[QUOTE:darkendless]It took us a long time to get here. We're only here now because some muslim members can be reasonable and recognise that we're not actually made of clay, but a derivative of clay at best. (End quote)
Response: Well, I for one have not seen any muslim say that we are made of clay but "from" clay, which is synonomous as to saying a "derivative" of clay. Brother MFaraz has even went further to point to the verse that says we are made from an extract of clay.
Quote: darkendless
I retain my skepticism but i can accept that it is possible that if we were created (which i do not believe we were), clay derivatives were a possible source.(End quote)
Response: And you should keep your skepticism. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I encourage you to keep your skepticism, but...to have an open mind as well. We must all be skeptics when trying to learn the truth. I've always read the qur'an with skepticism and still do til this day when certain meaning is attributed or derived from trying to answer certain questions of the qur'an. But I keep an open mind. I've heard you say on several occasions that muslims don't question their religion or at least asked if they do but a muslim is not a muslim if he or she doesn't question the qur'an. Why else do you only see the muslims claiming that their holy book has no error and trying to prove it scientifically? That is because all muslims and all people are asked to challenge the qur'an and it is from these challenges that muslims draw this conclusion. It is from being a skeptic that we are able to do so but with an open mind. But it is not just being a skeptic to the qur'an my friend, but one should also be skeptic to science as well and their own logic and beliefs. So there is nothing wrong with your skepticism, except when it's one sided and not with an open mind. You should be a skeptic to science as well as your own logic and beliefs and not simply say it's true because a science book says so. A true skeptic would say,"well how do I know that the info in this book is true?" But the second you answer, "because scientist have said so", that's when you've opted to close the mind because surely you can see that that is not a logical answer. So be a skeptic, I encourage it, but be a skeptic to both sides my friend. And be fair an open-minded.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite hadiths:
There once was a man who disbelieved. He went around killing muslims left and right. Once he asked a muslim scholar, "am I going to go to paradise (heaven)?" The muslim said, "no", so he killed him also.
Then one day, on his way to do some more killing, he heard some muslims gathered around speaking the message of the qur'an, and for the first time, upon liking what he heard, he changed directions and went in search to learn some more....but he himself was killed in the process.
After relating this story to the prophet, the man asked, "Does he get to go to paradise (heaven) after his death?" On this, the prophet said, "yes".
Amazing. How is it that a man who killed people unjustly can be granted paradise after his death? Because he became open minded and became a skeptic to both sides my friend. That's why.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem