Jon J wrote: "Science has given us cars, aeroplanes, central heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, sanitation, computers, insulation, the Internet, wonder drugs, spacecraft, television and ballpoint pens.

Religion, spirituality and mystic woo has given us... what, exactly?"

Grey replies: “Science”

The important difference here though, is that science was required for us to invent cars, aeroplanes, etc.

The study of science, on the other hand, didn't need religion to happen.

The 'Orderly Creator' argument is a logical fallacy.

As Ozandy says above, science is a tool. To treat science in school as a doctrinal body of "facts" in opposition to an alternative religious body of "facts" is to misrepresent both religion and science in a student's mind, opening the way for him or her to choose a preferred explanation of the world based on personal tastes.

No surprise then that so many graduates come out of university with a "science degree" but no clue about what science is, although they may have a very sophisticated understanding of a technology and its underlying theory.

A religion, too, is many things, not just an authoritative creation story. Some people find that aspect very important, some see it more as a way to live life in a confusing world, some see it as a way of coming to grips with the inconceivableness of impending death, and some see it as the heart of a people's culture, which may mean a lot even to those who don't believe in the supernatural.

So yes, I am in favour of teaching both science and comparative religion, but do it properly, not from the banal, limited aspect of a contest for explaining how the world was made.

AdamD,
Jon J did not ask what was required, only what had. hence my short response is really all that is necessary, and your response is a red herring.

Feel free to ignore evidence from history if you like, but modern science is a creation of the Judaic faiths.

grey, why do you give so much credit to the judaic faiths? they were all-powerful for thousands of years before the scientific revolution. why so slow?

Bushbasher 'they were all-powerful for thousands of years before the scientific revolution'
Um...this is kind of hard to back up if you look at history.

grey...science was invented by people not religion. people also invented religion of course. and BTW/ Islam has a heretage of scientific investigations equalling any other faith and surpassing many.