Live Stream Link | 6 PM GMT | 20 Feb 2014

In recent years, the creationism versus evolution controversy has received much attention. Christian fundamentalists have denied the validity of the theory of evolution, attempted to change school syllabi, and even taken the debate to civil courts. Atheists, in their own way, have used the theory to discredit Christianity and other religions. This controversy appears to be a classic case of conflict between science and religion.

The Promised Messiah (‘alayhi al-salam), the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, however, always maintained that there is never a conflict between the Act of God and the Word of God. In other words, nature, and Islam’s Holy Scripture, the Qur’an, do not contradict each other. If they both come from the same God there can’t be any conflict. Any apparent conflict arises because of the misunderstanding of scripture or nature. So what is the source of misunderstanding in this controversy? First, let us see what the two points of view are.

Creationism refers to the view that God created the universe out of nothing and then placed on earth different species of plants, animals and human beings. There is, of course, a wide range of opinions among creationists as to how this happened and the time scales involved. However, the central idea is the same, which is that a super natural being has brought into existence all life on earth through super natural processes.

Evolution, on the other hand, is the theory stating that the diverse life forms we see around us have all emerged as a result of natural processes. It asserts that complex organisms like human beings and other animals have evolved from simpler organisms through small modifications over a long period of time. Evolution, a scientific theory first expressed by Charles Darwin in 1859, is considered to be on par with Newton’s laws of motions, Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

This lecture will provide the Islamic perspective on the theory of evolution as explained by the Holy Qur’an and expounded by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Speaker: Dr. Adeel Bajwa from Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association (AMRA)

Chair: Dr Naveed Malik | Chairman of Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association (AMRA)

Please note registration is essential for this event: Please send an email for your registration by Tuesday (20. Feb 2014). Contact email: londonmet.amsa@khuddam.org.uk

Location: London Metropolitan University, North Campus, Tower Building, Holloway Road, N7 8DB | Google Map Link | Nearest tube station: Holloway Road (Piccadilly Line)

Time: Thursday, February 20, 2014 | 18:00 hours

Twitter: @amsa_uk

Live Stream Link | 6 PM GMT | 20 Feb 2014

For original AMSA post – Click here