From: mikec@sail.LABS.TEK.COM (Micheal Cranford)
Newsgroups: alt.atheism
Subject: Science in the Koran
Keywords: creationism,myth,pseudoscience
Date: 11 Sep 92 19:58:23 GMT
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.


  Our mainframe has been unable to post news articles for a few months.  This
is a repost of an article that I sent (unsuccessfully) some time ago.  I hope
that you will not find it too dated.

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  "Here are some of the passages from the Qur'an which Leonard Newnham wanted
  to be cited as a proof of existence of scientific facts in the Qur'an:"

  You are apparently suffering from extreme scientific illiteracy.  Nowhere in
your posting have you provided any corresponding scientific evidence or theory
to match your claims.  I shall address your points one at a time.

   "1. On the creation of the universe: [ ... ]
    Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined
    together as one unit of creation befor We clove them asunder?"

  There are (at least) several hundred religious creation myths. [1]  The fact
that the Koran has creation myths (note the plural) is not unique.  What does
"the heavens and the earth were joined together as one unit of creation" mean
in scientific terms?  Heaven (as a physical place) is a religious invention and
the Koran clearly states that there are seven heavens and seven earths. [2] The
heavens, by the way, were made from smoke (no mirrors?). [4] Also note that the
phrase "befor [sic] We clove them asunder" is polytheistic.  The Koran endorses
a major diety (Allah) and minor dieties (all others).  As is usually the case
with revealed religions, theirs is the one true god and the one true religion.

   "2. On the motion of sun and moon: [ ... ]
    And it is He (God) who created the night and the day and the sun and
    the moon all celestial bodies swim along, each in its rounded courses."

  The above is clearly a primitive geocentric view.  Note that "the night and
the day" were separately created things and our solar system is heliocentric
not geocentric.  Also note that the phrase "all celestial bodies swim along"
implies that these bodies are alive and moving through water (both ideas are
very common in near eastern mythology).  It is quite well known that "celestial
bodies" do not follow "rounded courses".  All of the planets and many comets in
this solar system follow elliptical orbits around the sun (not the earth).  The
only "celestial body" orbiting the earth is the moon and not the "all" stated
above.  According to the Koran, stars and guardian angles are located in the
lowest of the seven heavens. [3]  Scientific evidence is lacking.

   "3. Creation of living beings from water: [ ... ]
    And we made (created) from water every living thing.  Will they then not
    believe?"

  "We made" is polytheistic and do you have any scientific evidence that "every
living thing" is made entirely of water.  Water plays an important part in near
eastern creation myths (for obvious reasons).  Also note that the Koran clearly
states that men were created from dust. [5]


  Islamic doctrine asserts that the Koran is "the eternal word of God", written
on a tablet in heaven, and divinely revealed to the prophet Mohammed by the
archangel Gabrial.  This doctrine falls somewhat short of being scientifically
verifiable.  Mohammed (570-632 C.E.) was largely ignored in his native Mecca
so he moved to Medina where he discovered a large number of eager believers.

  If you try to interpret any of the writings of the "prophets" of the various
religions as scientifically valid, you will have a lot of (self) contradictory
junk.  The only consistency to be found is irrationalism (primitiveness is a
close second).  There are intelligent religious people who recognize that
religious mythology isn't (and never can be) a substitute for science.

  Anyone interested in reading about creation mythologies should consult [1],
which covers over 100 different creation myths including several in the Bible
(not just the two some claim), the Koran, Greek, Roman, Indian (both American
and Eastern), African, Japanese, Eskimo, etc.


REFERENCES

  [1] Primal Myths: Creating the World  by Barbara C. Sproul.  Harper and Row
  (USA), also Fitzhenry and Whiteside (Canada), 1979.  ISBN 0-06-067501-2
  Sproul is director of the Program in Religion at Hunter College of the City
  University of New York.


NOTES

  Koran = Qur'an; there are several different spellings.

  [2] Sura LXV, Divorce : 12.  "IT IS GOD who hath created seven heavens and
  as many earths. [ ... ]"

  [3] Sura XLI, The Made Plain.  "[ ... ] And we furnished the lower heaven
  with lights and guardian angles. [ ... ]"

  [4] Sura XLI, The Made Plain.  "[ ... ] Then He applied himself to the
  Heaven, which then was but smoke; [ ... ]"

  [5] Sura XL, The Believer : 69.  "[ ... ] He it is who created you of the
  dust, then of the germs of life, then of thick blood, [ ... ]"



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