At a time when science and religion are heavily debated, some scholars say that God is not a scientific element.
This is one of the ideas that will be addressed tonight during the first session of Veritas: The Sequel, two forums that will provide Ohio University faculty the chance to discuss religious thinking and criticism from an academic standpoint.
Although not affiliated with the Veritas Forum held at OU earlier this quarter, these panel discussions are a reaction to the forum and to complaints that it was not broad-ranging enough, said panel member Steve Hays, an associate professor of classics and world religion.
Hays said that unlike the Veritas Forum, which was organized by Christian groups and presented only Christian views, these discussions are deliberately trying to present people with ways of thinking that do not fit into any particular group.
Tonight's panel will ask the question, Is religious thinking obsolete and an impediment to scientific progress? Hays said he believes religious thinking can be applicable to other areas because whatever our notions of goodness and justice are
we bring them to whatever we do ' including scientific studies.
He also said that informed people should regard things such as beauty, human goodness and justice and should recognize that these are not scientific issues. He added, however, that our society does have a need for science that looks only at facts and material matters, such as disease research.
Jerome Rovner, a professor of biological sciences, is a member of the panel. A self-proclaimed atheist, he stressed the importance of separating science and religion.
These are two different ways at looking at the universe and at ourselves and I don't see a compromise he said. In regard to the forum's basic question, he said that he does believe religion is obsolete and can interfere with scientific progress, though it need not. He said examples of this interference are faith-based efforts to stop stem-cell research.
The next panel discussion will be next Wednesday (MAY 23) and will focus on religion and society, including the question, Is belief in God endangering the world? Audiences of both forums will give feedback through an electronic student response system that Hays said he hopes will allow for a consensus and recognition of the main conflicts that will drive the discussion.
Veritas: The Sequel is presented by the Difficult Dialogues Project, an OU program funded by a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, with the purpose of initiating conversation on difficult religious topics on campus.
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Amanda Wilcosky
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