Will colonizing other planets become a big issue with the Abrahimic faiths?

If the religous peoples feel that going away from this planet would make them lose control then some group will try to hasten prophesy. I say peoples because you dont know who would start it. I show no favortism to any religious group, in meaning any on of them, not only Muslims, could hasten a demise to exploring out there. That is why I said religion can not play a role in Planetery Expeditions. But I would not doubt that some group will say that this is blasphemy and try to sabatoge the mission.

Our future as a race might depend on our traveling to find resources or finding a cure to help us. Who knows....


Beam me up Scotty there is no life here............

WHEN it becomes a matter of survival and/or an economic necessity we will leave this planet an settle elsewhere. Although it will probably not be around some distant star, it will be Mars. And on that subject I recently came across a post on ATS with a link to www.marsanomalyresearch.com which has OFFICIAL pictures of liquid water, and what looks like plants, trees, animal bones, farms and other artificial structures. The TRUTH about Mars is that it is in fact inhabitable already, it has a breatheable atmosphere and a temperature stable ennough around the poles to support large lakes of liquid water and forests.

At present the world is not ready to fully accept the FACT of life on other planets (with 300billion stars in a galaxy and 100billion galaxies in the universe how can there NOT be!?) due to the incredible close mindedness of religions around the world. WHAT WE NEED IS A REVOLUTION MAAAAN!!!

Originally posted by bufordny
If the religous peoples feel that going away from this planet would make them lose control then some group will try to hasten prophesy. I say peoples because you dont know who would start it. I show no favortism to any religious group, in meaning any on of them, not only Muslims, could hasten a demise to exploring out there. That is why I said religion can not play a role in Planetery Expeditions. But I would not doubt that some group will say that this is blasphemy and try to sabatoge the mission.

Well, I am not going to say that I'd be surprised. However, if one wants to look at the Revelation prophecy objectively, now I am talking about from the Christian stance, space exploration and colonization is not necessarily contrary to anything that the book states. As I pointed out with the verse from Revelation 21:1.

I am one who thinks that eventually man will have to colonize other planets, but I don't suspect that will happen for quite some time. So really, at least in my opinion, it's sort of a moot point.

Of course, I have always been of the belief that the earth will never end per se. It will certainly change but I don't think it will change such as that it will be rendered uninhabitable. I really don't. I think that if there is any colonization of other planets it will be taken advantage of by the wealthy, while the rest of us stay here on earth.

While to some that may seem to be a frightening prospect, I think that in the long run it will be of benefit for all people. However, like I said, I don't think that this will happen for quite some time to come.

Originally posted by DJMessiah
Sun Matrix, don't turn this into a topic about who worships what God. I'm a Muslim and I am well aware of who I worship.

I also don't want to turn this into debate about if Judgment day is near.

My question is will this be an issue with these faiths when it occurs?

DJ - unortunatley, the points raised by SunMatrix are valid if we are to debate what the religious groups will do if the time comes to colonize other planets. I mean, your question deals directly with "What they believe" so a side topic of "what they believe" is completley in keeping with your original topic.

I understand that you may not want to deal with that kind of discussion, but you did open that can of worms.

Please proceed with this understanding, and maintain respect for others with same/different opinions.

Also, if you take this post to be offensive, you have missed my point. Understand that I am by no means shaking my finger at you.

PEACE

EDIT: And yes, I admit, I posted this after reading the first three posts only. I know, I suck. lol I promise to read the rest of the thread though!

[edit on 20-3-2007 by damajikninja]

I think it will be a problem for the literalists in the Muslim and Christian religions (and this will vary with sect.) For the Mormons, this will not be a problem because of their teachings that after death, every man can become a god on his own planet. For the liberals like the Unitarians, there won't be any issues at all. For the very fundamentalist Christian religions, it will be a problem because they are being taught that aliens are simply demons and enemies of their god.

This will be a real problem when we meet other civilizations.

Fundamentalist Muslims will have the same issues.

I haven't seen the more orthodox Jews worry about this issue, so I think it's going to be a non-issue. It should be a non-issue for non-Abrahamic religions.

Originally posted by Sun Matrix
ticking.

I can't speak for the Muslims but my feeling is that it would not be problem for them either. Their only goal is to destroy Israel.

Not that this has anything to do with the thread, but WTF?!? Do you seriously believe that? This takes the cake as the single most ignorant post I have seen on ATS to date. Congratulations.


By the way DJ Messiah, I love your signature!!!!


