God

• The existence of a god of some kind is a prerequisite for any religion, but is irrelevant to scientific investigation. Christianity is based upon an acceptance of God, while science is based upon institutionalized skepticism and a willingness to question everything, including one's own beliefs and conclusions. The concept of God is inherently unscientific because its manifestations are not provable and can't be replicated by using scientific method. The notion of an all-powerful, all-loving deity who sees all and knows all has no place in a world view that is based on reason and on the objective observation of phenomena.
  
  

Faith

• Faith is the willingness to believe something based on one's own devotion rather than on objective proof. If a scientist were to attempt to defend her conclusions to her colleagues by telling them that she had faith, her credibility would certainly suffer. While religious believers claim that "faith can move mountains," scientists have never observed this occurring and are therefore likely to discount this claim. Faith is an internal process that many religious believers invest with their own power. Science is, by definition, anti-faith, insisting on explanations and evidence before anything is accepted as true.
  
  

Ethics

• Most religions involve an ethical structure that followers are encouraged to follow. Common religious ethics involve overcoming egotism, serving the poor and avoiding injury to innocent people. Actions, thoughts and beliefs are clearly separated into "right" and "wrong." Pure science examines phenomena objectively, and avoids ethical judgments. Many religious people view this as a flaw in science, particularly when the professed ethical neutrality of science leads to the development of technologies that they claim are inherently unethical, such as weapons of mass destruction. Religious and nonreligious activists attempt to prevent the excesses of science on ethical grounds, for example by opposing the mistreatment of animals for scientific reasons.
  
  

Miracles

• Miracles are claimed by believers to be evidence of the hand of God. A scientist denies the existence of miracles, and explains phenomena that appear to be supernatural as illusory, or based on faulty observation. The Catholic Church has institutionalized the concept of miracles for centuries, and regularly beatifies people who have been determined by religious authorities to have performed miracles. Religious miracles, however, would not pass the test of replicability, one of the cornerstones of science. A saint who could not repeat his miracles under scientific conditions would not be recognized as a miracle-maker by scientific authority.