Religion is a Practical Spiritual Application of the Principles of Science

It must be remembered that unlike the majority of other religious philosophies, Buddhism has never given importance to the idea of the first cause, nor indeed to any form of cosmology. Theology did not develop in Buddhism, since practical realization is expected of the bhikkhu (monk, recluse) and not abstruse disputation. In any case, Buddhism does not recognize a conflict between religion and science as religion is, properly speaking, a practical spiritual application of the principles of science.

---Buddhist Ethics - by Hammalawa Saddhatissa---