INTERVIEW/RAJESH KALARIA - A Brain Pathologist Explains His Faith

PROFESSOR Rajesh Kalaria, of Newcastle University, England,  has studied the human brain for  more than 40 years. He used to believe in evolution.  But later, he changed his views.  Awake! asked him about his work and faith.

Please tell us about your religious background.  

My father and my mother was born in India, and my mother, although of Indian origin, was born in Uganda. Their lives were largely governed by Hindu customs. I am the second of three children. We lived in Nirobi, Kenya.  Many other Hindu people lived nearby.  

What stimulated your interest in science?

I was always interested in animals, and I often went hiking and  camping with my friends to see the spectacular wildlife.  My initial goal was to be a veterinary  surgeon. But after graduating from a technical college in Nirobi, I went to England to study pathology at the university of London. Later, I specialized in research into the human brain. 

Did your studies affect your religious beliefs?  Yes. The more I studied science, the harder I found it to believe the Hindu mythology and traditions, such as the worship of animals and images.

Why did you accept the teaching of evolution?  

In my younger years, many people around me held the view that human evolution began in Africa, and we often discussed this idea at school. Also the teachers and university professors gave us students the impression that all respected scientists believe in evolution. 

In time you reconsidered the question of the origin of Life. Why?

I had been studying biology and anatomy for some years when a fellow student told me what he was learning about the Bible from Jehovah's Witnesses. I became curious. So when the Witnesses held an assembly  at our college hall in Nirobi, I attended.  Later, two Witness missionaries explained some Bible teachings to me.  Their belief in a Grand Designer who has the answers to life's big questions did not sound like mythology. It appealed to me as being reasonable.  

Next time: INTERVIEW/RAJESH KALARIA -Conclusion of A Brain Pathologist Explains His Faith

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