The Thousand Stars Foundation Bangkok Bringing together Buddhist practitioners with representatives of other religions, religious scholars, philosophers, scientists, medical professionals, linguists, and other interested members of the community, this society addresses the widespread curiosity and concern regarding modernization and scientific advances in relation to the tenets of Buddhism in Thai society. The group explores science and faith in consideration of

Department of Philosophy and Political Sciences Tajik Technical University Dushanbe Bringing together a core group of scholars in philosophy, anthropology, Islamic theology and law, astrophysics, biology, sociology, and history this society invites membership from professional scientists and theologians, religious leaders, students, and the general public. Monthly roundtable discussions and colloquia investigate the interrelation of science and Islam – exploring matters

Fu Jen Catholic University Hsinchuang, Taipei Founded in 2001, to provide a platform for research and teaching in the context of the culture of Taiwan and China, the Center brings together researchers in theology, religious studies, humanities and social sciences with those in the physical and life sciences. While its roots are in the Christian tradition, the Center encourages a

Lanka Jatika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamya University of Peradeniya, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies Peradeniya A new venture, this society brings together academics specializing in medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, microbiology, psychology and psychiatry, food technology and agriculture, economics, political science, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, language, and literature with leading religious leaders belonging to all major faiths in Sri Lanka. Meeting

NWFP Agricultural University Peshawar Forum for the Promotion of Religion-Science Discourse (FPRSD) seeks to bring together scholars, scientists, religious leaders, professors and students to deliberate on issues and suggest strategies to meet the new ethical challenges, mainly in 21st century, in science. Discussions also address the role of spiritual and moral values in modern science. The forum aims to encourage

Government Postgraduate College Mansehra HSSRD was the first three-time awardee of the LSI supplemental award in 2002, 2003 and 2004.The focus of this society is to view the multitude of dialogue topics from different angles under the heading of “Religion and Science: Past, Present and Future”. In the words of the Chair of HSSRD, the society wants to “provide a

Notre Dame University Zouk Mikael Part of a worldwide network of discussion groups that meet monthly to discuss articles from the International Catholic Review, the Communio Study Circle at NDU, Lebanon has been meeting for seven years. The group’s emerging interest in the importance of religion/science dialogue resulted in a proposal to the Local Societies Initiative. This study circle brings

Kyoritsu Christian Institute Science and Religion Program Tokyo Christian University Inzai-City, Chiba Prefecture Founded five years ago, this group of professors and scholars in fields of theoretical physics, agricultural science, medicine, engineering, linguistics, psychology, theology, and education, came together monthly to discuss and consider “problems of the person in the scientific age.” After spending the first three years addressing and

Samvad India Foundation Saket, New Delhi This Society draws its members from the faculty and students of India’s three top-rated institutions of higher learning and research, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Institute of Technology, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Regular meetings are held in rotation at these three institutions and at general venues to invite public participation.

Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth Pune Named after the Sanskrit word for wisdom, this pre-existing group consists of researchers and students interested in exploring dialogue and reaching the community at large through organized twice-monthly meetings, seminars and conferences. A website with email discussion groups, book publication, a membership journal, and CD ROM presentations further outreach efforts. The group explores a broad array questions

Institute for Human Science and Service Visakhapatnam This society consists of scientists in the physical and biological sciences and scholars in the humanities and social sciences who have a deep interest in the spiritual dimensions of knowledge. The activities of this group include bi-weekly meetings, monthly workshops, tri-monthly seminars, and an annual conference. The objectives of these activities are to

Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram Bangalore This group of scientists, belonging to the premier science institutions in Bangalore, have been “evaluating scientific discoveries and changes in religious world vision” since September of 1998. One of the Forum’s primary goals is the promotion of the intellectual and spiritual development of its members and the community. Exploring topics such as the historic and contemporary

