Sceince, atheism and Biblical religion: The scientific and Biblical origin accounts follow logically from the fundamental assumptions made in the scientific quest and by Biblical religion; given the differences between these assumptions, it is only to be expected that they arrive at different conclusions regarding the origin of the universe.

Science is a programmatic attempt to find naturalistic explanations based on cause and effect for all objectively observable phenomena. Science - as opposed to atheism - does not claim there is no God, nor does it assume there is no God directing events, it is merely an attempt to arrive at non-supernatural explanations – 'laws' - for everything, and to find mathematical formulations of these explanations. Science does not claim or assume there is or is no God, it only seeks to find explanations which do not require invoking God. Science presents an origin theory based on its attempt to find naturalistic explanations for the existence and development of the universe and of humanity. The question of whether or not there is a God who designed the laws of nature and created the universe is one for people to address individually - the issue has nothing to do with science.

Obviously if one seeks naturalistic explanations one will not suddenly find God popping up in the equations. The fact that one can arrive at convincing scientific theories is very impressive, but it does not prove that there is no God, nor does science claim that it does; what it does prove is that the scientific endeavor has succeeded in its task of finding convincing naturalistic explanations for many phenomena.

In contrast, religion assumes the existence of a God, and seeks explanations which derive from this assumption. In particular, the Bible sets out a picture of a universe designed and created by an all-powerful being, for a purpose, which includes the existence of humanity and of their moral activity. Jewish Traditional does not claim there are no other types of explanations for things, and does not assume or teach that scientific inquiries will lead no where, it simply tells of a special creation of the universe and of humanity, and tells of various revelations and miracles which occurred outside the realm of ordinary cause and effect.

The great majority of philosophers and scientists would likely agree that neither atheism nor religion can be proved or disproved. The programs of science and of religion are sufficiently different that the validity of one of these accounts should not be considered as negating the validity of the other;