I hesitate to jump in this late, but here are some observations
The middle ages were not Europe's best years because there was no corrective on corrupt power either religious or political. There were abusive government and religious systems prior to this period but they did not last centuries. With the Renaissance and the Reformation that corrective (although itself bloody at times) is born.
Let's agree that science is not the savior either. Science is not just a tool of reason, it has also been the handmaiden of religous and political extremism (Tuskegee experiments, the final solution, the development of the A bomb ?)
Science needs a moral (perhaps spiritual) aspect or corrective to keep it from being abusive as other institutions in the past.
For those who say they are spiritual and not religious I say Welcome! You are now part of the fastest growing segment of the faith! (If you can call it that)
Enough goofing off! I got a homily to prepare for Christmas Eve. "The Light shines in the Darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." John 1:5
