Would extraterrestrial life disprove creationism?

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:15 am

As most of you probably know, the phoenix mars spacecraft has landed on mars and has started its mission to find water under its surface.
There is a probability that traces of live will be found.

So it made me wonder, what if we someday prove that there is in fact life outside the earth? Wouldn't that completely destroy the theistic ideas of god making life exclusively on earth and of abiogenesis being too improbable?

In a way, it would be comparable to god cheating on us XD .

What do you think, if life is indeed found to exist somewhere other than our home planet, won't the church find itself in trouble?
Especially creationism should be laid to rest once and for all.

...or not.

Grand Poster Joined: Jul 23, 2003 Posts: 1536 Location: NC

No. They would find a way to incorporate it into God's word. Who needs the truth when you have apologetics?

Graduate Thinker Joined: Mar 26, 2008 Posts: 525

They'll find a way around it. The bible doesn't say that there's NO life on other planets. It really doesn't mention any other planet than earth.

Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:43 am

Cygnus wrote:

They'll find a way around it. The bible doesn't say that there's NO life on other planets. It really doesn't mention any other planet than earth.

Which is all too telling about its validity...among a million other things mind you! Razz

Graduate Thinker Joined: Mar 26, 2008 Posts: 525

What would be more interesting and destructive to the fundamentalist's ends is if we found other lifeforms who could think and reason as we do and they didn't even have a religion like Christianity in their history. Why has god not revealed his plan for this other race and why has Jesus not saved them as well? If only god can create life, then why had he not created this race and imparted his morals into them? So if we could find an alien race such as this, then that would hopefully put the matter to rest. Or so one would hope.

Confident Learner Joined: Jun 16, 2008 Posts: 78

I'm inclined to think there's NOTHING that can disprove creationism to a creationist. Once they're "locked in" to that way of thinking they invest more and more time and energy defending it, bolstering it up and selectively finding "evidence" that proves it. This kind of zeal inspired the early christians to hold onto their beliefs as they were being tortured to death by the Romans, fed to the lions, burned alive, etc. I reckon there's a kind of key in human psychology that once it's been turned away from rational realism is unable to be turned back. This gives rise to a lot of the religiously-inspired fanaticism we see today.

For example, try suggesting to a 9/11, UFO of JFK conspiracist that maybe they could be wrong. Confused

You've got to remember that everything in the media is all part of a...

Satanic / Fed. Gov't / Chinese / Mafia / Zionist / (insert whatever) / plot.

However, finding extraterrestial intelligence might disprove creationism for everyone else. As far as I'm concerned creationism was proved wrong decades ago. It's dead in the water.

I'll just say two more things here.

First, I've suggested elsewhere in this forum (Know any YEC's? Ask them about oil, coal and gas.) a question that might be interesting to put to creationists.

Second, check this out... http://www.commonsensescience.org

Looks like a regular science website doesn't it? Don't be fooled!
It's a cover for creationist fundamentalists to promote their take on particle physics, cosmology and chemistry. Go to their "Links" to see where they're really coming from. All the usual suspects!

Sneaky. I'll give them that. Wink

BornAgainAthiest.

Confident Learner Joined: Jun 16, 2008 Posts: 78

O.k., having given this one more thought, I can think of a scenario where contact with intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms disproves creationism to creationists and everyone else.

Aggressive, warlike aliens invade the Earth, easily overwhelming our armed forces and begin to systematically eradicate the entire human race! Shocked

This would be a 100%, cast-iron proof of the non-existence of god, creationism and the creationists too. Wink

BornAgainAthiest.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 2:13 am

BornAgainAthiest wrote:

O.k., having given this one more thought, I can think of a scenario where contact with intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms disproves creationism to creationists and everyone else.

Aggressive, warlike aliens invade the Earth, easily overwhelming our armed forces and begin to systematically eradicate the entire human race! Shocked

lol. That would be interesting.
But naturally the creationists would just call it another of god's judgements for our sinfull lifes... Or they'd just blame it all on satan XD .
Most likely sooner or later they'd also convert the aliens.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:34 am

Theists always find a way to fit their god into the cracks of human knowledge, and, most likely, they always will.

Graduate Thinker Joined: Mar 26, 2008 Posts: 525

BornAgainAthiest wrote:

O.k., having given this one more thought, I can think of a scenario where contact with intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms disproves creationism to creationists and everyone else.

