Has anyone been thinking that "science" and "religion" are actually the same thing?

Nope. Science is based on the scientific method, which uses evidence and experimentation to better understand our universe and predict outcomes. For example, you notice that when the temperature drops and it gets windy, there is usually rain within a few hours. You research the results of previous research and formulate a hypothesis. You then test that hypothesis by gathering data from several years. You conduct your own experiments and attempt to accurately predict when it will rain based on the wind and temperature. You then examine all the data and determine the validity of your hypothesis and come to a conclusion. You then submit your findings for peer review and other scientists test them. If they find the same results, your research passes the peer review process and will likely be published and become part of the body of scientific knowledge.

Religion is not based on the scientific method. It is based on superstition and ignorance. Long ago instead of doing research and experimentation the religious leaders came up with stories to explain away the natural phenomena. For example, when the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, they said that invisible magical beings were doing something or feeling some emotion and that some ritual could affect whether it rained or not. If they wanted rain and it came, they thanked their god(s). If it didn’t come, they blamed the evil spirits, or said they hadn’t done the ritual right, or said that their imaginary friend had other plans. Either way they continued to pretend that these invisible magical beings were real, rather than gaining practical knowledge. Thousands of years later many people still believe in these primitive rituals and superstitious nonsense. Some of them may claim that the explanations science has proven are still controlled by their magical invisible friends, but as more and more of the old superstitions are replaced by evidence-based knowledge, it becomes harder and harder to keep changing the claims of religion to pretend they are valid.