Mars Rover

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   Disappearingheadposted 12 years ago

   Today NASA launched the Mars Rover. In August next year, all being well it will touch down and begin searching for evidence that micro-organisms once thrived on Mars.
   
   If it is ever proven that life once existed on Mars, then one must conclude that life is possible elsewhere on planets orbiting other stars.
   
   If this is shown to be the case, will it alter your religious views on the origins of life and/or any belief you might have in special creation of life on Earth?

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      A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Not a chance. Believers will deny/ignore/lie/ whatever it takes to suppress such information from crumbling their house of cards.

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         Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Conversely, I think if we encountered an alien race who had religious beliefs that mirrored one here on earth; many would consider it to be little more than a coincidence. We all cling to what we choose on that level.

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            skyfireposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think if any intelligent life out there if found - is less aggressive and less-advanced than us then they'll surely fall pray to jenova's preaching and religious people on earth will force them to believe what we believe. I just  hope galactus should help them not to come in contact with us. lol
            
            If they're more powerful and know how to control primitives like us, by all means we should know about them.

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               Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You know, I wouldn't put it past corporate America to annihilate them, if possible, first. Why convert the heathens and share the resources on their planet? But, barring that, you are right. The religious would feel compelled to attempt to convert.

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                  skyfireposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  yeah, i missed that part. In that case these guys will never tell us the truth about life on other planets. They'll first find out about profitable side of it and only then .....

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      skyfireposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You don't need mars for the proof. You need a planet with water reserves or with plants. Mars looks like a planet that our ancestors left due to some doomsday. I wonder if there are fuel sources in there.

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         LookingForWaldenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That's only looking for life as we know it.
         Perhaps life has formed on other planets that are drastically different than earth.
         Like gas people or something.

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            skyfireposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            It is possible, it's just that our ego of looking at things makes us ignore possibility of life in unusual forms.

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   Emile Rposted 12 years ago

   How will it effect your belief?

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      Disappearingheadposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't believe it will. I've never been comfortable with a literal interpretation of Genesis, and as God appears to enjoy diversity, it would not seem unreasonable that He would also have 'other Earth projects' on the go as well.

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         Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         So. Let me pose another question. Say we find intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and they've never heard of God. They have no religion at all. What would you think of that?

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            jtylerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I feel the same way Disappearinghead feels.
            
            I'll take a crack at your question.  I'm not sure.  It depends on what they do believe in (morals, etc), and if I would be able to comprehend it in general.

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               Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               I'm not sure I understand your answer, but I assume alien life would be generally friendly and similar to us in many ways. How would their morals factor in?

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                  jtylerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  If they believe in torture, killing, and all the bad stuff, I doubt a religion would exist (I mean if everyone believes).
                  
                  They could also be so different from us, we wouldn't even be able to comprehend them in any way.

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                     pennyofheavenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     Yet if it is in their religion what then?

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            Disappearingheadposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think religion is inevitable. Sentient beings fully concious of their life and future mortality will naturally ask "why?". If they are as insecure as mankind, then a set of religious beliefs would naturally develop along with the concept of a creator God.
            
            Whether God exists or not, I think religion is inevitable.

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            pennyofheavenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Gees that would not be one of my first questions to our potential neighbors.

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               Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               No, me either. But, I would assume if another race from another planet had no signs of religion; it would be clear evidence to the religious that something was amiss in their beliefs. I wonder how they would process that.

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                  pennyofheavenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  mmm yes I wonder too.

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                  brotheryochananposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  If there is LIFE, and i don't mean one celled microscopic organisms. But life considerably close to what we have here, working ecosystems, animals, plants, oxygen, etc. some evolved life form then the only question remaining is
                  How did God work his plan for salvation on that world? (assuming the first humans fell)
                  
                  If we found life on a planet with no ability to choose, that would be a different story.

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            LookingForWaldenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think this is the story of Star Trek. After meeting the godless aliens I believe they set up a world gov.,eliminate hunger, and do away with money.

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               Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You are correct. I feel as if that is a valid scenario. Proof of an alien civilizations would  definitely bind us together here on this planet.

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         pennyofheavenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Makes sense to me.

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         brotheryochananposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         There is no evidence that our planet is the first earth. We may be one in a long line of earths all much older and some already experiencing the millennial kingdom and others on their new earth.

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   MelissaBarrettposted 12 years ago

   I'm not sure it would alter my religious beliefs at all.  I've always assumed there was intelligent life out there somewhere else.  Hell, there is intelligent life besides humans on this planet.  Billions of planets, yep, somewhere else out there is life.

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   Pcunixposted 12 years ago

   Nothing would change my beliefs.  "God" is a silly answer to any intelligent question.

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      Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What if the question was, "What is the generic name of the deity the religious worship?"

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         Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         If you consider that an intelligent question..

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            Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Touche.

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   brotheryochananposted 12 years ago

   I really don't consider micro-organisms as intelligent life.
   I really don't think that residue evidence of water means there was once life. It just means the puddle dried up.
   
   Life is what we see today, not some one celled creature on a microscopic level. There might be some intangible, teeny weeny, see through a super powerful microscope entity, in jupiter, floatin around the gases, but lets face it, that's a long way from life?
   
   I really don't care about mars at all

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   icountthetimesposted 12 years ago

   It seems blindingly obvious to me that life (and in fact intelligent life) is likely exists on a number of planets. People not open to that view, are very likely to be able to somehow fit it into that world view should be ever become aware of life elsewhere. Where there is a lack of logic, there shall remain a loic of logic. Unfortunately.

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