The only post that I read is the OP, so if I say something that has already been said, I apologize.
Short answer: Believing in religion is not forsaking science. Believing in religion ALONE is forsaking science.
Bloodshadow. You are in my opinion a very intelligent person based upon the body of your work here on the forums. I read a lot of the topics here, but I don't often post. It's things like this that lead me to action. Religion is a complex thing. One thing that I see from both atheists and believers alike is a loss of attention to detail. Something that is often missed is that faith and science are not mutually exclusive. Not all interpretations of faith are etiological in nature. The scientific method is our primary tool for understanding the workings of the world around us. It is however, still possible to believe in a religious creed and still use the scientific method and believe in its discoveries.
I am a Christian, so to be fair to the other faiths I will only criticize some of the believers in my faith. Feel free to cross-apply my arguments to other religions if they apply. Some people in the Christian faith are fundamentalists. They read the Bible as the only truth in the world. These are the people who believe the world is 5,000 years old or so. These are the people who ardently attack the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in the United States' public school system. Their ideas do not reflect the core of the faith. They easily forget that the authors of the Biblical books lived in times after scientific discoveries, the most basic of which was fire. In their quest to invalidate science, they overlook that the Biblical authors were living in a time after its beginnings.
Some people on both sides have closed minded attitudes. Bloodshadow, you appear to be angry at those on my side who have closed minded attitudes about science. I personally however, have no problem accepting scientific advancements and believing in Jesus Christ. I wish to work on fusion power when I get older and choose a career, and that obviously necessitates employing the scientific method. I won't attempt to persuade you into believing in a religion. That's an issue of your own faith or lack thereof, not my own. I only wish that you see that faith and science aren't mutually exclusive.