Little Flower Seminary Aluva, Kerala Institute of Science and Religion (ISR) is an interdisciplinary entity of scientists, philosophers and theologians, based in Little Flower Seminary, Aluva, Kerala, India committed to the cause of the constructive dialogue between science and religion. Non-sectarian and multi-religious in its approach, ISR stands for a value-based integration of the religious, philosophical, ethical and societal implications

St. Thomas College Palai, Kerala One of the main objectives of this society is “to encourage greater understanding of the religious and spiritual significance of science for the benefit of humanity.” It includes members of faculty and staff as well as those of other institutions of higher learning, high schools, and the local community. This comprehensive program involves group discussion,

Bishop Kurialacherry College for Women Kottayam, Kerala Collaborating efforts with three local Seminaries, a Hindu temple, area mosques, a medical college, teacher training schools, high schools, and members of the community-at-large, BKSSR launches an effort to pursue broadly informed excellence in advancing science and faith in their locale. The goal of this effort is to encourage thoughtful and dynamic explorations

Malabar Educational Society for Human Resource Development Thalassery, Kerala The core planners of this group consist of clergy and scholars from Nirmalagiri College with specializations in the social sciences and humanities, medicine, Biblical studies, and the physical, natural, and life sciences. Outreach invites participation from students of the college and communities of diverse religious traditions and scientific disciplines from over

St. Aloysius College Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh Through a series of departmental, inter- and intra-collegiate activities and public events, AEWF aims to create an awareness of the relation between science and religion among youth and the general public of the city and state. The dialogue groups, formed among students and educators of St. Aloysius College and surrounding institutions, are designed to

Deva Matha College Kuravalingad, Kottayam, Kerala Deva Matha Academy of Science and Religion is an association of research-oriented, socially committed, religiously inspired, scientifically enlightened professors, research scholars, academicians, theologians and sincere seekers of truth – irrespective of caste, creed, politics, or religion. The members of this Academy seek reconciliation between science and religion, reason and faith. The group reaches out

Bhaktivedanta Institute Vedanta and Science Educational Research Foundation Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal Formed in September 2003, this group of local scientists, scholars, students and interested individuals come together to promote serious dialogue between science and religion among students and scholars in colleges, universities and institutions in and around Kolkata. Bringing together Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, the society works together in

Alphonsa College Kottayam, Kerala State Combining participants from the college, faculty and students of two minor seminaries, three major seminaries, a local Hindu Ashram and several local Mosques, this group promotes an inter-religious dialogue combining multiple perspectives of faith and disciplinary expertise. As Alphonsa is a women’s college, activities are focused, in part, on science and faith issues from the

Student Christian Movement of India (affiliated with the World Student Christian Federation) Bangalore, Karnataka The goal of this society is to emphasize the newly emerging conversation between science and religion, raising ethical and theological questions in different areas of science that have affected Indian society’s collective experience both socially and economically. Included in the considerations are the new physics, Big

Vimala College Thrissur, Kerala The Vimala Society, based in the only women’s college in Thrissur – known as the “cultural capital of Kerala” – serves as a catalyzing agent, promoting science and religion interest beyond the confines of the campus. The Society offers programs designed to promote active interfaith interest in science and religion at both scholarly and popular levels.

Beijing Normal University Beijing The Beijing Center for Science and Faith is associated with the Chinese Society on the Dialectics of Nature – the largest official Chinese academic research center on science and the humanities, with chapters throughout the country. Core members include scholars of philosophy, sociology, ethics, Far East science and technology, dialectics, and the natural sciences. The purpose

Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) Wuhan, Hubei The founding members of this center plan to “promote integrated thinking by overcoming the split between science and spirituality among both intellectuals and the general public by encouraging dialogue between physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers and professors in the social sciences and humanities.” They plan to serve as a source of intellectual

Faculty of Law and PoliticsShanghai Normal University This society brings together scholars of religion, philosophy, politics, law, and the sciences, in conjunction with the Institute of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy, to collaborate on creating a vibrant and exploratory group. The core planners facilitate the collaboration of scholars and students of Islamic, Buddhist, Confucianism, Christian, and Taoism studies,