Some 40-45 participants in the conference “Synthetic Biology – Visions of the Future” at NEMO in Amsterdam on 24 June 2016 discussed cultural and religious aspects of synthetic biology with experts. The bottom-up format of the session, chaired by Joachim Boldt, was much appreciated. Everyone got the chance to ask questions and discuss for seven minutes in small groups with one of seven ‘table experts’. This was repeated five times. The experts included catholic and protestant theologians, philosophers and activists, contributing to the diversity of perspectives. Ineke Malsch was one of the table experts. Prof. Bernadette Bensaude Vincent kicked off the subsequent plenary discussion with a much appreciated presentation contrasting anthropocentric and eco-centric worldviews. She compared synthetic biology with extreme sport. Participants called for broadening the scope of the discussion by inviting also representatives of other religions, in particular Islam. Info: www.synenergene.eu