* Religion sucks at describing the mechanisms of the natural world. True, this was once one of its purposes– to explain things that humanity didn’t understand. And many still use it for that purpose, which is why we have a religion/science conflict. Those who still use it for that are making a mistake. Similarly, the massively outspoken atheists who think that all religious people are stupid seem to think that this still remains a (or the) core purpose of religion. (The only people who seem to think, for instance, that a literal reading of the Bible describes the beliefs of Christians are science-ignorant fundamentalists, and religion-ignorant atheists. Strange bedfellows.)
* As a corollary to the last one, evolution happened, and continues to happen. To try to deny that on any pseudo-scientific basis or on any religious basis (I’m talking intelligent design and other more extreme forms of creationism here) requires either ignorance or a massive capacity for denial. Similarly, the Universe is at least 13.7 billion years old; we know that now.
* There is an objective reality. Those who insist that the results of our science are a social construction of our western society are nutso. Sure, the expression of such results are culturally influenced, but reality itself exists independent of any social constructions or anything like that.
* Just as religion sucks at describing the natural world, science simply does not address the real topics of religion. Science isn’t going to tell you if there is a god or gods; if it could, they wouldn’t really be gods. Some extreme anti-religion atheists will tell you that science has disproved religion; they are wrong. It hasn’t proven religion, nor can it, and for some it has obviated the need (those who see religion primarily as a way of describing the unknown), but ultimately science does not address religion. This is why one can be religious and still a completely good and rigorous scientist.
* Science can, however, disprove certain claims of a religion; if that religion hangs on to those claims after they’ve been disproved, then that religion can’t be entirely correct. Creationism is the most obvious example. There was a recent study showing that third-person prayer doesn’t help people recover from illness; if your religion tells you it will, then you’re wrong about your religion. (If you object to that, think about this: why does God need you to tell him who needs his help and attention?)
* There is no “one true religion.” There is, in a sense “one true science,” in that the laws of nature are what they are, and science is seeking to uncover them. As for religion, though– I believe that Christians and Jews and Hindus and Muslims and Wiccans are all essentially looking for and talking about the same thing, but they are seeing it in different ways. If you think of those who don’t share your religious beliefs are heathens or infidels or going to hell or anything like that, then I think you have a deeply misguided and ultimately dangerous set of religious beliefs.
* Moral behavior does not require religion. There are plenty of ethical and moral agnostics and atheists out there.
* Religion has done a lot of evil, but it has also done a lot of good. It’s plain that religion is important in the lives of many. If an atheist doesn’t feel the need for any religious beliefs or practices, more power to him. However, I think it shortsighted of that atheist to then assert that any who are religious must be insane and stupid. (I do think those who use their religion to deny empirical facts about nature — like evolution — are ignorant and wrong, but one should not extend that to all of the religious!)
* Religious extremism and fundamentalism is a serious societal problem, and I’m very much afraid of it. In our country, we are all very aware of the problems that fundamentalist Islam have brought. The problem isn’t Islam, though — it’s religious extremism. And extreme fundamentalist Christianity is also bringing problems to our country and our world!
* The atheists who want to get rid of all religion and think that everybody needs to convert to atheism should take a good hard look at the Christians who want to get rid of atheism and all other religions, and who think that everybody needs to convert to Christianity. There is a disturbing similarity there. Again, the problem isn’t religion– the problem is religious extremism, and when people use their religion to deny the facts of nature. Just as Christians should tolerate moral and reasonable people of other religions, and moral and reasonable atheists, atheists should tolerate moral and reasonable Christians, and not see them as part of the Fundamentalist Threat.

Source: http://brahms.phy.vanderbilt.edu/~rknop/blog/?p=42