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Religion vs aliens
Does religion somehow address the possibility of existence of intelligent live somewhere else? I think not. It just couldn’t. Religion was being coined during the time of Ptolemaic system of the Universe when the Earth was in the center of the entire cosmos and the stars where no more than candles attached to the celestial sphere. Where those aliens could be dwelling in this little, static and very boring world?
But do aliens exist in the first place? Well, this is a very strange question indeed. Of course nobody knows the correct answer. But this is not the reason to deny the existence of life anywhere else in the entire cosmos. I for example think that one of the reasons why we haven’t been contacted so far is precisely religion. Imagine those super intelligent beings capable of crossing interstellar or even intergalactic space, checking the Earth in their telescopes and seeing all these rubbish that is going on here? What would they tell each other? I think something like this:
- Well bro, these primitive bipedals are so dumb! They still serve idols and kill each other for their sake! I ain’t going there, are you?
- No way, it would be a waste of time. I stay too.
But do aliens exist in the first place? Well, this is a very strange question indeed. Of course nobody knows the correct answer. But this is not the reason to deny the existence of life anywhere else in the entire cosmos. I for example think that one of the reasons why we haven’t been contacted so far is precisely religion. Imagine those super intelligent beings capable of crossing interstellar or even intergalactic space, checking the Earth in their telescopes and seeing all these rubbish that is going on here? What would they tell each other? I think something like this:
- Well bro, these primitive bipedals are so dumb! They still serve idols and kill each other for their sake! I ain’t going there, are you?
- No way, it would be a waste of time. I stay too.
Tags: aliens
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rich Lane on -
I firmly believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but I go with the theory that we haven't been contacted for the simple reason that the universe is Too. Damn. Big. If interstellar travel is even possible, races that possess it are likely few and far between, and there's nothing spectacular in this neck of the Milky Way to suggest someone with that ability should come here.
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Permalink Reply by Alexey Kopchinskiy on -
Everything is relative you know. Einstein proved it :-)
the BIG is relative too. Some years ago I read a rather odd book dedicated entirely to the impossibility of manned spacecraft leaving the gravitational field of the earth. And where are we today (Americans might have really been on the Moon)?
Imagine a child sitting on the ocean beach and playing with a toy ship in a puddle of water. A child thinks of himself as an explorer. A brave, courageous, cunning explorer. This puddle for him is a true ocean and he is master of it. In the absence of parents or any elder people he is absolutely right. When he accidentally looks at the immense plane of water he doesn’t seriously consider travelling there.
Suddenly a big ship comes. A child looks at it with amazement. Wow! What on earth is this? How is this possible etc. etc.
I guess this is the modern state of the art with the possibility of extraterrestrial elders coming ashore and saying “Hallo little ones!” to the children of Adam and Eve sitting at the little puddle of not very fresh water.
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Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on -
I think there is definitely other life out there - even intelligent life. If they have come here, no one can prove with certainty. What if Star Trek 4 is correct and they do not come to visit us. At any rate, I don't think aliens and most religions jive. However, there are several non Judeo-Christian faiths which mention aliens and some worship them. There are references to extraterrestrials all the way back to cave drawings.
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Permalink Reply by Alexey Kopchinskiy on
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Actually, there are more then 7 billions aliens on this planet. After the industrial revolution, we are behaving so rude towards our mother earth like if we are true aliens. We almost destroyed out own planet, bringing numerous other species to extinction. What could be more alien then this?
Now our own survival is in question but we worry about some alleged extraterrestrial trifle.
Civilisations capable of traveling between stars most probably are the wise ones. I guess they might give us time to grow up a little bit if we can.
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Permalink Reply by Bob of QF on -
I'm reminded of that now venerable show, Bablyon 5 that was on a number of years ago.
What sparked the memory, was one episode in particular, in which the space station employed a group of monks, to assist with their database issues.
Now, the monks in question were undoubtedly religious; descendants of earth-based religion that believed in Abraham's deity.
There were several interesting conversations between the purely atheist characters and those monks-- who's faith was not destroyed by space travel, and aliens, but expanded-- the god they worshiped was not so much a 'friend' as it was a [almost] nameless Ultimate Creator. Not unlike Jefferson's deism.
Those monks also were firm believers in doing the best you could, and helping others as you were able, and only in doing that, could you honor [their idea of] god.
'what is the point of that?' they were asked; reply? Living a life that is both helpful and honest, including being the best you are, in whatever you do? That's it's own reward. Failing to be one's best? That's punishment-- you've wasted your life on sub-standard non-achievements. And once around is all we know...
I always respected those fictional monks, and I suspected the writers had 'borrowed' freely from actual monks of some sort, although I never did find out who or if they did.
In any case? Such a deity as that? Aliens present no problem at all.
I've seen a parallel idea among some of the more liberal (theologically) christians; they allow that a creator would interact (if indeed such interaction is even possible--doubtful) with any aliens as there may be.
Not bad, I suppose.
But I've often wondered: why bother to acknowledge such a nebulous, seemingly uncaring/uninvolved deity? What would be the point?
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Permalink Reply by Alexey Kopchinskiy on
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As I know Einstein also was admitting possibility of existence of some unimaginably superintelligent something. A kind of super mind which is so far beyond our understanding that it is questionable whether it worth bothering. I don't remember where I've read this, may be it was in a book called "the world as I see it" but I'm not sure.
But I'm afraid however beautiful it may sound it has nothing to do this such organisation as modern church. Besides..
Helping others and do the best you can? Why does one need to become a monk to follow this simple rules? Shouldn't it be obvious to everyone just as is? And if you are capable of behaving this way why not to have something else in your sleeve, a job for example.
This is one of my problems with the religion. When you strip it down to some basic principles that you can find in the scriptures you see the same stuff as those monks are preaching. Don't still, help others etc. Why to build something huge on top of these elementary things?
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Permalink Reply by Park Bierbower on -
I cannot speak to whether i believe that there are aliens, i hold no belief on the subject. its difficult, because there is no evidence that there ARE aliens, and yet it seems incredibly simple minded to assume that in the entirety of the universe that there is nothing else intelligent, ie the trillions of possible planets on which they could reside, if not somewhere else. if pressed for an answer, i would say yes, the statistical probability for life off of earth is so phenomenal that to deny it would be completely foolish. that being said, i think the conversation the aliens would be more like this.
~these bipedals are constantly engaged in tribal warfare, even intertribal civil war. they've developed the means to destroy most intelligent life on their planet, with little other than death to deter them from using it. they still have primitive ideologies, supernatural beliefs, of which the majority of the planet prescribes to, albeit not the same belief of others. they are currently in the process of stripping their planet for energy, although technologically their methods of energy creation are archaic and inefficient. they are slowly destroying themselves from the inside out, as they try to progress at the point of their primitive "earth guns."
~so, wanna go check it out?
~ehhhhh.... nah, too messy. besides, i don't wanna get wrapped up in that shit.
[ understanding that a much more advanced civilization would more than likely not view things from a perspective such as ours, they are completely anthropomorphized, as they should be, because this is just a tiny reply and this whole last paragraph is clarification that everyone either already knew or didn't care about to begin with ]
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Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on -
in the back of a xtian newspaper (which I peruse to keep tabs on haters) there was mention of a UFO meeting of sorts... or a seminar? Basically the listing in a bunch of god/christ etc-based meetings was funny enough. Then the print mentioned "...or are aliens and ufo's just a way to trick your spirituality"
LOL, sigh... one world, welcome to it. Don't abuse it.
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