The goal of the Local Societies Initiative is to create new conversations between groups exploring the rich overlap between science and religion. While the program prides itself on supporting a wide spectrum of groups, including colleges, universities and seminaries worldwide, it also welcomes applications from other interested parties.
hey are translating seminal texts into local dialects, broadcasting science and religion programs across the Middle East via satellite, and bringing together scholars, scientists and monks in north central Minnesota for a popular speakers series.
Who are they?
From its origin as one of Sir John Templeton’s brainstorms, to the international program it is today, the Local Societies Initiative (LSI) has captured the worldwide attention of a remarkably intellectually diverse community. Presently, more than 200 LSI groups are active in 37 countries, including Russia, Armenia, China, India and Lebanon.
“The LSI was born from the idea that the progress of the science and religion dialogue would be accelerated if there were a congenial forum for researchers, teachers, students, clergy and other intellectuals,” says Eric Weislogel, LSI’s coordinator.
Administered by the Metanexus Institute, each of LSI’s three-year grants provide seed funds intended to spark colleges, universities and seminaries to bring people together in local groups. “Because of the diversity of academic disciplines involved, we want members to seek a common vocabulary to explore significant questions,” says Weislogel. “We’re creating ‘safe-zones’ for people from a variety of disciplines to talk to each other.”
The appetite for these “safe-zones” cannot be underestimated. Weislogel remembers a biologist sharing a revealing story at his LSI group. “He said he’d spent his entire professional life building his reputation on the study of a single enzyme. He confessed that he didn’t fully understand what was going on in the larger field of biology—let alone in the other natural sciences, not to mention the social sciences and the humanities. He went on to say he could not reconcile in an intellectual and emotional way the work of his career with his human questions of meaning and purpose or with his spiritual life. It was not until he became a member of a local society that he could voice his questions.”
A crucial distinction between this program and other Templeton initiatives is that LSI grants are meant to create organizations by creating long-term conversations. Members of local science and religion societies come together for study groups, public lectures and journal publications.
But the next phase of the LSI program is potentially the most interesting and rewarding. Certain emergent properties inherent in all healthy networks are starting to make themselves apparent. “What’s happening now, and what we’re really excited about, is these local groups are starting to reach out to one another. The networks are starting to build, which means these institutions can take on collaborative work,” says Weislogel. “In Europe, for instance, over 100 scholars came together in Stuttgart-Hohenheim to develop a German language subnetwork. So far this network includes 17 local LSI chapters working together.”
As William Grassie, Metanexus Executive Director notes, “It’s easy to forget that the origin of the word religion means, “to bind together.”
Click here for Local Societies Initiative Highlights
www.metanexus.net/local_societies
