Religious Beliefs

[Atlantis1]

This isn't meant to be a theological debate, but go ahead if you want to. I was at work today and for some reason or other a thought popped into my head: If you were involved with the Stargate program and discovered that an extremely advanced race of aliens, not too dissimilar from us physiologically, which I suppose is debateable, seeded life on here on Earth, and the galaxy(s) for that matter, would that alter your belief in God, whichever one that may be?

Also, after making this discovery would you be able to do your job effectively.

Personally, I would have no problem with it. I have never been the most faith driven individual, but I do respect that many are, more power to you. It has also been an idea I have had for a while, that we are a big alien experiment and they like to mess with us.

Have a nice day, now I need to put my tinfoil hat back on so they can't read my thoughts.

Here is the origanal question. We are to assume there is a stargate program and we find aliens. So we are to respond as if the whole thing is real. The poster Daniel Jackson is just answering the question. I believe the same as this poster.

[Atlantis1]

From that "god" of a man Michael Crichton.....

Dr. Ian Malcolm: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs...
Dr. Ellie Sattler: Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth...

A funny line from a fictional movie. "Jurrasic Park"!

[Atlantis1]

lol, nebulae are just gas clouds
if one were sentient we could even scoop up a sample of it for study, also such a being could very much be "killed" (I dunno, just send in Big Bad Wolf and he'll huff & puff and ...)

How about the fog in the SGA episode "Home"?

[FallenAngelII]

Technically it is. It is a persons' spirituallity. Everyone in the world has so kind of spirituallity which makes us want to know who we are and how we can to exist. It is a belief system.

It's not a spirituality. It's not a belief system. Atheism is not a way to "want to know who we are and how we can exist".

The only thing all Atheists have in common is that they don't believe in any higher power.

While Atheists can pursue other psuedo-religions and spiritualities, Atheism itself is not a religion, spirituality nor does it have a belief system (we have one thing we don't believe in, but nothing we all believe in).

[Atlantis1]

But it is a belief system. You believe there is no God.

[immhotep]

But a belief system isnt a religion. I believe that this forum represents and important part of my life. Is GW a religion?

[FallenAngelII]

But it is a belief system. You believe there is no God.

I believe that somewhere there are aliens as well. So Alienism is now a religion/spirituality? I believe in evolution. So Evolution is also a religion, you say? I believe in science. Scientism (no, not Scientology!)! Some people believe in ghosts. Ghostism! Some people don't believe in ghosts! Nonghostism!

The closest thing to religion that concerns Atheism is Humanistic Judaism, an Atheistic religion, but even that's not always identified as a religion.

Wikipedia.com/Dictionary.com the word Religion and and try to find Atheism among its definitions.

[AvatarIII]

I'm a Transhumanist Agnostic, is that a religion?

[FallenAngelII]

I'm a Transhumanist Agnostic, is that a religion?

Agnosticism is not a religion. I don't know what a Transhumanistic Agnostic is, though.

[Atlantis1]

If a person didn't have something to believe in then they would have no reason to exist.

[immhotep]

Thats just wrong. Compeltely wrong in every sense. There are always reasons to exist and you dont have to believe in something for you to exist.

[FallenAngelII]

If a person didn't have something to believe in then they would have no reason to exist.

That's a faulty assumption created by those who need something to believe in. I have no need to believe in a greater power. I believe in science. When I do, I will decompose and become dirt. I do not need to believe in a higher power and an afterlife in order to not go insane and question why I exist if only to live, die and then never be heard from, ever again.

[immhotep]

You wont just become dirt. Lets not forgot that at any one time you could have an infinate number of recycled particles in your body. At any one time you could have part of einstiens liver, napoleans scrotum, Your parents brains...Because humans replace every particle in thier body during thier life times, chances are that your made up of something that has passed through just about everyone else that has ever lived. Recycling and the circle of life

[Ltcolshepjumper]

If you don't have a belief basis, you have no purpose or reason for living. Everyone has a belief, whether it's in a divine being or not, it's a belief. Now, whether or not atheism should be considered a religon is up for debate, but I would say that if Stargate's "mythology" was in fact real (even though I do not believe so), it would refute most religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The core of these Abrahamic faiths(I am not dealing with any others as these are the ones with which I'm most familiar) is that God created the Heavens and the Earth. They deal nothing with any other, which would indicate that their are no aliens in them. These uphold the idea of one planet with life, that is earth, created by God. Now, they do not mention anything about other planets capable of sustaining life, which could be possible. However, one thing that is clear is that without God, there is no life. Correct me if I'm wrong. But, yes, Stargate clearly is in contradiction with most religions.

[kymeric]

This isn't meant to be a theological debate, but go ahead if you want to. I was at work today and for some reason or other a thought popped into my head: If you were involved with the Stargate program and discovered that an extremely advanced race of aliens, not too dissimilar from us physiologically, which I suppose is debateable, seeded life on here on Earth, and the galaxy(s) for that matter, would that alter your belief in God, whichever one that may be?

Also, after making this discovery would you be able to do your job effectively.

Personally, I would have no problem with it. I have never been the most faith driven individual, but I do respect that many are, more power to you. It has also been an idea I have had for a while, that we are a big alien experiment and they like to mess with us.

Have a nice day, now I need to put my tinfoil hat back on so they can't read my thoughts.

No, they would act just like Kinsey at the end of season one and run around flapping their arms screaming jesus will save us, meanwhile huge alien spaceships are on their way to kill us all. Science is incompatible with faith unless you water either down so far its like giving free hugs to everyone.