Skepticism, Science & Pseudoscience

as they simply do not understand anything at all about science or how science works.

Keep in mind that most people attend church for several years before they ever attend public schools. So they've been indoctrinated with all sorts of magical and unprovable things, but told (with great assurance) that those things are absolutely true and that they should never question them.

Most kids in public (or good secular private) schools are not exposed to rigorous scientific thinking until at least 7th grade, when they are 13 or 14 years old. And if they don't get it until 9th grade . . . . Well, think about it. They've had a good ten years of exposure to the magical thinking of conventional religion for a very long time before they are exposed to the more rigorous scientific thinking.

So no wonder so many people fall on the side of religious belief, rather than scientific analysis.

Some years ago I had a very interesting exchange with a man who was a Protestant minister -- I wish I could remember which sect, but it was one of the genuinely liberal, mainstream ones. Presbyterian? Methodist? I don't recall. And even though he was insisting that his particular sect didn't impose thought conformity, I insisted that in the end, every religion, no matter how accommodating of others, still came down to the essential "We have the truth and all others are wrong" meme. He responded with silence. In the end, he refused to agree with me, but I think he got my point.

And so it is, that all conventional religions come down to the essential We are Right and Everyone Else is Wrong, which is something I strongly disagree with.

There are many, many ways to parse this. I don't happen to buy into any one of the conventional monotheistic versions. I do have very strong beliefs, but I don't find it remotely necessary to tell anyone else about them, and far, far less necessity to convince anyone else they should believe my way. Which in the end, totally informs my take on such things. I'm perfectly happy with anyone else's
"religious" beliefs. I am not about to announce that they are wrong, unless they too vociferously tell me I'm wrong. I simply see these things as differing ways to interpret the universe/reality/whatever.

To go back to the question. For far too long conventional religion has stood firmly in the way of scientific inquiry, discovery, and knowledge. Among the reasons Jews are vastly over represented in the sciences is that Reform Judaism does NOT offer a conflict between religious belief and science. Unlike much of modern Christianity and Islam. It is truly sad, to my way of thinking, that anyone should ever see a conflict between religion and science. To me it is more than possible to embrace science and still be a religious person.