When did religion and science become mutually exclusive???

[Bouncy Ball]

My grandfather, who passed away two years ago, was born in 1921. He grew up going to church every Sunday, he was a Methodist like his parents, etc.

He also believed in science, anthropology and archeology being his two favorite areas. He read tons of books on both subjects, couldn't get enough of it. My grandmother, raised Southern Baptist, would ask him to tell her about every chapter he read when he was done with that chapter (she didn't want to read it, but she did want to hear about it) so he'd sit there and breathlessly relate what he had read about our primate-like ancestors, etc. His favorite was when they discovered the skull of "Lucy" that VERY VERY old prehistoric woman. He read everything he could find on that archeological find.

And yet, he was a religious man. He believed in God, he was Christian.

When I was in the 10th grade, we read "Inherit the Wind" about the Scopes Monkey Trial in the 1920s (evolution vs. creationism). I got to wondering how my grandparents reconciled the two, so I asked them.

My grandfather started talking about Genesis and he said every society makes up stories to explain the beginning of time and the beginning of human beings. He told me some Native American creation stories. So then I asked him why he believes in the stories of Jesus, etc. and if believing in the Bible conflicted with his belief in evolution. I wish I could remember everything he said, but like a typical teenager, I lost interest after the first few minutes, but I do remember being impressed by the way he had really thought through these issues. He said he strongly felt evolution should be taught in schools and he gave me a "homework assignment" (at which I rolled my eyes, like any good 15 year old would) to read Darwin's "The Origin of Species." Well I did read it, and we discussed it for many months.

I don't think my grandfather, as religious as he was, would be able to understand what is going on now with the religious right. I don't know how my grandfather voted, but I know the idea of science and religion being mutually exclusive would have had him scratching his head.