Religion, Extraterrestrials and Apocalypse

We recently had another bout of “end of the world” mania and yet we’re all still here dealing with the burden of reality. The high interest does beg the question- how would humans react to an astonishing event such as First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization? Would it be considered the end of the world? That question is an enormous one, probably too big to tackle in such general terms. So, how about religion? How would alien First Contact impact human religion and thoughts about the end of the world?

Theological scholars have been interested in what First Contact would mean for religion for some time. The results of most studies show that the revelation of extraterrestrials would have little impact on religious beliefs. The Peters ETI Religious Crisis Survey showed that the majority of respondents, representing various religions, didn’t expect proof of extraterrestrial intelligence to change their religious belief or their religious traditions. Interestingly, 69 percent of respondents who did not identify as being religious thought that ETI knowledge would undercut religions, while only 34 percent of the religious thought so.

In another approach, the Alexander UFO Religious Crisis Survey focused on clergy members. Jeff Levin of Baylor University went back to the original 1994 data to take another look.  Across the spectrum of Judeo-Christian religions the results showed that clergy members thought that ETI revelation would not have a significant impact on religion. Leaving out Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist faiths is quite limiting in scope, however the results are interesting. It appears that religious leaders and religious followers are not particularly worried about aliens shaking the foundations of their institutions.

For many of us religious beliefs are deeply embedded in our lives as part of our faith and culture. The religious surveys seem to confirm what other polls have shown: humans will not freak out over proof of extraterrestrial intelligence. The general questions about religion, though, don’t take up aspects of belief related to prophecy and that may be where the real passion lies, at least for some religions. A 2010 Pew Research Center poll showed that 41 percent of Americans expect Jesus to return by 2050 with the number growing to 58 percent of white evangelicals. What does Jesus have to do with First Contact? People with apocalyptic religious beliefs often look for signs. It seems quite possible that the announcement of extraterrestrial contact might be considered a sign of impending apocalypse and the return of Christ. Fringe preachers and internet soothsayers could lead an apocalyptic reaction to First Contact that could catch on with more mainstream religious leaders and pontificators. Does the fire spread to the rest of the world? Hopefully, cooler heads in other countries and with other religions would help to calm us down. Americans are an excitable bunch when it comes to apocalypse.

To confuse matters even more, in the original Greek sense the word apocalypse would fit First Contact well. The originating Latin word apocalypsis means a disclosure of knowledge that has been hidden from humanity. That would certainly describe alien First Contact well.

People will not be rushing to their dictionaries if we have a dramatic First Contact event with visiting extraterrestrials or if we discover a far off signal that turns out to be engineered. Apocalypse and many other words will be thrown around without much thought. What will decide the day is how human perception coalesces after the turmoil dies down. What will we make of our future and of our faith in the wake of such a great revelation?

What do you think? Join the conversation on the Alien First Contact Facebook page.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Human Identity

Extraterrestrial contact would likely provide a new perspective for humans. It would probably be different from person to person. However, you could assume that, at the very least, extraterrestrial contact would cause us to perceive the universe differently and in turn our role in the universe. For some people this may be a simple process of understanding. For others it could be a conflict in thinking.

You would imagine that this change in perspective could also change our perception of humanity. No longer would we be the only race in the universe, but simply one group of beings. This could bring us closer together as a civilization and as a planet. That notion, though, carries with it baggage. Humans have wrestled with the idea of a joined humanity for some time now in popular fiction. It is often portrayed as a world society that has sanded away individuality. The primary concern seems to be that if we join together as a planet we will all become alike. There is certainly precedent for this. Suburban Italy or Moscow can look like the suburban United States these days as sprawl becomes a global characteristic. Races are intermixing in growing percentages.  English has become a global language. Granted, there is still plenty of interesting differences to go around. One could argue that the localism movement attempts to preserve regional cultural differences and prevent corporate homogenization. For every step in that direction there seems to be many more technological advances that make us more similar: Facebook, Twitter and cell phone use, just to name a few.

So, it seems possible that there will be human identity concerns in the wake of extraterrestrial First Contact. It would have very little to do with the aliens themselves, but rather the process that we would have to go through to respond to First Contact. Alien contact of any sort would require a global deliberation and probably a global response. I think it would be important to stress the point that joining together in a global response to First Contact does not have to mean losing identity. Depending on the nature of extraterrestrial contact (immediate and in our solar system, versus light years away) this idea of preserving what it means to be human and what it means to have a specific culture could be quite important. There will be those who fear extraterrestrial influence as a process that could weaken our identity as humans.

This may seem like a point of lesser importance, given the huge impact that First Contact would have on human civilization. I think that it might, though, be an important part of the conversation going forward. It is the type of thing to not get brought up directly, but linger in the back of people’s minds as they consider how to react to First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization.

I think we can maintain who we are and what we care about, while joining closer together as the human race. First Contact would finally bring to bear the reality of our situation: we are one people, one planet, citizens of the universe.

What do you think? Join the conversation on the Alien FirstContact Facebook page.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Will the UN Take Over?

