This semester, I took one of the most thought-provoking classes of my life so far — it was a freshman seminar taught by Professor Ali Asani, called “Muslim Voices in Contemporary World Literature.” Essentially, in the class, we read books by various Muslim authors to understand how peoples’ perceptions of Islam are different throughout the world. Interestingly though, one of the main things I have learnt from the class is how similar all of the world’s religions are.
For one class, I came to the surprising realization that I was able to identify with almost every character I encountered in the novels I had read — it was interesting to realize that the same concerns I have as a Hindu may be universal. In The Saint’s Lamp, Ismael struggled to reconcile science with religion, and vice versa. This conflict between what some call “faith and reason” seems to exist in many of the world’s religions. As science continues to advance, followers of science tend to see only the outdated methods of religion, failing to see the beauty of the strong faith people have; and similarly, those who follow religion see the value of keeping a spiritual stronghold while simultaneously criticizing the “lack of soul” and the lack of values sometimes present in the so-called scientific mindset.
As for me, I have come to realize that a conflict between “faith and reason” cannot possibly exist, because in reality, there is no distinction between the two; without faith, a scientist can have no basis for wanting to examine certain phenomena — a scientist must have faith in the principles ruling the world in order to even want to examine them. In a similar way, a truly spiritual one does not act on faith alone, for blind faith can be extremely dangerous (as we discuss last week, regarding how easy it is to put faith into a so-called “religious scholar” like Osama bin Laden); instead, reasoning and self-reflection are key components in any person’s spiritual advancement. It is as Albert Einstein said: “Science without religion is lame; Religion without science is blind.” Without firm faith in the underlying order in the universe, scientists would lack the enthusiasm to walk forward towards larger and larger discoveries (hence the “lame”); and without the ability to adapt to new situations and changing times, and without the ability to question the nature of reality, spiritually-inclined people would base their lives on blind faith instead of true spirituality. Thus, science and religion coexist — there really is no conflict between them.
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Interestingly, I read that same short story in my Modern Arabic Narratives class. I came to the same understanding – that religion and science complement each other.
One concrete example of this is seen through the ten avatars of Vishnu. Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Budda, and Kalki. These are forms of a fish, tortoise, boar, half-man half-lion, very short man, men from ascending time periods, and finally the “machine man.” It’s extremely striking that the ten avatars in chronicle order follow the path of evolution. This is a concrete attestation that science and religion truly are indistinct.
Priya — your point that the progression of the avatars parallels evolution is a great one, that I’m surprised I did not notice before.
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