Discovery of life outside earth and religion.

[zuluguy 0]

Would your view of religion change if NASA were to discover life (microbial) in outer solar system.
How about if they were to discover another Earth like planet.
Its almost looking positive, with 400 + planets discovered and counting.
How would you reconcile with life outside earth and religion.

[AggieDave 6]

There was a progressive pentecostal pastor who I observed being asked that same question. His answer was interesting and can be taken out of his context to be applied to that person's religion: "What makes you think, that if there is more life outside of Earth but in God's creation, that He hasn't done the same for them as he has for us?"

Agree or disagree, I thought it was one of the best religious answers I've heard.

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

[VTmotoMike08 0]

I would still be a firm Athiest. (side note: 400 planets? I think it will take a lot more than that to find life out there!)

Here's why: for complex life to exist, it must have come from something less complex. The best explanation that we have for this is evolution. Invoking god to solve the infinite regress presented above is, IMO, a cop out and a non-answer. Saying "I don't understand, it must be magic (i.e. deity)!" is pretty silly.

However, if we discovered a sufficiently advanced civilization (or if they found us first), they might be indistinguishable from diety to us (just like the native americans thought the Europeans guns were magic).

[zuluguy 0]

Quote

"What makes you think, that if there is more life outside of Earth but in God's creation, that He hasn't done the same for them as he has for us?"

this contridicts to what you might have heard
"Bible Leaves No Room for Extraterrestrial Life"
[/url]http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2004/03/Bible-Leaves-No-Room-For-Extraterrestrial-Life.aspx[url]

[shropshire 0]

Nope - still wouldn't believe in any of the gods.

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

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Quote

"What makes you think, that if there is more life outside of Earth but in God's creation, that He hasn't done the same for them as he has for us?"

this contridicts to what you might have heard
"Bible Leaves No Room for Extraterrestrial Life"
[/url]http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2004/03/Bible-Leaves-No-Room-For-Extraterrestrial-Life.aspx[url]

In cases like this, it is important to remember that history is replete with persons who would justify a religious text for their own agenda. Even modern "non-religions," such as global warming evangelists, should be included in that reminder.

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

[CanuckInUSA 0]

If we are alone in the Universe, it is an awful waste of space.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[billvon 2,478]

>Would your view of religion change if NASA were to discover life
>(microbial) in outer solar system.

It wouldn't. And if there were some intelligent dinosaur-looking things out there, they would no doubt have a God that looks like a dinosaur - and they'd be as right as we are.

[shropshire 0]

God is made in our image

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

[AggieDave 6]

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God is made in our image

Wow, God is one handsome SOB!

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

[riddler 0]

Why should it? If people that believe that Obama is still not a US citizen, after he made public his birth certificate, then people that believe in something as important as God certainly won't change their minds in the event of an E.T. discovery.

The various religious texts of the world don't account for any modern scientific findings (periodic table of elements, viruses, microwave ovens). There's nothing in any of them that precludes extra-terrestrial life.

To me, a more interesting question is, how many people would adopt the alien's religious views?

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[shropshire 0]

Quote

Quote

God is made in our image

Wow, God is one handsome SOB!

Oh lords it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way

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

[wolfriverjoe 1,371]

Given that a lot of the religious types deny solid science that disagrees with their beliefs (evolution being the most obvious) I can see a lot of them refusing to believe that NASA had found life elsewhere.

They would claim that the evidence was faked, or some similar drivel.

I believe in God, and personally find it pretty arrogant to believe that we are His only creation in the universe.

He gave us free will, and we are choosing to fuck things up pretty badly here.

Why assume that He didn't expect that possibility and create other bioshperes elsewhere in the universe?
Maybe another one ended up with Canine-based primary life-forms instead. Or Feline. Or Rodent.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[regulator 0]

God looks like Bill Murray? I would've never known!

[rehmwa 2]

Nope -

I'd continue to not know and not care

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[zuluguy 0]

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There's nothing in any of them that precludes extra-terrestrial life.

Well, if not directly, it sure does indirectly. Most if not all religions place mankind and the earth at the center of their belief system. None of them even remotely hinted or referenced to the fact that there could be potential for life elsewhere.
"When Jesus came to earth....." quote
Of all the places he chose earth, so either we got to be very special or we got to be arrogant to believe we are the special ones.

