Do Christians believe in aliens?

[Squirrel]

This isn't meant to be one of those "Have a go at religious people" threads or anything, I was just curious as to how they fit into the whole biblical thing, or not as the case may be. Kay... go.

[Nak Nak]

Read up on your Nephilim, Mark. Everything is explained in the book of Enoch.

[Saxton]

I cannot speak for all Christians. But I neither believe nor disbelieve in aliens, as I have no reason to. I certainly allow for the possibility that they exist. I think would be sort of arrogant to say, "God created us and only us!" without knowing what the heck you're talking about.

[Squirrel]

Originally posted by Nak Nak
Read up on your Nephilim, Mark. Everything is explained in the book of Enoch.

I don't have time for such things! Plus I just started on "Hey Rube", so that'll keep me going for a while yet.

[kendra]

Y'know Mark, that's a good question. When I watch shows about the universe at large on the Science channel or whatever, there is always some sidenote about how discovering life on another planet/star system/galaxy would change everything on earth because religions would have to acommodate for the presence of life outside of Earth - that maybe God had some bastard children he kept in the basement, so to speak. Butttt I'm sure it'd all be explained away by some obscure and obtuse line in the Bible somewhere, assuming that religious organizations hadn't become powerful enough to cover it up.

So in short I would guess that Christians acknowledge the possibility of aliens only if they interpret their presence as nonthreatening to the Christian scripture and faith system. Heh, y'know, my father is pretty enmeshed in his Baptist faith right now and he swears that he saw a UFO in West Virginia about 30 years ago. He's not big on lying so he did see something - can't really prove it though, I certainly wasn't around. So anyways I'd say my Dad is both a Christian and believes in aliens. I'll have to ask him!

[DrHibbert]

Christians will generally disbelieve in aliens until aliens slap us in the face, and then yeah they'll explain it away like Kendra said. I'm curious how the aliens' belief systems (or lack thereof) will fit in this process. If they believe in god, maybe Christians will say it's the same god. Or if they don't Christians will probably go to war with them and eliminate the heathens, that's happened before.

As far as life on other planets (I think this is from another thread), I don't believe it's quite as rare as you think, Saxton. I always respect your opinions on here, but do you really think it's that rare? Especially considering the evidence of life (though microscopic) that has been discovered on Mars - a planet that is far from hospitable, much less ideal for life.

[kendra]

Nothing is impossible - except it's impossible that there isn't life somewhere in the universe. With all the vastness of space - and the numbers are so huge that they are utterly meaningless - THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. You've got to be in some deep, deep denial if you can't face that fact.

[ramblingrose]

I don't believe this as in totally 100% believe it, but I often wonder if aliens control the earth and they invented religion to keep us too busy fighting each other to give them any trouble. Speaking totally irrelevantly as a non-Christian.

[kendra]

lol

In that case what fucking bastards.

[Saxton]

Originally posted by DrHibbert
Christians will generally disbelieve in aliens until aliens slap us in the face, and then yeah they'll explain it away like Kendra said. I'm curious how the aliens' belief systems (or lack thereof) will fit in this process. If they believe in god, maybe Christians will say it's the same god. Or if they don't Christians will probably go to war with them and eliminate the heathens, that's happened before.

As far as life on other planets (I think this is from another thread), I don't believe it's quite as rare as you think, Saxton. I always respect your opinions on here, but do you really think it's that rare? Especially considering the evidence of life (though microscopic) that has been discovered on Mars - a planet that is far from hospitable, much less ideal for life.

Yeah, I think it's going to prove to be pretty rare. I think that life forms even as advanced as say mice are not going to be a common discovery as humanity explores the cosmos. Obviously - none of us *really* know anything about this, but that's my guess. And come to think of it, I guess I would be suprised if the scarcity or plentitude of extra-terrestial life would change my line of thinking either way. And although this is definatley along the lines of the other thread: It makes more sense to me that this insanely complex process called evolution (or the creation of the Earth, for that matter) would be guided by something and not be a chance occurance. This simply seems to make more sense to my way of thinking, which is obviously biased by my faith. But I am a Christian because I find truth in the teachings of Christ and His Apostles: not because of my theories on how the world came into being. I figure that sort of thing is far above me and my head will likely ache less if I try not to think too much about it.

Sorry if this made little sense, I'm going to bed now. It's been a long day.

PS - Dr. Hibbert, I've always respected your opinions too. But I don't think you should preform surgery outside anymore.

[Static Split Screen]

I think there's life on other planets for sure. Even if it's just fungi, it's still life. As for super advanced ones, maybe, and maybe they already know exactly where we are and think we're too fucked up to bother with.

[Nak Nak]

Anyone who doesn't believe in life outwith our insignificant shit and water coated orb is the sort of person who would claim that sharks don't exist because they've never seen one in person.

[floatingdown]

what i really want to know is, do aliens believe in christians?:-p

[ramblingrose]

Originally posted by Nak Nak
Anyone who doesn't believe in life outwith our insignificant shit and water coated orb is the sort of person who would claim that sharks don't exist because they've never seen one in person.

I have a really hard time believing in Europe, even though I've been there, and don't get me started on faraway places where it's nightime when it's daytime and shit. Actually other people seem a bit unreal to me, I spend a lot of time getting headaches about what other people think about when they use a tin opener and what not. Does that make me sound like a total retard? Something I once read in a newspaper suggested it makes me a psychopath.

