Would people still believe in God after we made contact with aliens?

[MAkhdar]

Apparently you lack an understanding of basic science. Not only are there no footprints of humans and dinosaurs walking together, we have extensive fossil records dating back billions of years. I hope whoever paid for your scientific "tuition" kept the receipt.

I was being sarcastic.

For starters, you misquoted me I never actually made that post but i'll bite anyway.

There's no more truth in your religion than in any other. It's the same over authoritarianism, the same scientific delusions, the same violence and hatred against people who don't fit into the envelope. It's a different imaginary friend with the same logical pitfalls. I've already came pretty close to an understanding of the truth and sorry but your beliefs aren't it. And really even if I am wrong, the only one to blame here is God for being unable or unwilling to broadcast his supposed message in a coherent and understandable manner.

Sorry about the misquote, it was acting weird and just noticed what it did. I understand how you view religion but the Islam you are talking about is the large majority called Sunni/Wahabi/Salafi sect of Islam, due to the fact that they are the majority most of things you hear about Islam are from their view. I am a minority Shia follower of Islam and our views contrast dramatically their views and we are true orthodox followers. I know this isn't a religion thread so I will leave it to that.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

The fact is the earth is over 4 billion years old and we know dinosaurs roamed the earth 65 million years ago. Neither of these facts have stopped people believing in god when no religions discuss either of these events until after we found out about them through scientific research. So I don't think alien communication will change religious peoples beliefs either. They will just say oh wow God is so great he even made neighbors for us among the stars.

bingo. they always change their religion to suit their needs.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

Javik if you want to believe in Aliens and they are our gods and made us that fine that your personal opinion. But it does say this in the bible they are in league with the devil that if they claim they made us and say they are our gods.Yes the bible isnt 100 percent what you said but majority of people believe in it even if it been rewritten from future genrations that have update the bible etc.

just b/c "the majority" of people believe in it doesnt make it true.

in fact, since the bible was written like 200 years after the supposed events, i think i'll write a bible about the 1800s and insist that it's true. Jesus, born of the virgin Sally, in Virginia. he then defeated the British at age 33, but the virginians ratted him out to the New Yorkers and they killed him w/ tar and feathers. see! it's true! trust and have blind faith in the Bible that i just created!

[Anibal P]

A more interesting question is, what if an alien makes contact and bring recordings from 2000 years ago showing the technology they used that people mistook for miracles? Would religious people just say it's just tricking us by using space-photoshop, or continue to worship it as god?

What if the Aliens came to "evangelize" us for straying from God?

[Anibal P]

The fact is the earth is over 4 billion years old and we know dinosaurs roamed the earth 65 million years ago. Neither of these facts have stopped people believing in god when no religions discuss either of these events until after we found out about them through scientific research. So I don't think alien communication will change religious peoples beliefs either. They will just say oh wow God is so great he even made neighbors for us among the stars.

The Bible talks of dinosaurs a few times, just because most "Christians" have not read the Bible doesn't mean it's not there

[McKay]

I imagine many would simply claim God created Aliens and didn't tell us in the bible or something. Or they are a test of "faith", or "Demons" or simply pretend they don't exist.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

The Bible talks of dinosaurs a few times, just because most "Christians" have not read the Bible doesn't mean it's not there

i did a little research and found this

sounds like those creatures mentioned in the bible are just other mythical creatures invented as other people did - ancient stories of mythical creatures. once again, the bible is interpreted as Christians wanted it to be. they see proof when there is none.

and this quote is pretty telling:

"The history of every culture is filled with stories of fire-breathing dragons. If you think about it, in all the past ages wouldn?t someone have made up a story of a fire-breathing lion or something? Nobody did because the dragon stories are based on truth, and only ?dragons? breathed fire. It is easy to imagine Leviathan as a member of the dragon (tanniyn) family. (Plus, Isaiah 27:1 strongly implies this connection.)"

it's easy to imagine, and theyre implying. plus, the person who wrote this now believes that Dragons exist b/c the Bible says so.

so there's nothing wrong w/ that, right?

