Science serves our innate need to know, helping us to deal effectively in some measure with the forces of nature and it provides meaning and understanding in facing life’s realities and challenges. In contrast, the various religions do not have their beliefs confirmed by independent investigators. Instead, the authority of their belief system is independent of evidence the scientific community would regard as confirming. They promote their tenets in the context of idealized morality from God while at the same time, promising rewards to those willing to believe. Science embraces a standard for verification based on evidence derived from the largest human perspectives and most comprehensive sources of information, as judged by thinking minds.

In contrast, many religions demand conformity to their traditions irrespective of what critics may say or the evidence obtained outside of their traditions may indicate.