Seeking a debate on role of God and science
Matthew Kuka
Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: News
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On March 29, the Campus Freethought Alliance will sponsor a debate about the existence of God, which will pit Edward Tabash of the Center for Inquiry against Rev. Joel A. Reif from the First United Church of Christ of Orlando. The debate will be a five-part question-and-answer format, with the speakers fielding questions from each other and audience members.
The CFA is an organization devoted to reaching out to students, the religious and secular alike.
Ken Swan, vice president of CFA, says the purpose is primarily to promote science, the separation of church and state and an inquiry into all areas of human interest where no question is off limits.
"We are open-minded," Swan said. "We are not a group of atheists who are only trying to promote themselves. We are a group who wants to discuss everything, and we are always willing to discuss any viewpoint that is brought to the table. We are open-minded toward other religions, but we do not allow faith to be a conversation stopper."
Costas Efthimiou, assistant professor of physics, founder of the UCF chapter of the CFA and the adviser to the group, believes that there is a need on campus for the CFA. According to the Science and Engineering Indicators' research on public attitudes toward science and the pseudoscience, more than 50 percent of Americans hold beliefs in at least two pseudosciences.
Pseudoscience, as defined by the American Heritage dictionary, is a theory, methodology or practice that is considered to be without scientific foundation. Efthimiou said that with these high levels of beliefs in pseudoscience, there is a need for public education on what real science is. The CFA seeks to interpret the world without the interference of the supernatural and superstitions.
CFA meetings are round-table discussions and are held bimonthly on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Swan says the group doesn't do rallies or protests but is more interested in debate and discussion.
The CFA is an organization devoted to reaching out to students, the religious and secular alike.
Ken Swan, vice president of CFA, says the purpose is primarily to promote science, the separation of church and state and an inquiry into all areas of human interest where no question is off limits.
"We are open-minded," Swan said. "We are not a group of atheists who are only trying to promote themselves. We are a group who wants to discuss everything, and we are always willing to discuss any viewpoint that is brought to the table. We are open-minded toward other religions, but we do not allow faith to be a conversation stopper."
Costas Efthimiou, assistant professor of physics, founder of the UCF chapter of the CFA and the adviser to the group, believes that there is a need on campus for the CFA. According to the Science and Engineering Indicators' research on public attitudes toward science and the pseudoscience, more than 50 percent of Americans hold beliefs in at least two pseudosciences.
Pseudoscience, as defined by the American Heritage dictionary, is a theory, methodology or practice that is considered to be without scientific foundation. Efthimiou said that with these high levels of beliefs in pseudoscience, there is a need for public education on what real science is. The CFA seeks to interpret the world without the interference of the supernatural and superstitions.
CFA meetings are round-table discussions and are held bimonthly on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Swan says the group doesn't do rallies or protests but is more interested in debate and discussion.