With the upcoming holidays in mind, we are talking about faith and being a scientist in today's post. Recently, we sat down for a chat with three researchers
of the Neuroscience community in Berlin, the topic ranging from juggling
neuroscience and faith to common misconceptions about religion. Here’s
what they had to say.
Could you please tell us a little about your faith?
I am a Christian, as were my parents. When I was in grade 12, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and converted to Evangelical Christianity. And I would say during my stay in the university, I came much closer to God. I started seeking him with all my heart; the more I know Him, the more I reflect His character: love and kindness.
I'm basically born into a Hindu family. I have been practicing Hinduism since childhood. During the course of my studies and my PhD in neuroscience, I have started to question both religion and science – specifically whether either of them can fully answer questions on consciousness.
I was born in a Muslim family and had the privilege of having parents that loved to read and had a large collection of books on religion (mainly Islamic) as well as comparative religion-oriented. They encouraged me to read and I spent a great deal of time combing through books at my home. During my childhood, much like other kids, I practiced religion more out of watching what my parents and grandparents did. As a teenager, I became more inquisitive, and started practicing my religion with more reason, intent, and curiosity.
How does your faith help or influence you as a neuroscientist?
My faith shapes every part of my life, and everything I do is based on principles from the Bible. For example, I am faithful – faithful to God, faithful to the people standing next to me in the lab, faithful in everything that I do. I believe that God is watching, hence, I do whatever I do with all my heart. And I consider the opportunities I have got as an immense privilege that I should nurture and care for. Besides, living in harmony with God lets me have internal peace and keep me secure no matter what happens around.
The concept of Hinduism urges one to ask questions about one's inner self/consciousness (also known as Advaita philosophy) which helps me as a neuroscientist to shape and ask questions about workings of the brain leading to conscious behavior.
In our holy book, the Quran, there are hundreds of verses which encourage us to study and ponder. In fact, in the very first verse, where the truth about Allah is revealed to the prophet Muhammad, the first divine command is “Read!”. A quest for knowledge is thus one of the most important pursuits that one can have in life. Many people in different religions are taught that they cannot contest what is written or preached, but I believe that Islam teaches us always to be skeptical and build strong counterarguments, or put things to the test. Using this type of reasoning is extremely important for me as a neuroscientist. Furthermore, Islam teaches us that we should gain our livelihood through righteous means. That means if you happen to be a researcher, do research with a purpose and rationale behind it. We are held accountable after death for how we used our health, knowledge and time during life. Therefore, whatever we do has to be legitimate and meaningful. So, in that sense, faith definitely influences neuroscience in that it gives me a purpose behind the daily struggles of research because I know that even if I fail, I learn a lot more and that all these efforts are not futile.
What do you believe your faith can teach you about neuroscience?
I know that God has placed eternity in our heart and mindset to seek and explore what has been done under heaven. But, there are questions that science is not able to answer; about creation and existence, purpose of life, etc. People might seek and try lots of things, but there is always a void inside our heart that God can only fill. The Bible teaches us that we were uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully created as part of a perfect system. It is fascinating to see how the universe operates by itself. Hence, being a scientist (as well as a Christian) gives me great appreciation for how intricate biological systems are perfectly made, and work together in harmony. And this makes me wonder how one can perceive it as a random event.
Hindu scriptures like Vedas and Upanishads have dealt with mind and brain in depth. For example, there are concepts of divisions of mind like Buddhi (intellect/logical part of brain), Manas (emotional parts) and Indriyas (senses). Furthermore, these texts have a lot of insights on how senses interact with the mind.
The Quran teaches us that our intelligence is what sets us apart from animals – the ability to think and reason. Islam instills in an individual that he or she is so much more than the sum of all their synapses or microbiome. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility – we shouldn’t take it all for granted. Islam thus teaches us that to lead a meaningful life, we need to use our brains!
Has neuroscience changed the way that you see your faith?
If anything, I think it’s the other way around!
Neuroscience has definitely helped me form more solid ideas of mind and brain combining the aspects of mind mentioned in Vedas.
Yes. Science is all about inquiry, and established knowledge changes fast. This has helped me be more enquiring and skeptical about my own faith. In my everyday life, I try to reason with myself a lot about the how’s and why’s of the lifestyle I follow. Neuroscience reinforces this habit.
Has anyone ever challenged you about your faith as a scientist?
