I suppose you can believe in creationist nonsense and scientifically develop a new type of toothbrush. ...

The point pete misses, inadvertently or purposely, is that whilst many scientific discoveries have been by people with religious beliefs, although not just the Bible version of belief, it can also be said that their outcome may not have contradicted the superstition of the day.

Newton clung to absolute position rather than the relative position of existence that his own research was telling him. Didn't want to contradict Scripture but to be fair, his output didn't really have to. His calculations could exist in an imaginary god created world as described by the church.

Galileo however started to see the cracks and ended up arguing for his life. Literally. ....

Einstein threw a few crumbs in order to keep his Jewish credentials intact. The irony of his comments were wonderfully paid tribute to by Hawkins in the very last sentence of his brief history, knowing the mind of God.

God however didn't appear in the research nor conclusions of a single scientific advance. Never has and never shall.

Unless you accept the Saudi cleric as a scientist who said the other month that if women are allowed to drive cars they will fail in child birth. That's religious science in a nutshell. ........