Religion or Science do we have to choose one or the other?

In class yesterday we were asked which characters in the story we felt the most connection. While at first glance I didn’t really identify with any of the characters after looking it over again I have to say identify more with the aliens themselves. I don’t mean to say that I feel like a frog like creature or that I’m going to go around crucifying people just to see miracles. The aliens in this story only really have two options they either have to fully believe in science or fully believe in religion. Garth the man of science in this story does not allow the creatures any room to have more than one belief. He tells them to always use the scientific method and the scientific method always bring about the right answer. In a way he is blind towards science since everything can be explained by it and he can find all of the answers by using the scientific method. This is no more different than the priest who can find all of his answer by looking at religious readings. The man of religion in this story does not allow any room for science. The aliens in this society are put in to the age old debate of science vs. religion. Instead of being allowed to experience both they are force to choose between one or the other. At times people in our own society might feel this way that cannot be religious and scientific at the same time. However, if the aliens were allowed to choose between what they wanted to do they might not have killed the priest? Instead of pushing their beliefs both characters should have found out more about the alien creature culture than assume that their human culture would even be able to relate to the alien creature.