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Are Religious Beliefs Going To Screw Up First Contact?

Even worse, what if the aliens are religious?

The entire world is excited and waits with baited breath as the first spacecraft touches down outside the UN and then some asshole comes out of it and asks us "Hey there, Earthlings! Have you heard the Good News about Quizicrat of Underfliarg?"
 
Tom Sawyer said:
Even worse, what if the aliens are religious?

The entire world is excited and waits with baited breath as the first spacecraft touches down outside the UN and then some asshole comes out of it and asks us "Hey there, Earthlings! Have you heard the Good News about Quizicrat of Underfliarg?"
Click to expand...

It could be worse. Read The Sparrow. ;)
 
Mageth said:
Tom Sawyer said:
Even worse, what if the aliens are religious?

The entire world is excited and waits with baited breath as the first spacecraft touches down outside the UN and then some asshole comes out of it and asks us "Hey there, Earthlings! Have you heard the Good News about Quizicrat of Underfliarg?"
Click to expand...

It could be worse. Read The Sparrow. ;)
Click to expand...

Don't tell me what to do. I'll read what I damn well feel like reading. :mad:
 
HUMANS are going to screw up first contact.

We won't need religions to do that. It'll just change the flavor of the screwing, and maybe the locations of the craters.
 
In a sci-fi short story I read once, humans made first contact with some kind of alien federation. A representative was sent out for the official contact with them. He was sent back to earth with what he realized was an alien religious fanatic. He figured it was the Federation's way of bringing the ignorant new species up to speed, and get the religious nutcases out of their tentacles for a while.

Story was "Twin Paradox" in the book "Indistinguishable from Magic" by Robert L. Forward.


I would expect plenty of religious groups would screw up first contact. Some would declare the aliens demons, or in league with Satan since they don't follow Jebus/Mohammad/whatever. Then there would be the jerks who want to preach to the aliens, and start trying to do missionary work to their planet. Yea, we are probably a long way from being ready.
 
I hope we are in quarantine because the rest of the universe learnt a long time ago that that is the best policy. But to update Python about the inquisition, don't forget the vogons!
 
Well, what are our religions going to offer to aliens?

"Jesus came back from the dead!"
"Dude, I've been cloned and reanimated like 12 times"

"Mohammed went up to Heaven in a chariot of fire!"
"Dude, I have a frigging starship"

The powers of gods are boring next to the powers of aliens.
 
Tom Sawyer said:
Mageth said:
Tom Sawyer said:
Even worse, what if the aliens are religious?

The entire world is excited and waits with baited breath as the first spacecraft touches down outside the UN and then some asshole comes out of it and asks us "Hey there, Earthlings! Have you heard the Good News about Quizicrat of Underfliarg?"
Click to expand...

It could be worse. Read The Sparrow. ;)
Click to expand...

Don't tell me what to do. I'll read what I damn well feel like reading. :mad:
Click to expand...
I'll say this about that story. The catholic priest sure got it ...IN THE END
 
Who but evangelistic types are most likely to go to strange places at huge costs? Isn't it probable?
 
There's not much of a reason to think we'll be a threat to an extraterrestrial species capable of interstellar travel. They probably would have prepared for the event where they are exposed to some of our less favorable groups. I wouldn't think much could surprise them. Though, there is the possibility of us being the first other species they've been able to contact. Still, if they don't take any precautions, they're kind of naive and probably shouldn't be coming to our planet in the first place.
 
As a species we have a lot of issues that could potentially screw up interplanetary contact. For some perverse reason I find it a fascinating thing to contemplate. Throughout the history of human conquest the religion of the conquerors has been shoved down the throats of the conquered. I have a theory that it may be impossible for an intelligent life to evolve without developing some sort of religion. Obviously I could be wrong, but here is my reasoning:

The way I look at it, the hallmarks of intelligence are the capacities for abstract thought, learning via communication and abstract associations. Without the capacity for abstract thought only instinctive reactions will ever be available. Without the ability to learn via communication every generation will have to learn the same lessons over and over again. Without the ability to form abstract associations it would be difficult for a species to ascertain complex cause/effect relationships. All of these are a necessary part of the process of gathering intelligence and growing in intelligence.

The problem is that each of these can misfire. Abstract thought can result in unwarranted conclusions. An untruth spoken via communications can be believed. Abstract associations give us superstitions about black cats, mirrors, tree nymphs and gods.

I just don't see how it is possible for an intelligent species to evolve through natural processes while avoiding the development of superstitions and religions.

Fortunately I think that as we have developed as a species we are beginning to understand that the ability to tolerate differing beliefs (or the lack of beliefs altogether) leads to greater success in interactions on a global scale. Hopefully before we have to contact other species we will have learned the importance of applying the same level of tolerance to whatever irrational beliefs they may hold. Unless, of course, they do happen to be the intergalactic equivalent of the Jehovah's witnesses. We'd have no choice but to send 'em packing in that case.
 
It would so cool to get aliens who had studied us for eons -- and who had archived images of our history -- and who, to satisfy the pious cravings of the Christians, produced a full life of Jesus in image and sound -- including no miracles and a night time retrieval of his corpse by the disciples, who buried it out in the mountains. This would then inspire 557 TV ministries branding the aliens as Satan's cohorts.
 
I'm with physics Nobel Prize winner Ed Purcell who said that space travel would always remain where it belonged. On the back of cereal boxes.
 
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I thought the real reason aliens will come here is for chocolate. That is actually why we are here - to be purveyors of chocolate to the universe.
 
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