I am ready mama, to be a Woman.
Evolution is just a process.
It´s not creation.
There should be no debate. One is one, the other is the other.
Evolution sticks its nose into things, and pulls it out calling it evolution. But did evolution create the thing?
No.
Philosophy, psychology,and yes theology inform and create boxes, contexts, parameters, metaphors, which lead to realities in which we live.
Why do we always say that it is mind over matter anyway? What does that mean? For evolution, it{s not good news . For it means that humans don´t believe their only progress is through material movement, but can be excellently improved, manipulated through ¨mental¨ things . (Later I will argue this separation of the mind and body as more of a bodily reason which never truly disconnects. Yet we do so (We perceive them as disconnected ) in order to understand process and the freedom from materialism and the liberation that ideals give us).
All discussion of mental efforts over the material, ranging from inspiration to meditation, have no effect on evolutionary debate or theorizing. Thus, humanity is at a huge standstill as to how to perceive philosphy and more so theology. It is sad to see the roots of so many movements, progresses, empowerments, causes nearly deleted from the memory of public school children because it is against the law to discuss religion in a state institution. It is kind of funny how probably the influence of religion , not evolution, drove the idea of creating free public schooling. (Note the two key concepts, creation and schools) .But anyhow. Perhaps we see where this is going.
It is of prime importance to the establishment of clarity in our histories and our intentions behind our movements, to know religion. And we must know religion to know history.
We must remember the days and context of the dawn of evolutionary theory. Times were hard in the church, they came down hard in everyone and everything.
Then along came Islam. In the south of Spain, muslims (deceptively called moors, I believe to destract us in contextualizing their (muslim) ideas and movements as part of an Islamic Empire) established dramatically enlightened centers of study of medicine, astronomy, civil life, aesthetic life, and so on. There were no issues between God and man. No issues between faith and reason. That is, the relatinoship became further clarified, through in depth studies of concepts related. Thus, they studied and most importantly for Europe,. they TRANSLATED the Greeks great texts. Yes! The ones we take for granted as if Europeans or Christians initially studied them! No°° They didn´t. That is a fact. We hear about Aristotle. We hear about how the Catholic Church uses Plato philosophy. But did we know, the ones who made all this debate, all this integration with the Greeks póssible, were the Muslims!!! Yes. Do we know that?? Do we realize that about their revelation???And I say revelation, because to call them muslim means they were influenced by the Islamic Revelation. The life of Prophet Muhammed, may péace be upon him, and the revelation of the Holy Quran to him throughout his life. After this, the Islamic Empire began, and it spread to many countries. When it spread to Spain, it took full force and influenced intellectual, metaphysical, thological and philosophical studies and movements.
So it is good to jkow that thanks to Islam and the Holy Quran, today we know Aristotle, pLATO, THE INTERPRETATION THAT MUSLIMS GAVE TO THESE PHILOSOPHIES TO MODERN DAY LIFE. tHSI WAS THEN USED BY CATHOLIC THINKERS, WHO BY NO MEANS EVER THOUGHT TO GO TO THE GREEKS FOR ANSWERS IN THEOLOGY. IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO A MOVEMENT THEY had to move away from- the Roman Empire. But since Islam was given 600 years later, then enough time had passed for it to be ok to look into the past for more answers. Isn´t it true that this calrification the muslim s took into those GReek concepts, need to be further looked into? UI mean, woldn´t it vbe interesting now, now tha twe appreciate more, to lookinto those muslims revelatiions taht inspúired the msulims to look into the greeks? What erevelations, wht texts waht concpets in their religin mad ethem want ot look for answrs in Plato???And why didn´t Christianity push into this until islam had broke it opne to the world anew? With a new vision upon it use and meaning to theology, poltiical life and ohilosphy in genreal?
In fact, that is why today there is no tension between science and religion in the Islamic world. In fact, the debate of evolution sort of escapes muslims. They get the essential gusto of the fight, that there is some sort of tension between scientific inquiry and religious belief. However, their innocence is clear. Honestly, the debate never was against religious belief, (on behalf of scientists)but rather , religious intolerance, and the Church´s punishment of inquiry due to the irreconcialability of reason and faith in Christianity. Muslims are unable to imagine this divorce, because Islam actually IS the reconciliation of faith and reason. Thus, the amazing spawning of reason and faith in the growth of Islam and it cultural centers. It came after Christianity, snd thus, is able to do so seeing as how revelations in monotheism were given as contexts of time, i.e with cumulative knowledge. For example, Jesus´teachings in Christianity do not make sense exceopt in the context of Judaism first. His (pbuh) sentiments are reactions toward Jewish law, practices etc. His (pbuh) life is also a reaction, once further studies, of aptternthat prophets fulfilled in the hsitory of God as teh One God. As revelaed sucessively ove time, starting from Abraham(pbuh). From all of these prophets and revelations, over time, we came to have more laws, and more knowledge of humannature. The toal fomraiton of a soceity based on on eGod came to be in the revelation of the Quran and the lifeof Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) for he is beleived tobe the last and final Prophet. (Later I will discuss the siginificance of closure and how important it is to finally undertsand the whole process).
