Just a few hour drive from Rev. Terry Jones’ “Islam is of the devil” sign in Gainesville, a group of students and community members of different faiths and persuasions meet to talk in the cyber lounge at the FSU Stone Building. The group, “Skeptics and Believers,” spends Monday nights confronting fundamental questions about religious teachings.

While the two-hour discussions are based initially on a reading, they move to more general discussions of faith, love, reason and reality.

“I wanted to have a dialogue with mixed perspectives, and talk specifically about the person of Jesus, as well as things having to do with faith and reason, science and religion and different figures that are immediately recognizable, like Dawkins and Nietzsche,” said Brad Kimmins, who organizes the meetings with fourth year philosophy major, Brendan Wynn.

Kimmins, a Christian, and Wynn, a self-proclaimed skeptic,have been organizing “Skeptics and Believers: Wrestling With the Life and Teachings of Jesus” since August.

Deep suspicion of different faiths is not new to the United States, or even Florida. “Skeptics and Believers” avoids such enmity because it allows people to engage with different perspectives and ideas represented by individuals, not large groups.

Many who take part in the discussion know each other by name, and through exposure to their different beliefs, have grown to be both open and sensitive with each other.

“It was very civil the whole time, and there was a lot of humor,” said James Campbell, an FSU engineering student and first time attendee of the meetings.

Other attendees appreciated the accepting environment as well.

“It’s respectful and civil even though you can disagree on very fundamental and sensitive issues, like religion,” said Jay Kumar, a frequent attendee of the meetings.  “I don’t recall any instances where somebody was out of line or somebody was made to feel marginalized.”

Kimmins has seen the group grow both in the community and the tolerance it fosters.

“The discussions are getting better, the people are getting to know each other more, and there’s more and more civility coming along,” said Kimmins.