Religious folk: would the discover of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe change your perception/beliefs?

[FreeflyChile 0]

I was reading this article...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/02/25/galaxy.planets.kepler/index.html

...and it got me to thinking about religious beliefs, how some believe we were made in God's image, we are God's chosen, etc.

Well, if intelligent life were to be discovered (or if they discovered us) elsewhere in the universe, would that change your religious beliefs any?

[AggieDave 6]

A while back I saw an interview in which a preacher was asked the same question. He said something to the effect of "I'm sure that God loves them too."

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[mnealtx 0]

The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[livendive 8]

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The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

I think it's very, VERY likely that there are extraterrestrial life forms. The universe is so incredibly big that is seems highly improbably we'd be the only planet on which life formed. By the same token, I think it's quite unlikely that a God or some Gods exist in any sense espoused by major religions. It's possible that the Christian God exists and there are no aliens, but both possibilities seem incredibly improbable to me.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[GeorgiaDon 379]

Given enough time and space, even very improbable events are almost certain to occur, as long as they are consistant with laws of physics and chemistry. Since (so far) we only have one planet where we know for sure life has evolved, we can't know how likely or unlikely it is that there is life, much less intelligent life, elsewhere in the universe. However we do know enough about the presence of suitable chemical precursors to make a reasonable inference that there is likely to be lots of opportunity for living organisms to appear, since the universe is a very big place. How often/under what conditions intelligence, and in particular technological civilizations can appear (since we probably would never have a chance to be aware of non-technological intelligent life forms), is an open question. But there's nothing "crazy" about believing that it is reasonably probable that right at this moment there is, somewhere in the universe, another self-aware life form, possibly wondering if we're out here. What is "crazy" (I think) is to believe that, right at this moment, we are all being watched by an invisible, undetectible entity who knows everything that ever has happened or ever will happen, and who makes things happen in the physical universe without leaving any detectible trace (not using any matter or energy), therefore violating all kinds of physical laws. That kind of "craziness" is called "faith", and it's perfectly acceptible to lots of people, but I can't see how that isn't crazy but believing in something that doesn't contradict anything in physics or chemistry is crazy.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[GeorgiaDon 379]

Well, if they all had the same belief in a God who assumed the dominant indigenous life form, was subsequently executed to save them from their sins, and then rose from the dead, it would certainly get my attention. I'd make allowance for local preferences as to the mode of execution.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[JackC 0]

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The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

Ballance of probability.

Number of known life forms : 1,589,361 identified and catalogued
Number of known gods : 0

[maadmax 0]

to believe that, right at this moment, we are all being watched by an invisible, undetectible entity who knows everything that ever has happened or ever will happen, and who makes things happen in the physical universe without leaving any detectible trace (not using any matter or energy), therefore violating all kinds of physical laws. That kind of "craziness" is called "faith", and it's perfectly acceptible to lots of people, but I can't see how that isn't crazy but believing in something that doesn't contradict anything in physics or chemistry is crazy.

[jakee 1,582]

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The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

Why?

We know that life can occur on a planet and we know that there are billions upon billions of planets. Put the two together and the probability becomes very high that we are not alone.

What do we have to support god?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[tonyhays 86]

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What do we have to support god?

Faith...and perhaps fear. Nothing more.

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

[nerdgirl 0]

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... Well, if intelligent life were to be discovered (or if they discovered us) elsewhere in the universe, would that change your religious beliefs any?

For me, & I own this very much as reflective of my own religious & spiritual beliefs: yes, such a discovery would change them. But not in a negative or normatively 'bad' way.

I hope we're not alone in the Universe.

Based on probability & science, like others who've responded, I suspect there are other life forms in the Universe; at what level of development is another issue, as well as if they might be based on Silicon or Boron. 3 base pairs ... or 6? Or a completely different system? Suspect the probability of single- or simple multi-cellular life forms to be reasonably high. The probablility of more complex is more complicated.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[GeorgiaDon 379]

Hi Max! Well, for sure a little "craziness" adds spice to life. I wouldn't claim we know everything yet, far from it, so I guess I could still be surprised.

Cheers,
Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[rhys 0]

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Well, if intelligent life were to be discovered (or if they discovered us) elsewhere in the universe, would that change your religious beliefs any?

Define intellegent?

