Scientific theory does not equal truth. A scientific theory is accepted as being something that can't be disproved by tests, and stands until disproved.
Religions posits truth. In some cases, maintaining it in the face of no evidence (and sometimes contrary evidence), is said to be faith. I think true faith is something different (but that's an entire other thread).
However, unquestioning support of any religious (or scientific) belief is just plain stupid. Some people say they have faith, but I see little difference between those cultists who gather waiting for the big space ship to come pick them up, and those who insist the Bible is correct in every word and the world was created in 7 days 7000 odd years ago. That's not faith, that's blind stupidity.
I don't know if God created the world or the universe, but I like to think so (lack of faith, huh?). I once heard a radio program where the guy who "found" DNA said he set out to do so to prove God didn't exist. That seemed slightly sick and wrong to me.
But if "he" did create it, it wasn't 7,000 years ago in 7 days. It was billions of years ago when he said, "hmmm, Big Bang, let's try that ...". Or even possibly gazillions of years ago (if you believe in the Big Bang-Big Crunch theorem).
Basic historical, linguistic and anthropolpgical analysis shows the Bible was written and rewritten over time, sometimes long after the supposed events. However, many of the moral lessons and principles espoused (more in the New testament than the Old, which is a bit fire and brimstone in Olde Israel) are relevant and appropriate. that's what to take from the Bible IMO.
Those who insist on ramming that literal Bible type of belief down others throats, including via the school system, are the type of people who cry foul when "evil liberals" try to ram their secular beliefs by heaven forbid putting a contrary argument.
It is also just as bad as any other extreme of religion, like the Taliban banning women from school and public, extreme imams preaching jihad and martyrdom, Orthodox Jews decrying fellow Jews as "nazis" for not agreeing with them, and Hindus demolishing mosques in India.
The Islamic Middle East was once more scientifically advanced that the West, about 1000-1300AD. However, they came to a choice where they had to continue questioning religious "truths" if they wanted to test how the world worked, or they had to take how the world on "faith". Guess how that turned out?
The West's ongoing questioning of how the world works (decried by the church) by people like Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, etc (often at the cost of persecution or death) gives us our view of the modern world (quantum theory, iPods, instant whipped cream). Questioning the divine right of kings to rule also gives us the democractic principles of today.
You have to differentiate between questioning God and questioning those who preach in his name and claim to know what he wants us all to do. Funnily enough, the latter often fall back on the former when the questions get tough. That's the sign of a weak argument.
Go argue with a Jesuit some time. You don't get too much palm off, even if you get a bit of agreeing to disagree. Any religious person who is genuinely interested in convincing you doesn't end up insisting they are just right and you better lump it.
I'll go with gnosticism thanks ....
