Author Topic: Would life on Mars change your world view?  (Read 7622 times)

MechAg94

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #50 on: October 17, 2019, 08:39:34 AM »

That a civilization removed from Western Christianity, may have different god or gods or entirely different belief system then your own.
Isn't that what half this thread is about, that aliens are alien?  My comment above was meant as a joke.  I wasn't trying to start a theological argument. 

A Christian believing God exists all over the Universe He created is just as right as anyone else.  No one on Earth can prove them wrong.  Of course, a Muslim (not Western Christianity) might also think they will know God (their God).  On the the other hand, there are likely atheists who think "belief" is a human thing and aliens wouldn't believe in anything at all.  

Speculation on alien religion is pointless as we have no basis on which to speculate except our own human history and belief.  We can't put ourselves in their shoes and imagine what they would think.  We don't even know if they wear shoes.  If you take the assumption our God is not known there and they do still believe in supernatural beings, it would be helpful to know about their biology and what their night sky looks like to get an idea of what they might believe, and that is still speculating based on our own history.  


Or they might look like Squirrels and come to Earth to visit a Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi.   =D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K16fG1sDagU
« Last Edit: October 17, 2019, 09:19:58 AM by MechAg94 »
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fifth_column

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #51 on: October 17, 2019, 09:02:35 AM »
Their version of same once translated.  Don't people say Allah means "God" in English?

As I understand it, Allah is the same god referred to in the old testament as Yahweh.
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MechAg94

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #52 on: October 17, 2019, 09:08:52 AM »
As I understand it, Allah is the same god referred to in the old testament as Yahweh.
That is what they say, I think.  I am sure you would get a lot of argument in some circles about that.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2019, 09:44:49 AM by MechAg94 »
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MechAg94

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #53 on: October 17, 2019, 09:49:30 AM »
Aside from what we percieve as "life" and "inert" objects, I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point humanity becomes trans-stellar, we discover something that is neither alive nor inert.  Unquantifiable by our metrics, yet impressive and meriting our respect anyways.
It seems to me that I have heard of quite a few different versions of "life" in scifi in books and TV.  I am sure we could find something that defies imagination. 
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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #54 on: October 17, 2019, 10:09:28 AM »
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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #55 on: October 17, 2019, 11:16:22 AM »
As I understand it, Allah is the same god referred to in the old testament as Yahweh.
--- or Jehovah.  [popcorn]
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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #56 on: October 17, 2019, 11:29:50 AM »
That is what they say, I think.  I am sure you would get a lot of argument in some circles about that.

That is what they say, and they are completely wrong about that. As you say, there is certainly disagreement about it.
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AZRedhawk44

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #57 on: October 17, 2019, 11:42:16 AM »
Their version of same once translated.  Don't people say Allah means "God" in English?

Funnily, "God" is most likely pagan in either origin that it is theorized to come from.  It's either Germanic (pagan) or Indian/Vedic (also pagan).  The Latin word Deus is a blatant rip-off of the Greek Zeus, which is also of Sanskrit influence from "dyaus," an adaptation of the Vedic "devas."

An appropriate name for the Judeo-Christian entity known as God is more likely Yahweh, much akin to Allah.  The Latin "Jehovah" is a bad mispronunciation that is more often today spoken as "Juh-Hoe-Vah" rather than with a soft almost "i/y" sound for the J and a subdued "v" that is more of a "w."
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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #58 on: October 17, 2019, 12:45:55 PM »
Funnily, "God" is most likely pagan in either origin that it is theorized to come from.  It's either Germanic (pagan) or Indian/Vedic (also pagan).  The Latin word Deus is a blatant rip-off of the Greek Zeus, which is also of Sanskrit influence from "dyaus," an adaptation of the Vedic "devas."

An appropriate name for the Judeo-Christian entity known as God is more likely Yahweh, much akin to Allah.  The Latin "Jehovah" is a bad mispronunciation that is more often today spoken as "Juh-Hoe-Vah" rather than with a soft almost "i/y" sound for the J and a subdued "v" that is more of a "w."

A creator God or gods is referenced in much older writings and representations than pagan sources.

God/gods have been with us at least since the beginning of written words and symbols.
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #59 on: October 17, 2019, 05:25:34 PM »
Isn't that what half this thread is about, that aliens are alien?  My comment above was meant as a joke.  I wasn't trying to start a theological argument. 

