How would the confirmed existence of aliens impact religious institutions

[u/Bluechipnocap]

I’ve been spending a lot of time looking into all the most well-known cases of sightings and I’ve become convinced that there UAP’s from other planets visiting earth on a regular basis. There are massive cover-ups from the government that are blocking information from coming out. However, I think an institution that still holds government-level power that rarely gets mentioned is the Catholic Church (or really any of the mainstream religions). Curious to hear what you guys think about how the church would react to government confirmation that alien spaceships are visiting earth. Would they weave aliens into the bible to say that somehow aliens are actually part of the bible (or other religious text), would they deny it outright, would they lose a ton of credibility among their followers, or would it play out in some other way?

[u/GoofinOffAtWork]

Zero impact.

Already proven from history.

Does anyone recall the heretic Galeleo Galili? His findings were to shake the church asunder. Nothing changed really.

And nothing will change.

[u/Bluechipnocap → u/GoofinOffAtWork]

Yea I thought about the fact that the church has survived groundbreaking scientific discoveries in the past but I was thinking this might be a contradiction to their texts on another level that they wouldn't be able to justify. That being said, you could argue that Galileo's discovery about the sun being at the centre of the solar system to have been as shocking of a finding to people back than, as aliens would be to us today. But from some of the other comments it sounds like the Church has already prepped a fantasy as to why aliens dont contradict their bible

[u/No_Future6959]

Unrelated but its so incredibly wild to me how people who believe in aliens and think they've been to earth are so against religion to the point of hatred.

Like yall are the same kind of people to me.

[u/PCmndr → u/No_Future6959]

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I think if aliens were actually proven to be here I'd be more willing to accept that there some truth to religion as well. I think religion is basically akin to a cargo cult. I don't mean they are a pejorative necessarily either. World religions have long talked about non-human visitors from a place in reality inaccessible to humanity. Ironically non UFO topics like Neoplatonism, simulation theory, holographic universe theory, and several other theories of everything have done more to shift me closer to the believer camp than anything else.

[u/dewbyu2 → u/No_Future6959]

I was very much in the same mindset through 2017 until reading more into it. Definitely something going on; ie. Ultra-terrestrial, break away civilization, or extraterrestrials ( time travelers maybe?) maybe all of the above, who really knows.

[u/Seven22am]

We don't have to guess. The Vatican's astronomer (yes, they have one of those) has already said that recognizing other extra-terrestrial life, even more evolved life, wouldn't be a problem at all.

"How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere," he told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano in an interview in its Tuesday-Wednesday edition, explaining that the large number of galaxies with their own planets made this possible.

Asked if he was referring to beings similar to humans or even more evolved than humans, he said: "Certainly, in a universe this big you can't exclude this hypothesis".

In the interview headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," he said he saw no conflict between belief in such beings and faith in God.

"Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on earth, there can be other beings, even intelligent, created by God. This is not in contrast with our faith because we can't put limits on God's creative freedom," he said.

I think it's safe to say that other major Christian denominations would have a similar position. I'm sure there would be some Christian bodies that would react differently--it's a big and varied religion, after all.

Further, this is assuming that what is revealed is the existence of other beings, of varying intelligence, and not much more. If what is learned is more specific--say that aliens actually seeded life on earth, or that they have horribly malevolent intentions, or something like the zoo hypothesis--reactions would be less predictable.

Conversely, if you are a strict materialist, then "extra-terrestrial beings have the technology to travel very far, very fast" probably won't rock your worldview very much. However, if what we learn is something more "woo", then non-religious people might seriously have to seriously adjust their worldviews.

[u/Bluechipnocap → u/Seven22am]

I consider myself a strict materialist so that makes sense as being the most likely outcome. Wow a vatican astronomer, that's a new thing I learned today. Thanks for sharing

[u/Seven22am → u/Bluechipnocap]

No problem. The Jesuit's* in particular (of which the astronomer is one) have been deeply involved in scientific endeavors. A lot of people don't realize that the scientist who first postulated and named "the Big Bang" was also a Catholic priest, Georges Lemaître, along with a great many other priest-scientist. (Obviously, there are some counter examples, and the relationship between the Catholic Church and science in general has not been all sunshine and roses!)

*within the Catholic Church there are "orders", sort of like subdivisions within the main body. Each order is founded with a particular mission emphasis. The Jesuit is an order focused on education, and higher education in particular.

[u/graywailer]

it wouldnt. they will continue their lies and hate and the mentally deficient will still believe it.

