Science asks about causal connections between natural phenomena, while religion asks about ultimate meaning and purpose in a wider interpretive framework. If science is selective, it cannot claim that its description of reality is complete. Materialism is a philosophical position, not a conclusion defended in any scientific journal. Biblical literalists also ignore these differences when they make scientific claims as if they were an essential part of religious faith. This separation of domains is attractive because it recognizes the distinctiveness of religion in human life.
Religion has to do with communal worship and liturgy.
Religion has to do with individual prayer, meditation, and the experience of forgiveness and renewal in the healing of our broken lives and our broken communities. Religion also has to do with ethics, the way we treat our neighbors, and our response to issues of social justice. All these activities seem far removed from science. But they all presuppose beliefs about God and human nature which are affected by science. Moreover each of us is a whole person and we cannot be content to divide our lives into watertight compartments.