The discovery of alien life may be close. How will religion survive it?

[brewer]

What if one of their worship rituals in anal probing?

Then we can offer up Vorlon.

I think he's more of a prober than probie. I could be wrong.

[Catholic_Lady]

There is nothing about alien life that is contradictory to religion. I've always been of the opinion that there probably is life on other planets.

There is nothing in your preferred version of your particular religion that is.

It is not "my preferred version" at all. Nothing in Catholicism says that alien life would be contrary to our faith. I have never even heard of that. If you want to claim otherwise, then please provide official Church documents stating such. 

As for other Christian denominations, I can't speak for them but I can say that I have never heard of any Christian I know say anything against alien life. Not saying those people don't exist, but they are definitely not in the majority. I had never even heard of the notion of Christianity being against aliens until I heard it from atheists on this forum. 

To start this thread and act as though religion is against alien life is a misrepresentation and also very ignorant.

[Pat Mustard]

Interesting discussion in the Guardian. I suspect discovery of alien life won't have so much effect on the devoutly religious, they will sweep it into the 'science+facts to be erased' brain compartment. It will be helpful to stem religious take up of the educated young hopefully and perhaps be a light bulb moment to those not completely beyond help.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre..._clipboard

Well christianity still exists, despite the fact that the humans in the Americas directly disproved it's message 500 years ago. They'll find some way to rationalise this disproof too, albeit to a dwindling audience.

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

Interesting discussion in the Guardian. I suspect discovery of alien life won't have so much effect on the devoutly religious, they will sweep it into the 'science+facts to be erased' brain compartment. It will be helpful to stem religious take up of the educated young hopefully and perhaps be a light bulb moment to those not completely beyond help.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre..._clipboard

There is nothing about alien life that is contradictory to religion. I've always been of the opinion that there probably is life on other planets.

Thank you for your response, Catholic Lady. What happens if these aliens have a different religion that causes many of Earth's people (theists and non theists) to convert to it; or, if they possess a more advanced knowledge (superior technology) and understanding of reality that could fill in the gaps of our understanding of reality and conclusively demonstrate the falsity of god concepts?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

There is nothing in your preferred version of your particular religion that is.

It is not "my preferred version" at all. Nothing in Catholicism says that alien life would be contrary to our faith. I have never even heard of that. If you want to claim otherwise, then please provide official Church documents stating such. 

As for other Christian denominations, I can't speak for them but I can say that I have never heard of any Christian I know say anything against alien life. Not saying those people don't exist, but they are definitely not in the majority. I had never even heard of the notion of Christianity being against aliens until I heard it from atheists on this forum. 

To start this thread and act as though religion is against alien life is a misrepresentation and also very ignorant.

Everybody's religion is a collection of those things they choose to believe from the general collection of items owned by that religion.

[Minimalist]

Interesting discussion in the Guardian. I suspect discovery of alien life won't have so much effect on the devoutly religious, they will sweep it into the 'science+facts to be erased' brain compartment. It will be helpful to stem religious take up of the educated young hopefully and perhaps be a light bulb moment to those not completely beyond help.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre..._clipboard

There is nothing about alien life that is contradictory to religion. I've always been of the opinion that there probably is life on other planets.

Well..... I grant you that the catholics have come a long way on the subject but still there are giveaways.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/ar...s2c1p6.htm

355 "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them."218 Man occupies a unique place in creation: (I) he is "in the image of God"; (II) in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material worlds; (III) he is created "male and female"; (IV) God established him in his friendship.

I. "IN THE IMAGE OF GOD"
356 Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator".219 He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake",220 and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:

An ET would really piss on that parade but still, they have come a lot farther than fundie xtians who take this shit literally.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The Big Book of Multiple Choice allows for any and all positions on this matter.

[TubbyTubby]

To start this thread and act as though religion is against alien life is a misrepresentation and also very ignorant.

The article isn't claiming religion is 'against' alien life, whatever that means. It's asking how will the major faiths square a discovery of alien life forms with their holy books.
Stating that there are no scriptures that preclude alien life is one approach. Retrofitting, or finding some new interpretation of some verse that reveals it was prophesied all along is another possible way.
In a thousand years time, faced with the possibility of thousands of discovered intelligent life forms at our local star base none of whom have any concept of the ancient god of the bible, there would still be some loon in the corner waving their book preaching the end is nigh.

[Neo-Scholastic]

Interesting discussion in the Guardian. I suspect discovery of alien life won't have so much effect on the devoutly religious, they will sweep it into the 'science+facts to be erased' brain compartment. It will be helpful to stem religious take up of the educated young hopefully and perhaps be a light bulb moment to those not completely beyond help.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre..._clipboard

There is nothing about alien life that is contradictory to religion. I've always been of the opinion that there probably is life on other planets.

No, but it would be very problematic (if not an outright defeater) for specific doctrines, particularly original sin.* For example, would Klingons need their own version of Christ? Would the Son of God from eternity have to be crucified multiple times, one for every species, rather than just once in ancient Jerusalem? Or does the sacrifice of Jesus on Earth redeem advanced life everywhere? Did Vulcans** fall from grace because the original parents of humanity couldn't resist eating from the tree of knowledge?

* Personally, I don't think original sin could survive the discovery of intelligent alien life. It's only works if we're alone. I tend to think we are (alone, not intelligent) but not for theological reasons.
**Klingons and Vulcans are real! I've seen them on TV.

[emjay]

Personally I doubt that there's any possible fact, no matter how contradictory with the Bible, that the most entrenched of Christians couldn't find a way to integrate into their beliefs. That's just the nature of the beast. So either by ignoring it, redefining terms, rejecting it/conspiracy theories, or... I can't remember the word for it... it's on the tip of my tongue... adding to the Bible to make it fit... like what has been done in some places to try and consolidate the differing accounts of the tomb and the men/angels in it in the four Gospels... find a hypothetical missing link that technically does not conflict with anything stated but at the same time, ends up saying something none of them said. I can't for the life of me think of the word for it but basically I think the Bible, or any text for that matter, can basically be a core/seed surrounded by layers and layers of mental additions to make it fit with known facts, and I think that's how it survives every onslaught of science for those heavily invested in it. Either that, or making it more 'allegorical'. So personally I'm not holding out for any scientific smoking gun, because no matter how objectively convincing, I know it wouldn't change the minds of the most biased believers.