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Article analysis:

The article "Midwife to science: Organized religion was not the enemy of intellectual progress" by Nicholas Spencer challenges the common belief that religion and science are antithetical. The author argues that religion acted as a midwife to science, particularly in its formative centuries, and provided a spur to the study of the natural world. While clashes have occurred between science and religion, their relationship has also been characterized by profitable collaboration.

The article provides a detailed historical account of the relationship between science and religion, from proto-scientific inquiry at the twelfth-century cathedral school of Chartres to conflicts over Cartesianism and Darwin's theory of evolution. The author shows that conflicts between science and religion were often about authority rather than whether science contradicted the Scriptures.

However, the article has some potential biases and missing points of consideration. For example, it does not explore counterarguments against the idea that religion acted as a midwife to science. It also does not provide evidence for some claims made, such as when it states that "the idea of a fundamental conflict between science and religion is largely a modern invention." Additionally, while the article notes that contests of power and authority have motivated secular assaults on science too, it does not explore this point further or provide examples beyond Stalinist Soviet Union, Maoist China or Nazi Germany.

Overall, while the article provides an interesting historical account of the relationship between science and religion, it could benefit from exploring counterarguments and providing more evidence for some claims made.