Old-Earth Creationism Growing in Islamic Countries

Muslims object in particular to the idea of human evolution.

SUMMARY: Creationism is growing among Muslims, but it appears to be primarily of the old-Earth variety and is still the minority view in Muslim countries, academics at a meeting in Massachusetts were told. While the Koran, the holy book of Islam, says the universe was created in six days, it leaves the door open for an older Earth by adding that a day is "a thousand years of your reckoning."

Salman Hameed, who convened the two-day conference at Hampshire College where he is a professor, said that views of scientific evolution are clearly influenced by underlying religious beliefs and that there is no young-Earth creationism. More and more Muslims, while accepting the views of astronomers and geologists, are quarreling with modern biology. The degree of acceptance of evolution varies among Islamic countries.

High school textbooks in Pakistan cover the theory of evolution although also containing quotations from the Koran, a practice that suggests religion and evolution can coexist. A survey of high school students there found 28% were basically creationists with 60% holding to evolution. Some 86% thought that fossils showed life has existed for billions of years and changed over time.

The situation in Turkey has been changing. A conference participant said he never encountered creationism while growing up in the 1970s. Now creationist books appear in bookstores in the science sections and the teaching of evolution has largely disappeared below the university level. In Indonesia fewer students support evolution than in Turkey, but 85% still believe fossils indicate life has existed for billions of years and changed over time.

What many Muslims can’t tolerate is the idea of human evolution. The Koran states that Allah created Adam, the first man, separately out of clay. Pervez A. Hoodbhoy, a prominent atomic physicist, says that when he lectures about the evolution of life beginning with the Big Bang, everything goes pretty well until he gets to the time when “the apes stand up.” Then he hears objections. Biology education in Muslim countries may include evolutionist views, except for the origins of humans.

Islamic creationists have readily borrowed arguments from Western creationists, minus the young-Earth aspects, and Muslims living in the West appear to have more strongly adopted creationism. Muslims of high school age living near Toronto were far more doubting of evolution than students living in Indonesia or Pakistan. Many Canadian Muslims even are young-Earth creationists, with only half the students surveyed at Islamic schools in the Toronto area agreeing that fossils showed life has existed for billions of years or changed over time.

(Picture of Muslim mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia from Wikimedia Commons)

To read the entire lengthy article, click on this link to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

COMMENT: Some people may be surprised at the similarities of the creation account in the Bible and in the Koran. We need to remember that the Islamic religion did not originate until the 7th century B.C. when it is said that the prophet Muhammad received special revelations and recorded them in the Koran. It seems pretty obvious that he had access to the Bible. In fact, Muslims, like Christians and Jews, trace their history to Abraham. Muslims also honor Jesus Christ, but as a prophet and not as the Savior God.

Perhaps the growing acceptance of creationism, even young-Earth creationism, among Muslims in the West might provide an opportunity to reach them with the Gospel. Because of the similarity of the creation accounts, these followers of Allah might be open to learning about the fall of Adam and Eve and the promise of a Savior. If St. Paul could be converted by the Holy Spirit from a murderer of Christians to a brave preacher of Jesus as Savior, then any other person by the grace of God could also. May we all pray for Muslims and for those Christians who are working to bring the wonderful message of salvation to them.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

Is the demand for software engineers increasing or leveling off?

Increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a need for more than 324,000 new software engineers by 2016. But the Computing Research Association found only 10,000 undergraduate computer-science degrees were awarded by major universities in 2008.

Source: Parade (10/18/09)

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Built-in Compasses of Migrating Birds Have Been Located

Scientists find certain cells in the eyes of the birds can sense magnetic fields.

SUMMARY: Scientists have known that migrating birds have built-in biological compasses that guide them on their flights--a magnetic sixth sense--but until now there have been two separate theories of where these compasses are located. A study appearing October 29 in Nature appears to have answered that question.

Some researchers had thought iron-based receptors in the upper beaks of some migratory birds sense the magnetic field and send the information along a nerve to the brain. Other scientists suggested light-sensing cells in the birds' eyes sense the magnetic field and send the information along a different path to a part of the brain called cluster N.

