Epigraph

God’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He gives life and He causes death; and He has power over all things. He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden, and He knows all things full well. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods, then He settled Himself on the Throne. He knows what enters the earth and what comes out of it, and what comes down from heaven and what goes up into it. And He is with you wheresoever you may be. And Allah sees all that you do. (Al Quran 57:2-4)

By Zia H Shah MD

We have around 9 million living species on our planet earth and many more extinct are all part of a common ancestry. The atheist believe evolution to be a blind process. But, those theists who are not creationists, believe in guided evolution. But, they have been hard pressed to pin point when and how God guided evolution.

This has been a challenge and even a trap for the theists. The above video is a suitable answer to this challenge. The ideas mentioned in the above video not only help us understand guided evolution better but also God’s Providence in granting our prayers.

There is quite a diversity of beliefs when it comes to evolution.

According to a new Pew Research Center analysis, six-in-ten Americans (60%) say that “humans and other living things have evolved over time,” while a third (33%) reject the idea of evolution, saying that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.” The share of the general public that says that humans have evolved over time is about the same as it was in 2009, when Pew Research last asked the question.

About half of those who express a belief in human evolution take the view that evolution is “due to natural processes such as natural selection” (32% of the American public overall). But many Americans believe that God or a supreme being played a role in the process of evolution. Indeed, roughly a quarter of adults (24%) say that “a supreme being guided the evolution of living things for the purpose of creating humans and other life in the form it exists today.”

These beliefs differ strongly by religious group. White evangelical Protestants are particularly likely to believe that humans have existed in their present form since the beginning of time. Roughly two-thirds (64%) express this view, as do half of black Protestants (50%). By comparison, only 15% of white mainline Protestants share this opinion.

These are some of the key findings from a nationwide Pew Research Center survey conducted March 21-April 8, 2013, with a representative sample of 1,983 adults, ages 18 and older. The survey was conducted on landlines and cellphones in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.0 percentage points.

A majority of white evangelical Protestants (64%) and half of black Protestants (50%) say that humans have existed in their present form since the beginning of time. But in other large religious groups, a minority holds this view. In fact, nearly eight-in-ten white mainline Protestants (78%) say that humans and other living things have evolved over time. Three-quarters of the religiously unaffiliated (76%) and 68% of white non-Hispanic Catholics say the same. About half of Hispanic Catholics (53%) believe that humans have evolved over time, while 31% reject that idea.

Those saying that humans have evolved over time also were asked for their views on the processes responsible for evolution. Roughly a quarter of adults (24%) say that “a supreme being guided the evolution of living things for the purpose of creating humans and other life in the form it exists today,” while about a third (32%) say that evolution is “due to natural processes such as natural selection.”

Just as religious groups differ in their views about evolution in general, they also tend to differ in their views on the processes responsible for human evolution. For instance, while fully 78% of white mainline Protestants say that humans and other living things have evolved over time, the group is divided over whether evolution is due to natural processes or whether it was guided by a supreme being (36% each). White non-Hispanic Catholics also are divided equally on the question (33% each). The religiously unaffiliated predominantly hold the view that evolution stems from natural processes (57%), while 13% of this group says evolution was guided by a supreme being. Of the white evangelical Protestants and black Protestants who believe that humans have evolved over time, most believe that a supreme being guided evolution.

According to a Pew Research Center poll, among the Muslims in Southern and Eastern Europe, a majority of Muslims in Albania (62%) and Russia (58%) believe in evolution. In Tajikistan and Turkey, the predominant view is that humans have remained in their present form since the beginning of time, 55% and 49%, respectively.

At least six-in-ten Muslims in Lebanon (78%), the Palestinian territories (67%) and Morocco (63%) think humans and other living things have evolved over time, but Jordanian and Tunisian Muslims are more divided on the issue. About half in Jordan (52%) believe in evolution, while 47% say humans have always existed in their present form. And in Tunisia, 45% say humans have evolved, 36% say they have always existed in their present form, and 19% are unsure. Iraq is the only country surveyed in the Middle East-North Africa region where a majority rejects the theory of evolution (67%).

Quantum physics as described in the above video by the first two interviewees opens up different avenues for God’s Providence.

The string theory describes possibly 11 dimensions of reality. Could God have a constant interaction with the whole of universal reality in one of these dimensions?

How can God grant prayers, influence human history or guide evolution also has bearing on the nature of time and God’s interaction with human time. Is God in time, beyond time or eternal and timeless in an atemporal sense? Such issues are examined in a separate chapter with a few videos: Video: What is Eternity of God?

The above video and the articles and video below give us the needed information that guided evolution is not only in keeping with the Quran and the Bible, but is fully compatible with modern science:

Why Intelligent Design Movement is Not only Bad Science, But Also Bad Theology

Video: The Best Argument for Guided Evolution by Alvin Plantinga

Let Francis Collins Guide You into Guided Evolution

Evolution: Natural Selection or Divine Choice?

How Beauty Is Making Scientists Rethink Evolution

Video: Languages — The Best Proof for Guided Evolution As Opposed to Blind Evolution

The Quranic Challenge to the Atheists: Make a Fly, if You Can

Was Evolution Guided By A Divine Hand? | Science Vs God | Spark

Demystifying Quantum Physics: You Need it for Your Faith