@
Entwistle Oh, by no means all, Entwhistle!
Yes, religion of all persuasions offers ready-made scapegoats (usually poor old God or some conveniently-quoted prophet) for ducking personal responsibility for mis-treating other people. Yes, there are callous sects and cults that put dogma before humanity.
Yet there are plenty of good and bad religious people just as there are plenty of good and bad people who are not religious.
And citing the OP, many religious people accept science and some are scientists too - though others rather amusingly miss the irony of their using the Internet from (presumably) the comfort of a decent home with all mod. cons., to denigrate science, or at least that which dares question their chosen dogma!
A great many benefactors are encouraged to be so by their faith, and some of the wisest and most benevolent 19C employers, in my country at least, were members of the Society of Friends (the "Quakers").
Carazaa refers to her volunteering with the Red Cross. Islamic countries have a similar organisation, the Red Crescent, and I believe the two often co-operate.
I don't know if it has overseas branches, but here in the UK the Salvation Army is not only a charity that helps mainly homeless people and in disaster relief, but also a Christian church of its own.
Even without these examples, there are many people of all religious persuasions who are good in their own way, or at least certainly not selfish or scrounging. Those weaknesses are of human beings, not ancient scriptural doctrines.
Me? I am not religious though some of my friends are, and two or three are even ordained in the Anglican Church; but I try to be good to others!
