Brandon Weisenberger

Daily Egyptian

Organizers are hoping today's Faith Day events will facilitate an open dialogue about religious beliefs on campus.

The Rev. Pastor Robert Gray of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carbondale has assembled three programs to encourage students to be vocal about their religious convictions.

"People view faith as kind of a personal thing and they don't want to come off as 'holier than thou'," Gray said. "It's not something that's always talked about in public, just mainly in small groups. But it can be and I think should be talked about on campus."

At noon, several faiths will be represented in the Hall of Fame area in the south end of the Student Center. A number of religion-based Registered Student Organizations will provide information about their faiths and groups.

SIUC has more than 30 religious RSOs, according to the Student Development office. Gray said he believes religion has one of the highest rates of participation among students here.

"If you took all the faith groups and all the students involved with religion, it's probably the second largest activity on campus next to the Recreation Center," Gray said.

The Rev. Norman Greer, a professor at Eastern Illinois University, will speak at 6:30 p.m. in Student Center Ballroom D on the subject of "The Role Faith Played in the life of the African American Community and in the Civil Rights Movement."

After Greer's speech, a roundtable discussion with representatives of Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths will be held in the ballroom. The panelists will each answer questions about their religion's values, views on life and death, and how faith has played a part in their college experience. Audience members will then have a chance to ask questions of their own.

"This is an opportunity to learn more about various faith traditions and to dialogue on some important issues," Gray said. "Greater knowledge of various faith traditions can help us in understanding how and why other people make important decisions."

For more information about Faith Day, call 549-1694.