The Bath Interfaith Group (IFG) arranged a lively discussion on religion and science, held in a packed St Michael’s church. Bath Quaker John James was an original founder of the Bath IFG some 30 years ago.

Well matched: the Imam and the Bishop are both well versed in science as well as religion.

The November meeting took the form of a dialogue between Bath’s Imam and the Bishop of Bath and Wells. It was chaired by Bath IFG chair Rev David Musgrave. Imam Mohammed recently translated the text Science and Civilisation between Islam and Christianity. Bishop Michael is a former epidemiologist who specialised in infectious diseases in children.

The same Arabic word embraces science and all kinds of knowledge, Imam Mohammed told us. He told about Islam’s golden age of reason, when translators were so valued they were paid the weight of their texts in gold. In coming up with his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin – regardless of whether he was right or wrong – was arguably following a divine imperative, he said, in that God called us to investigate how He may have started the process of creation (Q. 29:20). The Qur’an loves uncertainty, he said, and maintaining a state of doubt means your heart is still alive.

The Bishop and the Imam drew a full audience to St Michael’s Without.

Bishop Michael spoke of the deep and beautiful rationality of the world revealed in Genesis: “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good“. The Christian view, he said, is that humans, made in the image of God, are called to be rational. They should take joy in the pursuit of science. He recalled the inscription on Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory: “The works of the Lord are great…”

Asked about miracles, the Bishop suggested a symbolic interpretation: the 5000 were all fed, for example, because of a miraculous sharing of food. The Imam said that the key miracle in the Islamic tradition is the Qur’an itself.

A full audio recording of the evening in two parts is available here, with photos.

Local dignitaries who came: (L to R) the Lord Lieutenant Mohammed Saddiq, Imam Mohammed, Bishop Michael, the Mayor Cllr Michelle O’Doherty, Bath IFG chair David Musgrave and High Sheriff Rob Beckley.

• Upcoming Bath IFG events include Holocaust Memorial Day Mon 27 Jan 2025, and the Mayor’s multi-faith Gathering on Sun 9 Feb. Details to follow.