George, Yusuf discuss Abrahamic faith

American Islamic scholar Sheikh Hamza Yusuf held a conversation with McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Robert George at the University Chapel on Sept. 26 on philosophy and faith.

Throughout the two hours of discussion, Yusuf and George endeavored to spur the audience to reflect on the future of religion and believers in an ever-changing modern world.

Yusuf is the co-founder of Zaytuna College, the first four-year accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States. People of all faiths, from both the University and surrounding community, gathered to hear a dialogue regarding “Abrahamic Faith in The Age of Feeling.”

At the start, George defined “the age of feeling” for the audience, stating that it is an age “when the criterion of truth, of goodness, of rightness, is in a certain sense neither faith nor reason, but is something subjective: feelings.”

Over the course of two hours, Yusuf and George discussed philosophy and faith in an attempt to bring clarity to the place of Abrahamic beliefs in current times. One of the central issues discussed was the place of transhumanism and scientism in today’s society.

During the discussion of reality and thought, Yusuf said that “science today is the only acceptable methodology to examine reality.” Both agreed that the issue with this current norm lies in the fact that consciousness, the very essence of a human experience, has an immaterial base and cannot be subjected to a scientism methodology.

Yusuf and George then transitioned to discussing more concrete issues regarding religion in the modern world, specifically the misuse of religion as a validation for violence. Regarding the rise of groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Yusuf noted that such groups carry out their violent acts under the guise of Islam, and such violence has “very little to do with religion unless you define religion as ideology,” a definition that he said was incorrect.

The conversation ended with statements regarding the purpose of religion and its relevance even in this advanced “age of feeling.” Yusuf said that “religion is a way of numbing the pain of the world,” while George discussed what he believed to be the role of religion in personal growth.

Both scholars left the audience with much to think about regarding faith and philosophy, and the place of such abstract concepts in a world of concrete science and materialism.

“I thought that the talk between Dr. Robert and Sheikh Hamza Yusuf was a very enlightening and intellectually engaging conversation about spirituality in the modern day,” Shamailah Azam ’20 said.

The event, titled "Abrahamic Faith in the Age of Feeling," was co-sponsored by the Office of Religious Life and the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.