Why Islam is True-Lesson 20- The Conflict Between Religion And Science

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The Conflict Between Religion And Science What is evolution? Choose only ONE best answer.

• The fact that the biggest animals out-survive all of the animals.
• The sudden change in animals and how they cope with environmental disasters.
• The gradual adaptation of animals that are best suited to their environment.

What is a common ancestor?

• An organism that has spread throughout the world.
• An animal (organism) that is the same ancestor of two separate species.
• An organism that is extremely successful compared to every other animal in its environment.

What does evolution say about human ancestry?

• That humans evolved from a common ancestor.
• That humans have the best ancestry.
• That humans will exterminate their common ancestors.

What is the evidence for evolution?

• No evidence supports the theory of evolution.
• There is scientific evidence for evolution.
• There is conclusive evidence for evolution.

What does Islam say about evolution?

• That God created evolution.
• That the evolution of humans and religion can be combined.
• That the first human being was created directly by God without an ancestor.

How do science and religion conflict about evolution?

• Science thinks it knows more about religion when it comes to humans.
• Religion cannot prove things in the same way as science regarding evolution.
• The conflict is that science says humans evolved from a common ancestor and Islam that says that God created them without evolution occurring.

Three Kinds of Evidence

Aldrich comes for your lunchtime chat. You notice he has chosen the veggie option. He is completely tranquil and gives you a big smile. He tells you "I've changed my name to Abdullah! I feel happy. Having complete conviction has given me purpose in my life. But I need help understanding evolution."

 Aldrich asks you, “Everything you hear about evolution is followed by someone saying it disproves religion entirely. So how does Islam explain evolution?” How will you respond?

• “The Islamic perspective is similar to the Christians. The problem is that scientists do not know that evolution is true either. It’s the old story that anything scientists say has to be true, and anything that religious people say is false. But it’s the other way around. Religions are true, and science is false.”
• “The Islamic perspective proves that the laws of nature, including evolution, are like all other cause-and-effect relationships. They are regular associations. Revelation is the strongest source of knowledge. Revelation tells us that the first human, Adam (peace be on him), was created without any ancestors. This is true. It is not a conflict.”

Aldrich clearly enjoyed that answer, but he does have another question. He asks with interest, “What do materialists believe?” How will you respond?

• “Materialists believe that human beings must have a common ancestor because they believe that the laws of nature are absolutely necessary. It looks like all animals have evolved from a common ancestor, so it cannot be any other way. They do not believe that there is any evidence for God or revelation. They believe that miracles cannot happen. Therefore they believe that there is a conflict.”
• “Simply put, materialists believe that they are right and any type of religion is wrong. This is because they are atheists and will not accept that religion can be true or that there might be a god because they can not see him. This puts them in conflict with all religions, but especially Islam.”

Aldrich nods and seems to get it, but he asks another question. “Okay, I think I’ve got it. But tell me one more time, why isn’t there a conflict in Islam?” How will you respond?

• “There isn’t a conflict in the Islamic perspective because the fact is that the laws of nature are only regular associations, which means that the scientific evidence for human ancestry does not have to be true. However, if there is sufficient evidence to indicate that there has been an exception to this general scientific principle, then the evidence points to the fact that there wasn’t common ancestry.
• There isn’t a conflict because there isn’t an argument. Science believes in one thing, and they can’t prove evolution. Religion believes something else, and we can prove it by rational proofs.