent Design constructions presented here.  For a discussion of the representations of Intelligent Design generally, see NOVA’s Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trail (2007) or the producer’s statement from NOVA.  For teaching resources on the topic, see the National Center for Science Education’s site.

There is insufficient historical material on which to base an evaluation.