The Miracle of Respiration

41:42

12 Jun 2011

Miracles / Ijaz, Evolution

This Harun Yahya group video, entitled “The Miracle of Breathing” in the video itself, presents facts of the respiration system as proof of God’s having created it as well as disproof of evolution, repeatedly calling evolution “impossible” because the system is too complex.

The video includes primarily voice-over narration from an unnamed speaker.  Most of the images are computer-generated graphics, with the exception of an unnamed older, Turkish-speaking man, whose speech is translated with the same voice-over narration.  There are no credits beyond Harun Yahya URLs during some of the transitions, and a label at about the video’s midpoint noting, “This film is based on the works of Harun Yahya” with Adnan Oktar’s picture.

Evaluation:

The material on Islam is with the bounds of what Muslims have historically understood as acceptable.  The Qurʾānic material referenced simply discusses God as the Creator.

The scientific representation is largely correct, but there is an underlying assumption that all the parts of the respiratory system are unique to humans, although most of these systems are shared with most if not all other mammals, and perhaps other animals as well. Evolutionary biologists have no difficulty in explaining these systems’ development over the millions of years of evolution.  This idea is usually termed “irreducible complexity“.

There is insufficient historical material on which to base an evaluation.