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Take This Survey: If SETI found ET, would that destroy your faith?

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What difference would a real live ET make to your faith (whatever it is?)

Ted Peters, a researcher in the field of science and religion and author of SCIENCE, THEOLOGY, AND ETHICS (Ashgate 2003), is conducting a survey. The central question is this: Would contact with extraterrestrial intelligent life affect religion on earth? Would you be wiling to participate? The questionnaire is very brief and would take only 5 minutes to fill out. Although we will tabulate the data anonymously and will take every step to maintain confidentiality, please note we cannot guarantee full confidentiality when receiving email responses. Thank you. Ted Peters, Principle Investigator, is professor of systematic theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, the Graduate Union, and the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Julie Froehlig, Research Assistant, is a student at PLTS.

I found the survey questions interesting, but I couldn’t really answer most of them decisively.

For example, I have no idea what the religious opinions of an extraterrestrial would be. It would be just my luck to run into a hopelessly conflicted alien who believes that space travel is sinful … but it feels so good anyway that he just can’t … and so his shrink says … (O’Leary yawns and switches off tape … )

Go vote at Survey Monkey. You can leave comments too.

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Check your calendar … is it still Orwell’s 1984 where you live?

Science teacher symposium: Answer student questions without getting sued or fired

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How fares the Expelled film? Still No. 5 – and who’s ahead of it anyway?

