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    1. #1
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      Religion and ET

      If we discoverd another civilisation in the universe what impact would that have on todays religions? Because they believe god created the universe for only us and alien discovery would pretty much contradict religions a whole.

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      Cosmic Citizen ExoByte's Avatar
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      http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355400,00.html

      VATICAN CITY — There could be alien life forms and believing they exist isn't contradictory to having faith in God, the top astronomer at the Vatican said in an interview published Tuesday.
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      I LOVE KAOSSILATOR Serkat's Avatar
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      Yup.

      The discovery of something that contradicts religion will have the same impact on it as any other such discovery (evolution, big bang, science) - none at all. It's just one more part that's suddenly metaphorical instead of literal.
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      Member apachama's Avatar
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      Yep. It'll be interesting to see whether we feel the need to convert these aliens or not.

      Chances are, any alien race we meet will be at a very different state of development to us. Human history is still mostly the cave age and anything over a few thousand years more advanced than us will probably seem amazing to us. So aliens will either seem like Gods or cave men to us.

      Given the cave men will be hard to detect, we are most likely to meet super-advanced civilisations in space. How would creationism cope if these aliens had a recorded history of over a million years? Hell, how would atheists cope if they had a belief in God and the supernatural in one form or other?
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      How would any religion cope if the aliens told us there is no god.

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      The Blue dreamer bluefinger's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Dreamhope11 View Post
      How would any religion cope if the aliens told us there is no god.
      Easy:

      "LALALALALALA I can't hear you!"

      Or start accusing the aliens of being Godless, immoral, inhuman heathens.
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      Well calling anything that isn't human inhuman as an insult is... Is almost as asinine as the whole of ID itself.

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      The Blue dreamer bluefinger's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Seismosaur View Post
      Well calling anything that isn't human inhuman as an insult is... Is almost as asinine as the whole of ID itself.
      Which was exactly the effect I was trying to achieve
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      Member apachama's Avatar
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      I think that I we were told be aliens that they believe there is no God, some would be convinced. We are dealing with advanced beings here. Things that may be powerfull enough to make Biblical miracles look like child's play. A lot of people would ask, why would God come to Earth but not bother with them?

      If aliens are religious, however, it would probably effect atheists more deeply. But all faiths would be similarly affected.

      Imagine, aliens come with their own system of worshipping God and their own system of magic, or whatever. Their own religious systems may be millions of years old and could be followed accross the galaxy by trillions of sophonts.

      Christianity and the rest of them would be relegated to minor and very new religions on an obscure, primitive world.

      A lot of people would probably want to know more about their faith, and as their theology would probably be highly advanced it would take humans a while to find reasons for doubting their line of bullshit.
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      Neh.

      Any form of theology in a highly advanced culture would be so completely different that it would be difficult to call it theology.

      It'd probably be something akin to a very thinned version of Buddhism.

      But then again the aliens may be so different that...

      Ow shit then there goes that... And, but what if they weren't like that but...

      Ah fuck it.

      We'll just wait and see.

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      And on the sabbath day the visitors from outer space where dubbed as the anti-christ for ever and ever amen.......

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      Member Rakjavik's Avatar
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      The alien population is probably just waiting till we get rid of this archaic thing called religion before they stop by for a beer. I mean seriously, if they came now the fanatics would burn them at the stake. Ever read Rapture Ready forums? Those people have talked about how if aliens are discovered they are going to really be demons in disguise for the "Great Deception" of the end times. ET is probably just keeping his distance for now. (At least I'd like to think so)

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      LOL

      A bunch of Bronze-aged minded people taking on a race of beings that can travel across millions of lightyears.

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      Member apachama's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Seismosaur View Post
      It'd probably be something akin to a very thinned version of Buddhism.
      Thats an opinion. Possibly based on what you think makes rational sense.

      I love this writer called Olaf Stapledon, who wrote a book that plots the rise of this universal collective consciousness, he aslo wrote a book of much smaller scope that merely details the history of Humanity for the next two billion years.

      In these books, the highest good a sentient being can achieve is to recognise his place in the universe and exalt in it, without considerations being made to his own well-being. A simple example of this is a child of an advanced specie who Stapledon shows burning himself on a pan as a two year old. He is hurt, but rather than crying he learns the lesson, accepts that pain is a part of life and sees some kind of humour in his own little tragedies in comparison to infinity.

      In the end, universal civilisation has a desire to meet God as the ultimate act of worship. They aren't sure he exists, or if he does exist that he isn't evil. But they are compelled by the search and by the need to worship this ultimate reality.

      It would be weird if aliens came to Earth with that mentality or something like it. I think it would seriously fuck with atheists if aliens came with a message that galactic civilisation is based on worship.

      Of course, I don't think Christians would take it very well either. When compared to a gigantic civilisation that still doesn't know everything for sure, the claim that a small book written a little while ago on a tiny little planet contains Ultimate Truth would sound kind of laughable.
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      Quote Originally Posted by Rakjavik View Post
      The alien population is probably just waiting till we get rid of this archaic thing called religion before they stop by for a beer.
      Its possible that religion evolved when imagination did and that its relatively rare for such a thing to evolve in the universe. If this is the case, we might encounter thousands of still primitive, atheistic societies and that they won't start to develop until they get a sense of the mystical from Human missionaries.
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      Quote Originally Posted by apachama View Post
      Its possible that religion evolved when imagination did and that its relatively rare for such a thing to evolve in the universe. If this is the case, we might encounter thousands of still primitive, atheistic societies and that they won't start to develop until they get a sense of the mystical from Human missionaries.
      I don't see humanity's mysticism promoting development at all. Who knows, maybe it is a required part of evolution.

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      Sleeping Dragon juroara's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Dreamhope11 View Post
      How would any religion cope if the aliens told us there is no god.
      *shrug*

      what would make an aliens belief any more significant than a humans? I hear this a lot, which kinda bothers me that people are so willing to trust in aliens 100%

      what if aliens said "we created you!!"

      there are already a number of people willingly to believe in the aliens 100% without the aliens first proving it

      either way, it is going to be amazing when we make first contact. it will shake any and or all status quo

    18. #18
      Xei
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      We could find alien life quite soon if there are ecosystems around the thermal vents in Europa...

      I tend to think that it'll destroy quite a few people's faith, considering a large reason for humanity's belief in God is its egocentricity. Just look at what they did to Copernicus.

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      Quote Originally Posted by apachama View Post
      Thats an opinion. Possibly based on what you think makes rational sense.

      I love this writer called Olaf Stapledon, who wrote a book that plots the rise of this universal collective consciousness, he aslo wrote a book of much smaller scope that merely details the history of Humanity for the next two billion years.

      In these books, the highest good a sentient being can achieve is to recognise his place in the universe and exalt in it, without considerations being made to his own well-being. A simple example of this is a child of an advanced specie who Stapledon shows burning himself on a pan as a two year old. He is hurt, but rather than crying he learns the lesson, accepts that pain is a part of life and sees some kind of humour in his own little tragedies in comparison to infinity.

      In the end, universal civilisation has a desire to meet God as the ultimate act of worship. They aren't sure he exists, or if he does exist that he isn't evil. But they are compelled by the search and by the need to worship this ultimate reality.

      It would be weird if aliens came to Earth with that mentality or something like it. I think it would seriously fuck with atheists if aliens came with a message that galactic civilisation is based on worship.

      Of course, I don't think Christians would take it very well either. When compared to a gigantic civilisation that still doesn't know everything for sure, the claim that a small book written a little while ago on a tiny little planet contains Ultimate Truth would sound kind of laughable.
      Did you finish reading my post?

      There's a damn good chance "religion" will have no equivalent in their culture.

      Their friggin' aliens and would be so different, we'll probably have little to no parallels at all.

    20. #20
      Member apachama's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Seismosaur View Post
      Did you finish reading my post?