Well, I am having discussions with colleagues all the time, and I think sometimes they might get perplexed with my faith. Scientists are always looking for concrete proof, something tangible to prove things about God and the universe. But faith is something that has to be experienced – it’s something that I personally have experienced, and it is something that no one can take away from me. To help you understand, look at the concept of love. It’s something that I (and most other people) have experienced, yet is completely intangible and needs to be felt to be believed. It can’t be measured!
Actually, I never felt a clash between ideas in Hinduism and neuroscience. Hinduism encourages one to seek answers for questions on 'Paramatma' which is the 'Primordial Self'. In my opinion, that is also the ultimate goal of neuroscience – to understand perception and consciousness.
Oh yes, I am challenged all the time! I have lots of friends from different religions, including some who identify as atheists. Discussing religion and science with them is a favorite topic of mine. Having your beliefs questioned is also refreshing in the sense in that it teaches you that beliefs or ideas that form your core personality may not have any significance for others – and that’s ok. Or the fact that one need not believe in a theistic religion to go out and do good in society or some seriously awesome science. I firmly believe that if the Quran is a divine miracle, its prophecies or claims will be testable and could not be falsified. My knowledge regarding both religion and neuroscience is fairly basic but this very reason motivates me to question both and improve my understanding.
Are there any misconceptions that you feel people have about your faith?
The biggest misconception I have faced is ‘faith and science are considered incompatible’. When I tell people I am a Christian, I have been asked how do you believe and be a scientist at the same time. With science, I try to understand and discover what is already there. My faith gives me the bigger picture, the purpose for life. Being a Christian is not also having certain religious practices and rituals. Faith is all about having a personal relationship with God. To me, having faith and being a religious person are not the same thing! Religion is something based on rules: do this, don’t do that. To me, being a Christian is personally experiencing God and walking the walk of life with Him through the ups and downs.
Well, it’s not specifically neuroscientific, but whenever I say I'm from India, people ask "are you a vegetarian?". I am actually, but not all Hindus are [laughs]. Some confusion also arises about the number of Gods that we have. Even though we have millions of Gods as a way of placing and expressing faith, we all believe in Paramatma, 'Primordial Self'.
There are two misconceptions that I’ve noticed a lot. First, that Islam hinders scientific progress as it’s just a set of rituals from the 7th century. This is absurd and any hindrances to science per se are products of people’s actions (combine less education and in depth study of religion + science) rather than their faith. This also extends to people’s take on women and STEM. Despite societal constraints on women in some Muslim countries, there have also been some remarkable outcomes. If you look at countries like Iran or Pakistan, they have some of the highest number of women in STEM professions in the Muslim world. A second big misconception is that Islamic teachings are rigid, set in stone and cannot be challenged. Also not true. In fact, the Quran openly challenges people to bring a counter argument against its verses and claims to promote a lifestyle model that can adapt to the change in time.
What do you think is the most important thing for people to understand about your faith?
Faith and science are not incompatible. It just takes an open heart to experience God like love. It is not something you can validate and understand with logic. It is not rocket science either, if we genuinely and humbly seek God with an open heart, we will find Him. He is not hidden or somewhere far away, He is around revealing himself in one or another way throughout our journey. Believing in Christ gives eternal life, internal peace, meaning to life and a positive way to look at everything. A life worth living is a life with meaning and purpose. God loves you!
People have thought about understanding the brain since many centuries, which is reflected in the religious scriptures like Vedas. Perhaps one could get answers by reading these scriptures!
As I mentioned before, the concept of skepticism and inquiry is very important. As far as scientific research is concerned, Islam encourages people to do that as it may be one way of recognizing the common design involved behind the universe and the man. For modern day issues like organ-donation and blood transfusion for instance, it encourages ‘’ijtihad’’ (thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question). Finally, Islam stresses that acquiring knowledge and then having the wisdom to act on that knowledge is what makes us distinct from our relatives in the animal kingdom. In the Quran, the reader is warned that not acting on acquired wisdom (be it through religious books or years spent in scientific training) will demote the status of its believers. Herein lies the key problem, and the majority of Muslims who passively follow Islam like a religion of rituals and obligations don’t bother to treat it as an all-encompassing lifestyle that could be so much more beyond prayer and supplications. Believing in Quran and its writer (the Almighty) do not automatically entitle anyone to any kind of superiority (religious or educational) over others who don’t. Success in any walk of life is guaranteed to those who work hard for it.