Direct extraterrestrial First Contact could alter the balance of global power. If one nation were to be favored by extraterrestrial visitors (and I’m not saying there are any extraterrestrials out there considering contact) that nation would gain considerable power. If the United Nations were to be the primary point of contact for extraterrestrials, the UN would gain power. Such a development would worry many, ranging from those who perceive the growth of world government as a religious and ethical threat, to those who see the UN as a weak and ineffective bureaucracy in need of reform. These two perceptions may seem similar in the sense that they are critical of the UN. However, they represent two very different mindsets. On one hand, you have people who view any UN activity as a threat to national sovereignty. This group seems most vocal in the United States and for good reason. The US would lose the most power if the UN was to gain power. On the other side, you have reformers who do not fear world government, but see the UN as incapable of carrying out the role, in its current form. One side wants absolutely nothing to do with world government and the other side wants to make the globalization process more open and democratic. And yes, both sides can often agree about problems with the UN.

Direct extraterrestrial contact would bring this quietly simmering debate to the forefront. Extraterrestrial contact of any type would require a global response. The groups involved in that response and the form of decision making used would help determine the future of diplomatic relations between humans and extraterrestrials. The stakes will be high. The debate is likely to be vociferous.

In her book “Hijacking Democracy” Marguerite Peeters says that the issue of national power versus bureaucratic power is already raging inside the UN. Peeters paints the UN as a “self-appointed and unaccountable group of bureaucrats.”

The power of the General Assembly, the body made up of national representatives, is undermined by the entrenched UN bureaucracy and the increasingly powerful international non-government organizations (NGOs). While this type of action may be participatory democracy it is hardly representative democracy. The ultimate issue is who can participate. The UN recognizes hundreds of NGOs and yet leaves out organizations it finds unacceptable. This certainly makes sense from a bureaucratic sense…groups promoting racism and cultural conflict would be harmful to the UN mission. However, it also leaves out room for dissent and debate.

Kenneth Anderson and David Rieff share many of the criticisms of the UN and come to a different conclusion in their essay “Global Civil Society:A Critical View”. They see a vacuum being created in globalization. As organizations such as bureaucracies (UN, IMF and World Bank) NGOs and corporations take an active role in global issues, national governments are giving up sovereignty. The result is what the authors call a “democracy deficiency”. They go on to suggest a reform of the United Nations to offer better representation and national influence.

This may sound like an esoteric debate now. In the wake of Direct First Contact it would likely become the most important world issue. We are not ready to act as a global entity and yet Direct First Contact would require us to speak and act as one planet.

How might extraterrestrial contact impact world politics? That’s just part of the problem in my new novel “The Ashland City Landing”. When I started writing the blog five years ago the primary purpose was to develop ideas for the novel and now it’s finally done. Here’s the synopsis:
Alex Morrison has made a new friend on the Internet. It’s a relationship that could drive his wife and friends half-crazy and that’s if federal agents and newspaper reporters don’t blow it wide open before the big moment. Can Alex hold it all together before The Ashland City Landing?

The Ashland City Landing is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-serious, science fiction novel about the practicalities of meeting space aliens and having to save the world from itself and also perhaps those very same aliens. Alex fights to keep his sanity, while concocting an introduction that will change the course of human civilization. He’s being pursued by a journalist desperate for a cover story. Alex’s best friend is a real ass and sometimes his psychologist. Alex’s wife does her best to be the Southern belle, but that’s not going too well. And yet he needs them both to pull it off. Along the way Alex enlists help from a burned-out astrophysicist and meets federal agents who are definitely not amused.

The Ashland City Landing is available in printed and Kindle electronic format through Amazon USA, Amazon Europe affiliates and through Nook at Barnes and Noble.

Humans vs. Aliens

We are creatures driven by our biology and environment. Human actions can be attributed to everything from sexual reproduction to geography. The needs of biology and environment form the basis by which society develops. Those needs, however, are also tempered by science and technology. Science can help make the biological and environmental needs less pressing. We can control human reproduction thanks to medical advancements and we can overcome some of the limitations of geography with transportation and communication.

Given that biology and environment have had such a huge impact on human development, what would that mean for beings with much different biology and coming from a much different environment? Anthropologists, when considering extraterrestrial First Contact, say those differences could be quite dramatic.

There is another aspect to consider when it comes to development, though. Is there a way in which intelligent beings develop so that they actually become more alike? Let’s take human development 200 years into the future. It seems likely we would have overcome many of the limitations of our biology through the use of medical technology. Take that another 500 years in the future. If we’re bright enough to survive that long as a civilization, we might even learn how to overcome our biology altogether, shedding our skin, quite literally, to move our intelligence to a virtual or machine based environment. My timeline could be way off…but that’s not the point. The point is that we would eventually reach a stage of our development that would supersede our biology and environment. What if aliens did the same? Could we meet in 1000 years and have much more in common? Or at least, could we have developed in a way that would leave us more open to differences in extraterrestrials?

The idea of extraterrestrials developing beyond their biological limitations, and the impact that could have during a First Contact event with humanity, is explored in my new fiction novel “The Ashland City Landing”. When I started writing the blog five years ago the primary purpose was to develop ideas for the novel and now it’s finally done. Here’s the synopsis:

Alex Morrison has made a new friend on the Internet. It’s a relationship that could drive his wife and friends half-crazy and that’s if federal agents and newspaper reporters don’t blow it wide open before the big moment. Can Alex hold it all together before The Ashland City Landing?

