Here are two quotes for this thread’s readers to chew on…
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliott, martyred missionary pilot to the Auca indians.
“It is more important to tell God about people than people about God.” Erwin Lutzer, Moody Church.
In reply to:
Yes, but even the most esoteric of basic science studies has the potential for a great payoff, whereas knowing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin is unlikely to advance mankind much.
Right. Have you seen the MIT Archive of Useless Research?
Collection MC187
Don’t get me started on the humanities… 
In reply to:
Yes, but even the most esoteric of basic science studies has the potential for a great payoff, whereas knowing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin is unlikely to advance mankind much.
Course, if the research showed that there is not a shred of evidence that there is any such thing as Angels, hence none could dance on a pin, I think mankind would advance very much indeed.
In reply to:
If you remove Islam and substitute Christianity, I submit that those insane suicide bombers would be equally willing to do it for Jesus as they are to do it for Allah.
Jim Knollenberg
During the Crusades, it was indeed happening on both sides.
Duh! I forgot the Ig Nobel prizes too!
In reply to:
Right. Have you seen the MIT Archive of Useless Research?
I’m certainly not arguing that all or even most basic science research is or ever will be valuable. What I am saying is that in amongst all the trash is an occasional breakthrough that will ultimately be of great benefit to mankind. Of course, it’s impossible to know up front which is which, so we have a lot of tolerance. (Unlike, say, the Church had with Galileo.)
In reply to:
You could say the same thing about golf.
For some, that is perhaps untrue. In my case, truer words were never spoken!
Jim Knollenberg