大象传媒

贵谤辞尘听Sarah Joseph, Editor of a Muslim lifestyle magazine:

听A week ago today, the billionaire Elon Musk launched Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in the world. 听听As I speak, the mannequin strapped in the car is still listening to Life on Mars on a loop鈥�

Back down on earth, 385 years ago today Galileo arrived in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. His crime? To suggest that the Earth revolved around the sun, whilst the Church (at the time) believed the Earth had to be the centre of the universe. His works were banned and he was placed under house arrest.
听
I find sometimes that the case of Galileo is used by people to 鈥減rove鈥� that religion and science can鈥檛 mix. Indeed, the stark contrast between our great scientific advancements and religious beliefs, between a grounded reason and so-called superstition, can and does lead many to reject religion. 听I can understand why. 听So how can I be religious then?

As Einstein said, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
Despite all the faults of religious people and religious institutions we have seen through history, I believe that all the great world religions have something to offer science.

Whilst I absolutely love innovation, and the drive within the human heart to seek new frontiers; I also recognise that our wandering hearts need other things too.

And whilst I welcome all that science has done for our world, I also believe that modernity -- uninhibited and unchecked -- has consequences for our planet. The plastics that pollute our oceans, the toxins which choke our air, the chemicals which contaminate our soil, our unsustainable lifestyles which drain our planet鈥� Religion has something to say about this.

For me the stories of the great sages and the prophets have relevance and meaning to this day because they can generate a sense of stewardship, as well as help guide how we care for each other.

There鈥檚 a Muslim saying, 鈥淪tories of the past are not to put children to sleep, but to awaken the hearts of adults.鈥� And it is this awakening of the heart to a more connected universe which makes religion still relevant to me. 听

There鈥檚 a tension between tradition and modernity that does have to be navigated, but tension often leads to great creativity, which we can hopefully harness for good.