Julia Sweeney, former SNL cast member and writer, will perform an excerpt from her critically acclaimed autobiographical work, Letting Go of God, in the program Faith & Science, on Saturday May 31.

Grappling with the widely held view that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible, Faith & Science takes an intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality.

In addition to Sweeney, the line-up of fascinating and thought-provoking speakers includes:

• Dr. Tim Johnson, known to millions of viewers as ABC News’ chief medical correspondent, is a physician and ordained priest
  
• William Phillips is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion Psychologist
  
• Nina Azari uses both traditional psychological methods and cutting-edge medical imaging technology to explore religious experiences, consciousness, belief and perception
• Psychologist Paul Bloom explores how children and adults understand the world around them, particularly morality, religion, fiction, and art

Faith & Science will take place on Saturday, May 31, from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM at New York University’s Kimmel Center for University Life at 60 Washington Square South (between Thompson and LaGuardia).

The event is part of the Festival’s Big Ideas Series, which is supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

More updates from the World Science Festival can be found here.  The World Science Festival is a celebration of science, held from May 28 to June 1, 2008, in New York City.

http://www.worldsciencefestival.com