I think the possible reason for all the confusion is that we seem to want/need to take one and reject the other.

I like truly EvilSOB's perception of things.

This is really a prelude to accepting that both beliefs are probably as valid as one another, meaning one without the other will get us nowhere.

In most cultures, if not all, spirituality seemed to have been replaced with materialism, that itself is on the verge of being replaced again by spirituality, maybe it's this cycle that allows us to really perceive. After all we know that both sides must be heard in order to get the truth of the matter.