scepticus Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 So NASA is saying there is liquid water flowing on Mars. Salty, but a boost to hopes we discover microbial life there at some point and perhaps giving more impetus to the manned space program. At the same time, scientists involved in the hunt for life bearing exoplanets are enjoying rapid progress with hundreds of candidates found. They suggest they are less than 10 years away from an actual find. Mainly, they need telescopes with improved ability to analyse these distant atmospheres for bio-signature gasses. Of course this is all about bacteria et not alien animals or whatever. I do wonder what kind of curveball any kind of confirmation we are not alone might chuck into the global melting pot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 There will be widespread denial basically cf moon landings etc. The deep believers of Christianity I know either scoff about life on other planets (some are even hazy on the idea that stars are suns with potentially planets going around them), or think this is where hell is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 10 years to find them, 30,000 years to get there. So only 30,010 years to go. I can't wait! It's very interesting and could have huge implications for people of a religious nature. It won't disprove the existence of God, but make all his books total tripe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si1 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I thought the book of exodus is quite interesting. Embelished story of a refugee migration out of wartorn Egypt, Iraq and Syria some rather long time ago. Plus ca change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qetesuesi Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 10 years to find them, 30,000 years to get there. So only 30,010 years to go. I can't wait! It's very interesting and could have huge implications for people of a religious nature. It won't disprove the existence of God, but make all his books total tripe. How? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I have long believed that there are other forms of life out there in the universe, and almost certainly intelligent life at that. I also think that the chances of us, or them, ever developing workable modes of interstellar travel are infinitesimally small. Either way I'll be dead long before it happens. I don't mind spending a bit of money looking in to it, but we should recognise that the future of the human race is here on Earth, and look for ways t keep it going as long as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I have long believed that there are other forms of life out there in the universe, and almost certainly intelligent life at that. I also think that the chances of us, or them, ever developing workable modes of interstellar travel are infinitesimally small. Either way I'll be dead long before it happens. I don't mind spending a bit of money looking in to it, but we should recognise that the future of the human race is here on Earth, and look for ways t keep it going as long as possible. Star Trek style interstellar travel looks pretty impossible alas (something that I find rather depressing) but there are ways and means of getting human life on distant worlds in the distant future. Frozen embryos that'll be brought up by robots is one possibility, albeit with rather big ethical and social issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I am still worried by the giant cave crab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 How? How what? How will we get there... travel time of 30,000 years = we won't. Total tripe? Apart from being painfully obvious. God created the earth, man and beasts and gave them life, not alien bacteria on another world. Don't you think it might be worth a mention? You know the rest of the universe all 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of it? God didn't create this bacteria as it's not in any of his books, so who did? Yes believe in god if you must... but not in a book that's plainly wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I am still worried by the giant cave crab. You do know that the Macra were a work of fiction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turned Out Nice Again Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Getting Man into space is as daft as trying to get fish to the summit of Everest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I am still worried by the giant cave crab. Source :- https://uk.news.yahoo.com/alien--crab-monster--is-sighted-in-cave-on-mars-075522576.html#NDdZBLi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debtlessmanc Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 There will be widespread denial basically cf moon landings etc. The deep believers of Christianity I know either scoff about life on other planets (some are even hazy on the idea that stars are suns with potentially planets going around them), or think this is where hell is. I think you underestimate peoples' ability to believe stuff that is clearly nonsense. I mean mormonism is clearly invented, its founder was a convicted fraudster who most people at the time dismissed as deluded, still millions of mormons.. whats the difference between mormonism and chrtistianity/islam? we have historical records of the fraudulent beginnings of the former, the records for the latter have been lost or doctored. Whats actually in the respective books as equally a combination of common sense and silliness. as to the religious dismissing moon landings etc, never ceases to amaze me that conspiracy theorist are sketptical about anything other than their religion, probably their ego is playing a role here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 You do know that the Macra were a work of fiction? Fiction this when it is chasing you along the surface of Mars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I think you underestimate peoples' ability to believe stuff that is clearly nonsense. I mean mormonism is clearly invented, its founder was a convicted fraudster who most people at the time dismissed as deluded, still millions of mormons.. whats the difference between mormonism and chrtistianity/islam? we have historical records of the fraudulent beginnings of the former, the records for the latter have been lost or doctored. Whats actually in the respective books as equally a