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People seem to think the discovery of aliens would have profound implications for religion. Why is this? Just because God doesn't mention aliens in the bible, doesn't mean he didn't create them, does it? Even if the bible is the word of God, maybe He only gave us those words pertaining to us?
Christ, molgrips, you really are bored aren't ya? 🙂
All I can say is it's a good job he's got a job now, or you'd have had him frothing at the keyboard. Give it until about seven tonight though, and I'm sure he'll be along to tell you what a worthless scrap of god bothering humanity you are 😉
🙂 🙂 🙂
I am sure they could adapt their faith to accomodate after all the evidence has not prevented them believing so far has it?
What Whoppit will say without the insults
their god allows anal probing (apparently)
Christ, molgrips, you really are bored aren't ya?
Oh you don't know the half of it. Plenty more where that came from!
These are the same people who think that religion is basically evolutionary biology for retards, presumably? 😀
If there was a god*, why would anyone assume that there was only ONE god in the universe? After all, here on earth we can't agree on who is the one true (or collective group of) deity so why would earth's god(s) have made little green men with seven eyes and testicles on their chins in his image?
*There is no god.
so thats why they have those big beards @ STW towerstesticles on their chins in his image
Doesn't God tell people he is the one true god in the Old Testament?
yes to the jews the muslims and the christians - the vchildren of Abraham...giving them all the land as well ...seems to have worked well on earth sure they can spread this message of love and tolerance to space
Doesn't God tell people he is the one true god in the Old Testament?
Why not ask a Hindu or a Muslim or a Buddhist or... (but of course, if this particular god said it, then it must be true, right?)
Before the jews got serious, absolutely no-one thought that there was only one god. All previous ideas about gods were (as far as we know) of the Conan the Barbarian variety*, limited in scope and basically unimaginative, admitting of the possibility of others in the way that old maps admitted of the possibility that there were continents that weren't shown on the map.
The idea that the jews had about the all-encompassing nature of their god was a new one, and one of the more significant ideas that humans have had (in terms of its impact rather than its correctness necessarily). There is no room at all in the theology of the abrahamic religions for any other gods to be out there. There is no space in which they can exist.
[in this view] If there are aliens out there they are a part of god's creation just as much as we are. Whether they have the same insights into god as we do doesn't seem to matter. But I suppose if we could have any meaningful relationship with them we might easily say that they too were created in god's image, we'd just have to assume (as I think most grown-ups do) that this has to do with characterisitcs other than having tentacles.
I'm reading Paul Davies book "the eerie silence" at the moment. I love the fact that there are serious, intelligent people out there actually making plans for dealing with alien contact if it happens. 🙂
* [i] Conan: What gods do you pray to?
Subotai: I pray to the four winds... and you?
Conan: To Crom... but I seldom pray to him, he doesn't listen.
Subotai: [chuckles] What good is he then? Ah, it's just as I've always said.
Conan: He is strong! If I die, I have to go before him, and he will ask me, "What is the riddle of steel?" If I don't know it, he will cast me out of Valhalla and laugh at me. That's Crom, strong on his mountain!
Subotai: Ah, my god is greater.
Conan: [chuckles] Crom laughs at your four winds. He laughs from his mountain.
Subotai: My god is stronger. He is the everlasting sky! Your god lives underneath him.[/i]
I vote for that collective unconscious / godhead malarkey.
I'm not alleging that the Christian God really IS the one true god - I was merely providing you with reasons why people might assume that there is only one God. That is, because their scripture says so.
too late to deny it now molgrips 😉 We know
Lots of people don't agree with that analysis molgrips.
The purpose in identifying life outside the Earth biosphere is not intended to support a specific religious viewpoint or atheist agenda.
But it will undermine assumptions many people make about the uniqueness of the "life" phenomenon. I speculate now... knowing that there are extraterrestrial "aliens", we might even be a little less xenophobic about our fellow humans [but I doubt it].
Right, ok then, who'd win a fight between a lion, right, and a great white shark. A nazi great white shark, and the lion could have a flick knife. Debate that, you dawkins fanboys!
knowing that there are extraterrestrial "aliens", we might even be a little less xenophobic about our fellow humans
No way. They'd have to be actually over here, stealing our jobs and taking our women for that to happen. 🙂
[Remembers how ace District 9 is..]
on land the lion in water the shark...I doubt the lion could use the flick knife or need it. Not sure the shark can join the nazis is it an indigenous shark or one of those foreign ones that comes to our water and eats our fish. What colour is the shark?
Nazi Great White Shark FTW.
[i]All[/i] great white sharks are nazis. Some of them just pretend to be moderate to make themselves more electable.
Ok then, but where would you stand MORALLY on that. It's all well and good cheering him on when he's biting trawlermen and that, but are you going to put up with him denying the holocaust?
"Nazi Great White Shark"
That needs a thread all of its own.
Look. If a 25 metre long nazi fish with a million enormous teeth reckons no jews were harmed during the making of the holocaust then who are we to argue?
Besides, lions lost my respect when they started carrying flick knives.
And they can break a mans arms with them fins. Or is that swans? Bastards anyway, all of 'em.
And the lion could be wearing a hoody.
If you think the Great White is King in the Water - you havent seen the footage of an Orca kicking a Bigger great white's ass and then snacking on it..(this has occurred a few times off the coast of San Francisco.)
Meanwhile this is happening all the Great White's mates dive deep and swim a few thousand miles to Hawaii...and dont return to said San Fransisco feeding ground for a few years!
The Orca's return to snacking on seals and the like until the great whites return.
*Orca - truly lives up to its name as a Killer Whale!
Great white would beat a swan easily. The swan's killer move is the arm-break, but the shark's got no arms. What's the swan going to do then?
assumptions many people make about the uniqueness of the "life" phenomenon
Well they are assumptions are they not, and not fundamental to the concept of religion?
Where are killer whales on the political spectrum?
Conservatives probably, or more likely UKIP (nazi-lite).
"Well they are assumptions are they not, and not fundamental to the concept of religion?"
Assumptions in deed. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Do you wonder if all the angels and demi-gods are really extra-terrestrials?
I was merely providing you with reasons why people might assume that there is only one God. That is, because their scripture says so.
That is fair enough - but under the assumption that there may be other gods, then another god might have invented aliens.
black and white colour scheme? Thats the Cornwall Independence Party isnt it?
Clearly. I do wonder why people might have a problem with the idea of aliens. Can anyone give any insight?
What if God set the big bang off. And then next door, in the other universe, set off another big bang?
(even though the Big Bang theory is bollocks of course)
" I do wonder why people might have a problem with the idea of aliens. Can anyone give any insight?"
I've never seen one, have you? The simplest explanation is that there aren't any.
I've never seen one, have you? The simplest explanation is that there aren't any.
the simplest explanation is that they're too far away to see. That there were none would be highly unlikely!
[i]Doesn't God tell people he is the one true god in the Old Testament?[/i]
True, but Enimen told me he was the real Slim Shady, so now I don't know who to believe.
Someone described the search for alien life as like looking for a needle in a haystack, except that it's a very big haystack, it may not contain a needle and to search for the needle you have to squint through a drinking straw.
The real slim shady is Eminem. That other guy Enimen is a tribute act from Staines.
...you have to squint through a drinking straw.
better than having to eat through one.
[i] Someone described the search for alien life as like looking for a needle in a haystack, except that it's a very big haystack, it may not contain a needle and to search for the needle you have to squint through a drinking straw.[/i]
Sounds dangerous, you could take an eye out doing that.