they're compatible and incompatible at the same time because they each answer different things science answers how things happen (eg: event X causes effect Y) whereas religion answers why things happen (eg: the reason behind event X is purpose Y) the problem is when people to use religion to answer how and science to answer why. with one you'll never understand cause and effect and with another you're only preaching philosophy (kinda like giving your reason for baking a cake when asked for the recipe or giving the recipe when asked why you baked the cake). as long as you understand and respect the boundaries of each there really isn't a problem. incidentally this is the problem i have with anti-theists [i]and[/i] religious nuts. they just don't get that they're for answers to two different yet similar questions about the world and existence.