A Christian believing God exists all over the Universe He created is just as right as anyone else.  No one on Earth can prove them wrong.  Of course, a Muslim (not Western Christianity) might also think they will know God (their God).  On the the other hand, there are likely atheists who think "belief" is a human thing and aliens wouldn't believe in anything at all.  

Speculation on alien religion is pointless as we have no basis on which to speculate except our own human history and belief.  We can't put ourselves in their shoes and imagine what they would think.  We don't even know if they wear shoes.  If you take the assumption our God is not known there and they do still believe in supernatural beings, it would be helpful to know about their biology and what their night sky looks like to get an idea of what they might believe, and that is still speculating based on our own history.  


Or they might look like Squirrels and come to Earth to visit a Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi.   =D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K16fG1sDagU


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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #60 on: October 17, 2019, 05:33:38 PM »
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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #61 on: October 17, 2019, 10:53:31 PM »

We might be among the first everywhere, the "ancients" charged with farming the galaxy and seeding life elsewhere. Might be our mandate. Being "first" and "alone" is just as profound as finding out we've got neighbors IMO.

I've pondered that very thought of late.  While I believe that the universe is teaming with life, from bacterial film on/in rocks to organisms that blot out the light of their home star, our kind of life is rare.  We ask questions.  Even our nearest cousins in the Family Hominidae don't, though some understand what a question is.  So far the smarter Cetacea don't either, nor those creepy/fascinating Cephalopods that solve simple puzzles for food.

First Ones in this 'Verse, what a heady concept.  If true I hope we're up to it.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #62 on: October 17, 2019, 11:03:58 PM »
Funnily, "God" is most likely pagan in either origin that it is theorized to come from.  It's either Germanic (pagan) or Indian/Vedic (also pagan).  The Latin word Deus is a blatant rip-off of the Greek Zeus, which is also of Sanskrit influence from "dyaus," an adaptation of the Vedic "devas."

An appropriate name for the Judeo-Christian entity known as God is more likely Yahweh, much akin to Allah.  The Latin "Jehovah" is a bad mispronunciation that is more often today spoken as "Juh-Hoe-Vah" rather than with a soft almost "i/y" sound for the J and a subdued "v" that is more of a "w."

Christians (or Jews, for that matter) don't claim the word "God" is a proper name, or that they invented it. We might use it like a name at times, but the Old Testament is pretty clear about God having a particular name, which He revealed to His followers. "God" was not that name. The word "God" is more like a title, which English-speaking Christians use, as it is an English term for, well, a god. I imagine the same goes for "Deus." Christianity, like most other religions that spread to other language groups, adopted local languages to express its teachings. (Although it was born speaking Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, so maybe it had a head start.) So there are many terms for the Deity of the Christian scriptures.

And "Jehovah" isn't Latin. It's a Latinization of the four consonants of the Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH, in English).

« Last Edit: October 17, 2019, 11:30:56 PM by fistful »
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #63 on: October 17, 2019, 11:08:00 PM »
As I understand it, Allah is the same god referred to in the old testament as Yahweh.


As far as I know, that is the teaching of Islam. As you might expect, others disagree.



 1 John 2:23 English Standard Version (ESV)

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
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Pb

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #64 on: October 18, 2019, 09:23:02 AM »
I read an interesting book by James Blish- "A Case of Conscience."

It is about the discovery of an alien world populated by intelligent reptiles.

They live in apparent peace with a perfect morality... and with no concept of God.

A Catholic scientist on the expedition decides that they are actually creations of Satan.

Then it gets weird...

Good book.

Ron

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #65 on: October 18, 2019, 11:12:29 AM »
I read an interesting book by James Blish- "A Case of Conscience."

It is about the discovery of an alien world populated by intelligent reptiles.

They live in apparent peace with a perfect morality... and with no concept of God.

A Catholic scientist on the expedition decides that they are actually creations of Satan.

Then it gets weird...

Good book.

Sounds like it is based on the concept of the "noble savage".
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #66 on: October 19, 2019, 07:03:13 PM »
If there isn't* intelligent life elsewhere in the universe you know what means right?

It's all ours.


*highly unlikely IMHO considering the numbers
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Pb

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Re: Would life on Mars change your world view?
« Reply #67 on: October 21, 2019, 09:09:00 AM »
Sounds like it is based on the concept of the "noble savage".

Not exactly...  >:D