Science and faith
Francisco J Ayala, a scientist who works in molecular evolution and genetics, was awarded the Templeton Prize this week, Instituted by Sir John Templeton, the proze is awarded to people who make an outstanding contribution to affirming the spiritual dimension of life.
Ayala, a former monk, believes there is no contradiction between science and religion. He says, “…I hope the recognition [the prize] bestows will help propagate the notion that science and religion are not in opposition and that, in fact, they may often be complementary. …I have been arguing for years, and I continue to argue in all possible ways that are accessible to me, that there need not be contradiction between science and religion. Properly they cannot be in contradiction because they deal in different subjects. They are like two windows through which we look at the world; the world is one and the same, but what we see is different.”
Ayala was born in Madrid in 1934, and in 1960 was ordained as a Dominican priest but left the order the same year and moved to the US. His discoveries have led to research into various diseases including Chagas disease and malaria. He has publicly criticised US restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. He is also critical of creationism and intelligent design theories, and argues that belief in evolution does not rule out belief in God.
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
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