“If faith cannot be reconciled with rational thinking, it has to be eliminated as an anachronistic remnant of earlier stages of culture and replaced by science dealing with facts and theories which are intelligible and can be validated.”

A great thought, nothing closer to reality. Religion has been one of the major cause of death and suffering for thousands of years. Specially monotheistic religions that feel the mandate of their fanatic point of view to do harm to those non belivers for their own god. Religions (Catholic above all) have been the major reason for keeping the human race from knowing the law of nature, from Universe to medicine. The devolvement of knowledge has been always been jeopardized by religions.

Anachronistic remnants are just that, anachronistic remnants. They are what they are. Earlier stages of culture lead to what ever they lead to. Who is to determine rational thinking? Scientific rational thinking once had faith in the big bang theory, evolution, global warming, etc. which are now unintelligible facts that can not be validated. Science (validated or otherwise), in many instances is the dogma, or an implied interpretation there of that justifies certain faiths. The religious pursuit of Atheism (Hitler, Stalin, etc.), science being a supportive dogma, caused / is causing some of the greatest pain, suffering, and death this planet has ever known. That doesn't mean Atheism should be replaced with rational thinking, it simply is what it is, and what will be, will be. Discovered science should replace ignorance.

What is is and faith its servant -allow those to have their faith and us not to have any - I will guard both.

Under natural law man instinctively creates on earth what is best for him making survival easier. He creates institutions whether religious, political, economic and social for one reason only. To make things better for himself, (family). If these institutions are are good and for the betterment of society as a whole and if used in the good way they were meant to be, man benefits. The problem isn't so much that the institutions are evil in themselves, rather they are altered by corrupt individuals with doctines of men for their own personal gain in contradiction of the original intent that established the institution. Point is, To blame the corrupted institutions of today (religion in particular) for the problems these institutions have created is to ignore the fact that men are the creators of good and evil on earth and instituions wouldn't exist but for men creating them and some men destroy what others create for their benefit. The religion of science is IMO, in harmony with the eternal laws of nature within the individual but it is still faith in something just as religions are faith in something. Who determines when a individuals' faith is more important than anothers or that what faith should stay and what faith should go? Me? You? Any "one" A majority of "ones"? Who has the right to eliminate someones' faith for any reason? The quote is the height of stupidity in its justification of using the same basic method institutions of corrupt men have used in the past to commit the same crime again. Only this time the author perceives his faith being in charge.

RBESRQ...............I too will guard both.

The scientific method is a very powerful but limited tool. It can never explain the metaphysical ideas on which we base our civilization; without which we cannot have a civilized life. Science can sift through every subatomic particle in the universe and never find justice. Science can observe autonomic responses and pheromones but it can never isolate the pure substance of love. It cannot give us a reasonable explanation of why someone would give his life to save a stranger. Yet justice, love, and self-sacrifice exist. We can see it but we cannot prove it. Until science can explain these scientifically inexplicable things, faith and hope are not anachronistic.

RBESRQ, As do I.

When we stop treating religion like some kind of insurance policy out of a fear of death and damnation, we might be able to see this wonderful world for what it is -- magnificent.