There's a widespread perception that there's some kind of a conflict or contradiction between science and religion.

Atheists confidently assert that there is, many religious people fear that there is.

And this has helped to undermine the faith of many.

Now certainly some religious beliefs do conflict with science.

But why is there a perception of all religion, religion per se, is contrary to science?

I think people are mistaking one thing for another.

There's a real, long-standing and often bitter conflict going on,

but it is not between religion and science.

It is between religion and a certain philosophy called scientific materialism.

Scientific materialism is an idea that grew up alongside of science.

It was inspired by science and wraps itself in a mantle of science.

It is in fact the worldview of many scientists and of some people who

presume to speak for science. But it is not a science. It has no claim to be the science.

It's a philosophical idea. The central tenet of scientific materialism is very simple, and that

is that the ultimate reality is matter, so that everything

can be explained through the laws of physics and chance, sometimes call physicalism.

Everything is physics.

For some of its adherence, however, it's more than that.

It's more than a philosophical stance.

It's an anti-religious ideology.

And it has a critique, a very well-developed critique of religion.

It has three aspects, philosophical, historical, and scientific.

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