Re: Atheism
Same can be applied to other religions also. I suppose in Christianity also there are two schools of thought. One are literal religionist who try to dig science out of scriptures. Others believe scriptures are not transcript of science. They have been conveyed to give moral-spritual guidance to idiots like us. They have been conveyed in a language-understanding of natural phenomenon which can be understood by a common mortal.. and they were conveyed thousands of years ago at a time when this understanding stood at a much inferior level compared to present times.
Your above mentioned statement about contradicting religions only stands valid in case of literal religionist who believe the scriptures should be referred to validate scientific facts. When you take a religious course where you come at peace with the fact that these are not scientific literature.. the idea of choosing between religion and science does not arise..
Religions have contributed to moral-spritual well being of our human kind for thousands of years. They have been instrumental in the formation of better societies with stronger family-civil structures. Apart from literal religionist.. there are a vast number of people (even religious) who do not consider religions to be a hurdle in scientific advancement..