h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

when you think of it god diden't stop after he made us as we are such a disapointment to him i think he went on trying sometime's getting it right then some more disapointment's etc that's why he made the universe so big so we dont come across his other work's because his good one's we'd only pollute & it's the dispointment's that vist us because we are as bad as them

A number of Religious Sci-Fi authors have put forth similar ideas. Including C.S. Lewis, whose sci-fi books have other planets full of life and in constant communication with eachother, while Earth remains 'the Silent Planet' because the evil on earth is best contained where it is. Contact is not impossible, but it is discouraged.

Heinlien's Martians are not stated to be perfect, but they are at least very utopian. Nothing is setup to protect them from mankind's influence, but they cope quite well in each story.

My favorite such approach is that of Sister Carlotta in Orson Scott Card's 'Ender's Shadow'. She states something to the tune of God may have created the buggers (invading aliens), but He has called her to help destroy them, and if He wants to protect them, He will find someone else to help do that.

I suppose that theologically it would make sense for contact to be allowed with other fallen races and not with perfect races, to prevent corrupting them. But then Angels could be considered a perfect race that maintains contact with mankind without being corrupted. Of course, since mankind is constantly sturggling with himself and demons, I would pity any extra-terrestrial race that decided to mess with mankind.

Interesting...I have heard that there is something about other worlds in the bible, but darn if I can find it (help anyone?)

My personal belief is that why would God go to all the trouble of creating bazillions of galaxys of stars and only populate one of them. It seems a little wasteful if you ask me. Still weather or not we're meant to contact any of them or them us, God did give humans curious souls, and it's only a matter of time before one of use finds a way off this planet and finds "the aliens". Unless He brings on the end of the world before then, which seems possible.

Also, about humans being a "dirty" race...it might be so, but I don't think that God would pass judgement on an entire race, after all, he sent Jesus to die for all us poor nuts. I do think that it is possible that the aliens themselves decided that us humans are too violent and dangerious to talk to, thus leaving us alone hoping that we will eventually destroy ourselves.

Blizita

I don't know. Some religions have sought to pull this into thier cosmology stating that the planets are made by God for us to inhabit and rule in the next life. I'll probably get pluto, I hate the cold.

But seriously, I have seen a bit of it in this post, and always wondered. It seems that it is almost exclusively assumed that any other planets will have advanced more than us, I wonder why. I know that Star Trek and a few others make allowances for lesser cultures, but for the greater part, they are better than us. Are we all that insecure?

Matt

helena9 your arguement invites it's own distruction. Most religious orders teach that God is omnipotent. If God is omnipotent, then how could he/she/it create something that is flawed?

What if there isnt any God at all? Cant understand why there should be one myself. God is based primarily on faith and faith just cant be proved as its a personal thing.
If you believe God exists then to you God exists, no question about it. Apart from that no proof at all.

Now aliens are based on belief rather than faith and logical assumtion backed up by facts. It seems likely that other life is out there because we are here. But as a race we only say that they are definently out there when we find facts to prove it.

It makes a LOT more sense to say everything was created at one time or another than to say it's just always been. Beleiving that there is a god doesn't take faith, it takes looking around. If there is time, it must have had a beginning. God is outside of time, matter and everything else so he did not need a beginning. saying "God's beginning" doesn't make any sense than. So He creates the universe and dimentions, including time, after which He can become part of His creation. And Blazita, if He's God, it isn't any more trouble to make 99*10^99 star systems than it is to make one. And it's not wasteful seeing as the whole purpose in making it was for the peoplein it.

I geuss it's quite obvious I have strong beleifs, but these arguments seem to make sense to me.

Iluvatar

We only talk about more advanced cultures, since if they exist, they must be actively ignoring us. A lesser culture can be forgiven for not communicating with us, and can therefore be ignored. But a higher culture that doesn't want anything to do with us? That idea gets us talking!

BeerDwarf - Christianity actually has a long and in depth explanation of how it was that an Omnipotent God created a flawed race. In the short form: Yes, He knew it was coming. But like a mother, He chose not to abort it, but to nurture it instead.

Iluvatar - I think what Blitza was getting at was that, in some way, creating all those galaxies cost God some effort. And according to various Old Testament passages, God likes to have someone appreciate what He has made. This implies that the galaxies' existance demands someone living there to appreciate them.

I have no idea either way wether that someone would be us someday or aliens right now.

Why 'us some day'? Why not, us right now? More importantly, why not God right now? I mean if you read the bible it's obvious that everything was created for man to experience and praise God for. I assume you believe the bible is valid by your post on the other thread.

Well, I'm not saying we can enjoy the universe now. I'm just saying that there's alot of detail that we are currently missing out on.

Typo - revision: I'm not saying we can't enjoy the unviverse now...

That detail which we will never know all of, and so enhances Gods glory all the more. Do you not agree?

If god does not need a beginning why do we assume that anything else needs a beginning? What if the substance of creation was just there?
I do think the creation of a God is just too damn easy. It always seems to me to be a bit of a cop-out.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

*stops to pant*

AHUM

WE ARE TAKING OVER

YOU ARE |EITHER FOR OR |AGAINST US!

DECIDE AT A2036611

~*~We only talk about more advanced cultures, since if they exist, they must be actively ignoring us.~*~

Just because a species is more technologically advanced doesn't mean in any way that they know of our existance.

As to the subject of God: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/a213247

The original idea is interesting. Its also worth noting sub judaic sources think this happened before our creation and that we were the replacement for his disappointment who became demons.

There has to be God, is the true constant, him and Jesus. If you are honest with yourself you'll see it makes sense. As the world becomes corrupt and out of control, the Savior comes and it is remade. noah's Ark, Second Coming,etc. I'm not sure, but I think these beliefs are paralleled in othere religions??? correct me if I'm wrong! how else would things fit together? How can something so intricate as the universe exist with out the leadership if God. Maybe God is just how we precieve an entity or maybe the set of cirmcumsatances that humans have no capability of beginning to understand. I'm only in high school, but I believe that there is more out there than people can describe. We were created for a purpose each an interlocking key, each with individual choices. That may be why an all powerful God created something flawed. We have choice.

Most stories about human and aliens coming together are set on the Earth. The aliens, then, have had to travel to our planet, while we just sat where we were. In these circumstances, the aliens have to be advanced enough to cross interstellar space. The humans, on the other hand, might as well not be, because then our story can be set in the very near future and we are spared the effort of inventing a new human culture.

Also, of course, many stories have been told of plucky humans fighting off the alien bad guys. For this to work, it's best if the aliens are more technologically advanced and THEY are invading US.

Does anyone know a story about plucky aliens fighting off the human bad guys?

TRiG