Why do Christians believe in the Resurrection of Jesus but not alien abductions?

[Disciple]

Why people still cling to a belief in demons, today...is beyond me.  That said, even a nutter ought to know that their belief in demons is backsliding pagan superstition, and so I thoroughly enjoy the subject.  Any person who wants to distance their christianity from previous pagan faiths, and then mentions demons...has slit their religions throat from the outset.  Probably the fault of demons.

Hey Rhythm, just curious, how do you figure the belief in demons is backsliding into paganism when the bible mentions them all through it? Even Christ in the NT refers to them them by name in some places. Sure, there are a lot of pagan spiritual systems where the adherents work directly with demonic energy but I don't see how they can have any ownership to the concept. Would like to hear your perspective on it.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Do you have a clue how far the nearest solar system is that might have intelligent life capable of building interstellar space ships?  None of them would try to reach us because it takes too long and takes too much coal.  Besides, the spaceship would have to be perfect in all aspects.   Based on human history the civilization that launched such a space ship would have died out by the time it reached Earth and their world would be completely different by the time it returned to it.

I agree that interstellar space travel is not without its difficulties; clearly, any advance civilization undertaking such a venture would need to have developed some sort of controlled nuclear fusion, but if such a technology exists, then, yes, interstellar space travel would be possible.  And, also, you have to consider the effects of special relativity; if a space-faring civilization could reach speeds that are near the speed of light, time dilation would set in, and then, some sort of micro-regenerative cryogenics may be possible using some sort of nano-technology.  Who knows?!  Can you imagine a world without smartphones?

So there you are whizzing through space at light speed or greater.  Would your mass increase?  Would you affect space junk with your gravity field?  How would you avoid smashing into space junk?  How wealthy would your home world have to be in order to build and sustain a space-faring civilization?  And what would be its purpose?

[The Grand Nudger]

Hey Rhythm, just curious, how do you figure the belief in demons is backsliding into paganism when the bible mentions them all through it?

Where do you think those narratives came from? -and perhaps you should take another look, because they aren't "all through it" -at all-.

Even Christ in the NT refers to them them by name in some places. Sure, there are a lot of pagan spiritual systems where the adherents work directly with demonic energy but I don't see how they can have any ownership to the concept. Would like to hear your perspective on it.

The word and concept itself is of greek origin.  Originally it didn't mean anything intrinsically negative, just spirits.  They could be good, bad, indifferent (just like people).  These are the demons to which "paul" was referring, for example, when he asked how people could be right with the lord while they worked with demons.  He wasn't thinking of the demons you're thinking of...which is a subsequent conflation of fallen angels and evil spirits with demons arising out of another wave of syncretism (the same that granted christians their traditional view of hell).  He was speaking directly about people who, for example, made an offering to "the spirits of this or that tree" as a safeguard against a hunting accident.

So you tell me, how christian is it to believe in dryads and jotunn, by another name?

[Jehanne]

I agree that interstellar space travel is not without its difficulties; clearly, any advance civilization undertaking such a venture would need to have developed some sort of controlled nuclear fusion, but if such a technology exists, then, yes, interstellar space travel would be possible.  And, also, you have to consider the effects of special relativity; if a space-faring civilization could reach speeds that are near the speed of light, time dilation would set in, and then, some sort of micro-regenerative cryogenics may be possible using some sort of nano-technology.  Who knows?!  Can you imagine a world without smartphones?

So there you are whizzing through space at light speed or greater.  Would your mass increase?  Would you affect space junk with your gravity field?  How would you avoid smashing into space junk?  How wealthy would your home world have to be in order to build and sustain a space-faring civilization?  And what would be its purpose?

From your perspective, your mass would not increase.  Another observer would, however, see your mass increase.  I am not talking, let advocating, FTL travel.  Even at "space normal" speeds (Ha!), ET could still, if they had developed nuclear fusion and advanced biotechnology, make such a journey.

[The Grand Nudger]

They wouldn't need either.  We consistently fail to imagine truly alien lifeforms when we imagine alien lifeforms.

[Redbeard The Pink]

Why people still cling to a belief in demons, today...is beyond me.  That said, even a nutter ought to know that their belief in demons is backsliding pagan superstition, and so I thoroughly enjoy the subject.  Any person who wants to distance their christianity from previous pagan faiths, and then mentions demons...has slit their religions throat from the outset.  Probably the fault of demons.

Hey Rhythm, just curious, how do you figure the belief in demons is backsliding into paganism when the bible mentions them all through it? Even Christ in the NT refers to them them by name in some places. Sure, there are a lot of pagan spiritual systems where the adherents work directly with demonic energy but I don't see how they can have any ownership to the concept. Would like to hear your perspective on it.

Throughout history, Judaism (and by proxy Christianity) has borrowed and adapted lots of things from the various religions and philosophies it has come into contact with...religions that Christianity itself now considers "pagan."

The Devil, for instance, doesn't show up until after they have contact with the Persians. Hell is kind of a mash-up of Tartarus (or Hades) and various other ancient underworld concepts, and demons likewise appear to be a Greek influence. Yhwh even had a wife goddess at one point (Ashrah, I think?), but she fell out of favor at some point and was purged from most of the mainstream texts except for a few vague mentions as a false/evil god whose worship is condemned. Prior to that, though, they actually had a masculine and a feminine god figure. Who does that sound like?

Anyway, with all of the pieces of god, angels, demons, and other spiritual realms and beings, Christianity appears to outside observers to be just another form of polytheistic paganism (just with different names for all the lesser gods because the one at the top of the pyramid is an especially cranky asshole).

[Mister Agenda]

Psalm 82:1

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods.

[Nihilist Virus]

Alien abduction claims are of a similar nature to the resurrection of Christ, but they also enjoy a better rational foundation, so I do not know of any method by which one can accept the resurrection claim and reject the abduction claims.

[robvalue]

Usually no one promises you a bunch of free stuff for believing in aliens abductions. Or threatens you if you don't. So I feel it's more about motivation than believability.

[The Grand Nudger]

Don't you -want- to go to space aboard a long range alien research vessel?  Abduct -me- and leave Bubba alone, ffs......he doesn't appreciate it.