THAT being said, I belive it will only cause issues with people who take their religious texts literally. I personally believe that there are many good examples in the bible to live by, but I dont find it to be literal truth, and certainly not literal history.

I think man has far to much of a role in the writing of the books. I dont believe that people who hold this view will have any issue with us leaving to travel the stars. When the first astronomer looked up at the night sky and said that the earth wasn't the center of the universe, I bet this same question was pondered then, and again, and again throughout the span of mankind. I believe it will continue to be asked even as we venture out amongst the stars, far into the future.

At the dawn of any new era or discovery, there are those that are ready to embrace the change, and those that are ready to reject it. People fear change because it challenges everything they thought they knew about themselves and their world. The only path to true wisdom is the realization of how little we know.

Kinda sucks the big G made such a crappy Sun for us huh?

The one we have will be toast (Red Giant) in a few billion years and no more Earth. So much for those 6 hard days of work. Someone really should talk to he/she/it aka the big G about that one and why the 7th day was an off day - could have made a better Sun in those 24 hours.

Could someone explain why people worship such a crappy builder..?? If your home builder/contractor built you a house that was going to fall apart at some future date with pretty much 100% certainty - I don't think you would be singing his praises now would ya....

It will be a moot point because we'll never have the money, resources or technology to support such a far reaching mission. A mission to Mars will be risky and probably there will be many fatalities. We're just not ready for extended space exploration. Those in the Abrahamic faiths probably feel that it's just a lost cause, because there are no inhabitable planets near by to migrate to. The astronauts will always want to come back home to earth because there's nothing like it.

Anyway, I think Genesis said that God chose to rest after he finished preparing the earth. As of now he should still be in his rest day (a few thousand years) and then we're to assume he'll start up again maybe on another formless and void planet in another solar system.

Originally posted by LogansRun

Originally posted by Sun Matrix
ticking.

I can't speak for the Muslims but my feeling is that it would not be problem for them either. Their only goal is to destroy Israel.

Not that this has anything to do with the thread, but WTF?!? Do you seriously believe that? This takes the cake as the single most ignorant post I have seen on ATS to date. Congratulations.

Your are correct, it was an ignorant statement. I said their only goal is to destroy Isael, this is wrong. They also seek to take over the world for Allah. They are having enough problem destroying Israel and taking over the world. I can't see them wanting any more on their plate.....but that is only an opinion.

Originally posted by lostinspace
It will be a moot point because we'll never have the money, resources or technology to support such a far reaching mission.

We have the technology to build a martian base, but it's just not finan-
cially available at the current time, however in a few decades, after
space technology has been further developed, and is more mass
producable, the price will have dropped significantly.

We will, before the end of this centruy have a manned base on Mars,
whether that is just a science station with a dozen people, or a small
city of a few thousand all depends on what happens.

Originally posted by Sun Matrix
...I said their only goal is to destroy Isael, this is wrong. They also seek to take over the world for Allah. They are having enough problem destroying Israel and taking over the world. I can't see them wanting any more on their plate.....but that is only an opinion.

I may get in trouble for this, and I'll gladly take a warn for it, but my god
you're ignorant.

Yes there are a small percent of extremeist fundamentalists who want to
destroy Israel and set-up a global Islamic caliphate, but they do not
represent the majoirty of Muslims.

Beliving in the Islamic faith does not mean you are a terrorist, hate Israel
or want jihad.

I was born Mormon and switched to mainstream Christianity. Neither would have a problem that I can think of. The only exception would be some of the small number of people with an extreme view. As was said earlier about Muslims, extremists are rare in the main stream Christianity. Don't buy into the hype presented by people who have an Axe to grind.

This scripture would apply in my mind:

From King James Version
John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

His house is the Universe and the Mansions?

In the Mormon faith there is a belief that the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel will return to save the faithful in what is called the Rapture. Many believe they will return in spacecraft from elsewhere in the Universe. Others believe they will just reappear. In most cases the Mormon faith has similar beliefs to other Christians. Only non-Mormons think Mormons are not Christian. The church uses the King James as a Standard Work. For the most part Mormons are very open to science in general. Look to Brigham Young University as an example of that. Most Mormons would run to be first in line I think.

I wonder why you specify Abrahamic religions.

I'm sure alot of the earth worshiping neo-pagan/wiccan groups would have a problem with it too...

They'd have to worship an entirely different planet, possibly one devoid of indigenous life.