      There's a damn good chance "religion" will have no equivalent in their culture.

      Their friggin' aliens and would be so different, we'll probably have little to no parallels at all.
      Thats true. We've had a few people on here assuming that aliens will automatically be atheists. This is not right, we know nothing about what aliens will believe. So its all just speculation.

      This leads to three possibilities: aliens agree with what you believe personally, aliens agree with other people but not you, or aliens have very different views to ours and everyone struggles to try to fit them into human terms for a few decades.

      Personally, I find the question of what I would do if they disagreed with me more interesting that the question of what I'd do if they didn't.

      Juroara - the thing with aliens is that we'd be dealing with a race possibly billions of years more advanced than us. If they see no value in crystal healing, have never had a concept of astrology, etc, it would look bad for New Agers. If they come down with an idea that God exists and everyone in the universe believes it except a few backwards races it seems bad for atheists. Etc.

      The real value of their views is not that they think it, but that they can see our debates from the outside, if they share views with a human group, then its interesting the same belief developed on two worlds at once.

      To take an extreme views, aliens come to Earth and tell us that Christ visited their world and died for their sins too, and that Christianity has been revealed to people on nearly every sentient world. This would be a massive argument in favour of a form of Christianity.
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    21. #21
      Sleeping Dragon juroara's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by apachama View Post

      Juroara - the thing with aliens is that we'd be dealing with a race possibly billions of years more advanced than us. If they see no value in crystal healing, have never had a concept of astrology, etc, it would look bad for New Agers. If they come down with an idea that God exists and everyone in the universe believes it except a few backwards races it seems bad for atheists. Etc.
      absolutely, but theres always the exceptions!

      many atheists are going to be challenged if so many intelligent races in the universe, just so happen to look fairly humanoid, act fairly humanoid - because this would seem a strange coincidence, making the universe as a whole appear not so random after all.

      other atheists see no problem, and think the human type is going to be an evolutionary standard. even going so far as believing, all intelligent races must have gone through a period of having some form of outer religion.

      same thing with new agers - while many new agers would be upset if aliens appeared nothing like, new age says they would - others aren't going to care.

      because some new agers buy into the belief that many aliens are actually residing on the astral - that is, spirits o_o and aliens that aren't yet in the astral, aren't the most friendly - or spiritual. mankind included. they even expect these non spiritual aliens to come out and say "God is not real", and fear that these aliens will blind people from spiritual truth.

      in the most extreme scenario even, you're going to have fundies who will tell you that these aren't aliens. they are.....THE FALLEN ANGELS IN DISGUISES!!!



      I think there is something to say however, that the majority does seem really fixated on what aliens have to say - atheists and believers both are going to be effected. maybe this humanity's desire for easy answers? or the ego's desire to have someone else say "YOU WERE RIGHT! GOD IS REAL!" or "GOD IS NOT REAL!" just to have that satisfaction of knowing you knew better than your neighbor???


      maybe we should first be listening to the already good advice here on earth? keep ourselves a little grounded. I mean, really, do we need aliens to tell us how to live? Or what's wrong with society, or what's wrong with religion? what ever change aliens bring is really superficial if we aren't willing to change.

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      Member dragonoverlord's Avatar
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      You guys make it seem like if aliens come to earth and they say "God exists" or they say "God doesn't exist" then their answer must be right just cause they're aliens. Just being an alien doesn't make you right, leave a bit of room for debate eh
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      I am become fish pear Abra's Avatar
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      I wonder how many atheists would shit their pants if the aliens had 'the same' Jesus.
      Abraxas

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      Sleeping Dragon juroara's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Abra View Post
      I wonder how many atheists would shit their pants if the aliens had 'the same' Jesus.
      you know, there are people who believe Jesus is on a spaceship right now with aliens

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      Member dragonoverlord's Avatar
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      Marco Polo brought "the good the news "to the aliens i bet.
      Some are born to sweet deleight
      Some are born to endless night

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