Fakultas Biologi Gelar Kuliah Umum Evolusi dan Agama
Fakultas Biologi Gelar Kuliah Umum Evolusi dan Agama
Faculty of Biology of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held a general lecture entitled Evolution and Religions: Human and the Emergence of Meaning. The event was presenting Associate Professor of Religious Studies of Florida International University, Whitney A. Bauman, Ph.D., as the main speaker.
In front of 200 students, Bauman said evolution theory had influenced human life which brought alteration in many aspects such as meaning, language, as well as human creativity.
“Science also gives us new language for religiosity,” he said on Monday at Faculty of Biology UGM.
In the lecture, Bauman said controversies between science and religions were still the trending issues in society. Science and religions are strongly related. In history, they competed and claimed their truthfulness.
“Their relationship can be contrary, independent, corresponding, or even supporting each other,” he said.
In the first model, religions and science are contrary. Religions deepening will dissociate human to science while technology dissociates human to religions. In the second model, the differences between them do not influence each other. In the third model, religions truthfulness corresponds to science, integrating, and not influencing each other. In the fourth model, even there are differences between religions and science, they always correspond and influence each other.
Bauman gave an example of one of science and religions’ controversy in Galileo era. In that time, church saw earth as the center of the universe. However, based on Galileo’s observation, it appeared that earth rotates and does revolution around the sun. Galileo was considered going against the church theory for his theory which could affect the church adherents.
“However, in their development, religions were experiencing a shift of knowledge because of science,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dean of Faculty of Biology UGM, Dr. Budi S. Daryono, said the evolution theory will keep evolving. Evolution as a theory will keep evolving as long as human keep trying on finding scientific facts.
“Evolution theory will keep evolving even it has been more than 200 years,” said Budi.
Budi said evolution and religions were always a trending topic to discuss. Even they are contrary, but this issue becomes an interesting study, including in Biology field. Moreover, evolution becomes one of studies and a compulsory subject in Faculty of Biology.
“We hope this lecture can be beneficial. We hope students can get information, knowledge, and comprehension of evolution and science philosophy, as well as their relation with religions,” he added.