David Attenborough, 81, to make one last film – on evolution

Comments
DS: I like worm holes, actually . . . [cf Weber's Honorverse etc; and yes I am aware of the subtler side; the use of Sci Fi to advance socio-cultural and worldview agendas, as in the link from Star Wars to the new age movement. That has always been so . . . ] Maybe, just maybe, on track record, our knowledge base will be opened up again and we will find ways to move about the seas of quasi-infinity in our cosmos? On track record of the impacts of opening up navigation ~ 500 years ago, the transforming effects would be well worth the devotion of resources to explore. (Think of the failure of China after Cheng Ho to continue with wide-ocean navigation and its implications. Do we want to spend the next few millennia going through the interstellar equivalent of the history of China over the past 500 years? On history, far better to be the discoverer than the discover-ee -- only, let us avoid the inexcusable [adn of course Biblically unjustifiable . . .) slaughter and/or enslavement of the indigenous peoples that so shames our civilisation to this day.) But, would finding Kzinti or the like out there etc destroy my faith? ANS: Why should it? [Especially with a Bible that from Genesis on is replete with interesting hints at more than just us in the cosmos! (E.g. Who were the sons of God who married the daughters of men, siring the mighty men of renown in Genesis . . .?)] GEM of TKIkairosfocus
May 18, 2008
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If by aliens one means, "Really strange creatures not from this planet", then the Bible has several examples in Ezekiel and Revelation. From a Christian perspective, alien life on another planet is certainly not a problem; but either they are not "fallen" (have no sin nature and no need of salvation) or no eternal soul, and also, no need of salvation. Since God took the form of a human (Jesus) and has chosen to retain that form for all eternity, then he can only represent the human race as our propitiation or substitutionary atonement. Perelandria (Book II of C.S. Lewis' SciFi triolgy) deals with this. Alien Life??? Anything is possible is a created universe. However, human uniqueness, with a soul made in the image of God is still an absolute. (From a Christian perspective.)Graceout
May 17, 2008
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gleaner, There are other problems with interstellar travel. One of the major ones is the energy required to accelerate a vessel to near light speeds. The requirements using current known methods are staggering (to say the least.) You might want to read up on it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_travel Another problem is that even traveling at near light speeds with the time dilation "helping" the travellers. Depending on the "real time" length of the trip they might return after a few years to find that everyone and everything they knew is long gone. They will be, essentially, traveling into the future. You can do most of the calculations yourself with nothing more than high school algebra and an introductory physics text. Almost all of them discuss relativity.utidjian
May 16, 2008
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Answers in Genny has a short and straight to the point article on the issue of aliens vs Christianity: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/05/16/vatican-astronomer-et I dont know whats the big surprise. Romanists believe in the councils, not in the Bible (PS: You guys are americans, you dont know what REAL Romanism is).MaxAug
May 16, 2008
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gleaner It's possible to accelerate matter to significant fractions of C (light speed) between stars. Time dilation is already proven (trust me). This is pretty much the limits of the possible. There is a causally connected universe and it's limited (as far as we know) by light speed. Don't believe everything you see on Star Trek (faster than light or FTL). :-)DaveScot
May 15, 2008
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Hi, I know the boards kind of slow tonight, but ETs interest me more than gay marriages. So can I please get a ruling on the interstellar-distances-as barrier to ET visitations theory? Anyone? Anyone?gleaner63
May 15, 2008
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From "Unconventional Flying Objects" by Paul Hill: "[Eugene) Sanger's scientific critics nearly crucified him on two points. One for his statement that, when an interstellar vehicle accelerates at 1g for over a years time and the on board integrating accelerometer (a type of speedometer which multiplies accleration by time) reads a velocity greater than light speed, in the on board reference frame the reading is correct. The other thing was Sanger's calculations than an interstellar vehicle acclerating and deaccelerating at 1g (for maximum passnger comfort) could cross the known universe, stopping at the most distant galaxy in less than fifty years in passenger or occupant time. Somebody was wrong. I always thought it was the critics".gleaner63
May 15, 2008
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An extraterrestial is a being outside of the realm of Earth. Those who believe in God, Jesus, angels, and heaven already believe in extraterrestrials...they simply don't define them as 'alien'.Barb
May 15, 2008
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Fellows, Someone correct if I''m wrong, because I am not a scientist; when stating that the distances between stars are a barrier to interstellar travel, doesn't Einstein come into play here? Although it may be 4.3 light years to the Alpha Centauri triple system, for the crew of a ship reaching 3/4 the speed of light, their travel time would be much less (months) than the *observer* time. I think this is called "time dilation". If true, then distances would be absolutely NO barrier to interstellar travel. Two excellent books that deal with the subject in some manner are "Unconventional FLying Objects" by Paul Hill, and "Science and Flying Saucers" by Stanton Freidman.gleaner63
May 15, 2008
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Let’s say that, hypothetically, scientists duplicate the evolution of early life in a laboratory in conditions similar to the early Earth. It’s a purely naturalistic process, and it’s readily repeatable. How would that affect your faith? How would that affect your position on Intelligent Design?-fsda
ID would be essentially falsified as living organisms are the ultimate in IC and CSI.Joseph
May 15, 2008
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Crandaddy 28: “The problems it would pose for Christian theism, specifically, would be, as has already been mentioned in this thread, the concepts of sin and salvation and their relations to such beings.” Disagree. Why would that pose a problem? And furthermore what if, as Jason suggests, they believed in one supreme Godhead, a fall of some kind, a redemption etc.? Why do so many people automatically suppose aliens would be materialists? That's a telling question and it's answer is even more telling.Borne
May 15, 2008
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Meat, unlike metal and silicon, can repair itself. It's almost like it was fearfully and wonderfully designed or something.tribune7
May 15, 2008
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Allen, Metal rusts and silicon can crack. Also, if science is correct, a silicon and metal "entity" requires a meat-based entity to create it.
If there are interstellar travelers, they clearly would not be made out of meat.-Allen
And you know this, how?Joseph
May 15, 2008
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But meat is messy and perishable. Would I like to be silicon and metal, rather than meat? Especially if my mental hard drive were able to be backed up and re-downloaded (like the Time Machine that has saved my ass several times already)? You betcha...Allen_MacNeill
May 15, 2008
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I don´t know why the existence of other forms of life in the Universe would be a threath to faith. I think the only threath here is to think that the hole Universe was "made" to humans and the rest of earth life. In most of the religions of the world there is the "beliefe" of other forms of life, of other humanities; is acepted, in most of the world traditions, that there are numerous habitated worlds. But, in my perspective, there are 3 major aspects to consider: the materialistic paradigm in science; the distorcions ocorred in some literalistic religions (christianity, for example), transforming the powers and laws of the manifestated universe in personal God(s); our resistence to consider other realms of consciousness and life (and its hierarquical distribution, in terms of counsciousness levels); our mistake in imagining the future (or any other form of humanity or life) in a linear way - not considering that evolution means evolution in form and consciousness.Jsoares
