Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.

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Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
OP - April 22, 2009, 12:07 AM

Got a question to all the ex muslims. When you guys were practicing muslims, did you accept the theory of evolution, or did you accept Islamic creationism, or a little bit of both? Discuss my fellow ex muslims

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Re: Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
Reply #1 - April 22, 2009, 01:10 AM

As far as most muslim countries are concerned, what is evolution?

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Re: Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
Reply #2 - April 22, 2009, 10:32 PM

I actually accepted evolution and went to great lengths to try and match Islamic creationism and evolution using the whole 'metaphor' thing, then to a view that allah had created evolution as a sort of 'computer programme', so it set things in motion and let evolution do the rest of the work.

Sounds shockingly naive and stupid now that I view it reasonably after apostasy. At the time, however, I couldn't accept that the true religion of god would go against commonly accepted and proven scientific findings.

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Re: Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
Reply #3 - April 22, 2009, 10:59 PM

When I was younger and believed Islam to some extent, I also thought there could be no conflict between Islam and evolutionary biology. Like Pazuzu, I was content to think of Islam's own creation mythology as more of a "metaphor" than a literal truth. It is amazing how the mind of a religious follower tries to bend over and twist in every direction necessary to accommodate the untruths of religion.

I believed in the "quran & islam are the truth and it's just the human mind's fault for not understanding it the way god wants to tell it." Then I grew up.

As a writer, I know that if I write something incoherent and non-sensical, it is not my readers' fault, it is mine for being a bad writer. Why should god be held to a lower standard?

The simplest way to put it is that IF, as religious apologists put it, religion (Islam, Christianity, whatever) is just "misunderstood" or "misinterpreted" by its followers, then how is it divinely inspired? Is god just stupid or so mean, that he can't show himself unambiguously to put this whole mess of his creation to rest? Why the petty mind games with billions of people and all the bloodshed and pain? And this is a god that loves us?

Now, as an atheist, of course all this seems very childish. But it's a similar journey for many people who wake up and start to break through the illusions others remain chained inside. We're all at different stages, and some of us move and change as we grow, and others waste their own lives trying to resist change.

Back to your question, I reconciled my belief in Islam/god with my studies in the sciences (evolution, astronomy, physics) by essentially considering religion to be the "poetry" and science to be the "semantics" of the nature of reality. I still see the value of poetry and art and mythology, creativity itself, but I do not believe or follow any religion, and so I don't need to censor my curiosity about the universe. Religion is not just unnecessary, it's detrimental for culture and creativity to thrive.

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Re: Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
Reply #4 - April 22, 2009, 11:40 PM

It's embarrassing to admit it now but I was a proper creationist who believed in the ex nihilo creation of humanity. :-P But that was only as long as I didn't know much about science or didn't value science all that much. After I got more interested in science I couldn't sustain my beliefs anymore and this was one of the reasons why I left religion when I was 19.
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Re: Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
Reply #5 - April 23, 2009, 04:35 AM

when i was a practicing muslim, i did not acceot the theory of evolution at all but believe in islamic creationism. But, it seems that it is the other way round. lol...
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Re: Ex muslims and the theory of evolution.
Reply #6 - April 23, 2009, 12:44 PM

I was not Muslim. So I will answer as an ex-Catholic:
I simply thought God was an entity that supervised randomness (in a way incomprehensible to us... so, random, as far as we mere mortal could tell)

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