Is Religion Likely to exist on other Planets?

[Rainbow Mage]

If so, what are the chances that the people there interact with the same deities and such? I mean, how do we know our gods, aren't just that, our gods? The gods of human beings.

 

[YmirGF]

I think it likely that any advanced civilization would have put their religions in the dark and hoary past. Primitive species? Who can say. It is likely they would have something to hold onto. The question is if such "religions" would bear any resemblance to those of the human animal. It's very difficult to get into that without getting into anthropomorphics.

 

[Breathe]

I believe so. To think aliens are automatically religionless seems too.. meh, to me. What if it turns out the reverse is true, and the first aliens we meet are uber-religious, like the Jehovah's Witnesses of the Universe?

The entities may be different in appearance and stuff, but this is because it would be difficult for us to envision gods with alien-appearances, but they will still have the same roles to some extent. Since I only believe in one entity which the others are manifestations of, I'd imagine it would be the same for the aliens, too. They're still reaching the One, even if they are praying to it in different forms with different roles.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I have no idea.

[it would be funny if they had the same religions as us]

 

[Smoke]

If you concede the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, which I do, the existence of religion seems practically a foregone conclusion. I'd expect alien races to be mortal and to have contrived some way of coping with mortality, and to be given to wonder about the mystery of life and the universe and to have found some way of mythologizing it.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I'd imagine it would be the same for the aliens, too. They're still reaching the One, even if they are praying to it in different forms with different roles.

I agree with this Odion :frubals: (soon as my frubal block is lifted)

 

[tumbleweed41]

What if it turns out the reverse is true, and the first aliens we meet are uber-religious, like the Jehovah's Witnesses of the Universe?

Picturing a flying saucer landing in my driveway, and a family of little green aliens knocking on my door.
"Excuse me human, have you heard the Good News?"

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Picturing a flying saucer landing in my driveway, and a family of little green aliens knocking on my door.
"Excuse me human, have you heard the Good News?"

I'd probably invite them in and treat them well, under the circumstances. I don't think we should be mean or violent toward any other intelligent life that may exist out there.

 

[Breathe]

Picturing a flying saucer landing in my driveway, and a family of little green aliens knocking on my door.
"Excuse me human, have you heard the Good News?"

Lol, that would be a real kicker.

Although I think I'd listen to their religion. Being one of the first, if not the first people to learn of an alien religion.. it'd be awesome, in a way, even if I did have get up early to answer the door in my underwear..

 

[Engyo]

According to the Lotus Sutra it does................

Then the Buddha emitted from between his brows a white hair-mark light which illumined eighteen thousand worlds to the east, omitting none of them reaching below to the Avichi hells and above to the Akanishtha heaven. From this world were seen all the living beings in the six destinies in those lands further were seen all the present Buddhas in those lands and all the Sutras and Dharma spoken by the Buddhas was heard.
Also seen were the Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Upasakas, Upasikas in those lands who cultivated and attained the Way.
Moreover were seen the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, the various causes and conditions, the various beliefs and understandings, and the various appearances of their practice of the Bodhisattva Way.
Further were seen the parinirvana of the Buddhas and, after the parninirvana of the Buddhas, the building of stupas with the seven jewels to hold their sharira.

From Chapter 1; Lotus Sutra

 

[YmirGF]

Picturing a flying saucer landing in my driveway, and a family of little green aliens knocking on my door.
"Excuse me human, have you heard the Good News?"

That certainly sounds like a bad B movie plot. One wonders how long they would be polite about it if we were not respectful of their thinking.

 

[Engyo]

That certainly sounds like a bad B movie plot. One wonders how long they would be polite about it if we were not respectful of their thinking.

That would depend which Earth religious believers' behavior their behavior most resembles, wouldn't it?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Let's hope they don't resemble fundamentalist Christians

 

[YmirGF]

That would depend which Earth religious believers' behavior their behavior most resembles, wouldn't it?

True, but we might have to wait for them to build an embassy.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

You think they'd have a concept of embassies?

 

[DeitySlayer]

If aliens had religion, theirs and ours would mutually annihilate by recognition of how culturally and ethnocentrically rooted religions are, rather than containing any transcendent source of truth.