The Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum opened its thirteenth summer season on June 10, offering a weekly series of presentations that probe some of humanity's most enduring scientific and spiritual questions.
The program runs through August 12 at Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church in Los Alamos, N.M.
This year's lineup ranges from cosmology and the fine‑tuned constants of the universe to the evolutionary role of religion, the genetics of human behavior, and scriptural perspectives on environmental responsibility. July's talks focus on themes from Just Six Numbers, exploring whether the universe's physical parameters point toward a Creator or a multiverse — with speakers approaching both ideas from Christian perspectives.
Other sessions examine whether religion aided early human survival, how genetics may shape moral tendencies, and whether sensory "cross‑wiring" could influence religious experience.
The 2026 schedule includes:
- June 10 — Introduction to Religious Studies from a Scientific Perspective, James Carroll
- June 17 — Oppenheimer and the Science of Hinduism, Victoria Erhart
- June 24 — Saved by the Spirits: Did Religion Rescue Paleolithic Humans from Extinction?, Nels Hoffman
- July 8 — Expansion on "Just Six Numbers", Joyce Guzik
- July 15 — God and the Multiverse, Deborah and Loren Haarsma
- July 22 — The Genetics of Vice, Kathryn Paige Harden
- July 29 — Synchronous Sin and Synesthesia at Sinai, Jack Shlachter
- August 5 — Searching for the Origin of Goodness, John Ambrosiano
- August 12 — Human Responsibility for the Earth with Scriptural Ties, Chick Keller
All talks are free and open to the public.
Susan is an author with a long-time interest in religion and science. She currently edits Covalence, the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology’s online magazine. She has written articles in The Lutheran and the Zygon Center for Religion and Science newsletter. Susan is a board member for the Center for Advanced Study of Religion and Science, the supporting organization for the Zygon Center and the Zygon Journal. She also co-wrote Our Bodies Are Selves with Dr. Philip Hefner and Dr. Ann Pederson.