Humans are no different to cancer, we have the ability to transform anything from one thing to another but we decide to feed our greed and destroy our surroundings.

Take a look at the place you are currently sitting/standing and imagine what it would be like without the presence of human beings, probably quite beautiful...

I imagine there probably is life beyond our solar system, but I imagine we may never know.

To believe there absoluteley is not, is stupid. To believe the whole univers was made for humans... stupid.

It does not take a very intellegent mind to figure that out but many millions of people belive we were creted by a god and the universe is here for us to abuse. We are easily manipulated by greedy, power hungry assholes. If we were so intellegent, we would be much more careful with what we use and do, but we are not.

brain capacity, yes. Ability to use it well...

..you decide!

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[rhys 0]

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The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

You must observe a little better, the word probable is mentioned more often, not positive.

That is the problem with christians they need aboslute answers where there simply are not any.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[shropshire 0]

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And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space, 'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[chuckakers 426]

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The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

People who don't believe in God will believe in anything else.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[chuckakers 426]

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What do we have to support god?

Faith...and perhaps fear. Nothing more.

For the believers there's the Bible. A long novel to some, a history book of the Christian faith to others.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[chuckakers 426]

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Take a look at the place you are currently sitting/standing and imagine what it would be like without the presence of human beings, probably quite beautiful...

Looks pretty good with people to me.

Why do some see humans as foreign objects on the earth? We are, after all, just as much a part of nature as every other thing on the planet.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

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[JackC 0]

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Take a look at the place you are currently sitting/standing and imagine what it would be like without the presence of human beings, probably quite beautiful...

Looks pretty good with people to me.

Why do some see humans as foreign objects on the earth? We are, after all, just as much a part of nature as every other thing on the planet.

It's not humans per se, but the shit they leave behind.

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[chuckakers 426]

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Take a look at the place you are currently sitting/standing and imagine what it would be like without the presence of human beings, probably quite beautiful...

Looks pretty good with people to me.

Why do some see humans as foreign objects on the earth? We are, after all, just as much a part of nature as every other thing on the planet.

It's not humans per se, but the shit they leave behind.

You mean the shit we leave behind. That is unless you are living in a mud hut, eating berries and grass, wearing a fig leaf, drinking from the river, and recycling your own shit.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[mnealtx 0]

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The thing I find so humorous is that the same people that call the religious 'crazy' since there's no proof of God are the same people that are POSITIVE there's alien life out there.

Ballance of probability.

Number of known life forms : 1,589,361 identified and catalogued
Number of known gods : 0

Wow, 1,589,361 ALIEN life forms have been discovered - who'da thunk it?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[mnealtx 0]

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Why?

We know that life can occur on a planet and we know that there are billions upon billions of planets. Put the two together and the probability becomes very high that we are not alone.

What do we have to support god?

Really... you obviously have info that NASA doesn't.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[JackC 0]

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You mean the shit we leave behind. That is unless you are living in a mud hut, eating berries and grass, wearing a fig leaf, drinking from the river, and recycling your own shit.

Not necessarily. The Empire State building, the Taj Mahal, the Mona Lisa, Calculus, Quantum Elecrodynamics, the Bikini and Top Gun; all pretty cool things left behind by humans not living in mud huts and eating grass.

Land fill, chemical weapons, heroin, Auchwitz and country music ; we'd probably be better off without.

[pirana 0]

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A while back I saw an interview in which a preacher was asked the same question. He said something to the effect of "I'm sure that God loves them too."

He loves everybody, but is still going to condemn some portion to roast forever.

And where does He get all these virgins that He is going to shower on certain people? That's a lot of virgins. Must have a huge stockpile of them in some sort of virgin warehouse.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[chuckakers 426]

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You mean the shit we leave behind. That is unless you are living in a mud hut, eating berries and grass, wearing a fig leaf, drinking from the river, and recycling your own shit.

Not necessarily. The Empire State building, the Taj Mahal, the Mona Lisa, Calculus, Quantum Elecrodynamics, the Bikini and Top Gun; all pretty cool things left behind by humans not living in mud huts and eating grass.

Land fill, chemical weapons, heroin, Auchwitz and country music; we'd probably be better off without.

Top Gun? Are you kiddin' me? Take a closer look at the slo-mo volleyball scene.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX