Interesting Vonnegut quotes on Science/Religion

I was flipping through some Vonnegut books the other day and I came across some interesting quotes.

"And we would be a lot safer if the Government would take its money out of science and put it into astrology and the reading of palms. I used to think that science could save us, and science certainly tried. But we can't stand any more tremendous explosions, either for or against democracy. Only in superstition is there hope. If you want to become a friend of civilization, then become an enemy of truth and a fanatic for harmless balderdash."

"I beg you to believe the most ridiculous superstition of all: that humanity is at the center of the universe, the fulfiller or frustrateor of the grandest dreams of God Almighty.

If you can do that, and make others believe it, then there might be hope for us. Human beings might stop treating each other like garbage, might begin to treasure and protect one another instead."

"About astrology and palmistry: THey are good because they make people feel vivid and full of possibilities. They are communism at its best. Everybody has a birthday and almost everybody has a palm."

And the kicker:

"A great swindle of our time is the assumption that science has made religion obsolete. All science has damaged is the story of Adam and Eve and the story of Jonah and the Whale. Everything else holds up pretty well, particularly the lessons about fairness and gentleness. People who find those lessons irrelevant in the twentieth century are simply using science as an excuse for greed and harshness."

-All from Address to Graduating Class at Bennington College 1970, as printed in Wampeter, Foma, & Granfalloons.

In another part of the book, he talks about how in Nigeria there aren't any government-run social programs because since the families are so large, everyone has plenty of relatives to turn to in a time of distress. He then says (well technically he has Kilgore Trout write) that perhaps everyone in the US should be randomly assigned to 1,000 or so "families" since it would be quicker at dispersing aid than the government.

I thought these topics might be of interest to our granfalloon.