I have no conflict between science and religion in my life.

Religion and spirituality provide a guide on how to treat my fellow man and provides hope for the future.

Science provides a wonderful set of tools for understanding the world around me now.

For 150 years (publishing of Darwinâ??s "The Origin of Species"), hundred of thousands of scientists of all sorts have been examining the natural world and all we see in it. The huge wealth of facts and observations that have been compiled from this effort can best be explained by one brilliantly simple set of rules â??? evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory is the combined effort of all these people and one of the great triumphs of the scientific method.

The vast majorities of credible working scientists embrace the reality of evolutionary theory and use it daily to make sense of the world. There is no conflict about this in the scientific community.

The occasional PhD and author making their living by attacking the theory of evolution are doing so for one of two reasons:
1. Pure profit motive. The religious right will buy books and attend lectures that say what they want to hear.
2. A sincere desire to convert their fellow man to their religious beliefs. Bring God into every life. They see science as the new religion of the common man and thus seek to use its trappings and credibility as a powerful means to convert the unbeliever.

Both these types of people have lost their scientific objectiveness and have no credibility in the scientific community. But that doesnâ??t matter. Their real audience is not the scientific community; it is those who do not have a background or understanding of science. They are trying to move the masses.

The problem for them is that as loud and urgently as they proclaim their truths, their arguments are not scientific and thus will never be accepted by the scientific community. Efforts to have creationism taught as â??scienceâ? will be fought at all levels by those most capable of determining what is science and what is not â??? working scientists.

Now ask me, do I believe that God created the earth and put man upon it? Of course I do. God created all that you see and experience. He gave us intellects capable of appreciating this world, admiring and treasuring it and attempting to understand it at every level. The results of applying this intellect to the world around us lead to many theories and one of the richest and most powerful of these theories is evolution.

A far more productive line of inquiry for the religious right is to ask why did God created the world in such a way as to lead us to the theory of evolution? What is the purpose of it? This is a proper and welcome role for religion and spirituality.

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