combination of common sense and silliness. as to the religious dismissing moon landings etc, never ceases to amaze me that conspiracy theorist are sketptical about anything other than their religion, probably their ego is playing a role here.. I saw the Moon disappear the other night so they may be on to something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinAndPlatonic Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 He`s been on steriods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail the Tripod Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I have long believed that there are other forms of life out there in the universe, and almost certainly intelligent life at that. "There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. They may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive far, far away, amongst the stars." i always found the Battlestar Galactica narration very compelling. I wonder how much of an impact it had on my generation's readiness to accept that similar life forms might be less than vanishingly rare in the observable universe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Allegro Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Why would the discovery of life on other planets make religious people think their religion wasn't 'true'? The discovery of America made the Conquistadors seek to convert the natives in huge numbers, forcibly if necessary. They didn't say 'hang on, this new country wasn't mentioned in the Bible - better give up the old religion, senors! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Why would the discovery of life on other planets make religious people think their religion wasn't 'true'? The discovery of America made the Conquistadors seek to convert the natives in huge numbers, forcibly if necessary. They didn't say 'hang on, this new country wasn't mentioned in the Bible - better give up the old religion, senors! Same old species on the same planet though; it didn't contradict anything in the Bible. God made the world but didn't tell us all about every little bit of it. Move to another world though and you start running into difficulties (man made in god's image, plus all those other little bits that suggest the universe revolves around this world and this species). I don't know what non-Christian religions make of it.My guess is that some will strenuously resist but most will just conveniently shift to reinterpret what they've got ("it's not meant to be taken literally"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Banner Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Star Trek style interstellar travel looks pretty impossible alas (something that I find rather depressing) but there are ways and means of getting human life on distant worlds in the distant future. Frozen embryos that'll be brought up by robots is one possibility, albeit with rather big ethical and social issues. What would be the point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gardener Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 It never ceases to amaze me how atheists shove their beliefs down other people's throats. Why is it that unbelievers seem to think they know the ins and outs of others' religion and beliefs. Frankly I find the intolerance of atheists intolerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Allegro Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Same old species on the same planet though; it didn't contradict anything in the Bible. God made the world but didn't tell us all about every little bit of it. Move to another world though and you start running into difficulties (man made in god's image, plus all those other little bits that suggest the universe revolves around this world and this species). I don't know what non-Christian religions make of it. My guess is that some will strenuously resist but most will just conveniently shift to reinterpret what they've got ("it's not meant to be taken literally"). The idea that the Bible is a sort of cosmic instruction manual, and that anything not mentioned in it is a threat to its authority, is actually a very late development in Christian belief, from the 16th century really. Remember that for most of Christian history, the Bible was of lesser importance than the authority of the church, and most people couldn't read the Bible even if they had access to it. Also the idea of the Ptolomaic universe, with the 'three decks' of heaven, earth and hell, and the other planets and stars as a sort of cosmic ceiling painting is largely a concept of the medieval church and doesn't have a great deal to do with ancient Judeo-Christian tradition. The Copernican model, roughly what we use today, was resisted by the church because it saw it as a threat to its authority (viz Galileo and all that). It did, however, eventually adapt to this, and I suspect a similar adaptation would occur, much more quickly, if alien life was discovered. There are apparently 46 verses in the Bible referring to stars. Eg, from the Book of Job, ch 9: 'How should a man be just with God...which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars, which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea, which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades...' So there is a sense in the Bible that 'we are not alone', in as much as some Bronze age desert dwellers could make out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 What would be the point?Why does there have to be a "point"? Some things are worth doing for their own sake - there doesn't always need to be a better answer than "because." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 It never ceases to amaze me how atheists shove their beliefs down other people's throats. Why is it that unbelievers seem to think they know the ins and outs of others' religion and beliefs. Frankly I find the intolerance of atheists intolerable. "Shut up and keep out of it any time religion is mentioned in a discussion." Maybe the atheists are saying someone else's views are ridiculous, at least they're not saying "don't express your opinion at all." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R K Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Pure vanity. Man can't even resolve the problems he's created on this planet. And I've seen Prometheus. Didn't end well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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