Space religion

[neutrino_cannon]

Would a religion formed by a space faring civilization (I'm talking no time earthside) be significantly different then a planetary one? Could a religion even form in space? What about an extremly martial religion? Would they shun Spafesus, dark godess of submunitions failure? How much is religion affected by position of origin?

Just a thought that occured to me. Now, I want to know what the rest of you think.

[evildave]

Well, you could read some of Niven's books. There's a "space-religion" in there.

I think if we went inter-stellar, it would be bad news for whatever less developed civilizations we encountered.

You think the Jehova's Witlesses are annoying knocking on you door? Wait 'till they show up and threaten to bombard your planet from space if you don't worship their god.

I have "faith" that people would make a religion out of any dumb thing. Naturally people can make religion of space travel.

Whatever form it takes is only a matter of what sort of hypoxic brain damage their "religious leader" has from trying to breathe vacuum several too many times.

[neutrino_cannon]

Originally posted by evildave
Whatever form it takes is only a matter of what sort of hypoxic brain damage their "religious leader" has from trying to breathe vacuum several too many times.

Pitty that "violent decompression" thing doesn't actualy happen.

[CWL]

Originally posted by neutrino_cannon
Would a religion formed by a space faring civilization (I'm talking no time earthside) be significantly different then a planetary one? Could a religion even form in space? What about an extremly martial religion? Would they shun Spafesus, dark godess of submunitions failure? How much is religion affected by position of origin?

Just a thought that occured to me. Now, I want to know what the rest of you think.

One might think that once a civilization is advanced enough to travel into the far reaches of space, no new religions would emerge - not courtesy of the people involved in the travelling at any rate. One might however suspect that pseudoscientific new age cults would develop on the home planet - very much like the modern UFO cults that have developed recently here on Earth. Pseudoscience seems to thrive in the aftermath of any new scientific discovery.

Anyway, may the Force be with you.

[MRC_Hans]

You think the Jehova's Witlesses are annoying knocking on you door? Wait 'till they show up and threaten to bombard your planet from space if you don't worship their god. Mmm, that would suddenly make Pascal's Wager pertinent and practical!

Hans

[Dancing David]

Religion is probably as nessecary to humans as toilet paper, it serves a function that probably can't be replaced. Modern politics is much like religion and so is the way some people talk about science. I am afraid that the need to have other people interptret the mystery is going to stay.

Zen koan- the buddha is a sh*t-stick!

Peace
dancing david

PS I think that they would worship thier families and spaceships!

[abramis]

The Star Trek series "Deep Space Nine" is worth checking... All seven seasons (:D ) is involved(deeply) in the subject Religion/Science/Humanity/Aliens.... it´ll take to long to explain here... But they do have some good points on what lifeforms consider "god" to be....

[arcticpenguin]

Originally posted by Dancing David
Religion is probably as nessecary to humans as toilet paper, it serves a function that probably can't be replaced.
Would you refuse to shake the hand of an atheist?
:D

[c4ts]

Originally posted by neutrino_cannon
Would a religion formed by a space faring civilization (I'm talking no time earthside) be significantly different then a planetary one? Could a religion even form in space? What about an extremly martial religion? Would they shun Spafesus, dark godess of submunitions failure? How much is religion affected by position of origin?

Just a thought that occured to me. Now, I want to know what the rest of you think.

I think they'd come up with Logical Deism.

[plindboe]

Originally posted by evildave
You think the Jehova's Witlesses are annoying knocking on you door? Wait 'till they show up and threaten to bombard your planet from space if you don't worship their god.


:Dx1000

[evildave]

But seriously folks, all we have to do is look to the past for a model.

What were the Conquistadors, if not GOOD Christians?

Those heathen natives all needed to be taught a good, godly lesson.


A solar sail 100 miles across deploys to slow a spacecraft from interstellar speeds.

Imagine the natives, looking up into the night sky, seeing something bright in the sky, like a comet. Something falls out of the sky and lands among them. They investigate and find an inflatable church has auto-erected its self, and a robotic missionary standing at the pulpit begins...

"Have you let Jesus into your life?"

[c4ts]

Originally posted by evildave
But seriously folks, all we have to do is look to the past for a model.

What were the Conquistadors, if not GOOD Christians?

Those heathen natives all needed to be taught a good, godly lesson.


A solar sail 100 miles across deploys to slow a spacecraft from interstellar speeds.

Imagine the natives, looking up into the night sky, seeing something bright in the sky, like a comet. Something falls out of the sky and lands among them. They investigate and find an inflatable church has auto-erected its self, and a robotic missionary standing at the pulpit begins...

"Have you let Jesus into your life?"

Of course, by the time humans arrive on the converted planet, they'll find out how the aliens just added the robotic preacher they called "Jesus" into their pantheon of Gods. That is, if something like religion were comprehensible to them. Otherwise, who knows what they might do with it? Eat it, maybe. Or react with hostility. Sure would be funny if by the time humans arrived, they were greeted by a legion of zealous aliens armed with sharpened rocks and huge needles attempting to pop the spacecraft.