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

Just imagine that God's 6 day creation were a literal 6 days... that would mean that dinos lived with us. There are actually specimens of foot prints of humans with dinos walking together preserved in stone. God gave us dominion over all creation, so that would make sense. The dinos died out with the great flood. I'm sure they were on Noah's Ark as God had instructed, but because of the change that the earth made after the flood, the dinos probably couldn't survive. Probably not enough food for them. There have been more recent cases of dinos... Just think about the Loch Ness monster. What about the old Chinese legends of dragons? The word we use Dinosaurs is a very recent term. Before the were called dragons. It's even documented that the Chinese had dragons, and had tamed them. There is even a creature in the Old Testament named Leviathan. SOunds a lot like a dino to me. Read about it in Job 41:1-41:34

I could go on :) Trust God's word, He doesn't lie

ok, putting aside the nonsense of this post, let me ask you this: do you actually believe, really believe, honestly believe, that Noah built a giant boat by himself that could hold two of every animal on the planet? how did he collect those animals? how did those animals swim across the oceans and find his boat?

and since the laws of science, physics and nature mean that there is a finite amount of water on the planet... how did the whole planet flood?

[Hum]

What if the aliens are God?

You are getting too close to the truth. :p

[HawkMan]

ok, putting aside the nonsense of this post, let me ask you this: do you actually believe, really believe, honestly believe, that Noah built a giant boat by himself that could hold two of every animal on the planet? how did he collect those animals? how did those animals swim across the oceans and find his boat?

and since the laws of science, physics and nature mean that there is a finite amount of water on the planet... how did the whole planet flood?

Obviously since the planet only existed for a few thousand years, when he built the boat we only had the one pangea continent. Also back then it was before the fall of humans, so he was a giant, and could easily build such a boat, he also lived for hundreds of years, and back then all the animals lived happily together in peace and didn't fight each other, and two of each animal walks peacefully across pangea to Noahs ark by command of god's voice.

it all makes perfect sense you know. Also the flood was actually the breaking of pangea...

[zeta_immersion]

my wife said this morning her butt hurts ... I tell you man ...

I dono

BUT

Aliens

:ninja:

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

Obviously since the planet only existed for a few thousand years, when he built the boat we only had the one pangea continent. Also back then it was before the fall of humans, so he was a giant, and could easily build such a boat, he also lived for hundreds of years, and back then all the animals lived happily together in peace and didn't fight each other, and two of each animal walks peacefully across pangea to Noahs ark by command of god's voice.

it all makes perfect sense you know. Also the flood was actually the breaking of pangea...

ohhhhh so that explains it! sorry, i was wrong and admit it b/c i can freely think for myself

[HawkMan]

ohhhhh so that explains it! sorry, i was wrong and admit it b/c i can freely think for myself

The sad part is, someone might actually pick up that and use it as an actual explanation.

[ahhell]

Obviously since the planet only existed for a few thousand years, when he built the boat we only had the one pangea continent. Also back then it was before the fall of humans, so he was a giant, and could easily build such a boat, he also lived for hundreds of years, and back then all the animals lived happily together in peace and didn't fight each other, and two of each animal walks peacefully across pangea to Noahs ark by command of god's voice.

it all makes perfect sense you know. Also the flood was actually the breaking of pangea...

:rofl:

[mikiem]

Everyone believes in something, even if their *religion* so-to-speak is their practice of anti-religion -- some of the most fervent believers seem to be atheists. :) Their evangelism is, has been quite effective, as evidenced in the OP's characterizations ? without that distortion the straw man can?t be built. ;) If/when there is some sort of 1^st contact, how individual people would/will react has far more to do with those individuals rather than how anyone attempts to pigeonhole them ? look to psychology & sociology instead of profiling. And yes, that?s what this thread is all about ? profiling.

Tending towards a more open [or closed] mind crosses the boundaries we like to erect ? you find open & closed minds in science as well as theology. Sometimes we become so enthralled with what we think we?ve learned, that we stop learning. Sometimes we become much more interested in, focused on what we think we know, when maybe we should be looking at what we don?t know, [hopefully] yet. Having an open mind means actually disliking profiling, not just saying it?s bad when you feel it?s expected of you.

That said, nowadays it might take a bit of digging, but if you?re interested in whatever beliefs, philosophies, &/or religions, research. If you want to know more about the history of religion & science, check out Descartes for example, & the influence he had on relations between the two. If you want evidence that religion does not mean the exclusion of science, check out the writings of scientists &/or researchers who happen to also be quite comfortable with their religious faith. Look at all the church-based hospitals & hospices, where science obviously plays a huge part. Look at universities like Notre Dame.

[thommcg]

Just imagine that God's 6 day creation were a literal 6 days... that would mean that dinos lived with us. There are actually specimens of foot prints of humans with dinos walking together preserved in stone. God gave us dominion over all creation, so that would make sense. The dinos died out with the great flood. I'm sure they were on Noah's Ark as God had instructed, but because of the change that the earth made after the flood, the dinos probably couldn't survive. Probably not enough food for them. There have been more recent cases of dinos... Just think about the Loch Ness monster. What about the old Chinese legends of dragons? The word we use Dinosaurs is a very recent term. Before the were called dragons. It's even documented that the Chinese had dragons, and had tamed them. There is even a creature in the Old Testament named Leviathan. SOunds a lot like a dino to me. Read about it in Job 41:1-41:34

I could go on :) Trust God's word, He doesn't lie

There isn't an emoticon capable of adequately expressing my reaction to this post.

