Religion and alien life.

[Saint Frankenstein]

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.

 

[Parsimony]

I'd be fine with (and truly hope that there are) aliens.

As to what religions they would have, that's a pretty hard question for me to answer. Their thought processes could be radically different from ours. They might not even have emotions in the same way that we do.

 

[Sir Doom]

As long as they aren't like the Covenant from Halo...

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Actually quite the contrary; the LACK of extraterrestrial life would probably make me start questioning because it wouldn't make sense with this vast universe.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

As long as they aren't like the Covenant from Halo...

I like them, though. They make me laugh and they're kinda cute.

 

[Cardboard]

Actually quite the contrary; the LACK of extraterrestrial life would probably make me start questioning because it wouldn't make sense with this vast universe.

Same here.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

It would confirm my view that most religions are Homocentric.

I can not get my head round the Idea that man is in the image of God. It is quite extraordinarily unlikely to be so.
To even have an inkling about the concept of God , must embrace the universe.
Our place in the scale of things is vanishingly imperceptible.

It is highly likely that the concept of religion and God is universal.

 

[Levite]

Why would it be negative? God created the universe. He created a dizzying variety of life on this planet. How would it not be thinking less of Him to suppose that this was the only planet in the whole universe where He did that? It makes much more sense that there are a near-infinite number of worlds, with more kinds of life than we can imagine, many or most if not all of which have their own interesting and unique kinds of relationships with God and ideas about Him.

 

[idav]

It would likely give more religions to explore. Maybe the alien intelligence would have a better handle on it and call us superstitious barbarians.

 

[viole]

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?

I am not religious, but I expect religious people will stay religious by adapting their scriptures accordingly.

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?

If they believe in God, then their God is green or something.

I am confident though, that they never experienced visions of Mary.

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 would be nice if God did a better job at presenting Himself to everybody here on earth, before we speculate about aliens. If God can at the same time have long hair and looking like an elephant within our own planet, then we should not be too much concerned about His alien look.

But who knows? Maybe they will lose their faith when they see us.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Amechania]

I would think the religion of an alien intelligence might be rather difficult for humans to comprehend. They may have no conception of an afterlife, or may have indisputable proof of it. They may be committed to logic or be purely emotional. They may not possess the ability to create or understand figurative language, or may only speak in metaphor. Their values may be completely different from our own and the characteristics we think are virtuous or of divine nature may be abhorrent to them. Most importantly I'm sure they would believe themselves to be correct and we completely wrong regardless of the extent of disparity in our spiritual beliefs. This could mean trouble.

 

[Sees]

I know there are quite a bit of folks who believe aliens are demons...similar to ghosts and what not.

I think there are aliens and it would be very interesting to hear what they have to say about what we are, they are, the uni/multiverse, etc.

 

[Sir Doom]

I would actually expect that life from another planet would literally have a different god. Hopefully, theirs and ours get along.

 

[ChristineES]

It wouldn't have any affect on me. I am a major Trekkie/Trekker and although the show is fiction, I always wondered if there is other life including intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Wow, it's an avalanche for the "yes" vote!

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I know there are quite a bit of folks who believe aliens are demons...similar to ghosts and what not.

Yeah, I'm aware of those types. Hopefully one of them will chime in with their views. I don't agree with them, though.

I think there are aliens and it would be very interesting to hear what they have to say about what we are, they are, the uni/multiverse, etc.

Indeed!

 

[Erebus]

I'd be utterly amazed if it turned out that Earth was the only planet in the entire universe that had any kind of life on it. I'm more skeptical about Earth having been visited by extraterrestrials, but I don't discount the possibility out of hand.
I would fully expect that any alien race that has something analogous to religion would have something that parallels their collective experience and needs in much the way humans do. I don't believe that an extraterrestrial religion would necessarily have to include deities, but if it did I would probably expect them to in some way function as archetypes which reflect the races' desires, fears and ambitions.

None of that happening would shock me or dissuade me from my own beliefs. What would be much more surprising is if one or more alien races naturally developed an identical religion to one of the human races' religions.

 

[Cardboard]

Yeah, I'm aware of those types. Hopefully one of them will chime in with their views.

My cousins friend said he was abducted by an alien demon last week when he was frog gigging!!!!

No.... although I do would hope that any alien beings we encounter would be as benevolent as in much of our science fiction, I doubt they would be, or even care about us if we were noticed.

I do think it is a mathematical improbability that there are no life forms, somewhere else though.

 

[Muffled]

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.

I believe egocentric people would be threatened.

I believe it would confirm my suspicions.

I believe it is likely that some do and some don't. I believe angels could actually be aliens in the service of God.

 

[Muffled]

Actually quite the contrary; the LACK of extraterrestrial life would probably make me start questioning because it wouldn't make sense with this vast universe.

I believe an empty universe would lead me to question evolution since the odds are that a law should be replicated if it actually were a law. As for creation God does what He wishes so empty or not fits that concept.