Here we go! ^ Another point and question I have had for years is - if aliens created us or engineered us are they not our “gods” or do they themselves have a creator and answer to an even higher power or entity (a supreme being) Monotheistic religions teach us of the one creator or “god” (the alpha and omega) but if we were altered or birthed by another species does that not make them “gods?” Monotheism states it is the ONE and only god - how do we explain the supreme entity? A governing universal force? It really pisses on religion if we say - we are not alone and maybe not made in gods image. That would imply perfections and an almost arrogant view on what god could look like / be.

Science fiction fan? Watch the old TV series "Babylon 5". That show tackles these same philosophical and theological questions. You'll have fun watching it if your a sci-fi fan, and love a good "Space Opera". Full disclosure----I'm a Zen Buddhist, and therefore **technically** an atheist. So interpret what I'm about to say with that "bias" in mind. You can't answer any of these questions until you define terms. Which is why I always lead with the question in my previous post: What Does That Word Mean To You. You are running into the problems created by Monotheism in general...and with the Vision of God put forward by the Abrahamic Religions in particular. Its a one-size-fits-everything definition....that tends to not fit very well as our understanding of the world progresses beyond that of what it was during the Iron Age. As a Buddhist, I do not believe in a "personal" or "anthropormorphic" God. But we are not "materialists" which are most the people in modern times who are claiming to be atheists. We believe not in a Supreme BEING....but a Supreme Prinicple. "God" (or Buddhanature) is Fundamental Reality. The Formlessness out of which all Forms emerge....and eventually return. Formless Consciousness ("I AM...the "I" that exists before it identifies with a Name and a Form) out of which all Form Consciousness emerges...and then ultimately returns to. If you've ever been unfortunate to have a love one die....you'll get to see this. I've had both parents pass away, and when it came time to view their bodies for the funerals, I had NO sensation that they were "sleeping". My sense was that----whatever it was---that made them who they were simply was **gone**. It wasn't there any more, and the body was simply the shell left behind. To this day, I feel no desire to visit their gravesites, because I know that THEY aren't there. So, from a Buddhist perspective....your alien is not a "god". 1. Because we don't believe in them. 2. Because you simply have a more advanced SENTIENT being altering another, less evolved sentient being. So they are no more a "god" when they alter us....than we are a "god" when we alter a lab animal. 3. Which is why the Bodhisattva Vow (of Mahayana Buddhism) is that we are not out to save all **humanity**. But that we our goal is to free all SENTIENT beings (from the suffering that is inherent to existence in the world of Form...and form-identification). (There is a particularly poignant moment in Babylon 5, when the main heroine gives voice to this vow...when she is being subjectied to what is essentially an Inquisition to see if she is the right person for a particular tasks. And that she can give the proper answer to the question, "Who Are You?"" In her passion she doesn't realize that she this was the answer...and that she was the right person. She had to be told...and still didn't fully understand what had happened. But as a Buddhist, I recognized what was happening...and what the Inquistor was driving at. Self as Formless Consciousness versus Pesonal Ego.) If you want a more in-depth treatment of this subject I strongly reccomend you read "The One, Two, Three of God" by Ken Wilber.

Yeah - I love science fiction and currently reading “the master of mankind” by Aaron dem ski Bowden. I live the concept of 40k and the battle between partial good and bad. Great and very dark book series and usually well written. I also read a book called “the others” by James Herbert (?) that left a very lasting impression. Talks a lot about reincarnation and energy, with the guy making massive mistakes in life. I won’t post spoilers but well worth a read. I wouldn’t call myself any religion really. I try and understand the balance and ask questions constantly. Not to insult or insinuate stuff but out of genuine and often morbid curiosity. If there truly is a supreme being I feel we would be arrogant in saying we are the only beings in the entire universe that were given souls or consciousness given form or “souls.” Its a major sticking point about monotheism and our current level of arrogance and detachment.

[quote]I live the concept of 40k and the battle between partial good and bad.[/quote] Then you'll LOVE Babylon 5. [quote]If there truly is a supreme being I feel we would be arrogant in saying we are the only beings in the entire universe that were given souls or consciousness given form or “souls.” Its a major sticking point about monotheism and our current level of arrogance and detachment.[/quote] More devotion in an honest question than all the blind faith in the world. Remember. God may have created US in "His" Image....but then (through religion) Man returned the Favor and created (the image) God in our own. But the traditional religions reflect how we understood the world thousands of years ago. Not today. As I said, I think you'll find "The One, Two, Three of God" a very interesting read. You have a mind that is clearly open and ready for the concepts that it addresses. If you like that book,----which is the primer----then you might want to take on "Integral Spirituality. Which is the "graduate" course. :)