How would fundamentalist respond to alien life?

[Lord Baal]

Inspired by a similar thread found hereI decided to make a this post about a similar, yet more complex situation. How would fundamentalist respond in the eventual discovery of extraterrestrial life? Denial, declaring them demons? New targets for conversion? As allays this could be very subjective to every religion and down to every person, however I'm curious of your opinions.

I further propose more detailed scenarios for this, contained on the spoiler for those willing to pinpoint their opinions on a more structured fashion. But general answers on the issue (How would fundamentalist respond to the finding of any kind of alien life?) are fine too, also are the most expected.
Spoiler

In the first we discover bacteria-like lifeforms on a moon or planet of the solar system. I could be Europe, Mars or any of your choosing.

The second one is like the first one, but we find complex life, insects, worms, fishes and the like. This however could be on our solar system (can't think on a candidate now, perahps only Europe) or in another star system.

The third one is intelligent lifeforms, this, I think, necessarily would imply interstellar travel, and splits on two more scenarios. The first would be intelligent machines programed by another civilization (Von Newman like perahps) and the second would be organics. And the case of organics splits again into two sub scenarios, if we are more advanced (we found them) or they are more advanced. Also for simplicity sake the ethical implications of what it's intelligent or not can be dismissed under the assumption that we will be intelligent enough to recognize intelligent life (organic or mechanic).

Recapitulating this long arse paragraph, the question would be:

How would fundamentalist respond to the discovery of:
1) Extraterrestrial microorganism life
2) Extraterrestrial complex organism life
3) Intelligent life represented by:
3.1) Inferior technologically organic species.
3.2) Superior technologically organic species.
3.3) Mechanical entities.

[salm]

Fundamentalists don´t react to any discovery contradicting their beliefs. Why should extra terrestrial life be any different?

[Lord Baal]

Who say anything about contradicting their beliefs specifically? There's religions that give for granted the existence of another worlds and beings.

Besides fundies did react to threats to their belief, where do you think the "intelligent design theory" comes from?

[StarSword]

Humans in general have an inherent need to believe that they're more than just unusually intelligent monkeys. That's partly where religion comes from. In Genesis, for instance, God places Adam superior to the animals. Et cetera.

So, we're supposed to be better than everything else because we're smarter. What, then, happens when we suddenly find out we're not the only critter to whom God granted sapience because He was bored? Some people won't be able to take that.

EDIT: This, I feel, is the core reason for fundies going "I can't hear you, lalala" whenever evolution enters the conversation: they don't want to admit that they're no better than their dog.

[Lord Baal]

A range of them, yeah, but what about the more proactive ones, like the ones trying to force intelligent design as science on the public schools or the ones that wants to reverts the separation of the state and the church.

[Lord of the Abyss]

How would fundamentalist respond in the eventual discovery of extraterrestrial life? Denial, declaring them demons?

Some would, and some do. I was told as a teenager by some Seventh Day Adventists that UFOs are real and that they are piloted by either demons or Satanic beings. The "logic" being that Man is made in God's image, therefore aliens must be made in Satan's image.

[StarSword]

How would fundamentalist respond in the eventual discovery of extraterrestrial life? Denial, declaring them demons?

Some would, and some do. I was told as a teenager by some Seventh Day Adventists that UFOs are real and that they are piloted by either demons or Satanic beings. The "logic" being that Man is made in God's image, therefore aliens must be made in Satan's image.

I went with that scenario in one of my own stories. What amounted to a fundie colony lost contact with the rest of the settled galaxy, and their religion altered to the point where they regarded all nonhumans as demons.

The fundies in question at least had the excuse that, at the time they lost contact with the rest of the galaxy, the only widely known nonhumans, the Anz'kalarads, were legitimately trying to enslave/destroy humanity.* But the situation had changed immensely by the time contact was reestablished.

* The reason? They had mistaken a human exploration probe for a military recon drone, and thought they were acting in self-defense.

[Stark]

The only thing funnier than 'in my fanfiction' replies is when the fanfiction is so obviously terribly derivative.

The 'discovery' of aliens probably wouldnt' bother them - they deny far more 'close to home' things every day.

[Srelex]

It depends. If it's just a case of picking up radio signals or a telescope spotting something, then I don't imagine they'll react much beyond 'meh'. If it's a case of the aliens showing up in orbit and landing in cities to talk to world leaders...things might get more interesting.

[Jaepheth]

I think I once read in a fundamentalist book (Late Great Planet Earth or the sequel, possibly) wherein the author believed Satan may fake alien contact in order to catalyze the formation of a one-world government.

[StarSword]

I think I once read in a fundamentalist book (Late Great Planet Earth or the sequel, possibly) wherein the author believed Satan may fake alien contact in order to catalyze the formation of a one-world government.

... And that's a bad thing, why, exactly?

[Iroscato]

I think I once read in a fundamentalist book (Late Great Planet Earth or the sequel, possibly) wherein the author believed Satan may fake alien contact in order to catalyze the formation of a one-world government.

... And that's a bad thing, why, exactly?

Umm...wow. That's all I can say to that.

[mr friendly guy]

I think I once read in a fundamentalist book (Late Great Planet Earth or the sequel, possibly) wherein the author believed Satan may fake alien contact in order to catalyze the formation of a one-world government.

Just how exactly did they envisage one leading to the other. Have they been watching too much Macross.

