Epigraph:
The Originator of the heavens and the earth! How can He have a son when He has no consort, and when He has created everything and has knowledge of all things? Such is Allah, your Lord. There is no God but He, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is Guardian over everything. Eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware. (Al Quran 6:101-103)
Presented by Zia H Shah MD
Atheists like Richard Dawkins stand for metaphysical scientific materialism. They claim that only physical or material things like matter and energy exist and there is no God. I, as a Muslim theologian certainly cannot accept that.
I am with Stephen Myers when he defends theism. I part ways with him when he stands for Intelligent Design Movement or dogma of Christianity that are not part of Islam. With this single line I think I have made him and his scholarship kosher for the Muslim consumption. This I believe is the way to pluralism and to flourish in the age of information in the 21st century, where the best information about God the Creator still comes from the Christian and the Jewish scientists and the Muslims still a few at the cutting edge, at least those who are visible in the media in these debates.
I am mostly with Stephen Myers in this debate, so I will simply state all the places where I differ with him:
- All the nine million life forms did come from a single celled organism. How, is open for debate.
- God is beyond time, space and matter and scientist eyes’ cannot directly reach him and this is very clearly stated in the Quran: “Eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware.” (Al Quran 6:103)
- He does not expect extraterrestrial life, while I do: The Miracle of the Quran: It Speaks of Innumerable Stars and Innumerable Earths.
- I am with Myers when he is refusing and refuting metaphysical scientific materialism. But, he does not fully believe in methodological scientific materialism either. He is part of the Intelligent Design movement which has drawn a line in the sand against methodological scientific materialism. This is about how we do science or the scientific method. I believe in methodological scientific materialism and I have written against Intelligent Design movement before extensively:
Michael Heller: Templeton Award-winner 2008, Denies Intelligent Design Movement
Epigraph وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ كُن فَيَكُونُ ۚ قَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ ۚ وَلَهُ الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ ۚ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ It is He who created the heavens and the earth […]
Why Intelligent Design Movement is Not only Bad Science, But Also Bad Theology
Epigraph: لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ ۖ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ Eyes cannot reach God but He reaches the human consciousness. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware. (Al Quran 6:103) هُوَ […]
Intelligent Design Movement: Where have they gone wrong?
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Intelligent Design Movement: Where have they gone wrong? Source: The Muslim Sunrise, Fall 2009 volume Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times “Let no man […]
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