La, La, La, I Can't Hear You, La la la

I know this story is a bit old but if you wanted up to the minute news you really are in the wrong place

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066795/Muslim-students-walking-lectures-Darwinism-clashes-Koran.html

First off, let me say that I am not against religion as such but there are some things that don't really go together. Science and fundamentalism of any religion go together chocolate and yak vomit. There's an image for you. In this case it it Muslim fundamentalism.

Many medical students are boycotting lectures because Darwinism contradicts the Koran. Allow me to point out the terrifying words in that sentence: "medical students"! These people want to be doctors! Me personally, I want any doctor that works on me to have a deep understating of biology and the scientific method not believe that a all knowing all powerful invisible sky king farted the world and all the critters, including us, into being after a particularly spicy burrito night at Deities-r-us. Now I know that is not what Muslims believe but it amounts to the same thing: a doctor who is missing a large chunk of scientific knowledge.

The thing that I find really scary is that Darwinism is science and these people are chucking it out the window because it conflicts with a book written a long time ago but uneducated folks who, at the time, had not experienced the awe and wonder that is indoor plumbing. They told a story that loosely described the world around them and gave them power over others. This worked very well for them for a long time. Then along came a person who looked around with a logical eye and said "why".
That question is a danger to any religion not just Islam. I would much rather have a doctor that asked why rather than just believing that my illness is the will of the aforementioned sky king.

What if the doctor decides that antibiotics are the tools of the devil? What if they decide that it is god's will to cure the common cold by hitting the patient in the face with a 20 pound sledge hammer. Admittedly that method would, in fact, cure the common cold in most cases if the doctor got a really good swing. The down side is that it would also cure the patient of that whole "being alive" thing. Besides, most people's insurance wouldn't cover it.

Does all this mean that I think that religious belief is completely incompatible? The answer to that is both yes and no. If the religious belief requires that the adherents believe that things are a certain way and there was no room for discussion then yes it is incompatible. Science asks "why", religion answers "because I said so". That may work well from a parent to a child but when said to a full grown adult who is trying to solve the mysteries of the Universe, not so much.




Rant Over...for now