Originally posted by Kacen
I'm sure alot of the earth worshiping neo-pagan/wiccan groups would have a problem with it too...
They'd have to worship an entirely different planet, possibly one devoid of indigenous life.

Well the only problem I see with the Earth worship ones would be if
they were being forced to leave Earth, apart from that I don't think
they would have a problem what-so-ever.

As for neopagan and wiccan, well as long as they can practice there beliefs, I don't think they have a problem where they, let alone any-
one else lives.

Those "new heaven and new earth" quotes ought to be taken extremely lightly. Those words seem to get tossed around in very specious ways, at least in the King James version of the Bible. Take Genesis 1:1-10 in the KJV for example. The words "earth," "heaven," and "waters" appear in confusing ways to me.

Did God create water before light (1:2-3)? Or is the term "waters" being used to describe something otherwise indescribable? If they are waters as we think of them, then why is God dividing them with a firmament (1:6) that he calls "Heaven" (1:8)? If God created the "heaven" and the "earth" in the beginning (1:1), does that technically precede light (1:3)? If so, then why is he creating them again on the second and third days (1:6, 9-10)?

Point being that the worldview described in the Bible and watered down through translations is not analogous to our own and any assumptions we make are just that...

As for the topic at hand, anyone who has a truly literal interpretation of the Bible may have issues with space travel, but I don't believe there is anything intrinsic in Christianity that would prevent a large number of Christians from colonizing other planets (frankly, I think this would appeal to Christians who are after all, supposed to multiply and spread the word). Similarly, I don't believe there would be much effect on the Muslims or Jews. The existence of alien life would probably have more of an impact on the three religions than human colonization of other planets.

/tn.



[edit on 20-3-2007 by teleonaut]

I agree. IMO as a Christian I believe the bible cant be taken literally word for word b/c it was written by man, and it is man's interpretation of God's word. I think only those who interpret The Bible literally will have a problem and do something drastic (like in the movie Sphere with jodie foster) But I dont think the coloization of other planets would go against the Christian ideal of the 2nd coming and such

Originally posted by ImpliedChaos
I agree. IMO as a Christian I believe the bible cant be taken literally word for word b/c it was written by man, and it is man's interpretation of God's word. I think only those who interpret The Bible literally will have a problem and do something drastic (like in the movie Sphere with jodie foster) But I dont think the coloization of other planets would go against the Christian ideal of the 2nd coming and such

Let me ask you. Should we take this scripture literally or not?

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

I think colonization will start sooner than some people think it and will probably be profit driven and privately funded. One would have to go back and look at the colonization of North America to see a parallel with private expeditions and colonies.

I'm suprised no one's brought up Dune yet, with it's interesting take on religion in an age of space colonization.

Personally I think as Mars is settled it will develop its own culture and society. It may even have its own religion or version of an earth faith in time.

Just to be a poo head its not the movie Sphere it was Contact.
Sphere was a Michael Crichton book and later film about an alien orb in the ocean that manifested the subconscious thoughts of humans it encountered, starred Dustin Hoffman.

Contact was a Carl Sagan book and of course later film, starring Jodie Foster.

I believe the Roman Catholic Church has an official position on this, as well as on the question of whether to treat intelligent extraterrestrials as souls in need of saving, or unfallen, or whatever. Unfortunately I do not know what it is; I am not a Catholic.

My copy of A Case of Conscience by James Blish contains an afterword in which the author makes reference to a Papal Bull (by Pius XI?) in which such matters are covered, so it is clear that the Vatican had already deliberated the issue and reached some conclusions about it as long ago as 1958, which is when Blish's novel was published. Whether there has been any new thinking on the subject since then I do not know, but vide this article, which is about a book that explains the Church position in simple terms for ordinary Catholics:

Titled "Intelligent Life in the Universe? Catholic Belief and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life," the pocket-sized booklet is the latest addition to the society's "Explanations Series," which explores Catholic teaching on current social and ethical issues.

Brother Consolmagno told Catholic News Service that the whole question of how Catholicism would hold up if some form of life were discovered on another planet has piqued people's curiosity "for centuries."

He said his aim with the booklet was to reassure Catholics "that you shouldn't be afraid of these questions" and that "no matter what we learn, it doesn't invalidate what we already know" and believe. In other words, scientific study and discovery and religion enrich one another, not cancel out each other.

A fairly intelligent discussion of the issues covered by the book, together with references to the classic James Blish novel mentioned above, is here.