>> ^PHJF:

Unacceptable, Gundam. Religion is almost ENTIRELY used to explain the inexplicable. Religion's sole purpose is to convince people that a) there is an afterlife and b) the afterlife is infinitely superior to the current life. That's the only reason idiot-morons buy what these preachers are selling.
And as for religion and science not being diametrically opposed? The scientific method tells us that when confronted with something we cannot explain, we are to observe and test until we can explain it. Religion tells us to simply accept things as they are. "Because god says so" is not an acceptable answer for "why does XYZ happen?"


I understand your hostility to religion, but I'm curious which religion you are referring to in your post--because there are many religions in the world and not all of them are concerned with an afterlife. Even those that are concerned with an afterlife such as Christianity and Islam are much MORE concerned with how we live right now than with explaining the cosmos. In fact the Catholic church has gone so far as to state that the Book of Genesis, which ostensibly explains the origins of everything, is to be read metaphorically, not literally (I can't find the link now, sorry, but it's official doctrine--a little more Googling than I have time for right now should turn it up).

I'll quote Stephen Barr, a physicist at the University of Delaware: there is no war between science and religion. There is, however, most certainly a war between atheists and religion--with both sides attempting to use science as both a sword and shield.