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As a glance at the headlines or the best-seller list demonstrates, religion is an increasingly prominent subject of debate in American life. Polls show that America is becoming both more evangelical and more secular, and the discussions about religion’s role--particularly in public life--are often acrimonious.

In an effort to elevate the discussion, the John Templeton Foundation recently invited thirteen prominent thinkers to write short essays on the question “Does science make belief in God obsolete?” Contributors range from the avowedly atheistic Christopher Hitchens to Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, lead editor of the catechism of the Catholic Church. (The full collection of essays can be found at www.templeton.org/belief.)

To advance this important discussion, AEI is hosting a dialogue between two contributors to the collection: William D. Phillips, the 1997 Nobel laureate in physics, and Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine. The discussion will be moderated and joined by AEI’s George Frederick Jewett Scholar and 1994 Templeton Prize winner Michael Novak.

This event is cosponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.