Faith in conflict with academia's evidence

Religion often rankles the minds of those in higher education. So over 100 students and community members came to hear professors struggle with the issue at Tuesday night's discussion, "Where is God in the Mind of an Academic?" Sponsored by The Jewish Renaissance Program, the event brought together three of Penn's most esteemed professors-- Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Professor Jeffrey Tigay, Director of the Center for Bioethics Arthur Caplan and History Professor Alan Kors -- to discuss their perspectives on God in higher education. Both Tigay and Caplan argued that scientific evidence factors into their beliefs. Tigay, a Bible scholar, emphasized that "the Bible has to be made compatible with the best scientific knowledge of the day." He added that he would reinterpret the Bible differently if confronted with a more convincing account from science, saying "scientific questions have to be decided by scientists." But he noted that his fundamental assumption is that God exists, adding that the universe cannot be explained without there being a Creator. Caplan, however, argued against the Jewish tradition's creationist account, saying that science does not support it. He said he believes in the theory of evolution. "In bioethics, we have to wrestle with religious beliefs all the time," Caplan added. In regards to cloning, he said that bioethicists must come up with a reasonable argument that is persuasive across all religious faiths. Unlike Tigay and Caplan, Kors proclaimed himself, "a willful unbeliever." He spoke about how other people wrestle with their faiths in the academic setting. Kors noted how the University discriminates against other professors and students based on their religious beliefs. He said that the prejudice is most intense toward Christian believers. Citing one example, Kors said that in 1994, artist Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ"-- a photograph of a wooden crucifix submerged in Serrano's urine -- was exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art, despite a small student protest. Kors added that had Serrano's exhibit included a Star of David immersed in urine, the University would not have allowed the exhibit. Students from varied backgrounds showed up for the talk. First-year Bioengineering graduate student Katie Kadash, a Mormon, said that she is very religious and believes that God works according to natural laws -- combining the two frameworks of thought. However, College sophomore Eli Elias said that people are contradictions when they believe one thing based on faith and another based on reason. He added that he "can live with the uncertainty" by trying to integrate contradictions.

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