Connections between science and spirituality

I would like to continue the discussion of points raised in William Carter's response to Robert Frodeman's Eos Forum article [Carter, 2006; Frodeman, 2005]. I have appreciated Frodeman's work and feel that perspectives on science deriving from humanities, philosophy, and religion can add depth, insight, and meaning to our endeavors. I would like to broaden the discussion beyond just space policy to include the relationship between science in general and these, what I would call, spiritual issues. I can fully understand Carter's aversion to including religious people or perspectives in the formation of science policy. In addition to the examples he cites in which religious motivations have led to some scientifically questionable actions and policies by the U.S. government (having to do with medicine and stem cell research), I would also add the continued attempts by religiously motivated people (some with scientific credentials themselves) to discredit Darwinian evolution and instead advocate alternative models, such as ‘intelligent design,’ which make room for supernatural creation instead of, or alongside, evolutionary processes.