The probability of the existence of Intelligent Life in the universe all depends upon the viewpoint of the person looking for it, as I've recently found that not all people feel that the chance of meeting an alien is a high one. This may not apply to everyone in the religious community, I hate to generalize, but after a bit of thought I began considering a situation we sometimes find ourselves in, as individuals mingling with other individuals. I know this may sound scattered, but just bear with me.
An example that will later be pertinent:
You're doing something normal, a mundane task or operation that you've repeated and done a million times before.
Then, one day you see someone else doing the same task. Only, they're doing something slightly different, or maybe greatly different, but either way upon seeing this you have an epiphany (A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something-dictionary.com). To put it bluntly: the way they do their thing is better.
Why didn't I think of that? you ask yourself.
From then on, the operation is changed. It's much easier, and you're happier because of this.
I can apply this example to both the real world, and the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. Some religious people do not believe that ET's exist. Immediately upon reading this revelation I formed a thesis:
Those who practice religion adamantly, but not all, are afraid of the discovery of an ET, because upon discovery the possibility of a mass-religious/social epiphany increases.
I'll define mass-religious/social epiphany: An event taking place that completely revolutionizes the whole or a great deal (90+percent) of human civilization, preferrably in a short period of time.
We've had a few of these so far. Take the Industrial Revolution. The Internet. There are probably more, but I'm guessing that you get the picture.
Imagine a world without purpose for religion, a place where people are not forced to squander their beliefs, but where everyone simply acknowledges based on overwhelming facts and/or philosophies that the idea of religion is ludicrous, and that their energies are better spent on other activities. This place could possibly exist within my lifetime (I say this with the assumption that life-prolonging drugs will be in full effect by the time I'm old enough to need them).
Not only is this world devoid of religion, but the chance for civilization-peace (think world peace, only on a scale to include other worlds) increases by so much without people fighting over obvious differences--albeit we might find something else to argue about. We've should ask ourselves: is this the inevitable future?
An example that will later be pertinent:
You're doing something normal, a mundane task or operation that you've repeated and done a million times before.
Then, one day you see someone else doing the same task. Only, they're doing something slightly different, or maybe greatly different, but either way upon seeing this you have an epiphany (A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something-dictionary.com). To put it bluntly: the way they do their thing is better.
Why didn't I think of that? you ask yourself.
From then on, the operation is changed. It's much easier, and you're happier because of this.
I can apply this example to both the real world, and the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. Some religious people do not believe that ET's exist. Immediately upon reading this revelation I formed a thesis:
Those who practice religion adamantly, but not all, are afraid of the discovery of an ET, because upon discovery the possibility of a mass-religious/social epiphany increases.
I'll define mass-religious/social epiphany: An event taking place that completely revolutionizes the whole or a great deal (90+percent) of human civilization, preferrably in a short period of time.
We've had a few of these so far. Take the Industrial Revolution. The Internet. There are probably more, but I'm guessing that you get the picture.
Imagine a world without purpose for religion, a place where people are not forced to squander their beliefs, but where everyone simply acknowledges based on overwhelming facts and/or philosophies that the idea of religion is ludicrous, and that their energies are better spent on other activities. This place could possibly exist within my lifetime (I say this with the assumption that life-prolonging drugs will be in full effect by the time I'm old enough to need them).
Not only is this world devoid of religion, but the chance for civilization-peace (think world peace, only on a scale to include other worlds) increases by so much without people fighting over obvious differences--albeit we might find something else to argue about. We've should ask ourselves: is this the inevitable future?