This is a historical and cutural reality that cannot be denied, ignoroed or misundersttod as any other than a direct correlation for the relvelaiton of Islam to Propeht Mohammed (pbuh) and thus to arabs and all people they touched. (That is why teh Islamic Empire unfolded, to spread the Word). Thus, to say the debate is bewteen creation and evolution is really Christian -centered.Since muslims also have the concept of Creation and yet have no problem with scientific inquiry and never punished such inquireis; in fact encouraged them. It was a non issue in
Today , many people can believe whatever they want about the Bible ( I say Bible instead of Bhagavad gita or the Holy Quran for the sake of generalization in Europe and the US)(Since I am writing this in Engllish and I assume that will be my audience)
Note: I don´t say America for we the natives are America. The US is a continuation of European values on our soil without any consideration of our take on life. The cosmic view of the native Americans , especially in Mexico, (Mayan calendar, Aztec empire, pyramids,etc) is fascinating and complex. It is real today, unlike in the U.S. And, we have a concept of how the continent connects. Sounds weird perhaps to other countries in other continents- how can a country that belongs to a continent not know how it flows? how it connects? How the needs of some are the needs of all?
Because I imagine this ¨no unity¨doesn´t really exist. It´s amazing how the Us seems so proud to unite races fo the world under its umberlla, yet all over the world seeks to destroy other cultures and races. (sounds dramatic, but I reference, mainly the native americans , then mexicans, el savadorans, all latin american countires they have gotten involved in for self interest and without care to destroy their government, inrastructure, kill innocent civilians, install dictators,anything. I reference Iraq. Watch teh documentary shocking and awful to see what we have doen tohtem and their culture. It´s far too ironic. Especially for those of us who live with it day and day out. As not only neighbors, (I live in mexico now), but unsuspecting members of a continent who have no worries for it other than their own.hs would fo colonization is not carnalized in a ever lasting colony disguised as being from here.
Although all know they are not, the discusiion too frecuently is like, Americans ( the US). The USA-ers love to claim their freedom, their values as Ämerican¨. Yet, what is that? And this is the key, to be fair to the natives, the cosmic view of the natives, which is not . They are like a child who is not biolgically part of a group, and while the rest feel every little movement of balance, equal distribution, opportunity, etc, this non-organic person is clueless and on a relentless drive for himself. (Because it is not really his land and thus statements such as drill baby drill bring up the excitement of the foerigner colonialsit, as opposed to teh rightful owner of the land´s sensitivity to this exploitation).That is how the US feels to most of America. Most, but very alive ina wovenkind fo dynaimc way in all fo the other countries who did not sacrifice the natives in order for thei own agenda toproseper. Thus, Mexico is a better place for the discussion of such things.
WE$ claim mexico is the land of impnnity . Yet, isn´t holding the Us unaccountable for all teh losses t growth over the past century or centiries not fair? Aren´t all the steps of developmetn primordial to the current staus fo today? So, if teh US is doing os grea ttoday adn othe altlinamerican countries are. shoeul we look nto seeing if in hisotry teh US dsid somehting ot such country to stop ots growth, and iject itself wiht the hromone fo that country? Isn´t teh U swha tit is today not onley due to its own discipline wihtin, which it surely has, but due to an increidibel lack of repesct to the nativs fohtis continet adn to the resources fo this continet?Even seen as clsoe as teh BP oil spill. No ttalñing about centry ago. did you know one congressman apologized o the Bp pres for maing hem pay for th edmages fo the poil spill. Yep. You callhta tamerican? foret abou it, Tahis Bristih clear and thgouh. I ma itred of herang usa er clall ameican what is btisih. I reference teh documentary, Why did we invade Iraq?
Thus, a main progressive idea we can obtain from this ? That in order to debnate, much lessc rtiicize and jsudge our values adn movemonets in our societies, we need to ge tthe context straight first. We need to study all three religions adn in thier hisotirical contexts. WE need to see how teh drive of one affected the other. WE need to see how thier values are derived from cumulative knowledge, adnhtus although diferetn are not always a challenge directly to the other, but rather a temporary challenge. To grow. Yet many of htese values are eternal, an in appreciaiting hteir context we are able too respeoct and use them more. Context lalows us to be appropriate adn to pereceive truth. Thsu , the ever growing importnace of ints concept in philosphy.I reference postmodernism. LAcan. pehnomenologist, hermentuits, etc.
