I don’t believe there must be a conflict between science and religion since they deal with different realms of experience. The conflict occurs when religionists want to take scripture in a literal, fundamentalist manner and present ancient “science” as a competitor to current science or when scientists come from a secular, materialistic perspective and rule out the existence of God.
There is an excellent book When Science Meets Religion by Ian G. Barbour which shows how using different models the two can be reconciled. Many scientists are not opposed to God’s existence and role in creation. The ways science and scripture explain creation may differ, but both can benefit by a partnership. I certainly accept the scientific world view and a spiritual world view. It is when, for example, Christians want to teach “creationism” in the schools as an alternative to the big-bang and evolution that that there is a problem.