Aggressive, warlike aliens invade the Earth, easily overwhelming our armed forces and begin to systematically eradicate the entire human race! Shocked

This would be a 100%, cast-iron proof of the non-existence of god, creationism and the creationists too. Wink

BornAgainAthiest.

Maybe they'd find a way to fit that into Nostradamus's prophecies. Call it the apocalypse.

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:11 am

Booger wrote:

No. They would find a way to incorporate it into God's word. Who needs the truth when you have apologetics?

Exactly. The vatican already did comment on the idea of E.T life and they said that it doesn't contradict the belief in god as the aliens would be "gods children" too. LOL. Well if thats true then it seems that were not as special as we thought. Honestly the religious people will just come up with more strange rationalizations to incorporate it into their faith. Nothing will make them change their minds.

Post Noob Joined: Jul 07, 2008 Posts: 58

BornAgainAthiest wrote:

I'm inclined to think there's NOTHING that can disprove creationism to a creationist. Once they're "locked in" to that way of thinking they invest more and more time and energy defending it, bolstering it up and selectively finding "evidence" that proves it. This kind of zeal inspired the early christians to hold onto their beliefs as they were being tortured to death by the Romans, fed to the lions, burned alive, etc. I reckon there's a kind of key in human psychology that once it's been turned away from rational realism is unable to be turned back. This gives rise to a lot of the religiously-inspired fanaticism we see today.

For example, try suggesting to a 9/11, UFO of JFK conspiracist that maybe they could be wrong. Confused

You've got to remember that everything in the media is all part of a...

Satanic / Fed. Gov't / Chinese / Mafia / Zionist / (insert whatever) / plot.

I don't doubt that there are a lot of foolish cult 9/11, UFO of JFK conspiracists but there are also a lot of cult debunkers that automatically dismiss these theories before looking at them. The official story for these events isn't adding up and there are foolish mistakes being made on both sides of each issue.

lumping them together and dismissing them is a common cult debunker tactic.

I don't know the whole story on any of these events but I know that the media is not giving us a straight story. In order to figure out the truth a lot of mistakes and lies need to be sorted out.

If recognizing a bullshit story and saying we should try to figure out what is realy true makes someone a conspiricy theorist I guess I'm one.

If you think the media is being completely honest with the public you haven't been paying attention.

Try turning it around if there was evidence that what you believe is wrong would you acknowledge it? Wink

BTW

AliTheBandit wrote:

the phoenix mars spacecraft has landed on mars and has started its mission to find water under its surface.
There is a probability that traces of live will be found.

There almost certainly will not be any life found on Mars the atmosphere is to thin and it is to cold. There is only 1% of Earth's atmospheric pressure on Mars that is to thin to retain water as soon as it melts it evaporates.

If they find life on Mars it will be a type that has never been seen before which I doubt.

The most NASA is hoping for is that they will find traces of ancient microscopic life that died millions of years ago.

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:03 am

zacherystaylor wrote:

The most NASA is hoping for is that they will find traces of ancient microscopic life that died millions of years ago.

That's what I meant by traces. I agree with you, but in my opinion even the least sign of life outside of the earth should make some converts XD .

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:58 am

zacherystaylor wrote:

There almost certainly will not be any life found on Mars the atmosphere is to thin and it is to cold. There is only 1% of Earth's atmospheric pressure on Mars that is to thin to retain water as soon as it melts it evaporates.

I don't think we have enough information yet to determine how tenacious life can be. We’ve discovered forms of life on this planet in what seem to be very inhospitable environments.

There is good evidence that suggests the Martian climate was very different in the past (what we would consider more hospitable). While you may be correct about finding living life on Mars, I find it possible we may discover strong evidence for extinct life, which is just as significant a discovery.

Post Noob Joined: Jul 07, 2008 Posts: 58

The faithful will not be converted unless they go through a deculitfication process that involves teaching rational thought. If a new discovery was enough it would have worked by now there have been thousands of new discoveries over the last few decades and the religious just incorporate them into their existing belief system without fixing old mistakes.

Decultification will not be a quick fix!!

Back to Mars

Even hundreds of millions of years ago Mars was to far from the sun and to cold. Even though it suposedly had a thicker envirnment it probably wasn't thick enough and warm enough for life.

However microscopic life is the first step to advanced life and it would be a big discovery if found. I do believe it exists elsewhere where the envirnment is right for it.

If NASA showed us their list of stars and new planets it might shed some light on where to look. But it would take hundreds if of years to send an unmanned probe for a closer look with currant technology. Not fast enough for those that want imidiate results. Crying or Very sad


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