Astronomers Tell Congress They’re Almost Certain ET Exists

[cleanhippie]

"In the last 50 years, evidence has steadily mounted that the components and conditions we believe necessary for life are common and perhaps ubiquitous in our galaxy," said Werthimer in his written testimony, adding: "The possibility that life has arisen elsewhere, and perhaps evolved intelligence, is plausible and warrants scientific inquiry."


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/05/astronomers-tell-congress-almost-certain-et-exists/

This story is going around, and I want to ask a question from the religious perspective:

Considering the very Earth-centric nature of most religion on this planet, how would the discovery of life (not necessarily intelligent life, just life itself) play into these beliefs that place us all at the center of it all, special in every way?

[SheilaT]

1. I think that's why so many religions

and so many who consider themselves religious, refuse to consider the possibility. Some hide behind the idea that the earth (and apparently the entire Universe) is only a few thousand years old. Others just assume that humans are the only possible intelligent life out there and dismiss any other possibilities.

While I am by no means a conventionally religious person, it seems to me that if God really is a vast and all-knowing as he's supposed to be, then of course he would have created this amazing, huge, incredibly diverse Universe. If man is made in God's image, then so also is every living thing on this planet. And every other living thing out there.

I don't happen to believe in a single God who set everything in motion, and I most certainly don't believe in a God that micro-manages things. I don't pretend to know what came before the Big Bang or what got Time and Space started. But I do know that in such an enormous cosmos there absolutely must be other life, including other intelligent life, out there. Whether we ever make contact with other intelligent beings is the real question.

[cleanhippie]

2. With most people's belief in their god predicated on the assumption that we are alone...

it will be interesting to observe how will people reconcile such a discovery with their beliefs.

I think it will be worthy at the very least.

[Starboard Tack]

4. "With most people's belief in their god predicated on the assumption that we are alone..."?

Where did you get that notion? Is there some study or survey to support that?
I don't recall reading anything in any religious text that suggests we are alone. But maybe my memory is failing me.
I recall the Genesis story of creation. Adam and Eve and all that, but I don't think there was any mention of them being the only ones, just the first humans.

But, anyway, we all know that's just a simple story and complete allegory. I seriously doubt that most people think we are alone in the universe.

"We're not alone in the universe -- or so say half of Americans in a new HuffPost/YouGov poll. And a quarter of Americans think that alien visitors have come to Earth.

According to the new survey, 50 percent of Americans think that there is some form of life on other planets, while only 17 percent think that there's not. Another 33 percent said they aren't sure.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/alien-poll_n_3473852.html

[goldent]

12. I'm with you

I think my religion would be unaffected by the discovery of intelligent life outside of earth - I don't see it as an issue. Would be interested if the aliens have any religion though.

[gtar100]

31. Maybe some will do like the Mormons did with the discovery of the "New World"

and come up with some "plausible" story of how Jesus paid a visit.

[cleanhippie]

32. Whatever it is, it will be a spectacle to behold.

The mental gymnastics required will be Olympic.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. A little long, but Susan Blackmore tackles this from one direction. A suggested change to

the Drake Equation.

[struggle4progress]

14. She's somewhat sloppy in her statements: she describes Darwinism reasonably well,

but also botches it by asserting that it ensures offspring are better adapted than their parents, which is hokum and completely misses the more accurate population-statistics description, and in her glowing description that natural selection "must" produce improvement, she completely overlooks the role that significant chance can play in shaping or obliterating species

Moreover, I find her claim that "memes" somehow provided pressure for an enlarged human brain really ridiculous

[struggle4progress]

5. I never meet many people concerned about this topic

[okasha]

6. Most of the people I know

who are actually interested in this topic are avid science fiction fans who would dearly love to meet a real extraterrestrial life form.

Me, I'd love to meet Pyanfar Chanur and her crew.

[struggle4progress]

11. Extraterrestrial life is an interesting topic; and I think it's worth supporting some scientific

research there, but I also strongly suspect we won't ever actually find direct evidence, no matter may actually be out there: the distances involved are enormous

I just really can't see why anyone would regard this as a serious theological question: it has nothing whatsoever to do with anything I consider theology

[okasha]

17. I rather think the evidence

will find us.

Native American religion recognizes the existence of the Star Nation--variously the stars themselves, personifications of the stars, or people from the stars--but as a class of living beings on the same level as the Two-foots, the Four-foots, the Standing People, etc.. It's neither a theological proposition nor a theological question.

