[kappaknight]

For those that think they can control EVERYTHING their children will ever see, hear and experience - I have news for you, you're going to fail. Not only will you fail in your attempt, your children will most likely be handicapped living in your bubble that lacks critical thinking.

Also, while you may be a Christian/religious person here on Earth, I don't see how that applies to a future with aliens, other planets, etc. With the way things are going, it's almost guaranteed that religious power will be a thing of the past as soon as we can prove other life/civilizations exist besides the one here on Earth.

One obviously does not need religion to have good morals or good values. Different doesn't mean wrong, and certainly not in this case. Homosexuality, polygamy, asexuality, and natural gender change (clown fish) already exists here on Earth in one form or another. It's not hard to conceive that these behaviors also exist on other planets even if we don't get to witness it firsthand today.

Anyway, if you want to live in a bubble, make yourself blind and deaf and just don't buy anything. If you choose to interact with the growing, ever changing world, expect to learn something new when you do it.

[philwelch]

> With the way things are going, it's almost guaranteed that religious power will be a thing of the past as soon as we can prove other life/civilizations exist besides the one here on Earth.

OK, I'll bite. Why?

[tdfx]

Agree. They've so far been able to reinterpret religious writings to encompass pretty much any development, regardless of how illogical it sounds. I don't think the discovery of life elsewhere would break this trend.

[delinka]

I don't get the whole "aliens are incompatible with religion" bit. I was raised in a Southern Baptist church (yes, I got out as an adult) and AFAIK there's nothing in the Christian Bible that says we're the only planet in the universe with life. Please post book, chapter, verse if I'm wrong.

[kappaknight]

You're right - they have been able to spin things to their advantage. However, to my understanding, many are still based on the geocentric view of the universe and that we are a very special exception to every other planet we've observed w/o life.

We are just now discovering that planets are actually abundant and are all around us. A thought that seemed alien just years ago when we thought every other star lacked planets.

While I can't predict what aliens will be able to teach/tell us when they arrive (or when we find them), I do feel that a real "first contact" will change or make a lot of people rethink what they really think they know.

[nitrogen]

To provide just one example, at least one branch of Christianity (Mormons) believes in human-like aliens as a matter of doctrine. If first contact is made with an intelligent species that doesn't believe in the Christian God, they'll probably just send missionaries on an interstellar journey rather than change their faith.

[philwelch]

> many are still based on the geocentric view of the universe

And others are not. Individual religions may rise and fall--ironically, the way this happens isn't that much different from biological evolution. But humans have always been religious, and there's no reason that would change, at least not as a result of extraterrestrial life or intelligence.

From a theological perspective, you have to actually make an argument that extraterrestrial life conflicts with doctrine. If you can, I'd like to see you make that argument, because it would be pretty interesting. Plus, theology has a trump card--dogma is always true. And as Quine taught us, it's possible to believe anything as long as you rearrange the rest of your belief system to accomodate it. A man cannot survive inside the belly of a whale, pi is not exactly 3, and the Big Bang and evolution happened--but theologically and philosophically sophisticated religions reconcile these facts with their dogma somehow, and unsophisticated religions pretend the facts are false.

[ars]

Other intelligent life will probably have a huge effect. But simply finding life, even complex life, won't.

The question now is the reverse - suppose we find nothing? Suppose we find no life even in an environment that should have it?

[kappaknight]

Finding life will be the prequel to finding intelligent life. You're right that finding life itself won't change the views of people who choose to close their minds, but it will be the start of many realizing we're nothing special, but rather, something very common.

Also, I'm almost certain there are life in other planets in our solar system. It'll just take a few (relatively speaking) more years to prove it.

[Oxryly]

> With the way things are going, it's almost guaranteed that religious power will be a thing of the past as soon as we can prove other life/civilizations exist besides the one here on Earth.

I'm not so sure about that. Buddhism in particular goes to great length to emphasize it's teachings apply to all sentient beings in all universes past and present. We may be hard pressed to escape it's presumption.

I believe most faiths take a similar approach even if they aren't quite as explicit about it.

[jacoblyles]

Most people who practice religion don't do so primarily because of factual belief in some mythology. Rather, it is motivated by deep human social and psychological needs. Many atheists get this wrong, especially if they spend too much time on the internet only mingling with their own kind.

If we meet aliens, theology will adapt and evolve. It won't disappear.

[kappaknight]

You can be religious but not have it dictate everything you do in life. Sorry, but that was the distinction I was trying to convey.