The Templeton Prize Celebrates The Inherent Compatibility Of Science And Religion

The John Templeton Foundation decided this year to award their prestigious Templeton Prize to Dr. Francisco José Ayala, a champion of both religion and science. The annual prize has, since its establishment in 1972, sought to award individuals who have, “made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.” The prize is worth roughly 1.5 million dollars and is the world’s largest annual monetary award given to a single individual. Previous recipients include Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Rev. Dr. Billy Graham and Freeman Dyson.

Dr. Ayala, a doctor of biology and former Dominican priest, was honored last month for his tireless defense of both fields of study. He came to the United States to get his doctorate in genetics from Columbia University and currently teaches at U of C Irvine. It is his staunch belief that religion and science, by necessity, answer mutually exclusive questions about the nature of life and the universe. Because of this Ayala has made enemies on both sides of the ever-rambling religion v. science argument.

He is a staunch opponent of the doctrine of creationism, as one might expect from a geneticist. “I say that evolution, in my view, is not only NOT anti-Christian, but the idea of special design, which many fundamentalists adhere to, might be — because it teaches the view of God that is blasphemous. The Special-Design-God is a God who messes up. Think about all the backaches, infected wisdom teeth and painful childbirth that exist because we humans evolved incompletely! ‘’Do you think God is absent-minded?’’ I ask them.” (source)