Not only did most scientists believe in god at some point, religion was in fact one of our earliest attempts at science--the system by which we understand our world.
Although someone may have made light with their words, I don't believe science has ever strictly said we evolved from apes, but only that we are related to them and have common ancestors. In other words, whether you call our common ancestor an ape or not, the point is we are not descended from the other four great apes; they are our cousins.
On this, however, there is no longer any question; the issue is proven to about the same level of certainty that we can prove you are your father's child, or lightening is caused by electricity.
As an example of what I mean about certainty: I can claim to you that I have five dollars in my pocket. You may ask proof, at which point I can remove it and show it to you. In most contexts, we would agree that I reasonably proved the point. However, there is always room for some doubt; the bill could be counterfeit, for example.
That shred of doubt is a positively inspiring thing, and the source of humility in the scientific community.
If evolutionary processes had not been so elegantly and repeatedly proven, and if there were a shred of evidence that we appeared on the scene suddenly, the doubt would loom large and I have complete confidence we would know about it, and that the people who dedicate their lives to discovery would be hot on the trail.
