Help with novel premise.

[k-ossuburb]

I want to write a novel, but before I start I want to make sure that I fully understand as much about the particular nuances in the premise as possible, so the best way to explain things is probably to put it in the form of a question.

If we (the people on earth) managed to colonize another planet that also had its own sentient wildlife on it and even some form of humanoid life similar to us (or, alternatively, nothing like us at all but still as intelligent), what would this mean for religion?

Most of the religions I know of are pretty much based firmly on this planet and this planet alone, if we discovered life on other planets and found that life can happen in other places around the universe then wouldn't that put a lot of the monotheistic religions into question?

All of the "big three" have a prophet who originated on this planet and it's from that particular prophet that most (not all, though) sects of any one of those religions draw their fundamental beliefs from; if it turned out that we're not as special as we think we are and we're truly not alone, how does this affect religion? Would they survive on the new planet and continue as normal as if nothing ever happened or would there be enough doubt thrown against them that only the truly hardcore would remain dogmatic? What kind of arguments would this bring up and what would the apologists say?

I have a fair idea of what I want to put into the novel as far as the bulk of the fiction goes, but I want more opinions on it so I can see it from various angles and maybe shed some light on something I may never have thought of on my own.

PS. If you have links to websites, links to videos or know of any books that cover this topic then I'd be very grateful.

 

[JoJo]

I think most religions would survive as they are as it's never really specified in their holy books that humans are the only sentient life. Also people have a surprising tendency to alter their beliefs, sometimes to a ridiculous level, to keep their world view intact. Extreme examples of these include climate change, holocaust or AIDs deniers.

 

[DougNotDougie]

Probably the most prevalent thing would be the birth of a new religion. This religion would not only have to cover the creation of the world and the life you found, but it would have to cover anomalies on both of the planets and throughout the world. Another common thing is that they could all have the same idea and they believe in the same thing. Such as they believe the world was, is and always will be. An interesting and unique take would be if the creatures on this planet were pantheistic.
Sorry if I seemed to ramble... But I absolutely lover writing..
If you ever need any help with any part of the writing you can always message me here or email me at [email protected]

Good Luck
~Dougie

 

[Cheesus333]

If it were me writing that - and, by the way, I think that's a great premise for a story, a lot of messages you can deliver with that one and everyone knows speculative fiction is the best for it - then I would have different groups of religions, some adapting their teachings to acknowledge this alien life, others outright denying the existence of such in the face of all evidence, etc.

But that's just me, I'm not an especially skilled writer so you should take my post with more than the GDA of salt

 

[Nickolai77]

The discovery of intelligent life would trigger fierce debate in theological circles (e.g- Do these creatures have souls?) which could cause similar structural problems in some major world religions as the different religions become divided on certain issues. However, as for religion itself i don't think the presence of intelligent life will fundamentally change it.

What will probably have a greater effect on religion in the long term is the influx of alien technology being adapted for human usage. Technological revolution causes huge social changes, which in turn can cause religious changes.

 

[Yassen]

I'd suggest reading the Codex in Mass Effect as it creates a very believable picture of how people adapted to other intelligent life. Quite simply, everything happened.

Religions died out, religions were born, others refused to accept and others adapted gladly. Things like Christianity would justify alien life by saying that while Humans are special God values all life, while others would say Humans are still God's chosen favourites. You see this sort of thing all throughout history.

 

[lemiel14n3]

organized religion has never been particularly shy about shifting their doctrine if it means that they can not only keep their flock, but also bring in a whole planet of converts.

Hell Christian doctrine is sort of a hodge-podge of Jewish mythology, lectures by Jesus and pagan iconography.

 

[Zaverexus]

Well you're not treading on entirely untouched ground. If you really want to do something different you need to avoid the usual sci-fi answer: people start worshiping aliens.
Maybe Christianity would split again (like it has one billion times) into sects that believe God applies to the aliens just the same as us and another sect that thinks their the devil (though that might seem cliche too if you don't execute it correctly)
From one writer to another, good luck!

 

[Paksenarrion]

I believe this is how Raptor Jesus got started...

 

[M Rotter]

for an interesting response read speaker for the dead, xenocide, and children of the mind

 

[quiet_samurai]

I believe this is how Raptor Jesus got started...

You owe me a new tie missy, it now has coffe on it.

OT: All the major religions have... adapted... to scientific discovery throughout time,I dont see why it wouldn't adapt to probably the most important one possible.

 

[Axzarious]

I'd suggest reading the Codex in Mass Effect as it creates a very believable picture of how people adapted to other intelligent life. Quite simply, everything happened.

Religions died out, religions were born, others refused to accept and others adapted gladly. Things like Christianity would justify alien life by saying that while Humans are special God values all life, while others would say Humans are still God's chosen favourites. You see this sort of thing all throughout history.

Pretty much this. Although, it does depend on how idealistic this world is, your view on humanity, ect. Basically, the tone of your novel. Are all humans xenophobic bastards at the heart, attacking anything seemingly different before they are more familiar with it? Or.... are they something else.. that uh... Well, I cant really think of a good metaphor for the other end. Ideally, I do think if its a small colonization, they will treat and accept said aliens equally or even valued until the rest get there, or they have some reason to treat them differently.

Basically, just look at the historical reactions of humans encountering other cultures in history and how said reactions changed. Spain goes to south america, British and French arriving in North America, ect. From there, you can probably get a somewhat good idea. It would also depend on how humanlike the aliens are, or are they more like intelligent space octopi that communicate and think in a completely different way.

 

[Paksenarrion]

I believe this is how Raptor Jesus got started...

You owe me a new tie missy, it now has coffe on it.

A tie? Let's see...how about Billy Mays vs George Zimmer?

 

[IndianaJonny]

Since other Escapists have the first part of your question well in hand, here's some reading material to spark the grey matter (with plenty of options):
[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_ideas_in_science_fiction[/link]

with pitfalls to avoid (a personal but astute take):
[link]http://io9.com/5185748/the-7-deadly-sins-of-religion-in-science-fiction[/link]

and a personal favorite: 'The Streets of Ashkelon', a harrowing, bitter short story by Harri Harrison. I won't give any of it away but if you've read 'The Gospel according to Mark' by Jorge Luis Borges, you'll know what to expect.
[link]http://www.kobobooks.com/content/50-in-50/sc-ReQpDlUQ80iQS8osTSpOug/page1.html?scRedirect=true[/link]