"NASA isn't saying much. It's too early. But a discovery is unfolding in astronomy at present that could change our view of reality.
It promises to have a deep effect on how we see ourselves and especially on how we view our status in the universe. The unofficial finding is that the galaxy seems to be teeming with habitable planets. Indeed, there appear to be millions of them. And that's just in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. There are 150 billion other galaxies out there, each presumably with a similar number of liveable worlds.
How many of these distant planets are brimming with life? Do we have cosmic cousins out there: extraterrestrials clever enough to build their own telescopes and be peering back at us, pondering the same questions?
Humans have been in thrall to these issues for millennia. The ancients just wondered. Our lucky generation, with a concerted research effort, has the chance to get answers."
http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/our-cosmic-curiosity-edges-closer-to-revelation-20121110-2957q.html
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Nothing is found -yet. But sometime it is highly probable, from sheer numbers of apparently habitable planets now being found alone, other advanced intelligent life will be discovered, or even contacted. So just assuming this is so, what will that do to our life view and our often planet-bound religious beliefs?
Originally posted by Taoman "NASA isn't saying much. It's too early. But a discovery is unfolding in astronomy at present that could change our view of reality.
It promises to have a deep effect on how we see ourselves and especially on how we view our status in the universe. The unofficial finding is that the galaxy seems to be teeming with habitable planets. Indeed, there appear to ...[text shortened]... our life view and our often planet-bound religious beliefs?
Sometimes wonder about that.
It's highly probably that we will soon detect alien life. (I.E. planets who's spectral characteristics
indicate a volatile atmosphere that requires life to maintain)
Advanced Intelligent Life is a different question.
It currently looks like forming life is incredibly easy.
Complex multicellular (let alone advanced intelligent) seems to be very hard to form, and it is thus
much less likely that we will spot intelligent life. Even if there is intelligent life in the galaxy.
Originally posted by Taoman "NASA isn't saying much. It's too early. But a discovery is unfolding in astronomy at present that could change our view of reality.
It promises to have a deep effect on how we see ourselves and especially on how we view our status in the universe. The unofficial finding is that the galaxy seems to be teeming with habitable planets. Indeed, there appear to ...[text shortened]... our life view and our often planet-bound religious beliefs?
Originally posted by Taoman "NASA isn't saying much. It's too early. But a discovery is unfolding in astronomy at present that could change our view of reality.
It promises to have a deep effect on how we see ourselves and especially on how we view our status in the universe. The unofficial finding is that the galaxy seems to be teeming with habitable planets. Indeed, there appear to ...[text shortened]... our life view and our often planet-bound religious beliefs?
Sometimes wonder about that.
Jesus said:
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Originally posted by googlefudge It's highly probably that we will soon detect alien life. (I.E. planets who's spectral characteristics
indicate a volatile atmosphere that requires life to maintain)
Advanced Intelligent Life is a different question.
It currently looks like forming life is incredibly easy.
Complex multicellular (let alone advanced intelligent) seems to be very ...[text shortened]... ss likely that we will spot intelligent life. Even if there is intelligent life in the galaxy.
I accept all these possibilities, but what if, assuming it could happen sometime, how do we see this effecting our planetary religious views?
What if they have some sort of religious history with them? Their own strange extra-terrestial "messiah"? All speculative, but it is now appearing that an immense number of possible life supporting planets are out there. Perhaps we are the only intelligent technological civilization around (imo unlikely), so what if?
My opinion is it would be tumultuous. There would still be those "flat-earthers" and non-evolutionists that continue to pretend it's not happening, but what will the Pope say?
Originally posted by Suzianne Have you ever heard of the Brookings report?
Have you ever seen Mars Attacks?
Have you ever seen a grown man naked?
Do you like movies about gladiators?
Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?
😛
So, in effect you are saying its not worth considering, its not possible at all, its a joke to even consider it?
It's a consideration of a possibility, in view of the ever increasing number of possible life bearing planets, some of which are possibly, like us, technologically advanced and intelligent - what if?
Does this make you too uneasy to even think about the possibility? You can't even think about it, can you Suzianne? You are so closed off to the different. This is stagnation.
[b]In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.[/b]
So are you saying you are of the opinion that we will find that Jesus, your one and only messiah, has also appeared to these extra-terrestials? Would he have re-enacted the crucifixion and 'resurrection' for them? In alien form?
From the Buddhist perspective, I don't think it would be a major problem. Not that there would likely be an overt Buddhist culture, but the underlying rational philosophy, being closely associated with a quantum scientific view may have some sort of representation, as I also think that mathematics and logic will also have its representation, in their extra-terrestial cultural form.
This is not a strictly scientific post, its more a time for a bit of imagining spiritual possibilities beyond this earth of ours.
[b]In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.[/b]
And god has a spaceship with an altar in the middle. And one of the prophets went up to god in a fiery chariot with the face of a lion. Honest ! It's in your sacred book.
Originally posted by caissad4 And god has a spaceship with an altar in the middle. And one of the prophets went up to god in a fiery chariot with the face of a lion. Honest ! It's in your sacred book.
They just seem to skip over those bits or have some completly different interpretation.
Just like Eziekels vision. It is more consistent with a ufo report than anything else I've come across.
Originally posted by Taoman "NASA isn't saying much. It's too early. But a discovery is unfolding in astronomy at present that could change our view of reality.
It promises to have a deep effect on how we see ourselves and especially on how we view our status in the universe. The unofficial finding is that the galaxy seems to be teeming with habitable planets. Indeed, there appear to ...[text shortened]... our life view and our often planet-bound religious beliefs?
Sometimes wonder about that.
It is a win win situation, to find a beacon of intelligent life out there in the void would be game changing, but the further we look without finding anything the more chance there is of us acknowledging how unique our existence is and facing up to the responsibility that should accompany self awareness.
Originally posted by kevcvs57 It is a win win situation, to find a beacon of intelligent life out there in the void would be game changing, but the further we look without finding anything the more chance there is of us acknowledging how unique our existence is and facing up to the responsibility that should accompany self awareness.
Extra-terrestial life and religious belief?
12 Nov '12 14:53
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