Evolution of the species

Scientific evidence and religious evidence are not of the same view regarding the origin of the species, in particular how religion came about. But religionists appear very confident that they know the truth although this truth is based on faith and not evidence. And they will kill and die to defend this truth.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

According to Archbishop James Ussher, the world was created (Day 1) just over 6,000 years ago on 23rd October 4004 BC. 

One of Ussher’s many projects was to write a complete history of the world in Latin, covering every major event from the time of creation to AD 70. He published this 1,600-page volume in 1650. An English translation entitledThe Annals of the World was first published in 1658, two years after his death.

In preparing this work, Ussher first made the assumption that the Bible is the only reliable source of chronological information for the time periods covered therein. In fact, before the Persian Empire (approximately the sixth to third centuries BC) very little is known from any source about Greek, Roman and Egyptian history or the history of other nations; much rests on speculation and myths. Dates in secular history become more certain with the founding of the Medo-Persian Empire.

For events before this time, Ussher relied solely on data from the Bible to erect his historical framework. He chose the death of King Nebuchadnezzar as a reliable date upon which to anchor all the earlier biblical dates. Working meticulously backward from there, he ended up with his date for creation of 23rd October 4004 BC.

According to Genesis, as what some people believe, God started building the universe just over 6,000 years ago. Islam does not have any theory on this while Hinduism places the date much earlier. Scientists, anthropologists and archaeologists say we are talking about 4.5 billion years.

But that is not the issue we want to talk about here, as it is futile to discuss an issue where no resolution can be sought. What I do want to talk about is where the three Abrahamic faiths agree. And what they agree on is that the first human was Adam, and the second was Eve.

Now, what the Abrahamic faiths also agree on is that Adam was not just the first human but the first Prophet of God as well. In other words, Adam was God’s messenger who was given the task of bringing the message of God to humankind, which did not exist yet at that time until he and Eve started having children and their children had sex with one another to bless Adam and Eve with grandchildren.

So that means Adam and his family had a religion back then. And their religion was the true religion of God. From there, the descendants of Adam and Eve migrated all over the world until the great flood when they were then all wiped out because they had sinned They no longer followed the true religion of God.

Hence God decided to wipe out humankind and start all over again with Noah and his immediate family and a pair of each of the animals in existence. Then the great migration started yet again with the descendants of Noah populating the earth.

According to what the Holy Books tell us, all the animals of this world plus the handful of people from Noah’s family assembled in one place. After the flood had subsided, they then went back to where they were originally from. And that is why we do not find the same animals in every country but different animals in different countries.

To conduct a study on the history of religion and a study on comparative religion, you cannot avoid the question of whether God created humankind or humankind created God. This would in particular be very apparent if you study the early religions of humankind.

Humankind was supposed to already have known God from the beginning of time. But early men were hunter-gatherers who prayed to trees, the river, the sun, the moon, etc. -- or what we call animism in anthropology of religion and psychology of religion.

Does this mean after receiving an education regarding religion and God, humankind forgot what it had learned and eventually deviated from the true religion of God?

The history of religion, according to the Gospels, if compared to what the anthropologists have to say, deviates drastically. There is a large gap in the history of humankind, which the Gospels do not explain. We start with one family and from this one family and one religion many nations are created. All these nations get wiped out in a great flood and humankind starts all over again with one family and one religion.

Today, we again see humankind divided under so many nations and so many religions plus so many sects of the same religion. Were we really one and then became divided (twice) or were we never one in the first place.

Religion says we were once one and then we became divided. Anthropologists, historians and archaeologist say we were never one in the first place, as the scientific evidence seems to show.

Scientific evidence and religious evidence are not of the same view regarding the origin of the species, in particular how religion came about. But religionists appear very confident that they know the truth although this truth is based on faith and not evidence. And they will kill and die to defend this truth.

Nevertheless, one fact still remains the same -- and that is either religion is right or science is right, which means the other must be wrong.