CONCORD - The New Hampshire Humanities Council’s two-year initiative, Shifting Ground: Religion and Public Life in America, will culminate this fall with six-week community forums in Salem and Claremont and a major public address by Noah Feldman, author of Divided by God, on Thursday, November 20 at the Dana Center at St. Anselm College in Manchester.

The Salem Community Forum will be held on Thursdays beginning September 4 at Northeast Rehabilitation Network. It will be led by former New Hampshire House Speaker Donna Sytek and Jack Resch, UNH-Manchester. The Claremont community forum will begin on Thursday, September 11 at the Fiske Free Library with facilitators Suzanne Brown, Dartmouth College, and Susan Thomas, Chaplain at Gifford Medical Center. An anthology of readings will be mailed to each participant before the first meeting. Each forum meets once a week for six consecutive weeks. Space is limited and preregistration is required. The individual cost is $10 for the six week session which covers the cost of printing and mailing the anthology of readings.

These six-week community forums have been the centerpiece of the two-year Shifting Ground project. “It’s the difference between debating in order to win one’s point and listening for the common ground,” wrote one participant. “We need this so much.” Forums have been held in every region of the state over the last two years, including a special session just for legislators.

Is religion becoming more influential in determining American public policy? Conflicting but deeply-held values affect public policies that range from waging war to the right to die, from same sex marriage to faith-based initiatives. While the public debate generates great heat about American values and the shifting relationship between Church and State, not much light emerges. The Humanities Council created this initiative to provide people with a neutral and supportive environment to discuss these critical issues. The point is not to reach consensus or change minds, but to engage in productive and respectful conversations. The Humanities Council seeks a diverse audience with perspectives all along the political and religious spectrum and anyone may register.

For more information or to register for a community forum, visit the Shifting Ground page of the Humanities Council’s website at www.nhhc.org or call them at 603-224-4071. The public address by Noah Feldman is open to the public free of charge.