That's a more than valid point. If you allow your faith to stifle scientific thought, you are at fault. But I truly feel that there are questions that tear at t

That's a more than valid point. If you allow your faith to stifle scientific thought, you are at fault. But I truly feel that there are questions that tear at the heart of a person, like "what is my purpose" that no amount of science can answer. If you're able to answer that question internally, that's wonderful, but not everybody can. I think that if we can get past this question, we can get onto more important ones (or at least ones we are better equipped to answer). In essence, though, you are correct: a person who allows their beliefs to stifle acquisition of further knowledge is not a person deserving of respect.