So far, I've only seen Mormonism attempt to explain the vastness of our universe... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Earth's_Location_in_the_Universe_(JPEG).jpg So, if were not meant to be Gods of one of these locations (laugh) then why are they there? Certainly one would think that other people are/have/will contemplate the same question from their planet.
A "why" question is not always a sensible question. If the question assumes there must be a purpose where there is none, then it is a meaningless question. For example, asking why a sunset exists would arguably be a nonsensical question if a purpose for the sunset was assumed. However, a "why" question that is asking for the causes of a sunset would be a sensible one and could be answered by explaining the rotation of the near-spherical Earth relative to the Sun. In this case, the question (I've tidied it a little), "If we're not meant to be gods of one of these locations then why are they there?" presumes that the only reason other planets or solar systems exist is for them to be populated by beings like us if/when we become gods. This is very likely a false premise. We have no reason to make the assumption that suns and planets exists solely for us to become gods over them and there is certainly no evidence that this is the case. The statement, "Certainly one would think that other people are/have/will contemplate the same question from their planet." also makes a number of unfounded presumptions. The main three being: 1) Other planets will be populated by life forms, 2) Life there will evolve intelligence, and 3) The intelligence that evolves will think in a similar way to us. Each of these presumptions makes a massive leap and has very little supporting evidence. As far as the vastness of the universe goes, all we can presently do is observe its vastness and say "yep, it is vast". Consider this also as an extra point: it might not be that the universe is vast. It might be that it appears that way to us because our ability to perceive it is so narrow and our minds are so limited.
Wait, are you questioning why we are at the Center of the Observable Universe? If so, it's because we see the same distance in all directions, thus we are at the Center.
The question was supposed to be: How do other religions frame our existence given the knowledge we now have about the universe and how insignificant we seems to be in it. From what I've read, Mormonism is the only religion to try to explain it. My early Christian upbringing had me believe that God create the heavens and the earth. Did he create all of this just for us, for others for himself... Just curious
As an atheist myself, I can't speak for a specific religious belief. I suspect you'll get a range of responses though. All the way from "science is a conspiracy from Satan - don't trust it" all the way through to "the size and the beauty of the universe is a testament to god's power and love for us - and science is the gift he gave us to understand it." Fortunately, I doubt you'll find all that many down the silly end of that spectrum on MAP.
It seems to me that the question posed by the OP presupposes that there is no one else in the universe. If God had made the universe just for us, perhaps then the question of why it is so fast poses a challenge to religion. But who says He did?
The OP's question actually comes off as a cheap shot at Mormonism. However since the question has been put to the forum. Most well established religions in the world are far older than the scientific observations that have brought us our current knowledge of the universe and it's true scale. So naturally none of them have a proper answer. Catholicism found it difficult to come to terms with the existence of other planets in our solar system. Not to mention the heliocentric model of the solar system. It could be a while before they have anything of relevance to say on the matter.
I suggest some of you reread the rules of posting in this forum, because a number of people have already breached them in this thread. http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109213
Let me just draw everyone's attention to the sticky at the top of the Religion forum, particularly this bit: Off topic, spammy posts that do nothing but disrupt the thread will be treated as trolling, could be outright deleted, and may result in a ban for the poster. We remind you of the following TOS rules: 1.2.2 Posts and comments that are meant to incite conflicts between members or outside parties are strictly prohibited. 4.7 "Junk" Posting Keep it on topic or don't post please folks Mitch
Well thats assuming the people on the other planets actually have organized religion, for all we know it may be a human tendency. Secondly I guess the reason most religions don't try explaining the vastness of the universe because at the time their scriptures were being written people simply didn't know how large exactly the universe is.
