Aliens and Gods: Religious or secular entity?

[TMA_1]

I am just wondering, why is it that there are hypothasis' concerning the transplanting of life on earth by aliens, and that is accepted by at least a few credable scientists, but concerning the idea that an all powerful entity doing the same is looked upon as foolsih and "religious"? I mean I remember a quote of a famous scientist attacking Intelligent Design who said "we all know they mean God", because the scientists of intelligent design said that something higher must have started life. I mean why is God always stuck with religion? of course religion started with the idea of GOd, but so what?

Its like saying that einstein was only known for his science, or that da vincci was only known for his art. These men did a hell of a lot more, and did just as important things in other fields of work. God is not just apart of religion, since he is all powerful and all knowning, he isnt really apart of "religion" in the first place. Its just that some people believe in the entity in their religion. There are many non-religious theists though who believe in an entity that we call God, so why mix God with religion?

[Dude_Doc]

I think it is mainly because if there are any other aliens, they would be in the same "stage" as we are now. Unless, of course, the aliens developed in a faster rate, say twice as fast as humans. But why would they do that? The universe was created as one, not in different stages. So again, why would any other intelligent beings develop things faster than the human race?

[Acriku]

If you're referring to what I mentioned before, it wasn't aliens.

Also, theism is not a religion and religion is not theism. I don't think there is any arguing about that. And the creators of the ID theory do in fact imply a creator, and is just a sneaky way to get a Creator into science classrooms. ID theory is bogus anyways. We can discuss that in another thread, though.

[TMA_1]

you didn tplace much information there acriku, and you really didnt talk about what I wanted to be talked about on this thread. and no I wasent referring to what you said. the idea you placed is that some heavenly object struck earth and it contained essensial amino acids packed together to help start life.

[Dude_Doc]

I know. Just wanted to take up the info somewhere...

[Inoculator9]

Implantation is more acceptable to some people because there is a possible scientific explanation. People don't like to think that someone or something else controls (myself among them ;)) so they condemn (although I don't condemn it).

[Acriku]

Sorry if my post didn't reach your standards oh holy one.

And it isn't really 'heavenly', don't know why you said that.

Inoc, I just find no reason to include supernatural explanations. I could say tiny smurf miners on Jupiter started life, but that doesn't get us anywhere.

[Inoculator9]

That's partially my view. I'm just stating one of the most common situations for people. I would be surprised that, even you, didn't have that opinion atleast subconsciously ;)

[Acriku]

You can say I do condemn it, because it goes against science. Unless you can apply the scientific method to it, and/or actually prove it is supernatural.

[Inoculator9]

Sorry, condemn was probably to strong of a word... disapprove of or "not subscribe to" might have been better.

But that is essentially my opinion, although I will always be open to other possibilities.

[Warlord Ripskar]

I dislike the extra terrestrial theory as it falls into the same trap as creationist theory.

It assumes that life could not have come into existance on this planet spontaneously, that the DNA could not possibly have arrisen on Earth in the Primordial soup. Instead it fumbles vaguely to outer space or some other entity without the vaguest theory as to how DNA arrose out there.

[Caid Ivik]

God doesn't need a religion to exist. Religion is a best way just to understand Him and His intentions. There are things even science is unusable. Science can find some extraterrestrial (not superterrestrial, to be sure) intelligent beings, but cannot say wether they are morale or religious. But it will be nice, when we'll find some. They will be a mirror to us; or our doom.

[Acriku]

Ripskar, there is research that suggests amino acids can form in space environments. Also, there has been molecules of sugar found in the gasses in space, and not to mention phosphates being everything that's all you need for DNA to form. So, it's not as fruitless as the creationist theory.

[Caid Ivik]

Yes, and volcano can erupt metals to form a car...

[Acriku]

Whatever floats your boat Caid, but it isn't that difficult. Life always finds a way :)

[Warlord Ripskar]

But why resort to some comet delivering the stuff when the material is already available here?

My preferred theory is a volcanic crater which has a lake at the bottom with a chemical siganture similar to our cellular contents, not too far from the situation in the rift valley of Africa. Small DNA chains are formed, perhaps only 2 or 3 base pairs long and these begin replicating. After a period of time these have gained complexity and effectively developed into a primative cell. At this point the crater wall collapses releasing the cells into the sea where they continue the process.

[Acriku]

Ripskar, it is just another possibility of where we came from. It isn't THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE, but it's another possibility.

[TMA_1]

heavenly is used by scientists as well acriku, you read enough to know that it doesnt have spiritual connotations silly boy.

I find that the theory of transplantation is a way to get out of the doubt of the current theory of life evolving in our planet alone. It is just another way of correcting errors.

[Acriku]

Indeed they have, but with you saying it who knows what kind of connotations are included with it, especially when it is in a sarcastic comment.

The theory of transplantation (whatever that is, I assume it is what I am talking about) isn't a 'get out of jail-free' card, it is what the evidence suggests. This is science, not a game between creationists and the scientists studying abiogenesis.

[Caid Ivik]

If I was a pantheist, I would believe the planet can create life itself. But it can't. Why then we have life only here? There have to be some "mind", which sets the code or what it is. It is same for me if lifeforms came here by some starfall or directly by God's intervention (altough I stay with the second choice). Acriku said that life finds always its way... But what is the life then? It defined only by the Living God, over-being, which sets the way and leads it by the might of His "hand"!

...

[Dude_Doc]

More important: what is evolution? It is only there to evolve us into better beings. But for what purpose? If evolution indeed exist, then must it not be infinite?

[Acriku]

Evolution isn't a force guiding all things. It is just what happens. It's the development of life, not the developer of life. It goes along with nature as what just happens.

CAID:

Probability suggests that there might be life outside of earth, whether it is advanced or not seems impossible to tell. They could have reached other key changes that direct them on a path that allows them to become advanced in some other way. Or not.

There doesn't have to be an outside figure that directs it, and can be done purely secularly and for such reasons any creator god is useless.

Life itself has an arbitrary definition, so it's hard to say what life is.