Ever thought that aliens could be a decoy to let us think that God doesn't exist? Satan is the master of deception... why all the movies lately about aliens? Why are we being brainwashed by the media to accept that aliens exist? If something does expose itself, we will all have our guard down to accept whatever it is... not a nutter here, trying to be serious

Aliens are invariably attacking us in the movies though (Battle: LA, Prometheus, The Avengers, etc.). So... going by your logic, aren't the films preparing us to have to defend ourselves from satanic forces? Isn't that a *good* thing?

[oliver182]

Ever thought that aliens could be a decoy to let us think that God doesn't exist? Satan is the master of deception... why all the movies lately about aliens? Why are we being brainwashed by the media to accept that aliens exist? If something does expose itself, we will all have our guard down to accept whatever it is... not a nutter here, trying to be serious

Wow just wow.

Yeah the same way the media is trying with all super hero movies, they are trying to convince us that spiderman is real!! /s they are just movies....

[mikiem]

and since the laws of science, physics and nature mean that there is a finite amount of water on the planet... how did the whole planet flood?

welll.... if ya want to get picky I'd dispute the part about laws of nature -- I mean is there some queen mother nature ruling over her mighty court, with all the cute little furry creatures in the gallery as she passes judgment on who's done right & wrong? Otherwise wouldn?t both nature & physics go under the banner of scientific study? :)

More seriously though, so-called scientific laws are laws until their disproven, broken, or superseded. Maybe one of the best known is Newton?s law of universal gravitation, or should we go by Gauss's law for gravity? If we go by Einstein?s theories for the how & why gravity works, what happens when his theories are tweaked, expanded, or maybe even proven a bit wrong? I could joke about breaking Newton?s law being a felony, but that?s uncomfortably close to attitudes some people have had throughout history, e.g. the original flat Earth debate.

Personally I don?t know what went on, what happened at the time of Noah ? I wasn?t there, & I?d hazard a guess, neither was anyone else posting here today. :laugh: I?ve read theories, beliefs etc., simply accepting that there are these different theories, beliefs etc. Common sense tells me that someone writing scrolls or whatever that eventually wound up in the Bible had a pretty limited sense of the world ? they couldn?t very well bring up a picture of the globe on their iPad ? so how much was this person even capable of mentally grasping? Neither could that person play & replay video of whatever events ? knowledge & history relied on verbal recitation until some scribe committed them to a more permanent, unchanging form. Since we don?t know [yet?] exactly what happened, we can?t prove anything, for or against. Such is life.

[Som]

Not and its true its in the bible.

still can't tell....

[Som]

What if the Aliens came to "evangelize" us for straying from God?

well supposedly the christian God (from the new testament) is all good and if they where following his will then all they would care about is if you had a good "soul" and and not if you believe therefore I'd say a lot of hardcore religious freaks would be on the bad end of that holy rod...

and if they are with the god from the old testament then they can go **** themselves for all I care cause thats a world I wouldn't want to live in...

personally i don't believe it god or gods but i am open to everything and anything is possible.. the creation of the universe is simply beyond our comprehension at the moment so we create these childish stories to keep us entertained and after a few thousand years people follow as a truth... i'm sure Neo will be the new jesus in the year 4012

[.Neo]

or you could ask a better question: would atheists to believe in god, if irrefutable Evidence is presented?

IMHO,i would say no.

The whole reason atheists don't believe in God revolves around there not being any real evidence. If such evidence is provided they'll believe it.

[DConnell Member]

Christians believe God created the universe, not just Earth. So aliens would just be evidence of His infinite creativity. We believe humanity is special in God's eyes. That doesn't mena other intelligent species can't be special too.

[Arachno 1D]

Just going back in the discussion a little where in the bible does it mention dinosaurs?

[thommcg]

Just going back in the discussion a little where in the bible does it mention dinosaurs?

It doesn't. Though it doesn't specifically mention lots of other creatures either so... Genesis merely claims God created all living things on day 6.

Creationists would presumably lump in aliens there were they shown to exist.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

what if the alien's looked like Dolphins, or Ants. or a big Floating Blob.

funny that people think aliens will end up resembling anything human