Science and Faith in Judaism and Islam

4 July 2019, 7 pm
Evolutionary biology is not taught at some religious schools in the United States, Israel, and some Muslim-majority countries. This has encountered growing criticism, including from some Jewish and Muslim theologians and scholars. But how teachers present both scientific and theological views of the world without either de-legitimizing or reifying religious perspectives? The education scholars Rachel S. A. Pear and Anila Asghar discuss these questions from both Jewish and Muslim perspectives.

13 June 2019 (with video recording)
Many people are skeptical of miracle stories found in Jewish and Muslim Scripture, or reject them entirely. For others, as believers, they are objective accounts of the facts and proof of God’s existence. Is it possible to believe in miracles in this day and age? A discussion with James A. Diamond, the expert in Jewish philosophy, and Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu, a scholar of religion.

30 April 2019 (with video recording)
New findings in psychology, neurology, and genetics have been increasingly casting doubt on humans’ capacity to make conscious decisions. This comes down to whether humans are responsible for their own actions. Is our free will really just an illusion? A discussion with Alan Mittleman (Jewish Theological Seminary of America) and Martin Mahmud Kellner (Institute of Islamic Theology, Osnabrück).

5 March 2019, 7 pm; with video recording
How can belief in the divine revelation of Scripture be reconciled with historical textual research? A discussion between Benjamin Sommer, an expert in modern Jewish theology, and Ghassan el Masri, researcher on the Koran in the context of the Arabic literature of his time.

31 January 2019, 7 pm; with video recording
The insights of evolutionary biology have marked a sea change in our understanding of how life emerged. In light of this, how do Judaism and Islam envision their belief in Creation today? A discussion between Natan Slifkin and Fatimah Jackson.

20 November 2018, 7 pm, with video recording
Geoffrey A. Mitelman and Ahmad S. Dallal discuss how Jewish and Islamic theologians have reflected for centuries on the conflicting powers of God and his revelation and human reason.