The discussion was moderated by comparative religion professor Diana L. Eck, who said she hoped the discussion would touch on the "different dimensions of the Harvard religious experience" and "whether Harvard is an environment where it is easy or hard to be religious."

After a brief introduction by Eck, the panelists introduced themselves and their organizations and talked about their religious experiences at Harvard.

While some panelists, like those representing Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Impact and the Harvard Islamic Society, stressed the need for religious piety in students' lives, other panelists introduced a less devout perspective.

Ram C. Gowda '02, president of the Harvard Secular Society, said his organization holds a "healthy skepticism of all beliefs."

Jennifer S. Leath '03, one of the event's organizers, said it was necessary to have a variety of groups represented at the discussion.

"We've pulled together different religious and secular groups to find out where God fits at Harvard and how Harvard nurtures spirituality," Leath said.

Despite the general feeling by those at last night's events that the first day of dialogue was a council victory, some members were not so sure.

Former council treasurer Sterling P. A. Darling '01 said more people could have been involved in the planning of the events and noted the "low-key effort" to publicize the forums.