Where and How Science and Religion Intersect

Where and how science and religion intersect is a documented debate over the past centuries; it is also a part of contemporary discourse.

The discussion took center stage at Paul Tillich's 2007 - 08 Lecture on Monday (May 5) in the B Science Center lecture hall, where astrophysicists and religious scholars explore the deeper dimensions of science's relationship with Islam.

This annual lecture is named in honor of Paul Tillich, the German-born theologian and philosopher who was a University Professor at Harvard University from 1954 to 1962.

Bruno Guiderdoni, who is uniquely qualified to speak on the topic, titles his course "Science, Faith and Cultural Dialogue: Islamic Perspective." A French native who is widely recognized as an expert in the formation and evolution of galaxies and a leading interpreter of Islam. He has written extensively on both topics and is director of research at France's National Center for Scientific Research and co-founder and director of the Islamic Institute for Advanced Studies in Paris.

He discussed the intersection of Islam and science and countered recent claims that Islam's inability to make a strong connection with reason was due to a lack of participation in the scientific world. In examining some of the essential principles of Islam, Guiderdoni affirmed "the spiritual principles and intellectual resources of the religion of Islam actually encourage Muslims to seek knowledge".

The Koran, he said, provides many examples of Islam's strong ties to knowledge. The content of the scriptures provides Muslims with "a way to know God's invisibleness and to attain His clarity," said Guiderdoni. "This clarity requires the use of reason encapsulated in a broader perspective of knowledge."

"A well-known verse of the Koran," said the scientist, "governs 'worship your Lord until it comes to you who is believed' and many sayings of the Prophet strongly advocate the search for knowledge as a religious duty which is the duty of all Muslims". Famous Islamic scholars throughout the years, said Guiderdoni, said that "reason is a gift from God to man, and God guarantees its efficacy".

A strong Islamic ethic can also inform about current science, said Guiderdoni. He gave the example of humans, who were created, according to Islamic doctrine, to be "garden guards in the garden" - to look after other gardeners.

"This garden guard symbol in the garden has a strong resonance today, with much of the debate currently about how to deal with global warming, share natural resources in a sustainable manner, or conserve biodiversity," said Guiderdoni. "The power that science gives us must be accompanied by a greater sense of ethics necessary to use these powers selectively and intelligently."

Source: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/05/where-science-and-religion-meet-from-an-islamic-perspective/