There r many known scientists that claim they r religious. Is this an antagonistic contradiction. Is something wrong with this pic.
It's just compartmentalization. I very much doubt there are any working / paid Young Earth Creationist Christian paleontologists, for example, but there are plenty of technicians (doctors, and other practitioners of applied science) and scientists who labor in fields that don't overtly and directly contradict their dogma of choice. They can also switch between professional and religious contexts to avoid whatever conflicts there are.
According to a PEW report I saw, about half of all scientists believe in God. That doesn’t at all mean they are caught up in dogmatic Church doctrines—they just have some sort of inkling about a cosmic intelligence. I don’t understand why anyone would find that antagonistic or contradictory.
KIP THORNE:
"There are large numbers of my finest colleagues who are quite devout and believe in God [...] There is no fundamental incompatibility between science and religion. I happen to not believe in God."[13]
(Wikipedia)
It's certainly possible for a scientist to be religious. Considerably more viable than being a full blown athiest. The very nature of the scientific method demands that the scientific mind at least explore the possibility of the existence of some sort of god.
I would conclude that the truest scientists are agnostic. Neither true believers nor complete cynics.
There are a lot of"scentists" making a living off of grants to study things like where the Ark came to rest......not exactly Real Science, is it??