May 15, 2008
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I have very little idea what they are trying to accomplish with this survey. In some ways, it appears that it might gauge assumptions on the unseen, from all angles. I answered that I probably would have some kind of "crisis" of faith-- likely until I could reconcile it--or not. But I have no idea how it would affect "traditions". And I found myself having to disagree with most of "probably" statements. Not that I know better but I thought the NAND response as taking a position that they weren't the exceptionable statements that I found them. I think the movie Signs deals with this--and in a positive light, for faith and mysticism.jjcassidy
May 15, 2008
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I have a question for all of you that I'm genuinely curious about. Let's say that, hypothetically, scientists duplicate the evolution of early life in a laboratory in conditions similar to the early Earth. It's a purely naturalistic process, and it's readily repeatable. How would that affect your faith? How would that affect your position on Intelligent Design?fdsa
May 14, 2008
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JP Collado the erroneous materialistic assumption that all life in the universe is strictly reducible to chemical particles alone Straw man. No such assumption exists. There is no "life" in the universe to test other than what we find on our own planet. the universe virtually makes any time and space travel (and consequent viability of biological life as we know it) virtually impossible? I'm putting you on the moderation list so I don't have correct your mistakes after they appear. Backward time travel is probably impossible but space travel within light speed restriction is quite possible as is forward time travel (one way trip). DaveScot
May 14, 2008
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Allen Meat can be maintained for any length of time given sufficient technology. Don't forget Clarke's law about advanced technologies appearing as magic.DaveScot
May 14, 2008
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Space travel to other star systems would be as easy as crossing the street if our lifespans were longer (or unlimited) and/or we could "power down" during long flights without loss of memory or structural integrity. That this is clearly within the capability of "non-meat" entities is one of the points addressed in "They're Made Out Of Meat". If there are interstellar travelers, they clearly would not be made out of meat.Allen_MacNeill
May 14, 2008
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My take on this is that if there is life out there, then it probably doesn't include intelligent life. God could well have made other 'Earths' to colonise when we had filled this one to capacity. If there is intelligent life, then it may not have fallen as we have. If so, they have very good reason to avoid us. And, I also reccommend C.S.Lewis' Cosmic trilogy.StephenA
May 14, 2008
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I always found this a strange question when asked. After all, wouldn't it depend what the aliens believed ? What if aliens turned up who had a belief in one God and a fall of their race into rebellion, but the redemption of their race by the sacrifice of the same God in an act of substitutionary atonement ? Why would that trouble me exactly ?Jason Rennie
May 14, 2008
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JvG: "If more advanced methods of travel are possible, you can bet that any very advanced intelligence has already figured it out." Interestingly, this is precisely the picture that ancient sacred Hebrew scriptures paint for us in its depiction of the benei Elohim, creatures exhibiting all the characteristics of an advanced intelligence, which accords with a more penetrative rendering in the Book of Enoch, where a sub-group, the Watchers, teach and reveal all kinds of forbidden mysteries and destructive technologies, to the detriment of the pre-flood populace. The only exception is that they didn't have to "figure out" how to travel, since, due to their interdimensional nature, they are not bound to physical laws as earthlings are.JPCollado
May 14, 2008
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the size (and inhospitable condition) of the universe virtually makes any time and space travel (and consequent viability of biological life as we know it) virtually impossible.
This argument assumes current space propulsion systems are optimal and impossible to improve on. Many years ago a famous astronomer "proved" it was impossible to reach the moon. I wouldn't rule out exotic propulsion methods just yet. In fact, if there is any truth to some UFO sightings, it seems quite unlikely that UFOs use anything close to our propulsion methods. If more advanced methods of travel are possible, you can bet that any very advanced intelligence has already figured it out.JvG
May 14, 2008
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Pardon me, S Cheesman, But might I interest you in going here?Rude
May 14, 2008
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Where is LarryNormanFan? He would have provided the following lyric from the '70s Larry Norman song "U.F.O":
and if there's life on other planets / then I'm sure that He must know / and He's been there once already / and has died to save their souls
(In Another Land, Larry Norman, 1973, Glenwood Music Corp., Strawbed Music)SCheesman
May 14, 2008
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Such surveys are not new as demonstrated by the Alexander UFO Religious Crisis survey and the NASA commissioned Brookings Report. The religious-crisis conundrum is often cited by the UFO research community as one of the major reasons for the US government’s constant denials and/or suppression of evidence relating to inexplicable UFO sightings and/or other ET phenomena. The conclusion of these reports is that disclosing such explosive, sensitive information could be detrimental to society if it causes a sudden and drastic upheaval of fundamentalist religious beliefs. The theory being that western culture (if not the US) is heavily intertwined with a Judeo-Christian fabric. Another reason: maintaining civil order would be extremely difficult every time a natural or artificial atmospheric spectacle were to take place due to the possibility of these causing mass hysteria, invariably resulting from and fueled by the official confessions. These surveys, though, are based on the erroneous materialistic assumption that all life in the universe is strictly reducible to chemical particles alone, thereby failing to capture the whole essence and flexibility of religious thinking. It is a fact that the ET topic has been studied by many biblical scholars and theologians from a wide range of angles for some time now, the likes of Michael Heiser, for one, who figures prominently in Divine Council theology. The ET entity, though, is taken to mean an alien with inter-dimensional properties (i.e. spirit being), since, as pointed by a previous poster, the size (and inhospitable condition) of the universe virtually makes any time and space travel (and consequent viability of biological life as we know it) virtually impossible.JPCollado
May 14, 2008
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Crandaddy 28: "The problems it would pose for Christian theism, specifically, would be, as has already been mentioned in this thread, the concepts of sin and salvation and their relations to such beings." That may not apply to all Christendom. My (typically flawed) recollection is that Syriac Christianity rejects the notion of a ransom much the same as Judaism.Rude
May 14, 2008
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Agreed, "The existence of intelligent ETs would not pose any problem at all for theism, as far as I can tell." In fact, all the talk of the utter unlikelihood of another "priviledged planet" evaporates with theism (but not with TEism). The designer not only designs life but also planets---likely even the laws---chance explains none of it. Therefore there could be zillions of life supporting worlds. If our scanning of the heavens reveals none maybe the cosmos is waiting on us, sort of a la Tipler and (midrashically) Romans 8:22, maybe as, I believe, some long ago rabbis have suggested.Rude
May 14, 2008
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Greetings everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. I probably won't post much here, but I had to register because one researcher immediately came to mind concerning the ET/Christianity intersection, whose views seem sound and Biblically-backed, or as much as is possible in such a realm: Michael Heiser. He has several blogs devoted to the subject, accessible from michaelsheiser.com (note his middle initial in the domain name). Lots of mind-expanding reading available there.seanbutnotheard
May 14, 2008
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