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Webinar

Steve Friberg, “Science and Religion: Reconciliation, Cooperation, and Harmonious Development"

Steve Friberg, “Science and Religion: Reconciliation, Cooperation, and Harmonious Development
Science and religion, according to the Bahá’í writings, must go hand-in-hand. These ‟two most potent forces in human life,” according to these writings, ‟will  be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop.” When combined with the Bahá’í affirmation of the fundamental oneness of religion, they provide an outlook on science and religion that focuses on the future, differing from conventional approaches preoccupied with arguing over the relevance of religion in an age of science. In this webinar, we consider some implications of these teachings. We start by briefly reviewing Bahá’í  fundamentals about the harmony of science and religion. We then look at aspects of Bahá’í metaphysical and cosmological perspectives.  Readied by this, we examine the critical need for a 21st century cosmology – a new worldview – that balances material and spiritual progress. We discuss the role that Bahá’ís might play in the development of that worldview. Looking at one Bahá’í approach, we consider the worldwide implementation of The Culture of Learning.  We conclude by considering the possibility of the eventual establishment of universal scientific literacy. Read a summary of the talk here.
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Stephen Friberg, PhD

Physicist, WI Adjunct Lecturer

I’ve been fascinated by science and religion since becoming a Bahá’í in my youth in spiritually charged New Mexico. I discovered that—even though I was the product of a thoroughly secular academic upbringing as the son of a mathematics professor—I now believed in God. Could I do this rationally and consistent with my scientific and rational training? After graduating with a PhD in physics 1985 (quantum entanglement) and doing a post-doc at Bell Labs, I started the Association for Bahá’í Studies (ABS) Science and Religion Special Interest Group with Bill Hatcher and others. While in Japan for 10 years at NTT Basic Research Labs, I started a Japanese ABS. Returning to the states and landing in Silicon Valley, I’ve continued pursuing the topic of the harmony of science and religion in a number of diverse ways, becoming more and more educated about how much I don’t know about this most important of issues. Listen to Stephen’s interview on ‘A Bahá’í Perspective’ podcastSee Faculty Bio

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