Instant communication, from the internet to social media, could be used to spread love instead of hate, according to former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.
Rabbi Sacks, the man described by Prince Charles as “a light to this nation”, will deliver his message of hope at a special event in St Andrews University on Monday.
The Rabbi, who is the winner of the £1.1 million 2016 Templeton Prize, will give a public lecture on the rise of religious fundamentalism and how to respond to terrorism.
Rabbi Sacks, who believes that civilisation is at a turning point, thinks the message of love needs to be as strong as the message of hate to eradicate extremism.
“We have yet to turn instant communication into a spiritual blessing – the best uses of the web right now are by people of anger and hate.
“The most important spiritual message of the 21st Century is to be free – you have to let go of hate.
“There is no other way.”
As the former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Rabbi Sacks has written more than two dozen books and is the longest serving contributor to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’.
During his service as Chief Rabbi from 1991 to 2013, he led a revitalisation of Britain’s Jewish community in the face of growing secularisation across Europe.
Eric Priest, Emeritus Professor of Applied Mathematics at the university, is a trustee of the John Templeton Foundation, which awards the prize.
He said: “Rabbi Sacks’ books are highly insightful and his message of reconciliation, especially between Christians, Jews and Muslims, is sorely needed right now.
“Let us hope his fresh ideas for bringing people together can foster hope in our troubled world.”
The talk will start at 5.15pm in the main physics lecture theatre, North Haugh.
