Interreligious Panel “Science and Religion”

On September 12, 2012, four representatives of different religions spoke at the University about the dialogue between science and religion. The panel was moderated by Dr. Ignacio Silva of Oxford University, as part of the seminar “Science and Religion” organized by the Institute of Philosophy of the University. Universidad Austral.

Rabbi Abraham Skorka, rector of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary, acknowledged that from a young age he “sought God even in equations.” Skorka spoke as a man of faith, drawing on a path very close to his own, having studied Chemistry and Exact Sciences. The Rabbi quoted Nathan Aviezer, who draws parallels between events explained by religion and science, events that are irreversible: “That there was a beginning, that is so.”
 

Skorka explained that scientific claims are tested in laboratories, while claims of faith are based on faith and have nothing to do with laboratory testing. “But faith isn't just about God, but also about values. Someone who isn't religious doesn't kill because it doesn't seem right to them,” he clarified. For moments when science and religion intersect, he chose the Hebrew word for “to kiss.”

He also noted that when someone tries to do science, they can break free from logical structures and reach a point where they ask themselves, “What is this?” “When we delve deeply into science, let us never forget humility. Humility is the key to avoiding arrogance,” he concluded.

Gustavo Bize, Imam of the Yerrâhî Islamic Association of Buenos Aires, titled his presentation “Islam and Knowledge: An Outline of a Quranic Epistemology and Its Projection Through Time.” Bize, a graduate in exact sciences and an academic at the University of Tres de Febrero, explained that these encounters between science and religion and their reconciliation are unthinkable in Islam. His religion, he explained, was born with a vocation for knowledge: “The expression 'endowed with intellect' is present in several parts of the Quran.” The Quran, he explained, also includes calls for humankind to contemplate nature and, within it, its creator. Furthermore, he noted that between the 9th and 13th centuries, Arabic was the language of scientists, and that Bacon and Maimonides, among others, studied and wrote in Arabic.
 

For Bize, what matters in the relationship between science and religion is the inner disposition regarding the truth.

“Science and Religion in Protestantism: Breaking Down Avant-Garde Myths” was the title of the presentation by Pastor Jerónimo Granados, who explained that it would be necessary to analyze how the debate is addressed in each branch of Protestantism. “The history of Protestantism itself does not present any prominent scientific figures until the Enlightenment and Romanticism,” he noted, and introduced the figure of Friedrich Schleimeher, who attempted to bridge the gap between the world of scientific ideas and the world of Christianity. According to Granados, Schleimeher's effort was considerable because the Protestant world was still grappling with theology. But from that moment on, biblical hermeneutics—that is, the Bible—began to be studied “scientifically.” Some, he added, were outraged, but the goal was to demonstrate that science could serve theology.

Miguel de Asúa, a Catholic professor, spoke on “Evolution and Christianity: The Catholic Church’s Perspective.” De Asúa began by quoting Pius XII and his clarification that he did not prohibit discussions of the doctrine of evolution among learned men, and John Paul II’s acknowledgment that “the theory of evolution is more than just evolution.” He also considered the congress on the topic organized in 2009 at the Gregorian University, in conjunction with the Pontifical Council for Culture, a milestone and a very important gesture, although he lamented that many Catholics continue to deny the possibility of evolution.
 

De Asúa noted that some authors interpret evolution as proof of God's non-existence, while creationists hold the opposite view. His proposal is to move beyond the dichotomy between evolution and religion.

Towards the end of the meeting there was a time for questions and discussion.