How Religious Schools Led To The Decline Of Arabic Science

[Fweethawt]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/epiphenom/2016/01/how-religious-schools-lead-to-the-decline-of-arabic-science.html

[rjn]

Nothing new. The Renaissance would've been totally unnecessary if Christianity and Islam didn't show up in the first place though.

[pantheory]

Sad. Islam had a good start concerning science. They were translating from the ancient Greeks when at the same time Christians were burning science books from every culture and time, and in all languages. As to culture, Muslims at the same time were building public baths in Andalusia, Spain,  like the Romans once did, when at the same time European Christians were in the dark ages and stank from lack of bathing. Muslims then permitted greater religious tolerance than did the Christians.

 

Unfortunately Muslims promoted renewed religious education as did the Christians. But the Christians managed to do a number of other things during the Renascence, like building great naval powers, empires and wealth building from the new worlds, conquering lesser military cultures, studying other cultures and science. During the same times the Muslims concentrated on fighting with existing empires, while reviving religious education (Sunni Revivalism).

 

Religious education in Muslim cultures was mostly free for all, where classical education (the three R's) could only be afforded by the few. Even learning to be able to read the Koran was a rarity; even many Muslim religious teachers could not read at that time. In western cultures, during the same periods, most Monks and priests were learning how to read and write as part of their religious education. Monks were often the leaders in education and science. During the Renaissance, Muslim religious education alone produced little wealth, little crossover education, sponsored little science, and therefore could not keep up with the science and innovations of the west that were sometimes state sponsored, or sponsored by the church, but much progress in science and invention was financially motivated such as war machines, so if not sponsored by the church, such discoveries and inventions were often beyond the reach of the church. Muslims could no longer compete with capitalism overriding Sultan-ships, dictators which were also the heads of religion, like the Christian kings of yore.

 

Today the same kinds of problems exist within Christianity. For example most fundamentalist Christians today are non-supportive of science, innovation, discovery, and teach ridiculous ideas such as a 6,000 year old Earth. They prefer religious education via home schooling to conventional education. Some go to extremes by killing workers and doctors in abortion clinics. Such stupidity is more than equaled by Muslim fundamentalist suicide bombers, who believe they will get 72 virgins in heaven for such heroic deeds as killing unarmed Infidels. 

 

Luckily most members of this forum have already seen the light and will side against the stupidity of religious extremism, something that most Muslims also do not support, but are afraid to speak out publicly against.