Human being tries to know him and his surrounding. For this sake, he analyzes
and questions them according to the basics of his creation. "Who am I? Where do
I come from? Where do I go?" are some of the many questions for those he tries to
find an answer. During his deterioration of the existence, he confronts with two
definitive areas as the rational data and revealed data.
The discussion between the science and religion entangles exactly at this point.
What kind of a relationship should be constructed between the systematic knowledge/science
which people acquire through the reading of existence and the revealed knowledge
from God? Are these two kinds of knowledge contrasting with each other or do they
support each other?
Discussions going around the search for an adequate answer to these questions
generate a number of philosophical schools and beliefs through the history of humanity.
From the medieval era on, the relationship between these two lines has been seceded
structurally. This leads to the emergence of many conflicting political, social
and economic systems. As a consequence, every segments of the society have been
influenced from this conflict. Individual has been impacted from this conflict at
most.
As all over the world, this secession leads not only to the conflicts between
institutions, ideologies and personalities, but also ends up with the changes of
systems. The torments coming out of these conflicts tell us the weakness of the
definition of the existence only in the material realm, and therefore much more
holistic approaches appear.
At this point, the approach of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi in terms of the comprehension
of the existence in the integrity of the reason and revelation abates the conflict
between science and religion and offers the humanity with a new perspective and
solution. For the sake of the future of humanity, these solutions should be pinpointed
so that they would become alternative ways in this discussion.
In the II. National Congress of Risale-i Nur the subject "Science and Religion"
has been discussed in order to ask similar questions and to turn our attention to
the contribution of the Risale-i Nur into our thought. In the congress organized
by the Institute of Risale-i Nur on 26th and 27th of March 2005, the common texts
emerged as a result of seven workshops have been shared with audience. We aim in
this issue to publish the papers and conclusion proceedings of this congress so
that these valuable pieces would reach wider audience and become more perpetual.
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We would like to leave you alone with our journal and wish to meet again in the
next issue.