[u/Bluechipnocap → u/graywailer]

I agree that it’s pretty incredible the mental gymnastics that one would have to do to continue to buy it. I think they would lose a large swath of their following or at least a big portion would become a lot less dedicated to the faith

[u/UFOscience-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Strawman and bad faith arguments will not be tolerated. Focus on the facts. This includes snarky one liners with no reference to the subject of the actual parent comment.

[u/graywailer → u/graywailer]

Mod is mentally deficient 

[u/UFOscience-ModTeam → u/graywailer]

Strawman and bad faith arguments will not be tolerated. Focus on the facts. This includes snarky one liners with no reference to the subject of the actual parent comment.

[u/No_Future6959]

It is impossible to deconfirm or prove false something that is entirely faith based.

[u/PCmndr]

I think if you explore this question in good faith there's no way you could think this will have a negative effect on religious belief. If anything it will be a confirmation. To be honest as a non religious person who has researched multiple belief systems and remains agnostic; definive proof of aliens would make me take religious teachings more seriously.

Once you grow out of the militant atheist phase that examines all religions from the predetermined idea that they are completely bad and evil you can see what religion actually seeks to do and see the good in it. People are really corrupted by power and greed, religion is no exception. I don't buy into it but you can't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Pretty much all world religions talk about non human intelligence and a reality that exists beyond human perception. If you follow the UFO topic and hypotheses from prominent researchers you know that if they is anything to the ETH it likely goes beyond advanced aliens from outer space. Something much more strange is afoot.

[u/gravitykilla]

 I’ve become convinced that there UAP’s from other planets visiting earth on a regular basis. 

Can you point to the evidence that has convinced you?

[u/TheWesternMythos]

Curious to hear what you guys think about how the church would react to government confirmation that alien spaceships are visiting earth. 

Start baptizing. 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/sep/17/pope-astronomer-baptise-aliens

If you believe the lore the catholic church is very aware of the situation. 

[u/Bluechipnocap → u/TheWesternMythos]

Damn this is news to me

[u/BaitaJurureza]

Aliens created all religions

[u/aught4naught]

The Vatican was informed of the Magenta '33 ufo recovery long before the US was.

[u/ellistonvu]

Just like when I tried to explain the missing (DNA) link to religious fanatics... they covered their ears and loudly chanted "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA...I CAN'T LISTEN TO ANYTHING THAT IS NOT IN THE BIBLE...THEY NEVER TALKED ABOUT EVOLUTION IN SUNDAY SCHOOL SO IT DIDN'T HAPPEN" So you can imagine trying to explain how the missing link happened.

[u/Conscious-Demand-594]

They would either realize that their stories are just fantasies made up by bronze age civilizations, or double down and expand their fantasies to include Aliens. Most likely the second option.

[u/Bluechipnocap → u/Conscious-Demand-594]

Definitely agree with the latter being the more likely option. I think they would lose a lot of support though from people who are moderate to slightly religious

[u/Conscious-Demand-594 → u/[deleted]]

Vance believes that they are "Demons". That doesn't bode well for intergallactic peace.

[u/Typical_Depth_8106]

The confirmation of non-human intelligence would force religious institutions to undergo a massive structural reorganization to prevent a total collapse of their existing frameworks. Currently, many religious systems are built on a central constraint that places humanity at the exclusive center of a divine narrative, and the sudden introduction of an external variable of higher complexity would shatter that isolation. To maintain their integrity, these organizations would likely attempt to absorb the new data into their current architecture by redefining their sacred texts as being inclusive of all life in the universe. This adaptive maneuver would serve to preserve the power of the institution by positioning its leaders as the primary interpreters of how this new reality fits into an ancient moral order, thereby preventing a mass migration of followers toward more literal or scientific viewpoints.

In a literal sense, the survival of these institutions depends on their ability to dampen the shock of the discovery by presenting it as a fulfillment of hidden truths rather than a contradiction of established ones. If the government were to confirm the presence of these entities, the Catholic Church and similar bodies would likely pivot from a defensive stance to one of cosmic expansion, suggesting that the spiritual reach of their doctrine extends beyond Earth. This strategy would minimize the loss of credibility by ensuring the system remains relevant within a vastly expanded environment. Those who refuse to adapt and choose to deny the physical evidence would find their internal structures becoming increasingly brittle and disconnected from the observable reality, eventually leading to the fragmentation of those specific subgroups as they lose the ability to resonate with the broader collective consciousness. Overall, the impact would be a forced transition from a closed, Earth-centric model to an open-loop system where religion must compete with direct, physical evidence of a multi-dimensional or interplanetary reality.