January 11, 2011

Are there religious aliens?

Anyone with a lick of sense knows life exists throughout the universe. It's everywhere (that it can be). But the size of the universe means it's going to be a long, long time before we meet intelligent aliens. When that day finally comes, do you think they'll be religious?

I think if they haven't been around for much longer than we have, there's a good chance that religion will play a role in their society. Let me say the same thing another way: if they're as primitive as we are, they may well believe in gods.

They might even have similar god myths. After all, like us these aliens exist because of evolution. They will have traveled a similar, bloody path from primitive life form to their current existence as intelligent beings. And all along that route, like us, they would have tried to explain reality to themselves. And that means they might have invented gods, especially in their most primitive days.

After all, what are gods but a way to try to understand what we fear and cannot otherwise explain? I'll bet even dogs have wild notions about reality drawn from their basic lack of understanding of the world around them. Does Fido believe in a god (other than his owner)? Maybe that's pushing it but I'll bet there's a corollary.

Primitive = religious. So could an alien race that arrived in a spaceship be religious? Probably not. Their arrival in such a vehicle would imply an advanced understanding of science and likely the ability to travel at some high fraction of the speed of light. I figure a race like that would have thrown off notions of god long ago.

Of course, the worst nightmare would be if they were religious. If we can't handle the minor differences that exist between our religions here on Earth, can you imagine how we'd deal with alien gods? I can just see the Fox news coverage now!

Maybe I'll write a short story about this. Fun idea.

4 comments:

Anna Guess Pick said...

When I was a kid I would lie on the grass in the summertime and look up to the night sky. Sometimes even feeling myself levitating to get a better view.

I never thought about religion out there, but I did believe that Earth people were the cave men of the Universe. I was so excited and wanted so desperately to know about all those other life forms. Still do.

writenow said...

I might have said that myself, Annie. I share your feelings completely. Yes, they're out there.

I feel terrible that galaxies sometimes collide. Don't you? I can just imagine the devastation this brings to so many life forms. It's almost insane to think about. But there's a great race of beings out there. I just know it in my heart.

Anna Guess Pick said...

Such a pompous view to think "we" are the only life forms that exist in the universe.

writenow said...

More on this in the morning. Stay tuned!
K