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New Planets discovered..Does this shatter ones belief?

Guy Threepwood

Mighty Pirate
Of course they are. They just don't experience the world in the same way we do. However, we can't even say that we both experience the world in the same way.

Okay - I grant you that cats are clearly way ahead of us in exploring the tops of cupboards and licking their own private parts... but I think you know what I mean!
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
This is a question for those who have strong religious beliefs.

NASA has discovered another 1200 new EXO planets. 9 of them in their stars Goldilocks zone, which means they are capable of supporting life as we know it.

Its only a matter of time before we find life on other Planets.

As people of faith, does this bother you? It shows that we are not unique in the universe...

I myself believe in God... That being said, it does not shatter my belief whatsoever. I do think in scientific terms though.


.
Since I believed we'd discover more planets, I'm sit'n pretty.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I already believed we would discover a vast ocean of planets as we look further and closer at the universe, and that many of them would appear to be capable of supporting life. I also believe that it is likely that one day we will discover intelligent life on another planet. But that has nothing to do with religious beliefs, but rather the fact it's a really big universe out there, and in the grand scheme of things we're hardly anything more than microbes occupying what is merely a speck of algae-covered iron.
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Quite frankly it would be a blow to my beliefs if we didn't find any life out in the universe.
 

Subhankar Zac

Hare Krishna,Hare Krishna,
On the contrary, it validates some ancient beliefs of other realms.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, even the supreme Lord has a planet, though the beings there are spiritual in nature and doesn't take birth again.
There are planets categorized according to the birth status and karma.
In my belief, The lowest realms or planets belong to beings that are devoid of compassion, intelligence and perception of reality and no matter how hard they try they can never elevate themselves.
These are beings obsessed excessively with material attachment to such extent that they become close minded and forever abhorrent to anything outside their perception, commit all sense of gross actions out of arrogance, anger and inexhaustible greed.
The planets belonging to earthly nature are moderate and a mix of both. Some can find themselves sticking to Dharma others to their own ego.
And the realms of the Devas are the ones with the highest birth status. They enjoy sense pleasures but also possess great knowledge of mystics and the reality beyond the senses.

The Devas, sages, celestial animals and trees, etc are believed to be in planets of higher births.
So, I guess its in line with the Gita.
Also, certain buddhist texts hint towards it as well.
 

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
This is a question for those who have strong religious beliefs.

NASA has discovered another 1200 new EXO planets. 9 of them in their stars Goldilocks zone, which means they are capable of supporting life as we know it.

Its only a matter of time before we find life on other Planets.

As people of faith, does this bother you? It shows that we are not unique in the universe...

I myself believe in God... That being said, it does not shatter my belief whatsoever. I do think in scientific terms though.


.
Why would shatter my beliefs? The planets have been there all along, we just 't didn't know about them.
 

DawudTalut

Peace be upon you.
This is a question for those who have strong religious beliefs.NASA has discovered another 1200 new EXO planets. 9 of them in their stars Goldilocks zone, which means they are capable of supporting life as we know it.
Its only a matter of time before we find life on other Planets. As people of faith, does this bother you? It shows that we are not unique in the universe...I myself believe in God... That being said, it does not shatter my belief whatsoever. I do think in scientific terms though.
.
Peace be on you...This does not bother us -- the Ahmadiyya Muslims, as Quran foretells about life in other heavenly bodies and its meeting (while science is looking for it) :

"THE vision of the universe that the Quran presents is poles apart from the one held by the philosophers and sages of all the past ages. At the time of the Quranic revelation, it was Greek astronomy which dominated the minds of men everywhere in the world and all civilizations seemed to have been influenced by the same. This domination continued uninterrupted until the time of Copernicus........The only habitat for life the people of that age knew, was this earth—suspended as they thought it was in mid-space. Contrary to this, the Quran admits neither the uniqueness of the earth nor its being stationary. On the issue of the number of earths, it declares:

Arabic_Page330_1.gif

Allah is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof...1

It needs to be explained here that the figure 'seven' can be treated as a specific term of the Quran in this verse and many other similar ones. As such it would mean that the universe comprises many units of heavens, each divided into groups of seven (a perfect number), each having at least one earth to it which will be supported by the entire system of that heaven (galaxy). Referring to that system in general, a more specific verse on the existence of extraterrestrial life runs as follows:

Arabic_Page330_2.gif

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of whatever living creatures (da'bbah) He has spread forth in both...2

