<bt>More than 60 people from different racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds gathered May 3 at the McNair Farms Community Center to discuss "Science and Religion: A Measure of Our Understanding."
"The Bahá'í writings state that religion and science are intertwined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly. One wing is not enough. Every religion which does not concern itself with science is mere tradition, and that is not the essential. Therefore science, education and civilization are most important necessities for the full religious life," said Hushmand Cott, an organizer of these events.
This meeting was eighth in a series of "Dinner and Discussion" meetings sponsored monthly by the Bahá'ís of Fairfax County Northwest, and was led by Dr. David Rutstein, who is the chief medical officer of the National Health Service Corps in the Health Resources and Services Administrations Bureau of Health Professions in Bethesda, Md. Rutstein currently holds the rank of captain in the U.S. Public Health Service and has received numerous awards and honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Outstanding Service Medal with Valor and an Honorary Medical Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine.
Rutstein spoke of the essential unity of science and religion and described how religion unbridled by science can be very destructive. He gave a historical example by citing the story of Copernicus, who was the first to state that the sun, not the Earth, is at rest in the center of the universe; the church at that time persecuted him for making this blasphemous statement. Rutstein went on to say that science without religion also can be very dangerous, citing the experimentation upon World War II prisoners and the creation of weapons of mass destruction.
The evening began and ended with piano playing and devotional songs in Swahili. The participants enjoyed multiethnic food, provided by the Bahá'í community. The next Dinner and Discussion meeting will take place at the same location, 2491 McNair Farms Drive in Herndon, on June 7 at 7 p.m.
For more information about the Bahai faith visit www.bahai.org.