Representatives of different faiths came together to discuss God's role in their lives Tuesday night at the Vanderbilt Interfaith Council panel.

"The purpose of the event was to bring together different aspects of the religious community at Vanderbilt to create an interfaith dialogue," said Neelam Khan, president of the Interfaith Council. "The biggest point was for groups to come together despite being from different beliefs and backgrounds."

"Interfaith Panel: What Can God Do for You," which featured panelists from all over the religious spectrum, including Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Latter-Day Saints, Hindus, Bahai, Buddhists, Scientologists and atheists, was meant to create and spread religious dialogue on campus.

Regardless of the wide variety of religions represented, there was no ill feeling among the panelists. Participant outlined their religious positions and answered the question of the evening: "What Can God Do for You?"

"Lacking faith in God is a very liberating experience," said Chris Lugo, the 2008 Green Party Tennessee Senate candidate and member of Nashville Atheists. "We don't think God can do anything for us. That's why we're atheist."

Although Lugo's belief differed from the other panelists, all panelists remained respectful. After each panelist answered the main question of the night, they took questions from the audience, which ranged from issues about faith, beliefs, nature, nurture, love and the meaning of life.

"The panel was held to educate students about religious life here on campus. We wanted to create a forum where students get to ask questions and promote religious tolerance and acceptance," Khan said.

"I really enjoyed the event tonight. I found it very informative to have for students," said Aldenise Ewing, a member of Zion Inspiration, an affiliate of the Interfaith Council.

Senior Kadoria Ivory thought the panel discussion was a "good event" but offered some criticism. "If you happened to know about all the religions already, there wasn't much to learn. Also, more comparison between the religions would have been cool, but I guess they didn't want to get into a debate," Ivory said.

Although the Interfaith Council holds the event annually, its president felt this year's panel discussion was the most successful thus far, crediting this year's Interfaith Council and board members determination and promotion. "We had 170-plus people come out, which was much more than we expected," Khan said. "Now we know people are really excited about religion on this campus. People are actively interested."