In the long run, it is better to understand the way the world really is rather than how we would like it to be.

But because we live in an age of science, we have a preoccupation with corroborating our myths.

There are many sources of spirituality; religion may be the most common, but it is by no means the only. Anything that generates a sense of awe may be a source of spirituality. Science does this in spades.

When alien abductees recount to me their stories, I do not deny that they had a real experience.

Believers can have both religion and science as long as there is no attempt to make A non-A, to make reality unreal, to turn naturalism into supernaturalism. (125)

Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.

Creationists have also changed their name ... to intelligent design theorists who study 'irreducible complexity' and the 'abrupt appearance' of life-yet more jargon for 'God did it.' ... Notice that they have no interest in replacing evolution with native American creation myths or including the Code of Hammarabi alongside the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools.