A minister, a rabbi and an imam walk into Olscamp 101 — sorry there’s no punchline, only a serious discussion of religion and science.
The Muslim Student Association, in conjunction with CRU and Hillel, presented “Science and Religion: Friends or Foes” last night with speakers from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths.
The clergymen spoke on the misconception of a disconnect between faith and scientific innovation.
“There seems to be a tendency to seperate science and religion and because of that we find many give up religion for science,” Rabbi Edward Garsek said.
The forum was not set up as a debate to determine which religion is correct or that science is faulty, but to find where belief in God and science are interconnected.
“Science can tell us what we can do. Faith tells us what to do,” Minister Steve Rieske said.
Topics ranged from the moral implications of medical technology to God’s wishes for scientific advancement.
Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who led a successful anti-drug campaign in Brooklyn, N.Y. during the 1980s, made clear the teachings of Islam are compatible with science. They must be, according to Wahhaj, because Allah is perfect.
“Religion is not at odds with science. Some religious people are at odds with science,” Wahhaj said.
Drawing parallels to the recent case of Terri Schiavo, Garsek noted that the surge in medical technology has raised more ethical questions. Answers for people of the Jewish faith will always come from their holy texts, said Garsek.
The goal of the discussion was to eliminate prejudice and to unite people using knowledge. Many people have misconceptions about the scientific understandings of the different faiths, said Sally Kaloti, president of the Muslim Student Association.
“It’s important to let students see viewpoints from different religions and have any questions answered,” Megan Spangenthal, president of Hillel, said.
Matt Hildebran, campus director of H20, agreed with Spangenthal.
“Any time there is an arena to talk about spirituality is a good thing because it gets students thinking,” Hildebran said.
Rieske, while rendering a brief history of religion and science, noted the importance of the first great scientists — who were Muslims. He also admitted the poor reaction of many Christians to science’s rising ability to explain the unknown. On the topic of evolution, he emphasized the need to ask why God created us, not how.
“Science is only the study of God’s will,” Rieske said.
Wahhaj concentrated on the commonalities of the three spiritual leaders, including himself.
“Allah honors us by giving us this name: believers,” Wahhaj said.