Study coauthor Henrik Mouritsen of the University of Oldenburg in Germany and colleagues caught 36 migratory European robins (picture from Wikimedia Commons) for testing. By means of surgeries, they deactivated one or the other of the two systems in each bird. What they found was that the birds in which the beak-to-brain nerves were severed still could orientate themselves perfectly while the birds whose cluster N regions were damaged by the scientists could no longer sense and orient to magnetic fields.

Understanding more about how birds navigate and sense the environment might help conservationists to be able to trick birds into staying in safe areas. About the birds' ability to navigate, Mouritsen says, “This is basically the sixth sense of biology, but no one knows how it works. The magnetic sense is by far the least understood sense in the natural world.”

To read the entire article, click on this link to US NEWS.

COMMENT: This story, in my opinion, has at least two questions for people who believe that amazing abilities in animals such as bird navigation can be achieved through natural means.

First, isn't it a bit strange that very intelligent modern scientists can't figure out the magnetic sense of birds, as Mouritsen admitted, but yet supposedly these dumb animals were able to figure it out on their own?

Secondly, if these birds were able to evolve this very useful ability via natural selection, why didn't other creatures exposed to the same environment choose to adopt this talent? Why haven't humans evolved this feature, as it would be very helpful to us and we could dispose of all our manmade compasses?

The most reasonable position to take is that all creatures were designed by a Creator God who gave them the gifts that they need to get along in this world. People don't need built-in compasses because we have the mental ability to navigate by other means.

What we do need is a compass or roadmap that will show us the way to our final destination. This roadmap exists. It is known as the Holy Bible which clearly explains that Jesus Christ is the "way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through" Him. John 14:6 (NIV)

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

What bird launches from a tree branch backwards?

The male Resplendent Quetzal (picture from Wikimedia Commons) of Central America has such a long tail it could rip the tail to shreds unless it takes off backwards. The Quetzal is an endangered species and is pictured on the Guatemalan flag.

Source: www.usefultriva.com

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Little Evidence of Evolution Seen in Colombian Rainforest

Plant fossils "millions of years old" look just like modern plants.

SUMMARY: A "gold mine" of "58 million-year-old" plant fossils discovered by U. of Florida researchers in a coal mine in Colombia (picture from Wikimedia Commons) shows the climate there has changed but not the vegetation. Evidence indicates the climate at one time was warmer and wetter, but the area's fossilized tropical plants look the same as today's flora, except they weren't as diverse. The Cerrejón formation containing this coal mine had earlier produced the fossil remains of a huge snake Florida researchers called Titanoboa, which is clearly related to today's boas and anacondas.

These discoveries pose the question of why after "58 million years" for evolution to take place, virtually no change has happened in this rainforest. Sometimes evolution theorists will say that a failure of creatures to evolve in a certain area is due to the lack of a change in the environment. However, the environment in this rainforest has clearly changed, so why not the plants? The scientists admitted that the “legumes, palms, avocado and banana — have maintained their ecological dominance despite major changes in South America’s climate and geological structure.”

To read the entire article, click on this link to ICR.

COMMENT: First, we have numerous examples of creatures that haven't changed in appearance in supposedly millions of years. Secondly, we have no indisputable examples of transitional forms either in the modern world or in the fossil record. Shouldn't the reasonable person conclude that the idea of one kind of creature changing into another lacks any support in nature?

The only dramatic changes in organisms that can be documented are not physical, but spiritual. For instance, many scientists have given up on the gods of evolution and concluded that there must be a living personal God who has planned and designed the world and the creatures we see in it today. Some of them have told their stories in the book, Persuaded by the Evidence.

True Christians rejoice every time a person, highly educated or not, comes to faith in the Creator God and his plan of salvation offered to everyone through Jesus Christ.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

How many chicken eggs would it take to equal one ostrich egg in weight?

One ostrich egg weighs about 3 to 4 pounds -- the equivalent of around 24 chicken eggs! An ostrich can lay as many as 70 of these massive eggs in one year.

Source: www.usefultrivia.com

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