Does it seem like to you that both the Christian religion & the Muslim religion are equally opposed to Science & the study of Science in school?

The muslim religion does not discourage science. Only girls studying it.
Wikipedia list of notable Muslim scientists and mathematicians

Correct. In fact, I have seen pamphlets and such lauding how Islam is pro-science. Of course, some sects like their women to remain uneducated.

Probably…but neither religion necessarily requires that science be the enemy. That requires the crazy and loud to commit to the stupidest parts.

Not true in that both groups are too diverse for such a broad statement.

But true in that the most primitive medieval thinkers in both groups wield a lot of power and are trying to roll back the Enlightenment.

The Taliban, Al-Qaeda, American conservatives and many others are on the same team, and they are trying to drag us back to the Dark Ages.

not really, i hardly think Iran would submit to that kind of policy, given that it is ostensibly in an arms race with America, even if it is probably, always playing catch up.

Stem cell research is decades ahead in Iran.

Not at all. I went to Catholic school and I was taught a full science program. Including evolution. We were not told it was a lie.

Uh, let’s not give Islam too much credit. There is a huge Islamic intelligent design movement in Turkey and among European Muslim populations.

And Islamic science was largely better than Christian scholasticism during the same time, it certainly didn’t approach anything close to scientific development in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, which is largely why European civilization has completely overtaken Islamic civilization. Islamic culture has yet to have an Enlightenment.

I’m with @jaytkay. There’s way to much diversity in each group to judge them against eachother without some serious qualifiers. When the fundamentalists of each religion have more in common with eachother than with the moderates of their own group contrasting the religions as a whole is next to impossible.

Fundamentalist Christian is as much anti science as the Orthodox Jews and the fanatic Islams.

@Qingu maybe, but Enlightenment is such a misnomer, unless you mean in the sense of inventing the light bulb.

@YARNLADY Orthodox Jews and fanatic Islamics are NOT anti-science. They may be too tied up in their fanaticism to care but neither religion tries to bury scientific knowledge to encourage creationist beliefs. That is a particularly Christian thing and is part of why the Dark Ages were so dark. The born-agains, fundamentalists and creationists of all stripes want to go back to the Dark Ages.

Judaism is a religion of law. Islam is a religion both of law and of surrender. Christianity is defined as a mystery religion, demanding that people accept the impossible on faith [the “leap o faith”]. It is a very different critter.

Although much of Christendom is enlightened there is a terrifying growing fundamentalism that is a throwback to the Dark Ages and very disturbing as as it gains political clout.

@mammal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment (or simply the Enlightenment) is the era in Western philosophy and intellectual, scientific, and cultural life, centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority.

@anartist The Taliban isn’t anti-science? The Iranian Revolution wasn’t a step backwards towards the Dark Ages? The Saudi government is enlightened? Is that what your are arguing?

@jaytkay Those factions are not the totality of Islam anymore than Sarah Palin represents all Republicans.

@jerv I didn’t mean to say they represent everybody, and my earlier response states explicityl you can’t paint either faith with such a broad brush.

But if I read @anartist correctly, he seems to be saying Islam is free of the retrograde impulse we are discussing.

@jaytkay Enlightened in what sense? The Saudi government purchases the highest tech war rooms from US suppliers at least they did when I was a designer. The Iranians are way ahead on stem cell research because they don’t have asshole creationists blocking their path and have all sorts of scientists working on nuclear technology.

A delegation of scientists from Saudi Arabia are set to visit India to ink an agreement with space agency ISRO for boosting cooperation that will help the country develop an indigenous space programme

and plenty more not of a warlike nature. This is pragmatic use of science in the service of an agenda, not some creationism malarkey meant to justify a redneck crusade.

@anartist

Please explain the scientific basis of stoning or beheading people for adultery and hanging men for being gay. Was there an Islamic Manhattan Project behind that?

You seemed to say that Dark Age behavior today is exclusively Christian. Are you telling us we should emulate the Saudis? They are a model of rational thought we should follow? The Iranian ayatollahs are the Thomas Jefferson’s of the 21st century?

I’m not defending the right wing “Christians” in the US. For all practical purposes, they are the Taliban, the Iranian mullahs and the Saudi royal family. It’s Team 10th Century vs. Normal People as far as I’m concerned.

@jaytkay You might ask Jimmie Swaggart for the Christian view of gays.

@YARNLADY I’m not defending Christians. I condemned Christian fundamentalists above.

@jaytkay Ok, I just had to point out this travesty.

@jaytkay there is no scientific basis. for such things as the beheadings For that, look to Islamic law. That is a fanatic misinterpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. Islam is a religion of law. A frightening aspect of Islam is their desire to set up Islamic [Sharia} courts of law in their host countries. This Islamic intent makes Islam at least as frightening as fundamentalist Christianity, if not more so. And there is no mistaking Islamic fanatics’ intent, that Islam should be the dominant, or only, world religion—sort of a worldwide Taliban. I am not in any way endorsing fanatic Islamic terrorism. I am merely establishing differences in philosophies.

@anartist OK, thank you. I misunderstood your position.

I just do not want to see the good people, good institutions of this earth, or even the earth itself, destroyed by a crusade/jihad led by religion-crazed fanatics. And both sides are armed with weapons created by science. By the way, the Jews are just tending their own bailiwick, however controversial that tending may be.

@anartist, the Saudi government once outlawed Pokémon because it teaches evolution.

Banned in Saudi Arabia…
Pokémon series (trading cards only) Banned because of “promoting Zionism and gambling.”
[36][37] However, that ban only applied to the trading cards, as Pokémon video games are still sold today in Saudi Arabia.[citation needed]

@Qingu evolution, my patootie!

hm. I actually can’t find any good sources for it being banned specifically for evolution. However, Saudi Arabia prohibits the teaching of evolution in schools, so…

Banning Pokemon for hidden Zionist influence isn’t exactly less laughable, by the way.

Here’s a source quoting a (Malaysian?) fatwa against Pokemon, explicitly on the basis that it teaches evolution and evolution is un-Islamic.

@Qingu You can issue fatwas against fictional creatures? How does that work?

EDIT: Nevermind, I thought fatwa was synonymous with deathmarks.

Well I cannot answer for Christianity nor for the Islamic nations but I can answer for me. I am Christian and think science and Christianity go together very well.