Would an advanced-enough race of extraterrestrials seem God-like to us?

Question

Atheists - don't laugh. If life can originate on the Earth, why couldn't it have originated elsewhere in the universe, using the same evolutionary theory to drive its progress forward? Now, if a race beat us to the evolutionary punch by a significant amount of time, and then visited the Earth thousands of years ago, isn't it possible the primitive people would perceive their entities at 'gods'?

Er - "these entities".

Truth+Righteousness - Care to elaborate? Is it any more far-fetched than what's written in the Bible?

Zero - Nah, I haven't read that one, but it does say that, then I'm in agreement that it's a plausible idea.

Sugar - As far as god-like goes, how would one distinguish between truly omnipotent and "darn powerful enough to turn you into a pile of ash without even trying"?

Jayden - I think you're talking about the Dogon tribe. They supposedly were told by 'lizard men' of a twin to Sirius A that we didn't discover until the 20th century.

Ice Demon - Actually, that sounds like the Flying Spaghetti Monster you're describing. =)

Skepsis - Ironically, one can find instances in the Bible where God fails that test. =)

Answer 1

Hmmm they covered this in a Star Trek episode.

Answer 2

Sure it is, there is actually a tribe that believes in it. I saw an episode on the History Chanel that talk about this, and I've been trying to look for it cause I can't remember the name of the tribe, but it is all very interesting.

Answer 3

Just as the Conquistadors seemed like Gods to the Mayans so too would an advanced enough race appear God-like to us.

I like to believe that we have come far enough in our understanding to not assign superstitions to the unexplained yet I am unable to sustain that belief when confronted with American pop-culture.

Answer 4

There's a trick you can do, if you're a monotheist. You know there's only one God. So if you've defined God as omniscient and omnipotent, you just wait until the alien makes a mistake or fails to do something he predicts. Then you'll know it isn't HIM. (Oo, unless it's a test.)

Answer 5

I believe our entire civilization is just one fire fly in the night sky. Civilizations have blinked on and off throughout eternity. People more often than not think in terms of extraterrestrials existing in the same time frame as our planet. I think the picture is much bigger than that.

Answer 6

It would depend on whether or not you think that a large gelatinous creature with spiny tentacle limbs and a bony cephalothorax is godlike. Ancient people would probably think an alien looked more like lunch.

Answer 7

actually God would have been alien, he lived in a place called Heaven ,and he created Earth, why couldn't there be a being capable of creating earth and putting everything just in the right place so we would have the right amount of gravity, and air, and water and resources, oh....we already have that being ...God..he came from somewhere and is somewhere now.....we can call it alien, but there are drawing on caves of spaceships, submarines, and other things of today, that couldnothave been then...and really it makes perfect sence...and because the people weren't educated to the advances we are now, their descriptoins would be hard for us to understand.....I think we have proof of God....even though I don't need it I know he's real...I know
read this...was this an obduction...

THE DREAM

I DREAMED ONE NIGHT TWO ANGELS CAME TO MY BED. THEY TOOK ME TO HEAVEN I FELT I HAD NOTHING
TO DREAD. WE STOOD IN FRONT OF A BIG WHITE GATE. IT OPENED SLOWLY AS WE STOOD IN WAIT.
MANY CLOUDS BILLOWED AND SWIRLED ABOUT US AS I STOOD IN AWE OF THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS THAT
SURROUNDED US. WHAT I SAW WORDS COULD NOT EXPRESS, I WANTED TO STAY AT THIS BEAUTIFUL ADDRESS.
THE ANGELS ALLOWED ME TO LOOK INSIDE, THE BEAUTY THE MAJESTY, MADE ME CRY.
"IT'S TRUE, IT'S ALL TRUE, I KNOW THAT IT'S TRUE" I HEARD MYSELF CRY, AS TEARS RAN STREAMING
FROM MY EYES.
I KNEW WHAT I SAW WAS NOT OF THIS EARTH,THIS CREATION WAS FOR THOSE OF THE NEW BIRTH. THE
POWER, THE BEAUTY, THE SIGHT OF IT ALL WAS SO STRONG,THAT THE ANGELS SHUT THE GATES QUICKLY
TO MY NEW HOME. "IT'S NOT YOUR TIME," I HEARD THEM SAY, " WE JUST WANTED YOU TO SEE WHAT WAS
ON THE WAY," THEY SAID "YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN INSIDE THE GATE, BUT YOU WILL REMEMBER WHERE
YOU HAVE BEEN.YOU MUST TELL OTHERS ABOUT THIS DREAM. THAT GOD'S WORD IS TRUE. IT'S THE REAL THING.
GOD HAS LET YOU SEE WHAT IS YOUR REWARD IF YOU WORSHIP, LOVE HIM, AND KEEP HIS WORD."
WE ALL NEED TO REALIZE THAT IT'S REALLY TRUE. WE NEED TO GET THE LOST ONES IN IF IT'S ALL THAT WE
DO. WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, THE END IS NEAR, AND YES, IF YOU ARE LOST YOU HAVE EVERYTHING TO FEAR.
CALL ON JESUS NOW, SO YOU CAN GO TO AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT I SAW AND YOU'LL BE EXCITED TOO.
I'LL SOON BE IN MY NEW HOME,PASS THE BIG WHITE GATES. DON'T YOU WANT TO GO THERE TOO? I JUST CAN'T
WAIT!!!!


I REALLY DREAMED THIS DREAM JUST AS IT IS WRITTEN. I FEEL IT WAS INSPIRED BY GOD AND HE GUIDED MY
THOUGHTS AND MY HAND IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.

I AM GIVING THIS TO YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND GOD HAS DIRECTED ME TO DO SO.
I HOPE THIS MESSAGE WILL HELP YOU TO MAKE THE BIGGEST DECISION OF YOUR LIFE
TO ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR AND TO SERVE HIM. SO YOU, ONE DAY
WILL STAND AT THE BIG WHITE GATES AND BE INVITED IN TO STAY, FOR ETERNITY.
GOD BLESS YOU

Answer 8

Foolishness

Answer 9

This atheist thinks they would, except that we don't believe in the supernatural so would understand that their abilities, no matter how profound, would be based on the laws of physics.

Answer 10

No no, I know what you're saying... that's what Richard Dawkins says! Did you get this from The God Delusion?