Can Aliens be Christians?

We know from astronomy and biology that ETs probably exists somewhere in the universe (if not the Galaxy). Some ETs may be smarter and have a better understanding of good and evil than us.Therefore, is it not reasonable that God would also provide a plan of salvation? See "Here We Are: A Comment on Extraterrestrials" at Faith & Reason Ministries, http://www.faithreason.org/-----Note from Adminnemooseus: The more direct link is http://www.faithreason.org/farmhwa.htmThis topic is rather more of a "Faith and Belief" topic, rather than a "Big Bang and Cosmology" topic, but it does have a "cosmic" connection, so I'm going to leave it in this "Big Bang..." forum.It also seems to be a rather (IMO) goofy little topic, probably not destined to to go very far. There may, however, be a bit of interest to read at the above linked page.I'll have minnemooseus give his "Theistic Evolution" topic a bump, for johndcal's consideration.Adminnemooseus[This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 06-03-2003]

Expected Atheist Response:"Maybe, if the aliens are so smart, they know enough to not have to bother with religion."Honestly I think that if we do encounter alien races, our continued belief in the supernatural is just going to be embarrasing. Understandable, because the aliens will probably have been the same way in the past, but embarrasing nonetheless.

you really are a very negative Atheist crashfrog

Yes, I'm highly critical of religion because, in my experience, most people who adopt religion are doing so to avoid doing the hard work of actually thinking about life and morality and human experience. It's far easier to have some potentate tell you what to think.if you're willing to adopt morals not because of how well they agree with a book but because of how they benefit the humans around you, you don't need religion. You just need eyes to see and a brain to think.Religion doesn't make you blind by itself - but religion is all too easily substituted for honest, intellectual inquiry into what's good for people.Anyway my comment was not so much an expression of personal position but rather a semi-ironic attempt to say something that most people of faith would have expected an athiest to say.

thats too bad

Oh? Why?

That's too bad you feel that way because religion does a lot of very good things for alot of people, Although people seem to focus on the bad things done in spite o religion.
Anyways I have a honest question so don't take it the wrong way.
Why would you want to be an Atheist. There is no purpose to life, life doesn't really matter, and if God or any higher power does exist than you stand a chance of eternal punishment.
To qoute a buddhist monk "life (to a Atheist) is like being shot with an arrow and now you just have to deal with it. It seems a very sad existence to me.

'It seems a very sad existence to me. 'i am not an atheist but he could think that his life is worth a lot to his family e.t.c i dont think it is right to say he could be going to hell either because we are all guilty of sin and my God wants us all to reside in heaven.(Father,Son , Holy Spirit is my God).
therefore you and I who say we believe are just the same - up for judgement by God.i think the 'your going to hell' finger pointing should be first pointed at ourselves.I say all this because my Dad is atheist like crash and i hope they are both heaven bound!

I was careful to say that he wasn't going to hell, i simply said that he stood a chance, as only God can judge. And by no purpose, once your dead your dead, it's over that is how it has no purpose. Not that it has no purpose to protect your family or anything

'I was careful to say that he wasn't going to hell, i simply said that he stood a chance, as only God can judge. And by no purpose, once your dead your dead, it's over that is how it has no purpose. Not that it has no purpose to protect your family or anything 'o .k fair enough , i agree that being atheist has an almost 'i dont matter that much' ring to it , which i admire a lot to be honest.
But yes i think he should believe like you and i stevo but i guess thats up to him.By the way i am NOT atheist Stevo i am with you (a believer)and maybe if we pray for crash he will believe , you never know.

you admire someone who says they don't matter?!?

Because I'd rather believe what is true than accept a convinient fiction that, while it makes me feel better about things, prevents me from fully honest inquiry into the universe.It's not an easy path; but then the right one rarely is...Religion does do good for people. But the good that it does doesn't come from some god but from themselves. So why can't good happen without religion?

'you admire someone who says they don't matter?!? 'i guess there is a kind of beauty to that for me,because i do not consider myself worth much lol.
what i admire really is that they do not consider themselves more than their body.they just go with the flow,believe what they see,i gueess i can understand that however in the end they do matter anyway .

stevo3890 responds to crashfrog:

quote:

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if God or any higher power does exist than you stand a chance of eternal punishment.

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Pascal's Wager.Have you considered the possibility that god is trying to weed out those who take a look around them and come up with some sort of original explanation as to how it came to be, even if that answer is wrong, and who is going to dispense with the chore of thinking and let someone else or even worse let a book do the thinking?There is just as much of a chance of you receiving eternal punishment as anyone else. There are so many religions out there and for every religion, there is the possibility that it's really the opposite way that the idea of choosing a religion to "avoid hell" is simply ludicrous.You just avoided the wrong hell. Yes, you were a very devout Christian. Too bad. Christians go to hell according to the god that really exists.------------------
Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

Yeah, I simply don't find the threat of hell very compelling. Faced with so many religions that each view the other as wrong, I take the logical step - they're all wrong. Rrhain, you might like "The Visitor" by Sheri S. Tepper. If you're into s-f and stuff, that is. You sound like you might be.