Originally posted by sonhouse
And the implication is the religion is responsible?
That advancement didn't last too long did it.
It seems to me the baton passes between cultures about science.
It was just shown 2100 years ago the Antikytheran mechanism was the most advanced mechanical calculator in it's time and not even close to duplicated for over a thousand years, and they managed quite nicely without Christ or Mohammed or Jehovah or Allah.
To be fair, don't compare between Muslims today and before, compare Muslims before Islam and After Islam.
To really see the effect of a religion look how did affect its followers.
Muslims before Islam were scattered tribes, fighting its other, pillaging each other. There was no a single organization that combine them, they were not clean. Adultery was a common practice, and of course worshiping stones (idols). There was no place of science, or anything related to the achievement you are talking about, and there was no sign for that achievement. No within 20 years from the beginning of Islam, all these trips were united in a well organized state, where every member knows his duties and rights. This small state was the foundation of the great achievement in the following centuries. Within two centuries this nation expanded from Spain in the west to India on the east. Now look how long did take Christians to reach the same level, I think more than 15 centuries, and that was not because of Christianity, on the contrary, that happened, when Christians separated the Church from the state.
Muslims are now seams to be backwarded not because they are following Islam, on the contrary, it is because they don't really follow Islam, and if they did sure they would live a better life.
There is a direct relation between sticking to Islam, and the advancement of Muslims. The more Muslims stick to Islam , the more they will be advanced. Muslims in the early Centuries when Islam was strong, were very religious and Islam led them to that achievement, while today the case is very depressing.