[billvon 2,478]

>Of all the places he chose earth, so either we got to be very special or we
>got to be arrogant to believe we are the special ones.

That's been a constant throughout history; one group always thinks they are the "true" religion or the "saved" or the "chosen people" or whatever. I have no doubt that some will continue to believe that; others will decide to reinterpret their canons (yet again) to include the new life. "Yeah, see, the Aramaic word for 'earth' really means 'everywhere' so it included this other planet."

[RackJR 0]

i'm not sure where the 400+ planets comes from. can you clarify that? i've read books by Dawkins that talk about the number of planets as a positively huge number (hundreds of billions) and the number of potentials as life carriers as a number much larger than 400. just curious what your definition is here.

if life were discovered elsewhere, why would that change people's view here? we have mountains of scientific data that religious people find a way to discredit or ignore, right now. would the addition of new data or facts cause them to reconsider? or would they simply take it in stride and employ the exact same tactics? they're already masters of mental gymnastics... they'll pole-vault over the new facts and just keep on running, bible in hand.

Say what you mean. Do what you say.

[billvon 2,478]

>i'm not sure where the 400+ planets comes from. can you clarify that?

So far we have discovered 452 extrasolar planets. There are undoubtedly far more that we will discover as our senor technologies improve. One is "earthlike" - roughly similar size and within what we consider the habitable zone, where liquid water can exist.

[wolfriverjoe 1,371]

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>i'm not sure where the 400+ planets comes from. can you clarify that?

So far we have discovered 452 extrasolar planets. There are undoubtedly far more that we will discover as our senor technologies improve. One is "earthlike" - roughly similar size and within what we consider the habitable zone, where liquid water can exist.

There was a story on NPR in the past couple weeks (I searched a bit on their site, but couldn't find it) that talked about how our Solar System seems unique. That the other systems they have found have the gas giants in close to the star, which would prevent any "earth-like" planets from forming.

Admittedly, there are probably many we can't see due to inadequate sensory ability, but the astronomer that was interviewed was making the point that a system with habitable planets seems to be fairly unusual in the known universe.

Which is causing them to rethink how prevalent life may be.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[RonD1120 58]

Quote

Would your view of religion change if NASA were to discover life (microbial) in outer solar system.
How about if they were to discover another Earth like planet.
Its almost looking positive, with 400 + planets discovered and counting.
How would you reconcile with life outside earth and religion.

No, since I am a counselor and not a scientist, life elsewhere, predicting the end times date and other non-conclusive discussions have no bearing on the strength of my faith.

I believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures that relate to Them because of the change in my life.

God chose me and I answered the call. I asked Jesus to come into my life and take control. He did and immediately my life got infinitely better.

The are no other questions for me to answer. There are facets to study for enhanced edification. I know beyond any doubt Whose I am and where I am going.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[billvon 2,478]

>That the other systems they have found have the gas giants in close to the
>star, which would prevent any "earth-like" planets from forming.

There's a lot of selection bias there, because in distant star systems, the only planets we can see are gas giants. However, there is some interesting research being done on retrograde planetary orbits -and that suggests that some methods of system formation would discourage the formation and stability of earthlike planets.

[wolfriverjoe 1,371]

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>That the other systems they have found have the gas giants in close to the
>star, which would prevent any "earth-like" planets from forming.

There's a lot of selection bias there, because in distant star systems, the only planets we can see are gas giants. However, there is some interesting research being done on retrograde planetary orbits -and that suggests that some methods of system formation would discourage the formation and stability of earthlike planets.

Right (I think, anyway - I'm not an astro-phyicist). The gas giants that are close in would either destroy the earthlike planets or prevent them from forming in the first place.

And the systems they are finding most are the ones that would not have earthlike planets.

They aren't finding many (only one system so far according to the report I heard) where the gas giants are in the outer orbits that would allow the life-supporting planets to exist.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[rushmc 18]

Shouldn't make any difference regardless of ones beliefs.
It can fit either and any way

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[Belgian_Draft 0]

If you consider that there are somewhere around 10^24 stars in the universe, it would be very shocking to find out that there is NOT any life other than on earth.

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit.