Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Science & Technology Science & Nature
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Ok I am going to proceed with lot of care and respect as this discussion may involve respected religious figures.

There are hundreds of events that are described in religious scriptures that defy norms, hence called miracles (or such).

I mean, today if a virgin gives birth, it can easily be explained, as artificial insemination is a very known phenomenon.

Split of moon maybe hard to explain, but you can theoretically see moon (half moon in this case) on one side of the sky and its mirror image on the other side if a ‘strong gravitational lens’ is present in the vicinity. (Gravitational lens is the phenomenon that bends the light in such a way, that an image of a heavenly body reaches us through two light beams, giving us the impression that we are seeing the same object at two different locations of the sky).

What other miracles/not-so-normal stories that you remember from Quran, Bible or other books, that can now be (at least theoretically) explained, using Science.

I give you one challenge. Explain the little pebbles that turned Abraha;s elephants into dust when birds dropped them on the elephants. (Sura e Feel). Are such tiny bombs possible?

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Don't want to get into a religious debate, and not to offend anyone, but the obvious answer would be that the miracles themselves are embellished or based on stories, so they don't require an explanation. You're assuming these are true and trying to find an explanation, whereas Occam's Razor might be a better rule of thumb.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

with all due respect.

everything in this world happens due to a reason or there's some explanation for it. nothing is just random or in explicable.

why is the idea that there is an explanation behind every phenomenon so hard to accept? and that those explanations happen to be termed science.

some things i can think of:

the falling of man o salwa from the sky
the prophets ascension to heaven
moses and the parting of the sea
the spring in the desert

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Entirely Futile Exercise.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

r u offended pwner?

and why

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

I don't think you can use gravitational lensing to explain the moon miracle. There has never been anything between the earth and moon to cause such an effect nor there is any black matter circling the earth. Or at least it is not proven yet. The distance is too small

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

what a completely excellent thread!!!
can't wait to read more.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Was this inspired by the opening of the movie Noah today starring Russel Crowe. Spoiler Alert, when he gets on the Ark and all the other soldiers are left drowning he says "Are you not entertained!!!"

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

There is explanation for things (physical phenomenon) that are part of ‘aalam e Khalq’. There is no plausible explanation for actions that relate to ‘aalam e amr’.
Human knowledge is insufficient to explore idea behind ‘kun’ as it is related to ‘aalam e amr’ like all miracles.

The Theory of 'Alam al Khalq and 'Alam al-'Amr | The Theory of 'Alam al Khalq and 'Alam al-'Amr | Books on Islam and Muslims | Al-Islam.org

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

This Abrah incident happened just in 570AD and Surah e Feel was revealed around 40-45 years after the incident. Did anyone from Kuffar e Makkah (who might have lived 40 years ago) raised question about the validity of this incident as mentioned in Quran? What does this say?

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

I don't understand how Noah's Ark can be literal?

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

It could be if Noah was an alien scientist and collected the DNA of all species on earth. A DNA sample won't take much space. This theory was presented in Ancient Aliens.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Why would I be offended?

Religion doesn't pass science test
Science doesn't pass religion test

Keep trying to attach the north and south poles of a magnet.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

This is when you assume that people from Noah's era had same knowledge about species of the world, as we know (read come to know through means like internet and google). Noah put those species which were known to the people living in his era and area. simple explanation.

As Sufis say 'Janene se manena aasan hai' is the soultion, when you can't understand procedures / events mentioned in scriptures.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Religion says he put every known species on the Ark, this is both a Christian and Islamic claim. Not to sound weird but I don't know how that's possible.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

agreed.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Interesting theory. Never thought of the DNA sample idea.

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Religion doesn't specify the number of species put in Noah's Arc? Is it?

Say for the sake of discussion, Noah carried all species of the world, I would turn to belief that 'God is all powerful (Qadir)', so He made it possible'. How? I don't know and it doesn't affect my faith.

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Ghost, by referring to Occam's Razor, are you saying that the simplest explanation is that the stories are fabricated? But Muqawwee mentioned that when Sura-e-feel was revealed in Quran, people were still alive, yet no one questioned that miracle. Same thing about the split of the moon. When Sura-e-Qamar was added in Quran, people who witnessed that miracle were around. The history since Prophet Mohammed is very well recorded. The event during and just before the time of Prophet, that were recorded in Quran, would be challenged right away, if not by Sahaba, then at least by non-Muslims of Mecca or Medina.*

Philosophy, those were good examples that you listed. Something to think about.*

Pwner, why is it futile? BTW, I am not challenging those miracles, I am just saying that if similar event happen today, would we still call it miracle or do a scientific investigation and try to find a more plausible reason. After all, we did not say that Malaysian Airline flight was taken to Jannah by the angels. We did not give up and kept looking for the rational reasoning behind the disappearance of that plane.

Theorist, I am not saying that split happened because of gravitational lensing. I am just saying that theoretically, such act is possible, if a force powerful enough to bend the light is in the neighborhood. We first have to decide whether the split was an illusion, or really happened?*

Muzna, it could be a fun thread, *I agree.

PartySlims, no the inspiration is from the book "Physics of Star Trek", both part 1 and 2. An excellent read for all you guys.*

Muqawee, I am not challenging the event, all I am saying (as stated above) that if miracles happen today, will we take them as miracles or will we try to find a logical explanation for them?

09, why can't it be?

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Re: Religious miracles with possible scientific explanations

Fair enough if that's your view. I just don't see how is it possible if we take it literally. Same with Jonah and the whale.