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-->I think there are a few billion people on the earth who might disagree with you on that, or should, since they wouldn't be alive without science and its technological fruits.

I respectfully disagree. It is a matter of priorities. Life is a small, temporary thing that has little value compared to eternity.

-->I don't find that insignificant myself.

I don't either, except I think my, and your, opinion are hopelessly jaded because we are in the "thick of it" as long as we occupy these biological machines called human bodies. It affects our attitudes about everything. The bias is uncontrollable.

-->Additionaly many of the opportunities available to those of us in the civilized world (beyond but including not having to watch a majority our offspring die in childhood) derive from the fruits of science;

You are talking about what, ultimately, could be called "creature comforts," which are nice, but certainly no end in themselves - and yes, even what keeps us alive and protects us from desease fit into that category, technically. After all, Paul said that for us to die is gain. Death is not something to be avoided at all costs There really is something to be coveted and valued more than life itself, and the search for an ever more comfortable/long life is not a worthy top goal, in my opinion. It's a good goal, when put in it's place. It gives a person something fun to shoot for. That may be why we are never satisfied - it keeps us motivated.

-->and many of our freedoms are not unrelated to "scientific" values such as respect for knowledge and critical inquiry.

I have no respect for knowledge. It is like the binder in epoxy - on it's own it is worthless. An encarta disk has knowledge.

What I value is wisdom - the ability to correctly interpret knowledge and apply it to the larger reality and not my own physical bodies needs, like procreation, comfort and control of my surroundings (often via science).

Stultis, life is a mist, and six billion lives are no more valuable to me than one life. I feel less compassion for the survivors of those killed on 911 than I do the survivors of a 7-11 clerk killed in a robbery. Ultimately every death is a single tradgedy, as experienced by the loved ones of the deceased. But with the 911 survivors, you are left with gobs of money, a literal place in this nations history, and others, by the thousands, with whom to share your grief. The family of the 7-11 clerk has nothing but a mortuary bill and an empty bed.

I bring the above paragraph into the equation for a reference point of relevance.

To me, as it relates to humans, the death of the entire human race is less catastrophic than the death of one who is loved by others, simply because nobody will suffer grief if there is no one left. All of what I am saying is in regards to how all of these issues of life, God, science and the survival of the human race relate to each other on a scale of relevance. Science and what it can bring us is way down there.

But it fascinates me, kind of like a Frank LLoyd Wright design can fascinate me. It is not anything near the "end all be all" of mans existence, however. Science is just below art, in my opinion.

But, I repeat, it's cool.