Drawing inspiration from the traditions of its home city of Gdansk, the Hevelius Forum for Dialogue between Science and Religion strives to increase tolerance within and beyond Poland.
The forum takes its name from the astronomer Jan Hevelius (1611-1687), one of many famous citizens of Gdansk — the city that gave birth to the solidarity movement credited with overthrowing the communist regime, said Adam Cenian, chairman of the Local Societies Initiative group.
Although many of its members had worked together on science-and-religion activities for many years, the forum was formally founded in the fall of 2004. Cenian, who is also a professor at the Institute of Fluid Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Science, said that as a physicist he felt “an obligation toward other believers related to the problematic interface of science and religion.” After sharing his thoughts with other scientists, professors, and theologians, Cenian launched a “forum for discussion of various issues related to science and religion in a friendly and tolerant atmosphere,” he said.
In addition to opening public discussion of science-and-religion topics, the forum also attempts “to help the local community rediscover the posture of tolerance toward people of other world views and opinions,” in the light of rising extremism and terrorism, he said.
Yet increasing the level of tolerance is often difficult in Poland, where in recent years a tradition of serious and tolerant discussions has disappeared since the population is almost 99% Catholic, according to Cenian. Moreover, he said that high unemployment “forces more and more people to quasi-slavery, and so they often do not really have time for serious discussion of important issues.”
The initial public response to their mission has been cautiously positive, Cenian said. “Generally, Poles are not eager to speak about their religious convictions,” he said. Yet many are interested in continuing the science-and-religion discussion, concentrating on issues like cosmology, intelligent design and Gdansk as the city of new ideas and tolerance. Others have expressed interest in discussing more humanistic issues related, for example, to sociology and pedagogy, he added.
These issues are raised during four annual meetings for members, as well as at public meetings and free film screenings. The first open event was in November 2004, during which the forum hosted Richard Carhart, an emeritus professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and coordinator of the European Scientific Network. Carhart gave a series of lectures on topics like “Has science discovered intelligent design in nature?” and “Can humans understand and control the world completely?”
The forum is planning several lectures and seminars for this year on topics ranging from Jan Hevelius and the big bang to tolerance and intelligent design. Larger seminars and conferences are also being planned, including a summer workshop on New Age philosophy and spirituality. In May, the forum co-sponsoredthe conference “Science-Ethics-Faith” organized by the Christian Forum for Science Workers in Wista, Poland.
The forum publishes seminar materials, some translations, discussion questions, and information about upcoming activities on the Web and in print. Members and partners are encouraged to share their work. The group is also in the process of funding and creating a library of science-and-religion resources.
Although membership is free, the forum is supported by member contributions, in addition to donations and sponsorships from other organizations, including the Council of Pomeranian District of the Baptist Church.
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