[struggle4progress]

20. I have no particular problem with the idea that we should regard the rest of the universe

as filled with our brothers and sisters of various sorts

[Warren Stupidity]

7. what an odd statement.

I never meet many people concerned about this topic

Did you mean you have never run into a crowd of people concerned about the theological implications of intelligent alien life?

Why, outside of a meeting of theologians, would you expect to meet "many people concerned about this"?

[struggle4progress]

8. I've never met anyone with a theological interest in this question

[Warren Stupidity]

9. well that is likely because most religious people are incurious about their religion.

[struggle4progress]

13. I don't think my religion purports to tell me what to think about such questions

If we ever make contact with some extraterrestrial species, I figure we can worry about the moral issues then

[Starboard Tack]

15. Sounds like it's only an issue for the religious fundies and their doppelganger anti-theists. nt

[struggle4progress]

16. I can't imagine why it would be an issue for anyone trying to live a real life today

[Warren Stupidity]

22. sure if by "fundie" you mean anyone who actually believes that this jesus fellow

was the "son of god". Otherwise the whole myth is sort of exploded.

[Starboard Tack]

27. No, I include you and other extreme anti-theists.

Many people believe we are all the sons of God. I know I did, when I was a Christian. Myths reside only in the minds of individuals. We all believe in myths of one sort or another. So who are you to criticize someone else's myth? And why the fuck do you care what others believe. Only fundies care about the beliefs of others.
You need to care more about people's actions Warren, not their beliefs.

[Warren Stupidity]

29. wow now I've gone from an anti-theist to an "extreme" anti-theist.

Thanks for the promotion.

" I know I did, when I was a Christian"

right.

[Starboard Tack]

30. Yep, I think that's how many Christians see themselves and everyone else. As God's creatures.

All anti-theists are extreme by definition. But if the sense of promotion fits, then wear it with pride. Anti-theists are obsessed with the beliefs of others and they are obsessed with seeing the bible as the literal word of God, which makes them pretty indistinguishable from religious fundies. Both sides are equally narrow-minded and bigoted in their ideology, and get off by spewing insults at each other. Pretty sad bunch of party-poopers. It is also comical, at times, to watch their buffoonery and war in stupidity. But ya know, birds of a feather and all...

[Warren Stupidity]

18. you don't see any conflict between the christian foundational myth and a universe teeming

with intelligent life?

[struggle4progress]

19. Well, since my religion asks me to hope for a day when we all beat our swords into plowshares

and our spears into pruninghooks, when nations cease to lift up sword against nation, when we cease to study the art of war, when wolves and leopards and lions and lambs and goat kids and calves all live together, ruled peacefully by a little child -- the question you ask does not seem to me particularly relevant to my religious conerns

[Warren Stupidity]

23. in other words you aren't even slightly curious about how et affects the foundational myth of

Christianity. Further confirmation.

[struggle4progress]

24. If you're interested (say) in whether aliens abducted Jesus from his tomb, or whether the Ascension

is the first recorded evidence of tractor-beam technology, you might go meet like-minded folk at a Star Trek convention: there's one in Chicago in a few weeks and another in Boston in about a month

Beyond that, it appears I'll be unable to help you

[cleanhippie]

25. I think it was clear in his first response that he wasn't interested in this topic at all.

Why he felt the need to hijack the thread is another matter, too.

Projecting internal fear seems the likely cause.

[okasha]

10. Nor have I.

NT

[stone space]

21. The discovery of life elsewhere (especially intelligent life) would probably...

...cause folks to reevaluate the likelihood of the existence of a God or Gods.

The more diverse the environments that life can be shown to arise in and the wider the variety of life, the more likely that Gods would actually exist, it seems to me.

[cleanhippie]

26. That would seem to be a reasonable assumption. Judging by a few responses above...

reason isn't even in their conversation.

[Prophet 451]

28. My faith would have no problem with the existence of EBEs

I'd actually be interested in meeting them and learning about their belief systems if they have any. My faith (Lucierian Satanism) doesn't preclude the possibility that there are other god(s). There may or may not be other gods, I've never met them, but this god is sacred to me. If our hypothetical EBEs have their own belief systems, I'd love to hear about them.

[cleanhippie]

33. It would be an interesting conversaton.