Aethernaut

Sometimes I think they're one in the same but...

I've been mulling over a few thoughts the last couple of days regarding space exploration and wondered what the opinions of some of the people on these boards would be.

Supposing space probes find evidence of life, microscopic or otherwise, on Mars or the Galilean moon Europa at some point in the near future (5 to 20 years), what are the implications for creationists? Believing that Earth is the only place in gawd's universe that harbors life, how do you think they will react? How will this effect xianity as a whole?

-SK

Coragyps

I would bet that the really fundy, YEC types would deny that any organisms from Mars or Jupiter's moons were "really" alive at all. More moderate types might not go that far, but they would be able to stretch Genesis to fit much more easily than the YEC's could. The real eye-opener for all of us, of course, would be a contact with something intelligent. The Hovindites, etc., would say that they were merely Satan's underlings - what such an event would do to mainstream churches I wouldn't even guess.

Hey, SK, if you see my daughter out by tulane tell her Hi for me.

Aethernaut

Coragyps,

Sure thing!

-SK

Principia

The Bible is fairly vague, as I have discovered, that any interpretation is possible. I've heard from an evangelist that the Bible actually described UFO sightings. Check <a href="http://www.jvim.com." target="_blank">www.jvim.com.</a> This van Impe person, whose show I watch weekend nights just for kicks (after I come home a little tipsy from drinking ), would probably interpret the coming of ETs as a sign of the Apocalypse.

SC

Koiyotnik

I remember once hearing a theory that the figures of the Bible were actually genetically-modified extra-terrestrials from Mars, which explained their extensive lifespan.

But then another race took over and genetically made slaves with shorter lifespans (ie, us.)

I really should get the whole story for you guys--I was laughing.

I think my father might remember it; he's the one who heard it first, and told me.

Valentine Pontifex

I really don't see how it make any difference one way or another. There is nothing in the Bible that would rule out finding microbes on another world even in most of the sillies of the fundamentalist version. And if some fundy interprets the Bible that way, such a discovery would just force a quick reinterpretation.

I would note that I don't recall any sects feeling any heat from the alleged discovery of microbes from Mars a few years back.

Intellegent life might be another story especially if they accept evolution. But the non-fundamentalists will not find anything in that that will bother them in the least. The non-fundy reaction will probably be all over the place. Some will find some isolated verse that "proves" the Bible predicted it all. Assuming that ET was found via radio and not by a flying saucer landing in Time Square, some fundies will call it a hoax or interpret the ETs as devils, etc. I don't see that ET, at least in the short term, would end Biblical fundamentalism.

On a different subject, when it comes to stories about potential life on other worlds, I think that NASA has expended all of it crediblity. I view what they say with the skepticism I would give a prouncment from Duane T. Gish. They have made far to many premature claims that had little merit, they too eager to put out press releases speculating that such and such a place has life, etc. Indeed it probably has a much to do with NASA's wanting a larger budget than any science.

This is not to say that I would be surprised if Mars once had life. Indeed I would not be surprised.

eh

However, the issue of Christ's atonement would cause many xians some problems. Finding intelligent life without any knowledge of the xian god would cause many to wonder how good ol Jesus fits into the cosmic picture. It would also cause many to wonder if they should take the ultimate position of arrogance and assume the earth truly is the most important place in the universe. I mean, would they actually believe Jesus did his silly little death act for beings on other planets?

Valentine Pontifex

If one accepts Christainity, I really don't see what would be so silly of Jesus (or another member of the Godhead) being a messiah for another planet as well. Heck, have you ever read "The Man" by Ray Bradbury?

cricket

Amazingly, I don't think the discovery of life elsewhere would change most xtians' beliefs.
Most already believe UFOs are alien spacecraft, and some believe in the Roswell conspiracy.

AND they read their horoscope so they know how to plan their day... and they wear crystals for their healing powers... and they decorate their homes based on feng shui principles... and they visit fortune-tellers when they go to the carnival.

How they reconcile all this is beyond me. So many people are quite credulous, and each belief they swallow seems not to get in the way of their others.

Kevin Dorner

Some Catholic higherups at the Vatican (bishops?) got a good laugh a while ago when they released a pronouncement that if intelligent life was discovered, then it was tainted by Original Sin, and thus would require saving.

Fundies of all stripes would have a tough time with sentient extraterrestrial beings because all of the Abrahamic religions have a pathetically tiny local cosmos and timeframe, and a strong anthrocentricity whereby the whole freakin' universe was made just so whichever particular bunch of wandering bronze age irrationals could exist, but I don't think many non-fundamentalists would have a problem with it, nor would non-Abrahamic religions such as Hinduism, which got the timescale and size of the universe roughly correct... at least in the right orders of magnitude.

I have been doing SETI@Home thing heavily since it started and from reading the reader profiles, many of the users are open-minded religious people who figure that any cosmic intelligence would want as many intelligent species on as many planets all saying "gee, aren't you just neat." Of course, this is a small subset of the population.

The long-term effects of a confirmed signal or other undeniable evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence would, I think, be a detriment for religion (unless, of course, there was any sort of religion in the received message like 'Queezabul 20:42.5: He who doth spread the Thingspel by microwave neareth the interstellar hydrogen bands shall be blest utterly.' or something like that.)

[ March 03, 2002: Message edited by: Kevin Dorner ]</p>