Will religion end on Mars?

economic times (India) ^ | 6/28/2008 | Mukul Sharma,

[Soliton]

For example, some people are already writing off most major religions which are based essentially on an Earth-centric model, as never being able to recover from such a crippling body blow. (The Bible makes no mention of other planets or life on other planets.)

[2ndDivisionVet]

The ancient Romans worshipped Mars, so right there his argument fall flat!

[Blogger]

Give me a break! Life on any other planet wouldn’t do a thing to the validity of Scripture. Typical atheistic with an agenda.

[J40000]

Go to Mars, dude and see if you can escape God there...

[2banana]

Their reasoning is that even if the type of life found is only microscopic in nature which existed many millions of years ago in the past, it would prove once and for all that life on our planet is not a one-off event requiring the services of a creator. In other words, discover life on Mars; prove evolution; disprove God.

The money paragraph...

[RightWhale]

No, even if life is discovered on Mars. Few religions are at all concerned with the origins of life. Maybe none are. It simply doesn’t matter.

[Domandred]

In other words, discover life on Mars; prove evolution; disprove God.

False.

It may disprove the time span of six days, but doesn't disprove God had a hand in creation.

After-all God is infinite, Earth and Humans are not. What was God doing all that time before creating Earth?

[50sDad]

The Bible makes no mention of steam engines, but we have managed to make them fit into God’s plan.

[KarlInOhio]

Religion? I thought everyone gave that stuff up when we found that the Earth revolved around the sun. < /mother of all sarcasm>

[NewJerseyJoe]

How come the same people who decry drilling in ANWR, or any other human enterprise that may affect wildlife, have nothing to say about the potential "impact of man" on so-called life on other planets?

Drilling in ANWR, logging forests, mining for resources, etc. have the purpose of investing money to create products and services for people to use. Why are billions of taxpayer dollars spent "looking for life on other planets"? Will they be made into fuel or energy? Can they be harvested for food? Can we build anything from them? No, the only reason is that scientists, and the humanist masses who idolize them, think that will somehow "kill God" and, by extension, any moralists who base their beliefs in God. That's why liberals love these kind of people.

If NASA or some private consortium were to say, "We're going to look for Martian microbes because we think they can easily be converted into fuel," there would be such a hue and cry that all of outer space would be placed off-limits.

[Soliton]

Go to Mars, dude and see if you can escape God there...

I posted it, I didn't write it.

[2ndDivisionVet]

What’re they smokin’? Have they ever thought that the patterns of DNA, etc. pretty much PROVES intelligent design, if not a deity?!

[CougarGA7]

Will religion end on Mars?

I don't know. What religions are there on Mars now?

[MrB]

The atheists will be in a constant search for the “blow that kills God”.

Every atheist-turned-believer that I’ve ever read about states that their primary reasoning for being atheist was that it justified their selfish, arbitrary, and immoral lifestyle choices.

[mnehrling]

The Bible makes no mention of people blowing their nose, the Internet, Dr. Phil, or this guy that goes by the name Soliton either; doesn't mean they don't exist.

[Soliton]

Few religions are at all concerned with the origins of life.

Then why are they so jumpin ugly over evolution?

[Patrick1]

I was out of town over the weekend, did we discover life on other planets?

[willgolfforfood]

I dunno. Did it end on the moon?

[MrB]

Yeah, somehow Christianity and religion survived the Heliocentric model...

Recommended: Language of God
He’s a diehard Evo believer from the evidence in DNA, and a diehard Christian for the same reason.

[Deut28]

What if they find the conditions for life, but no evidence of life?

Would that disprove atheism?

[MrB]

The whole “green movement” is based in a rejection of God.

God put the resources here for us to use and commanded that we use them.

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

Did the author ever hear of “Out of the Silent Planet” by the little known author CS Lewis?

[Soliton]

The Bible makes no mention of people blowing their nose, the Internet, Dr. Phil,

In fact, the Bible mostly contains information that all of the contemporary primitive cultures had.

[Soliton]

Would that disprove atheism?

No, but proving God exists would

[Tanniker Smith]

How could one fall on their knees and face Mecca?

[Bobarian]

The Alien Landing will be a Hoax.

[txroadkill]

I was out of town over the weekend, did we discover life on other planets?

I don't know....I'm still trying to get a life on this one.

[stevio]

Ah my FRiend. I see you have a stick in another pot. Is this a personal wish of yours?

[RightWhale]

why are they so jumpin ugly over evolution?

There are some of those, but that has nothing to do with religion.

[Soliton]

How could one fall on their knees and face Mecca? Martians may eat human brains and drink human blood, but they would NEVER be muslims

[Tanniker Smith]

Who knows, maybe we'll find a stone tablet on Mars that's inscribed with ancient Babylonian or Aramaic or something like that which will say:

About Time Thou Hast Arriveth Here!

[Hemorrhage]

>> For example, some people are already writing off most major religions which are based essentially on an Earth-centric model, as never being able to recover from such a crippling body blow. (The Bible makes no mention of other planets or life on other planets.)

Crippling? The Bible doesn’t mention other planets. It doesn’t say there’s no life elsewhere, it doesn’t say there’s no intelligent life elsewhere ... it just doesn’t say anything. In order to be crippling, wouldn’t you have to disprove something that the Bible says, or contrarily prove something that the Bible says isn’t? You cannot simply prove something that the Bible doesn’t address, and then claim it disproves the Bible.

The Bible isn’t a complete guide to the universe — it is a need-to-know type document about the origins of life on Earth, rules for a Godly life, the pivotal story of Christ, and the nature of the divine.

It doesn’t address other planets — thus, Christianity doesn’t take a position on extraterrestrial life. If God can create the Universe, and place life on Earth, it would seem to follow that he could do the same thing elsewhere.

H

[Soliton]

There are some of those, but that has nothing to do with religion.

Welcome to Earth my Martian FRiend!

[True Republican Patriot]

We get your message, you dont beliee there is anything but the here and now. Do we care about your opinion? No, its probably not worth the powder to blow it to nothing(since Hell doesn’t exist according to you,oh great one:-P So after the few flashes of seconds in the scheme of things, you will be a puff of nothingness(giving benefit of the doubt):-( my, oh my, what a loss:-)

[MeanWestTexan]

The Bible also didn’t mention microwaves or hula-hoops or gravity or

It doesn’t pretend to answer or address all topics.

[bmwcyle]

Will religion end on Mars?

NO

Will the Godless ever repent before they die?

[Soliton]

dunno. Did it end on the moon?

Did we discover life on the Moon?

[CharlesWayneCT]

Stupid. God created the universe. We don’t think it strange that there IS a mars, or that it has elements on it similar to earth, so what would it matter if it had microbes that were similar?

Of course, I don’t expect it will, and it’s a little jumping ahead to discuss the end of religion based on a finding that has yet to be made.

[x]

For example, some people are already writing off most major religions which are based essentially on an Earth-centric model, as never being able to recover from such a crippling body blow. (The Bible makes no mention of other planets or life on other planets.)

If that's your criterion, the Mormons are sitting pretty.

But of course the Bible does make reference to the stars. Including the Morning Star, which may be Venus.

It's not actually a star, I know, but did they also think a whale was a fish?

[AndrewC]

Their reasoning is that even if the type of life found is only microscopic in nature which existed many millions of years ago in the past, it would prove once and for all that life on our planet is not a one-off event requiring the services of a creator. In other words, discover life on Mars; prove evolution; disprove God.

Okay. So is abiogenesis a facet of evolution or not?

P.S. It is absolutely presumptuous to conclude life just because a lander arrived safely on Mars.

[Deut28]

If life doesn’t occur naturally (as Mars may show it didn’t), how then did it occur?

[naturalized]

+1

[LikeLight]

Will religion end on Mars?

"Religion" ends when Christ returns. After that it's simply called reality.

[a real Sheila]

very good point

[True Republican Patriot]

Some of those, we wish didn’t exist:-G

[allmendream]

“Their reasoning is that even if the type of life found is only microscopic in nature which existed many millions of years ago in the past, it would prove once and for all that life on our planet is not a one-off event requiring the services of a creator. In other words, discover life on Mars; prove evolution; disprove God. Neither follows from the premise.”

If God made the formation of biological molecules and the formation of life something that was probable on Earth due to simple chemistry, then it is quite likely that life formed elsewhere in the UNCOMPREHENDINGLY VAST universe. This in no way means that God didn't create life in ALL places, or that it was not part of God's plan.

Also one might conclude that it was evidence for abiogenesis on Mars, which would be evidence that abiogenesis on Earth is probable. Evidence isn't “proof”. And it wouldn't be evidence against God (let alone ‘disproof of God); just the notion that God created life ONLY on Earth.

After all, didn't the Mormon God already make life on other planets (AFAIK)?

[willgolfforfood]

To my knowledge, not yet. I don’t think we’re looking very hard, though.

[Designer]

"No, even if life is discovered on Mars. Few religions are at all concerned with the origins of life. Maybe none are. It simply doesn’t matter."

I have to admit, I did not realize the Mars mission was to investigate the possibility of whether life has or could exist there.

WTF?

All that money, and the only purpose is to see if there is life there? Unreal!

When they began this project, I naturally assumed there was some worthwhile purpose to it, but I am corrected.

[Soliton]

Okay. So is abiogenesis a facet of evolution or not?

Apparently it is in India. I think though they are saying that Genesis would be in trouble. An obvious question that hasn't been asked is "What if they find a Martian Bible that describes God's creation on Mars?"

[js1138]

Okay. So is abiogenesis a facet of evolution or not?

One could ask the same question of genetics. When a science of genetics developed, it was incorporated into evolution. But that synthesis was 80 years after Darwin published "Origin."

When biogenesis has some good things to add to evolution, it will be incorporated into evolution. In the meantime, evolution is about change and the origin of diversity.