For centuries, Jewish and Islamic theologians have reflected on the conflicting powers of faith in God and his revelation and human reason.
How has the relationship between reason and faith developed throughout the history of Jewish and Islamic theology and how does it look today?
A discussion with Geoffrey A. Mitelman and Ahmad S. Dallal. Moderator: Dr. Kathrin Klausing (Institute for Islamic Theology, Osnabrück University).
recording available
Where
W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
(Opposite the Museum)
Video recording of the lecture Science in the Light of Faith, 20 November 2018; Jewish Museum Berlin 2018
Geoffrey A. Mitelman
Geoffrey A. Mitelman is Founding Director of "Sinai and Synapses", an organization dedicated to dialog between science and religion. He is a rabbi and teacher, and his work has been honored with multiple awards.
Ahmad S. Dallal
Ahmad S. Dallal is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies and Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar. His best-known publication is Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History, in which he provides a historical overview of the role of the natural sciences in Islam.
Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman und Ahmad Dallal; photos: Jeophrdy!/Georgetown University Qatar
About the Lecture Series
Scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, and biology over the past centuries have called into question the centrality of humans as the “crown of creation.” Today, religious and scientific positions are often seen as irreconcilable. While some present religions as incompatible with a modern worldview, others demand that creationism be giving equal billing in school as an alternative to the theory of evolution. In the past, this conflicting relationship between religion and science was hardly the rule. Many theologists were also scientists and made significant contributions to our understanding of humanity and the surrounding world.
This lecture series sets out to explore the tensions and affinities between Judaism, Islam, and the sciences. It aims to supplement the narrative of conflict with other narratives. To that end, the lecture series delves into subjects such as evolution and creation, belief in miracles, biological determinism and free will, historicist critical analysis of sacred texts, and how Jewish and Muslim religious educators approach the sciences.
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Lecture Series 2018/19: Science and Faith in Judaism and Islam (5)
Science and Faith in Judaism and Islam
Scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, and biology over the past centuries have called into question the centrality of humans as the “crown of creation.”
Today, religious and scientific positions are often seen as irreconcilable. This lecture series sets out to explore the tensions and affinities between Judaism, Islam, and the sciences.
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Do You Believe in Miracles?
With James A. Diamond (Professor in Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada) and Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu (Professor in Religious Studies at St. Joseph’s University in Philidelphia, United States)
Video Recording
13 Jun 2019 -
Humanity: Between Destiny and Free Will
With Alan Mittleman (Jewish Theological Seminary of America) and Martin Mahmud Kellner (Institute of Islamic Theology, Osnabrück)
Video Recording
30 Apr 2019 -
How Much God Is in the Holy Scriptures?
With Benjamin Sommer (expert in modern Jewish theology) and Ghassan el Masri (researcher on the Koran in the context of the Arabic literature of his time), in German and English
Video Recording
5 Mar 2019 -
God, Darwin, and Evolution
With Natan Slifkin (Biblical Museum of Natural History, Beit Shemesh, Israel) and Fatimah Jackson (Howard University, USA)
Video Recording
31 Jan 2019 -
Science in the Light of Faith
With Geoffrey A. Mitelman (Sinai and Synapses) and Ahmad S. Dallal (Georgetown University, Qatar)
Video Recording
20 Nov 2018