The Ashland City Landing is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-serious, science fiction novel about the practicalities of meeting space aliens and having to save the world from itself and also perhaps those very same aliens. Alex fights to keep his sanity, while concocting an introduction that will change the course of human civilization. He’s being pursued by a journalist desperate for a cover story. Alex’s best friend is a real ass and sometimes his psychologist. Alex’s wife does her best to be the Southern belle, but that’s not going too well. And yet he needs them both to pull it off. Along the way Alex enlists help from a burned-out astrophysicist and meets federal agents who are definitely not amused.

The Ashland City Landing is available in printed and Kindle electronic format through Amazon USA, Amazon Europe affiliates and through Nook at Barnes and Noble.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Liars

Trust would be an important issue in any First Contact event. It would be especially important in a Direct First Contact event, where we meet the aliens here on Earth or somewhere in our solar system. Why the different in importance? It all comes down to threat. First Contact of any sort brings with it a certain level of threat. Just knowing there are other intelligent beings in the universe would raise the question of threat. The closer those beings are to Earth, the greater the level of threat.

And, as I have said before, the threat doesn’t truly diminish if the aliens seem to be nice and helpful. They could be lying. They may also have a logic system that we don’t understand leaving it hard for us to understand or predict their actions. They might want to keep some things from us, for our safety or for their safety.

So, how do we know if aliens that we might meet in the future are telling the truth? The short answer is that we don’t. That raises many implications, both for our response and preparation. I have a new novel that takes that concern up a level. What do we do if there are two alien civilizations approaching us at one time? Perhaps one group offers certain benefits to starting a relationship? Maybe the other provides alternative reasons for diplomacy?

That’s what Alex Morrison needs to weigh in my new fiction novel “The Ashland City Landing”. Alex Morrison has made a new friend on the Internet. It’s a relationship that could drive his wife and friends half-crazy and that’s if federal agents and newspaper reporters don’t blow it wide open before the big moment. Can Alex hold it all together before The Ashland City Landing?

The Ashland City Landing is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-serious, science fiction novel about the practicalities of meeting space aliens and having to save the world from itself and also perhaps those very same aliens. Alex fights to keep his sanity, while concocting an introduction that will change the course of human civilization. He’s being pursued by a journalist desperate for a cover story. Alex’s best friend is a real ass and sometimes his psychologist. Alex’s wife does her best to be the Southern belle, but that’s not going too well. And yet he needs them both to pull it off. Along the way Alex enlists help from a burned-out astrophysicist and meets federal agents who are definitely not amused.

The Ashland City Landing is available in printed and Kindle electronic format through Amazon USA,

Amazon Europe affiliates and through Nook at Barnes and Noble.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Conflicting Aliens

We like to make it so simple. We imagine First Contact as occurring with just one alien civilization. But what about two alien civilizations? Better yet- what about two conflicting alien civilizations? I know- farfetched, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. If there is another civilization out there, then why not two, three or four? As we know from human experience- often intelligent beings don’t get along so well. Could humans get caught in an extraterrestrial squabble of some sort? It would certainly make things more difficult. Not only would we have to cope with First Contact human response issues, but also find a way to sort out alien conflicts and decide how to proceed. It would step up the urgency of the situation significantly, especially if the aliens were hostile with each other. Now granted, having two competing alien civilizations announce themselves at one time seems pretty unlikely. But if they are concerned about currying favor and developing a relationship with humanity, conceivably the actions of one alien civilization attempting to make contact with humans could lead to a preemptive hello from a competing group. Why would we be so popular? Who knows? Considering how unpopular we are right now (with no contact at all) that would depend on alien motivations. Those motivations could be quite complex, and perhaps beyond our understanding.

Still, it does raise an important point. Have we considered the complexity that First Contact could bring if there are multiple civilizations out there in contact and conflicting with each other? It’s the scenario I explore in my new book “The Ashland City Landing”. When I started writing the blog five years ago the primary purpose was to develop ideas for the novel and now it’s finally done. Here’s the synopsis:

Alex Morrison has made a new friend on the Internet. It’s a relationship that could drive his wife and friends half-crazy and that’s if federal agents and newspaper reporters don’t blow it wide open before the big moment. Can Alex hold it all together before The Ashland City Landing?

The Ashland City Landing is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-serious, science fiction novel about the practicalities of meeting space aliens and having to save the world from itself and also perhaps those very same aliens. Alex fights to keep his sanity, while concocting an introduction that will change the course of human civilization. He’s being pursued by a journalist desperate for a cover story. Alex’s best friend is a real ass and sometimes his psychologist. Alex’s wife does her best to be the Southern belle, but that’s not going too well. And yet he needs them both to pull it off. Along the way Alex enlists help from a burned-out astrophysicist and meets federal agents who are definitely not amused.

The Ashland City Landing is available in printed and Kindle electronic format through Amazon USA, Amazon Europe affiliates and through Nook at Barnes and Noble.