(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Science and religion have battled throughout the ages and this is nothing.
Sharjah: Renowned novelist Dan Brown known for bestsellers The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons on Thursday delivered an exhilarating speech at the Sharjah International Book Fair in the presence of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Dan Brown speaks at the book fair. — KT photo by M. Sajjad
Brown started off by talking about how honoured he felt to be in the UAE and how deeply moved he was with Arab hospitality. When Shaikh Sultan asked Brown if he would be interested to attend the book fair next year Brown responded with great interest and enthusiasm.
Brown is widely criticised for his seemingly hostile views on Catholicism and many falsely presume that he has a vendetta against the notion of Abrahamic religions. He dispelled this myth by talking a great deal on spirituality. Surprisingly he was raised in a very strong Christian household. His mother was a choir singer actively involved in her church and a woman of unwavering faith.
In a sharp contrast to this his father was very logical with a great fascination in science so his approach was very analytical in comparison. As a result Brown felt like he had the best of both worlds. His parents always stressed on the importance of religion and yet they encouraged him to ask questions and to always keep an open mind and never follow faith blindly.
He spoke candidly about how he initially struggled to grasp the spiritual ideals instilled by his mother which seemed natural to most but to him it felt almost unattainable contradictory and stifling. In spite of this he always instinctively knew there was something bigger than just molecules and the Big Bang. It was a grey area and he found that exploring this area was a coming of age experience.
Science and religion have battled throughout the ages and this is nothing. Whilst science gives answers religion prompts the questions.
Brown concluded that science and religion have something important in common to focus on which is that they are both attempting to reach an ultimate truth. “There is great beauty in this pursuit and this quest for truth is what connects us as human beings.”
He stressed on the notion of truth being entirely subjective. One person’s might not relate to another’s but even as we all greatly differ in our perceptions and religions we are all united as having experiences on earth whatever label that might be referred to he said.