A big thank you to all interviewees!
Could you please tell us a little about your faith?
I am a Christian, as were my parents. When I was in grade 12, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and converted to Evangelical Christianity. And I would say during my stay in the university, I came much closer to God. I started seeking him with all my heart; the more I know Him, the more I reflect His character: love and kindness.
I'm basically born into a Hindu family. I have been practicing Hinduism since childhood. During the course of my studies and my PhD in neuroscience, I have started to question both religion and science – specifically whether either of them can fully answer questions on consciousness.
I was born in a Muslim family and had the privilege of having parents that loved to read and had a large collection of books on religion (mainly Islamic) as well as comparative religion-oriented. They encouraged me to read and I spent a great deal of time combing through books at my home. During my childhood, much like other kids, I practiced religion more out of watching what my parents and grandparents did. As a teenager, I became more inquisitive, and started practicing my religion with more reason, intent, and curiosity.
How does your faith help or influence you as a neuroscientist?
My faith shapes every part of my life, and everything I do is based on principles from the Bible. For example, I am faithful – faithful to God, faithful to the people standing next to me in the lab, faithful in everything that I do. I believe that God is watching, hence, I do whatever I do with all my heart. And I consider the opportunities I have got as an immense privilege that I should nurture and care for. Besides, living in harmony with God lets me have internal peace and keep me secure no matter what happens around.
The concept of Hinduism urges one to ask questions about one's inner self/consciousness (also known as Advaita philosophy) which helps me as a neuroscientist to shape and ask questions about workings of the brain leading to conscious behavior.
In our holy book, the Quran, there are hundreds of verses which encourage us to study and ponder. In fact, in the very first verse, where the truth about Allah is revealed to the prophet Muhammad, the first divine command is “Read!”. A quest for knowledge is thus one of the most important pursuits that one can have in life. Many people in different religions are taught that they cannot contest what is written or preached, but I believe that Islam teaches us always to be skeptical and build strong counterarguments, or put things to the test. Using this type of reasoning is extremely important for me as a neuroscientist. Furthermore, Islam teaches us that we should gain our livelihood through righteous means. That means if you happen to be a researcher, do research with a purpose and rationale behind it. We are held accountable after death for how we used our health, knowledge and time during life. Therefore, whatever we do has to be legitimate and meaningful. So, in that sense, faith definitely influences neuroscience in that it gives me a purpose behind the daily struggles of research because I know that even if I fail, I learn a lot more and that all these efforts are not futile.
What do you believe your faith can teach you about neuroscience?
I know that God has placed eternity in our heart and mindset to seek and explore what has been done under heaven. But, there are questions that science is not able to answer; about creation and existence, purpose of life, etc. People might seek and try lots of things, but there is always a void inside our heart that God can only fill. The Bible teaches us that we were uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully created as part of a perfect system. It is fascinating to see how the universe operates by itself. Hence, being a scientist (as well as a Christian) gives me great appreciation for how intricate biological systems are perfectly made, and work together in harmony. And this makes me wonder how one can perceive it as a random event.
Hindu scriptures like Vedas and Upanishads have dealt with mind and brain in depth. For example, there are concepts of divisions of mind like Buddhi (intellect/logical part of brain), Manas (emotional parts) and Indriyas (senses). Furthermore, these texts have a lot of insights on how senses interact with the mind.
The Quran teaches us that our intelligence is what sets us apart from animals – the ability to think and reason. Islam instills in an individual that he or she is so much more than the sum of all their synapses or microbiome. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility – we shouldn’t take it all for granted. Islam thus teaches us that to lead a meaningful life, we need to use our brains!
Has neuroscience changed the way that you see your faith?
If anything, I think it’s the other way around!
Neuroscience has definitely helped me form more solid ideas of mind and brain combining the aspects of mind mentioned in Vedas.
Yes. Science is all about inquiry, and established knowledge changes fast. This has helped me be more enquiring and skeptical about my own faith. In my everyday life, I try to reason with myself a lot about the how’s and why’s of the lifestyle I follow. Neuroscience reinforces this habit.
Has anyone ever challenged you about your faith as a scientist?
Well, I am having discussions with colleagues all the time, and I think sometimes they might get perplexed with my faith. Scientists are always looking for concrete proof, something tangible to prove things about God and the universe. But faith is something that has to be experienced – it’s something that I personally have experienced, and it is something that no one can take away from me. To help you understand, look at the concept of love. It’s something that I (and most other people) have experienced, yet is completely intangible and needs to be felt to be believed. It can’t be measured!
Actually, I never felt a clash between ideas in Hinduism and neuroscience. Hinduism encourages one to seek answers for questions on 'Paramatma' which is the 'Primordial Self'. In my opinion, that is also the ultimate goal of neuroscience – to understand perception and consciousness.
Oh yes, I am challenged all the time! I have lots of friends from different religions, including some who identify as atheists. Discussing religion and science with them is a favorite topic of mine. Having your beliefs questioned is also refreshing in the sense in that it teaches you that beliefs or ideas that form your core personality may not have any significance for others – and that’s ok. Or the fact that one need not believe in a theistic religion to go out and do good in society or some seriously awesome science. I firmly believe that if the Quran is a divine miracle, its prophecies or claims will be testable and could not be falsified. My knowledge regarding both religion and neuroscience is fairly basic but this very reason motivates me to question both and improve my understanding.
Are there any misconceptions that you feel people have about your faith?
The biggest misconception I have faced is ‘faith and science are considered incompatible’. When I tell people I am a Christian, I have been asked how do you believe and be a scientist at the same time. With science, I try to understand and discover what is already there. My faith gives me the bigger picture, the purpose for life. Being a Christian is not also having certain religious practices and rituals. Faith is all about having a personal relationship with God. To me, having faith and being a religious person are not the same thing! Religion is something based on rules: do this, don’t do that. To me, being a Christian is personally experiencing God and walking the walk of life with Him through the ups and downs.
Well, it’s not specifically neuroscientific, but whenever I say I'm from India, people ask "are you a vegetarian?". I am actually, but not all Hindus are [laughs]. Some confusion also arises about the number of Gods that we have. Even though we have millions of Gods as a way of placing and expressing faith, we all believe in Paramatma, 'Primordial Self'.
There are two misconceptions that I’ve noticed a lot. First, that Islam hinders scientific progress as it’s just a set of rituals from the 7th century. This is absurd and any hindrances to science per se are products of people’s actions (combine less education and in depth study of religion + science) rather than their faith. This also extends to people’s take on women and STEM. Despite societal constraints on women in some Muslim countries, there have also been some remarkable outcomes. If you look at countries like Iran or Pakistan, they have some of the highest number of women in STEM professions in the Muslim world. A second big misconception is that Islamic teachings are rigid, set in stone and cannot be challenged. Also not true. In fact, the Quran openly challenges people to bring a counter argument against its verses and claims to promote a lifestyle model that can adapt to the change in time.
What do you think is the most important thing for people to understand about your faith?
Faith and science are not incompatible. It just takes an open heart to experience God like love. It is not something you can validate and understand with logic. It is not rocket science either, if we genuinely and humbly seek God with an open heart, we will find Him. He is not hidden or somewhere far away, He is around revealing himself in one or another way throughout our journey. Believing in Christ gives eternal life, internal peace, meaning to life and a positive way to look at everything. A life worth living is a life with meaning and purpose. God loves you!
People have thought about understanding the brain since many centuries, which is reflected in the religious scriptures like Vedas. Perhaps one could get answers by reading these scriptures!
As I mentioned before, the concept of skepticism and inquiry is very important. As far as scientific research is concerned, Islam encourages people to do that as it may be one way of recognizing the common design involved behind the universe and the man. For modern day issues like organ-donation and blood transfusion for instance, it encourages ‘’ijtihad’’ (thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question). Finally, Islam stresses that acquiring knowledge and then having the wisdom to act on that knowledge is what makes us distinct from our relatives in the animal kingdom. In the Quran, the reader is warned that not acting on acquired wisdom (be it through religious books or years spent in scientific training) will demote the status of its believers. Herein lies the key problem, and the majority of Muslims who passively follow Islam like a religion of rituals and obligations don’t bother to treat it as an all-encompassing lifestyle that could be so much more beyond prayer and supplications. Believing in Quran and its writer (the Almighty) do not automatically entitle anyone to any kind of superiority (religious or educational) over others who don’t. Success in any walk of life is guaranteed to those who work hard for it.
A big thank you to all interviewees!
Content has been edited lightly for clarity and length with participants’ permission.
by Constance Holman, PhD Student AG Schmitz
this article originally appeared 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science
by Constance Holman, PhD Student AG Schmitz
this article originally appeared 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science
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