R1917
2009-02-22 14:45:13 UTC
Naturally, as an atheist, I asked about science, and where Islam stands on the big bang, evolution, etc. It turns out that, while my friend is a very devout Muslim, he likes science, and believes in it. He told me the Islamic creation story, and I found, not only that it does not contradict modern science, but that it in fact goes with it well. He quoted the Quran for me several times, but this one I found particularly striking:
"All that is in our sky was as smoke, and God said "come ye together, willingly or unwillingly.""
The solar system was once nothing but a cloud of ionized gas. It was, in fact "as smoke". This quote alone, I would have thought little of, but he mentioned at least ten off the top of his head that are just as scientifically sound.
The Christians say that scientific/religious contradictions are a test of their faith, as is their inability to fully understand the nature of god. According to my friend, in Islam, these things are considered detrimental to faith, and therefore, explanations of such things as the nature of god, and his plan, and his goals for us, as well as accurate scientific information, are provided in the Quran. Our daily lives have all the tests god wishes for us to pass in life without having to deal with scientific data that contradicts him, or a total lack of understanding of his true nature as added tests.
After a couple of our discussions, I was very interested to learn more about Islam, but I have barely begun. This all happened in the last week. I trust my friend, but I thought it might be beneficial to hear from more than one Muslim. First, are there any beliefs that Muslims must have that explicitly contradict known principles of science (evolution, the big bang, etc.). My second question is a bit more complicated;
My friend made Islam sound very rational, so much so that I, a completely godless soulless atheist who believes only in science, could understand everything he said. I haven't studied enough to know whether it is that rational or not but if we assume it is; Part of every religion I really know much about is believing in the irrational. It is not normally part of human nature to have faith that way. However, many people have such a strong will to survive that it leads them to believe in irrational things because they can't handle knowing that death truly is the absolute termination of one's existence (which is what I believe). That fear of absolute death, I think, is what keeps atheism from sweeping the planet, and wiping out all belief in all gods. If Islam is something rational that provides eternal life, that meets everyone's needs. If Islam is such a thing, why does it not sweep the planet? If it can combine science and logic with eternal life, no one would ever be anything but a Muslim. As rational as my friend says Islam is, I take the existence of any other ideology, including atheism, as evidence that there is some kind of catch. If it is all that, why would anyone ever NOT be a Muslim? If there is irrationality, what is it? If not, why are there non-Muslims in the world?