[Jackal]

Seems normal.

[Spaced]

In all possibility, there is 'life' somewhere else in the universe. The distances are just so large that it is almost not worth bothering about what may be out there. If you consider just how large tha universe is, does it really seem that surprising that it could cobble together a single half decent planet to sustain some quite crude organisms out of apparent 'chance'?

[Six Ways]

Originally posted by ramblingrose
I have a really hard time believing in Europe, even though I've been there, and don't get me started on faraway places where it's nightime when it's daytime and shit. Actually other people seem a bit unreal to me, I spend a lot of time getting headaches about what other people think about when they use a tin opener and what not. Does that make me sound like a total retard? Something I once read in a newspaper suggested it makes me a psychopath.

No, it makes you autistic.

[Narcissistic Nihilist]

Originally posted by Six Ways
No, it makes you autistic.
Just like me. My friends call me Rainman due to my over-active brain.

[ramblingrose]

Originally posted by Six Ways
No, it makes you autistic.

grand, another line for my cv.

[Narcissistic Nihilist]

Originally posted by ramblingrose
grand, another line for my cv.
Man, youre good.

[vordabois]

Originally posted by Saxton
I cannot speak for all Christians. But I neither believe nor disbelieve in aliens, as I have no reason to. I certainly allow for the possibility that they exist. I think would be sort of arrogant to say, "God created us and only us!" without knowing what the heck you're talking about.

Amen. :-p

For the record, I not only allow for the possibility, but I'm fairly certain they do exist.

Of course, as you stated, we don't KNOW, so I can't say for sure, but yeah.

As for some of the other posts on here... it's actually quite ignorant to presume that all Christians believe the same thing, or even shun scientific advancement. Personally, I embrace and encourage it.

A person cannot prove that God exists. Likewise, they can't prove He doesn't. It's a matter of faith. And I'm of the belief that no matter what we find or what we do, He is there. Restricting scientific advancement because it is "heresy" is pretty fucking archaic, and is something I strongly oppose. If those more close-minded Christians fear and/or surpress discovery because it would shake the foundation of their faith, I'm inclined to believe that they don't really know what it is to be Christian.

Originally posted by Static Split Screen
I think there's life on other planets for sure. Even if it's just fungi, it's still life. As for super advanced ones, maybe, and maybe they already know exactly where we are and think we're too fucked up to bother with.

:yes:

Where's Zefram Cochrane when you need him, dammit?! :mad:



But seriously...

They say that, so far, 169 planets have been found orbiting stars. The Kepler Observatory (http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/Kepler/kepler_index.html) will be launched in 2008, and its sole mission is to detect earth-like planets.




BTW, after checking out the specifics of that mission, I just found this kick-ass online catalog that NASA/JPL created. It's called "The New Worlds Atlas", and you can check out the known data on all the planets yet discovered along with info about the stars they orbit. It's pretty nifty.

http://planetquest1.jpl.nasa.gov/atlas/atlas_index.cfm

(Oh how I love the internet.)

[Squirrel]

Originally posted by vordabois
BTW, after checking out the specifics of that mission, I just found this kick-ass online catalog that NASA/JPL created. It's called "The New Worlds Atlas", and you can check out the known data on all the planets yet discovered along with info about the stars they orbit. It's pretty nifty.

http://planetquest1.jpl.nasa.gov/atlas/atlas_index.cfm

(Oh how I love the internet.)

That was neat but I played with it for ages and I couldn't find any decent-looking planets. Everything just has one gas giant going round it. I did find one planet that was 'other', but that's about it. :(

[vordabois]

Originally posted by Squirrel
That was neat but I played with it for ages and I couldn't find any decent-looking planets. Everything just has one gas giant going round it. I did find one planet that was 'other', but that's about it. :(

Look up "Gliese 876" and check out "Gliese 876 d".

That's the most earth-like planet they've found so far, apparently.

Its mass is 7.5 times that of earth, and is believed to be solid.

[DrHibbert]

Originally posted by vordabois
It's a matter of faith. And I'm of the belief that no matter what we find or what we do, He is there.
I'm glad you seem open minded in the rest of your post, but these two lines bug me. This is my problem with religions - generally they are convinced beyond turning back that, no matter what happens, they are right. Saying "No matter what we find or what we do, he is there" is pretty much admitting that no matter what happens otherwise, no matter what scientific proof contradicting it, we will attribute it to god.

If there are aliens, it is god.
If the universe collapses, it was god.
If my cheeseburger has ecoli, it was god.

I absolutely will not go so far as to say, "It's a matter of faith. And I believe that no matter what happens to me, he is not there." God could come down and prove his existence to me any time, any place, anywhere. He has not yet, but I'm not going to say that is impossible. I may think I'm right about him not existing, but I'm not about to say that no matter what happens I will attribute everything that happens to fitting my past understanding of existence.

[Six Ways]

Originally posted by vordabois
Where's Zefram Cochrane when you need him, dammit?! :mad:


I'm so depressed that I got that.....:cry:

[vordabois]

Originally posted by Six Ways
I'm so depressed that I got that.....:cry:

Hey, that movie was one of the good ones!

[Six Ways]

Originally posted by vordabois
Hey, that movie was one of the good ones!

Ok, fair enough, I suppose I wouldn't have got it before First Contact at least.