Hermeneutic Lens

As we discussed in class, hermeneutics allow people read the same text and come away with a different meaning. A prime example of this is the difference in opinions between Muslims and fundamental Christians. Muslims use science to confirm and further back up their beliefs, while fundamental Christians stick to what is in the bible to confirm their beliefs. Muslims believe that “Allah created the heavens and all that is between them in six days” (7:54). While Muslims believe that the universe and everything was created in six days, they do not believe that it was six literal days (Muslim commentary). Muslims believe that the six days can separated into six periods that span 16-17 billion years, which lines up with the current calculation
The bible has a more detailed list of events that are explained in the bible, unlike the Qur’an. For example, “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”. This is the description of the first day when God created the universe. Genesis 1 clearly states the steps that God is taking to create the earth. Although it does not define a day as a 24-period, it is not too much of a leap to come to this conclusion since it says “So the evening and the morning were the first
This is the end of the similarities. Fundamental Christians believe that God created the universe in six 24-hour days. Muslims use science to back up their beliefs. The Qur’an mentions a period of six days, but these are not necessarily 24-hour days. With Einstein’s theory of relativity, it is discussed how travelling at near the speed of light and how gravity can slow down time. Using this theory, Muslims break the six days into six periods of time. This allows Muslims to come to the same conclusion that the universe is roughly 16 billion years old. Muslims use science to reaffirm their belief that the universe was created in six periods that span over 16 billion years; while, fundamental Christians believe that God created the universe in six 24-hour days and ignore any outside information that would lead to a different