Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Extraterrestrials and human religion Message-ID: Date: 5 May 91 03:45:44 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 69 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article ac3p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Alison R. Carter) writes: >I find it interesting that the subject of extraterrestrial life has been >addressed on this bboard. However, the original posting of nearly two >weeks ago has had only one or two responses. I find it disappointing >that the posters on this board have been so nearsighted as to converse >in local, terrestrial human religious matters rather than address this >rather uncomfortable issue. I don't find it to be an uncomfortable issue at all. I believe in creation by a sentient being. Creation (that is to say the Cosmos) is vast, and practically infinite. Given what seems to be a hard fixed speed limit, 'c', I don't see how humanity can possibly explore all of creation. Since I don't believe the creator created other entire galaxies just to give us pretty lights, I really don't see why God would not have created life on other planets as well. (And I see nothing in the Bible to contradict this.) I don't believe that we are created in the physical image of God. So I don't believe that all life created by God must be humanoid. I don't believe that we will be joining "The Federation" any time soon. As for the apparant nearsightedness of the group, the existance or non-existance of extra-terrestrial life is not a matter that is going to be influencing our lives dramatically in the foreseeable future. (Unless of course we are already being visited by ET's and they are affecting our lives currently. If the ET's *are* here, [in UFO's] so far they have chosen to keep themseleves hidden, and I would expect them to continue to do so.) If ET's do show up here. (It'll be a long time before *we* show up anywhere) it's not gonna effect my faith. (My life probably, my faith no. ;-) ) >Could it possibly be that all the applications of Christianity will >apply to other, possibly completely different, intelligences? If they >reproduce asexually, or if they are docile by nature, or if they are >pure intelligence with only marignal material existence, how can it be >that they could be governed by the same jealous god that made Adam and >Eve as his first creation, or that the same god needs to send the same >son to the whole of the universe in different forms to tell any of them >what to do? We are the humans. We are animal, violent, greedy >creatures just out of our embryonic evolutionary stage. To assume that >the rest of the universe worships the same god of humanity is assuming a >lot. And to assume otherwise is also assuming a lot. A number of SciFi authors have addressed these questions. My views don't vary widely. As for Christianity, Jesus spent a lot of time correcting mis-understandings of the law. On another planet without a sinful nature, there might have been no need for a Christ. (They might never have fallen. There might never have been a need for a redemption.) The lack of a Christ does not preclude the lack of a religion compatible with our own. >Anyone tell me if I'm wrong here... I can't tell you that you're wrong about what you feel. The danger comes in suggesting that what you *feel* must be truth. (It's a trap we all tend to fall into.) "*I* know the truth. All other beliefs are wrong. Any other belief held in all of history that disagrees with my beliefs was wrong. Any belief held in the future which differs from my present beliefs will also be wrong. (Unless I change my mind.)" I'm willing to bet that your beliefs have changed a bit in the last few years. I'm also willing to bet they'll change again. Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton