Friday, April 06, 2007
Islamic Creationism: Potter's Clay
Islamic creationists tend to be a bit vague on the age of the earth says Taner Edis, the Turkish born author of An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam. Unlike most Christian creationists, most Muslim creationists embrace the concept of an old earth.
For Christian creationists, biblical literalism is the driving force behind their beliefs. The account of the creation in the Book of Genesis details specific acts of creation that occur across six days. Using the Bible, young earth creationists calculate the age of the earth, they believe it's about 6,000 years old, from those six literal days of creation.
But the Qur'an doesn't provide that level of detail, says Edis. One of the passages in the Qur'an that supports a creationist view, says Edis, is 15:26:
Josh Rosenau, who publishes the Thoughts from Kansas blog also attended Edis' lecture. You can read his account of the evening here.
For Christian creationists, biblical literalism is the driving force behind their beliefs. The account of the creation in the Book of Genesis details specific acts of creation that occur across six days. Using the Bible, young earth creationists calculate the age of the earth, they believe it's about 6,000 years old, from those six literal days of creation.
But the Qur'an doesn't provide that level of detail, says Edis. One of the passages in the Qur'an that supports a creationist view, says Edis, is 15:26:
We created the human being from aged mud, like the potter's clay.Another passage from the Qur'an that many Islamic creationists cite as evidence for their beliefs is 24.45:
And GOD created every living creature from water. Some of them walk on their bellies, some walk on two legs, and some walk on four. GOD creates whatever He wills. GOD is Omnipotent.While creationism is the default position in the Islamic world, says Edis, there is support for a compromise position which accepts a limited role for evolution. This view accepts common descent for animals, but not for homo sapiens. This view can also incorporate guided evolution.
Josh Rosenau, who publishes the Thoughts from Kansas blog also attended Edis' lecture. You can read his account of the evening here.
