Religion isn`t based just on "opinion", but on words of God.
Science is a very political in nature.
No-one fights a war "in the name of Christ", but the Christian religion is important part of (our) national identity. Through the ages, many (other nations with different religions; and political sistems - comunism) wanted to destroy it (religion and identity) - but failed."I still wonder why if a person really is a true believer he would care a wit about anything anyone else says."
Because - theory and words precede to the practice, and the practice was destroyed churches and political/economy terror.
And believer isn`t some monach in the trance-state, but citizen in the real world.