Alien Question for Atheists

[chimp3]

So I started this thread as an off shoot from Tiberius' thread which is a question for Christians.

The scenario on the other thread is this: 

Peaceful aliens (i.e. intelligent non-humans from another planet, let's say outside of our solar system) make first contact. After getting to know them, the subject of religion comes up. They have a concept of religion, but none of their religions are compatible with Christianity. On top of this, their species made all the advancements that humans did (e.g. invention of writing, the wheel, agriculture, etc.) millennia before we did.

My question is, how would you react, especially with regard to their intelligence, and that their religions are incompatible with Christianity. Would it make you doubt Christianity, or that humans are "special" and made in God's image? 

https://atheistforums.org/thread-55158.html


So I wanted to ask you guys. If it was the other way around, how would you react to it? The other way around as in, we made contact with these intelligent beings and found out that the predominant religion in their planet is very compatible with Christianity, like it's basically the same thing. They talk about God having lived as one of them, they talk about the trinity, salvation, Heaven and Hell, etc. Would it make you doubt your position as atheists, or would it make you more open to exploring Christianity?

No reason to assume that irrationality is a solely human trait. I suppose these aliens also evolved opposeable thumbs?

[tjakey]

The Christians on this planet can’t agree on which particular version of the god of Abraham is the real one. There is zero chance that an alien culture would come up a religion that is even remotely similar to the stone age ideologies that pass as religion in this tiny section of the cosmos, and certainly not one that any earthling would recognize as Christianity. The guy’s name wasn’t even “Jesus”, but try telling that to any Christian walking around these parts. If the aliens so much as called their version “George”, most of the Christians on this planet would think them apostate.

But lets have a little fun.

What would the Catholics do if some Alien Southern Baptist dropped by and let them know Luther was correct and justification is by faith alone? Would the Pope shrug his shoulders and set about looking for a real job? Or, what would happen if the Aliens had their own Pope, one that didn’t particularly care about gay people because, well, on their planet there are three sexes and it takes the combined efforts of six to make a baby? What if, on their planet, the snake (or its equivalent in their biosphere) actually fooled the shortest of the three sexes into eating the fruit. So their version of Christianity is prejudice against short people rather than women. Any Christian under 6 foot would find themselves under the obligation to “keep silent in Church and obey the head of the master of the house.”

Of course, given that they had three sexes, their Pope wouldn’t be any more a “male” than their god. It is hard to imagine Christians worshiping at the feet of something that, at least in their imaginations, wasn’t “male”. (Or, maybe, had hooves or 25 toes.)

The fact is, once one learns not to take human conjectures about gods very seriously, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to be skeptical about gods invented by a culture with a completely different evolutionary history.

[brewer]

Burden of proof remains the same. Testimony just won't cut it.

I guess the "evidence" in this case would be the crazy coincidence that an alien species from another solar system has the same predominant religion as us. Would that not give you pause at all?

Yes it would. But then this, by definition, is only another religion with what sounds like nothing more that testimony as evidence. There are other religions on earth that have the "god walking among them", "god resurrecting" story which I don't believe either. 

In the end, if testimony were enough for me there is a good chance that I'd be a believer now.

[Catholic_Lady]

I guess the "evidence" in this case would be the crazy coincidence that an alien species from another solar system has the same predominant religion as us. Would that not give you pause at all?

Yes it would. But then this, by definition, is only another religion with what sounds like nothing more that testimony as evidence. There are other religions on earth that have the "god walking among them", "god resurrecting" story which I don't believe either. 

In the end, if testimony were enough for me there is a good chance that I'd be a believer now.

The significance of this isnt the testimony, per se. It's the coincidence that the same exact story/religion exists predominantly in another planet that we have never before had any type of contact with.

[ignoramus]

If that was the case Deb, I'd say that God likes to root around getting virgins pregnant! Very very naught God!
What does Mrs God think about all this?

[rskovride]

The way christian programming has been broadcast on the radio waves in the last 50 years, it would be no suprise that an alien race picked them up and thought it a message from god or something supernatural.   Would it give me pause?  Sure, but not to reflect on whether YHWH existed.  Besides, the aliens were at the crusifixion and are definitely christian.



Edited to add: Yes, I know how far radio waves travel in 50 years. No, I dont care what is within that radius.

[vorlon13]

If that was the case Deb, I'd say that God likes to root around getting virgins pregnant! Very very naught God!
What does Mrs God think about all this?

Scripture is pretty clear, Holy Spirit got to boink Mary. Yet Jesus is always referred to as The Son of god so Holy Spirit had a turkey baster or something. Not sure how it was filled, I suppose that would be another "mystery of faith" thing . . . .

[brewer]

Yes it would. But then this, by definition, is only another religion with what sounds like nothing more that testimony as evidence. There are other religions on earth that have the "god walking among them", "god resurrecting" story which I don't believe either. 

In the end, if testimony were enough for me there is a good chance that I'd be a believer now.

The significance of this isnt the testimony, per se. It's the coincidence that the same exact story/religion exists predominantly in another planet that we have never before had any type of contact with.

I'd listen but still require what I would consider concrete evidence.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Yes it would. But then this, by definition, is only another religion with what sounds like nothing more that testimony as evidence. There are other religions on earth that have the "god walking among them", "god resurrecting" story which I don't believe either. 

In the end, if testimony were enough for me there is a good chance that I'd be a believer now.

The significance of this isnt the testimony, per se. It's the coincidence that the same exact story/religion exists predominantly in another planet that we have never before had any type of contact with.

The Christ myth is based on similar stories that came before it. Nothing special about, as there would be nothing special if someone else came up with a similar story.

[Minimalist]