Religion and alien life.

[Muffled]

If we come across aliens who believe in the same organized religion that we do here on Earth, then yes it would shake my atheism. But I seriously doubt that because no religious text has ever mentioned alien life.

I believe this is the null hypothesis. There is no reason why a religious text should say anything about aliens. I believe God works on a need to know basis.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

Here's a fun topic (well, I hope it stays fun, anyway!):

How do you think it would be if we discovered or came into contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life, in regards to religion? If you're a faithful person, would it shake your faith? Or would you be able to integrate it into your beliefs with little or no problems?

What about the aliens themselves? Do you think they might have religion? What do you think their religion might be like (yes, let's speculate!)? Do you think they'd believe in one God or many, or believe in deities as we might understand them at all?

Personally, I already think there's life out there and think we've probably been "visited" throughout our history, so I have no problems with the idea of alien life, in regards to my religion. It never made any sense to me that we would be the only planet with intelligent life. I do not think that humans are so privileged. Plus, I believe that God would've revealed Himself to them in a way that they could comprehend, too. Maybe Jesus appeared to them as an alien - who knows? (I hope they didn't treat Him the same as we did, though!).

So I'm very open-minded about it and the question excites me.

It's a great question because either way, the answer is profound.

I think though based on the evidence so far, we could put the question the other way

how do atheists reconcile the 'great silence' with their beliefs, that humans-as intelligent beings are nothing special, an inevitable consequence of random chance...

yet we hear nothing but deafening silence form across the galaxy