Da'bbah covers all animals which creep or move along the surface of the earth. It does not apply to animals which fly or swim. It is certainly not applicable to any form of spiritual life. In Arabic a ghost will never be referred to as da'bbah, nor an angel for that matter. The second part of the same verse speaks not only of the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but it categorically declares that it does exist—a claim which even the most modern scientific researchers have not been able to make so far with any measure of certainty. Yet, this is not all that this verse reveals. Wonder upon wonder is added when we read at the end of this verse, that He (Allah) will bring together the life in the heavenly bodies and the life on earth when He so pleases:

Arabic_Page331.gif

...And He has the power to gather them together (jam-'i-him) when He will so please.3

Jam-'i-him is the Arabic expression in this verse which specifically speaks of bringing together of life on earth and the life elsewhere. When this meeting of the two will take place is not specified, nor is it mentioned whether it will happen here on earth or elsewhere. One thing however, is definitely stated: this event will most certainly come to pass whenever God so desires. It should be kept in mind that the word jama' can imply either a physical contact or a contact through communication. Only the future will tell how and when this contact will take place, but the very fact that more than fourteen hundred years ago such a possibility was even predicted is miraculous in itself."
The Quran and Extraterrestrial Life @
https://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/part_4_section_7.html
[Book by 4th Ahmadiyya Khalifah (ra)]
 

idav

Being
Premium Member
On the other hand, since it is unlikely for life ( as we know it ) to emerge by itself, you would have more of a reason to assume there is a Creator out there if we did find life in other planets. After all, the odds of it showing up in multiple planets would be even lower.

At the end of the day you would choose to interpret the data in a way that suit your needs.
We could find that life isn't as odd a thing in the universe as we think, which it isn't, but we are just spec of time, no telling when mars had life.
 

McBell

mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
Its seems that some people of faith believe that there is no life on other Planets.. They deny the existence..
They deny the existence of life on other planets?
When has there been presented that there IS life on other planets?
I ask because I must have missed that discovery being announced....
 

atanu

Member
Premium Member
This is a question for those who have strong religious beliefs.

NASA has discovered another 1200 new EXO planets. 9 of them in their stars Goldilocks zone, which means they are capable of supporting life as we know it.

Its only a matter of time before we find life on other Planets.

As people of faith, does this bother you? It shows that we are not unique in the universe...

I myself believe in God... That being said, it does not shatter my belief whatsoever. I do think in scientific terms though.
.

In my religion, Life (energy) is considered to be the truth and Awareness the truth of the truth. And the Awareness is Brahman, the 'one without a second' and all.

If a new life form is discovered in another planet that will not be external and second to the all pervasive Brahman.
 

Marsh

Active Member
While I don't consider myself a "person of faith," I have a religion and am very religious. Things like this are neither shattering nor bothersome. I don't understand why they would be, honestly. :sweat:
I you are a person who views the holy scripture of the Bible or the Koran literally, then you believe deeply that humans are the center of God/Allah's focus. The universe, in their view, was created for humanity and there is no room in this human-centered cosmos for another sentient race of physical beings (as opposed to angels or some other supernatural creatures). If another intelligent race was discover this could prove faith-shattering for many. Even the discovery of bacteria on Mars might lead some fundamentalist Christians to question the Bronze Age cosmology of Genesis.
 

gerobbins

What's your point?
That includes me.



Not necessarily. You are making the assumption physical life even appeared on earth without conscious intent.

Being unique in the universe is not part of my belief system.



That being said, life could be on other planets with conscious intent?
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
That being said, life could be on other planets with conscious intent?
Yes, it's possible, but I think we too much think of life as just having bodies made of physical matter. I think there are multiple planes of more subtle matter on which most life exists. Physical life as we know it seems to be quite designed for the physical conditions found on earth. I think we have to think more out of the box on physical life beyond earth. I actually think there may be life forms the pop in and out of our physical dimensions.
 
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Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Given the sheer number of estimated planets in the universe, for there not to be life anywhere else would be amazing...

A line from the movie Jupiter Ascending:

Caine Wise: "What, that you're the only intelligent species on the only inhabitable planet in a universe so full of planets you don't even have a number to describe how many?" (and no, I did not look that up. I have no life and can recite movie dialogues :( :D).

Works for me! :)
 

ThirtyThree

Well-Known Member
This is a question for those who have strong religious beliefs.

NASA has discovered another 1200 new EXO planets. 9 of them in their stars Goldilocks zone, which means they are capable of supporting life as we know it.

Its only a matter of time before we find life on other Planets.

As people of faith, does this bother you? It shows that we are not unique in the universe...

I myself believe in God... That being said, it does not shatter my belief whatsoever. I do think in scientific terms though.


.
This news excites me. However, it does not effect my faith.
 
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