[Lord of the Abyss]

I think I once read in a fundamentalist book (Late Great Planet Earth or the sequel, possibly) wherein the author believed Satan may fake alien contact in order to catalyze the formation of a one-world government.

... And that's a bad thing, why, exactly?

The fundies have this idea that two of the marks of the Antichrist are that he'll be a socialist and create a one world government. And they are regarded bad by fiat; fundies don't judge good or bad according to what the real world results of something are, but according to what their dogma says.

Plus, there's a hefty overlap between American fundies and American right wing fanatic nationalists.

[Anacronian]

I actually think the fundies would be cool with aliens coming here.. right up to the point where the aliens had the audacity to claim they have evolved natrually on their home planet Tzzzipffft..

[SpaceMarine93]

Realizing that they are not special in the universe would start a severely steep decline in their popularity. Perhaps new religions that worships aliens as their 'benefactors' ala Ancient Astronaut Theories may spring up, but chances are that many religions would go down, either in the next decade or in the next thousand years. It all depends on how well they could adapt their beliefs to existence of alien life.

Islam for example would fair quite well - their scriptures did say that Allah is the Lord of ALL the worlds, so this means they would not exclude possibility of life beyond Earth. One Muslim talk-show host in the West had at one point, when asked, claimed that they don't exclude possibility of alien life and that it would be the duty of Muslims to try and spread the word of Mohammed to the aliens if they are ever discovered. I can't tell what the Muslim fundies would do though, probably some violent clashes, since they had been known of considering trivial of things, such as TV cameras, as blasphemous to their beliefs.

The Catholic church would probably have the same reactions to the aliens as the general Muslims have. the Evangelicals... not so much. Expect Radical Christian terrorism like in the movie Contact.

[Darth Hoth]

Realizing that they are not special in the universe would start a severely steep decline in their popularity. Perhaps new religions that worships aliens as their 'benefactors' ala Ancient Astronaut Theories may spring up, but chances are that many religions would go down, either in the next decade or in the next thousand years. It all depends on how well they could adapt their beliefs to existence of alien life.

Why? Fundies already believe there is a demon or angel hiding under every bed. They already believe in nonhuman intelligent life. Only ghosts and goblins instead of space aliens.

What makes humanity special in their eyes is not that we are the only intelligent life, or even the most intelligent; fundies believe angels and demons are way stronger, smarter and more powerful than any living man can ever be. But just that we are chosen by Jehovah God to be His chosen people. That is unlikely to change in any of the scenarios the OP asked for.

[Lord Baal]

The difference is that ghosts, goblins, demons and angels aren't real and never will, they can't affect our world in any direct form (barring the "voices on the head"s of some people...).

The event, of physical, tangible life forms that can punch a fundie on the face (something I would give my arm to see) would be a little bit different.

[Number Theoretic]

Not really. They can just re-label the aliens as being daemons. Or angels, if they like them,

[Lord Baal]

There would be a difference, because, even when they call them as they please, this beings, being physical ones could really affect their environment, unlike their current imaginary friends.

[Number Theoretic]

There would be a difference, because, even when they call them as they please, this beings, being physical ones could really affect their environment, unlike their current imaginary friends.

Well, that would be interesting: How would the aliens react to fundies, worshiping them as angels? (If the fundies percieve them as being daemons, they would probably fight them and ignite interstellar war faster than you can blink)

[Lord Baal]

There would be a difference, because, even when they call them as they please, this beings, being physical ones could really affect their environment, unlike their current imaginary friends.

Well, that would be interesting: How would the aliens react to fundies, worshiping them as angels? (If the fundies percieve them as being daemons, they would probably fight them and ignite interstellar war faster than you can blink)

Oh I love this twist on the question! Would they let they the thing go up to their head (if their head is up on their bodies)??? Would they declare war on humanity? However that would go into the high speculation field, since the only social responses of that nature we have involve us, and we have nothing on other species.

[SpaceMarine93]

Number Theoretic wrote:
Lord Baal wrote:
There would be a difference, because, even when they call them as they please, this beings, being physical ones could really affect their environment, unlike their current imaginary friends.

Well, that would be interesting: How would the aliens react to fundies, worshiping them as angels? (If the fundies percieve them as being daemons, they would probably fight them and ignite interstellar war faster than you can blink)

Oh I love this twist on the question! Would they let they the thing go up to their head (if their head is up on their bodies)??? Would they declare war on humanity? However that would go into the high speculation field, since the only social responses of that nature we have involve us, and we have nothing on other species.

It would start giving them ideas, because this is almost exactly how the Aztecs reacted to the Spanish. The Spanish realized that the Aztecs are so absolutely primitive that they worshiped them like gods, so the Spanish decided to start conquering the empire en mass. Any organization of effective resistance was crushed by the fact that the Aztecs, especially their leader Montezuma, thought they were deities and won't lift a finger to fight them. Same scenario with the aliens and human worshipers.

[Number Theoretic]

Although that makes sense in a way, it also assumes, that aliens think in somewhat similar categories than humans. But i must admit, that the only other reaction that i can think of is, the aliens play along and make the fundies work for them somehow ("We, your gods command you to bring us food").

[Lord Baal]

And plenty of bacon! Cause no matter of what planet you are from, you must love bacon!

What about encountering lesser aliens, technologically less advanced? I'm sure fundies some will try to convert them, other would yell Demons! wavering their arms on the air while running in little circles, and others would say something like they are not worthy of salvation, as they aren't made out of the image of the lord.