A nice topic whereu - I hope others get involved in this topic.
There was a gathering of great scientific minds in the mid 1800s where the final summing up of the gathering included the notion that it was very likely that the future held very few surprises for science and in general all the great discoveries were on the table. What a surprise they'd get today. I tried to find the details but it eludes me at this time.
I believe that a scientist requires faith as a major ingredient in toiling for an outcome. What starts as an idea, progresses to a hypothesis and if proven and peer reviewed becomes a fact or a theory. Without faith a human becomes a machine. Some work for decades on a single problem, surely faith is the driving force here.
I believe the work of any scientist labouring for the good of humankind, their efforts will be considered as no less than worship. Any religion that contradicts science or that is opposed to it, is only ignorance --ignorance being the opposite of knowledge.
Conversely, science without religion is materialism at its worst. Religion consisting only of rites and ceremonies of prejudice can not possibly be the truth. There has been a mighty effort made to keep science and religion apart but they are essential to each other.
As for scientists admitting if they're wrong or not. Peer review is brutal and eventually catches anybody fudging data. If we ran religion through the filter of science and peer review it sure would get rid of a few and we'd be so much better off for it.
