also, while we're in the general ballpark of the subject, can someone explain something to me? And i mean this seriously, as I've never understood any side of this debate.
I've heard alot of people from both sides of the camps (highly/non-religious) argue that life can/can't exist in the rest of the universe, because it would disprove/prove god.
I've heard highly religious people argue that there CAN'T be other life in the universe because god didn't create other life, and I've heard highly atheist types claim that finding life in the universe would disprove god, and I don't understand how either of these beliefs come off saying either as fact.
If other life were discovered, how does this disprove the existance of god? All this proves is that life probably springs from a natural process. This would mean, most likely, that many precepts of religion are incorrect, such as god creating man in his image, etc. but thi s doesn't god is disproven. Maybe s/he defined the process that creates life (as well as all processes in the universe). All this would do is make us less special insofar as to how religion relates humans to their deity.
I can kinda understand the religious perspective that if no other life exists, then god created all life on earth, since it means we are 100% unique and special, but in and of itself it's not certain proof, at least not to me.