There is no great scientist conspiracy against religion.
LOL
Okay, you made me laugh. Scientist conspiracy--that's pretty good.
I knew I'd regret posting before waiting a bit, and I do. I am sorry for making it personal. Seeing "Evolution or ID" as a new thread title just got me riled. Now I've stepped away from the computer for a bit, had some lunch...I'm better now. And I'm not adverse to discussing religion or science; I love both. But the combative, dissmissive debates just grate on me.
It seems to me you have had bad experiences with religous people. And thinking about it, I guess I too have had people "telling me I have to believe in their personal version of a god" because my beliefs varied from theirs. To me, my faith in God is very personal, and I tire of people dismissing it.
Back on topic, as far as evolution, I believe that many things have been observed and proven scientifically. However, when that information is extrapolated beyong the scope of observable science, and a limited viewpoint is used to explain the beginning of existence, it becomes little more than a guess based upon what scientists are able to observe right now. I have a hard time swallowing that all life began as an accidental combination of molecules.
I was very impressed by the Bohr quote Steve used in the outro: "...the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." Science is always learning, always changing, evolving if you will; new theories arise as different things are discovered and observed. It is not perfect truth. Scientists do the best they can with what they've got and they speculate based upon that knowledge. But it is arrogance to assume that we have it all figured out and that we even possess the knowlegde and ability to figure it out for ourselves. I think humility is required for the true pursuit of knowledge.
To be fair, I also feel that it is arrogant to assumre that one can gain a perfect truth by study of the Bible alone. If we can combine and balance the spiritual power that comes from prayer and scripture study with the intellectual power that comes from the pursuit of science, all the while remaining humble, we could come much closer to determining the ultimate truth.