# Would you worship a powerful, godlike alien? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654 "2014-08-16T00:04:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/1 "2014-08-16T00:04:31Z")
Three years from now, Voyager mysteriously crash-lands in Australia. A tall and somewhat handsome creature walks out of the spacecraft, becoming an instant YouTube hit. Several Australian university students welcome him with gifts of emu steak and water. In gratitude, he snaps his tentacles and turns the continent into a lush rainforest. Then the Americans attack him. Disappointed, he shakes his head-things and liquefies California, accidentally taking out Canada as well. Having demonstrated his power, he commanders the smartphones of the world and broadcasts his message in every language known to our species. He offers you a deal: In exchange for your individual loyalty, he shall occasionally grant you favors, but also test you from time to time. He warns you that you will not always understand his rationale. He also offers you a way out: If you don’t accept his deal, he’ll leave you alone for the time being (unless you lived in California or Canada). You don’t know if you can completely trust him. You don’t know what will happen if you accept the deal and then change your mind later. You just know he’s plenty powerful. You have one hour to decide, then you must text him your decision. On the news, you hear about early texters become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. You hear about crops doing unimaginably better. You also hear horror stories about someone being turned into stone, and others being turned into chickens, despite sacrificing their third-born daughter’s best friend to an angry volcano. Worship of this creature seems unpredictable, yet potentially rewarding. What would you choose? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/2 "2014-08-16T00:08:51Z")
If California is gone, I’m gone, so it’s moot. If I was out of state at the time, I would dedicate the rest of my existence to terminating his. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/3 "2014-08-16T00:10:05Z")
I would refuse his offer, and accept that for now at least I’d be left alone. I would not “worship” him. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/4 "2014-08-16T00:11:23Z")
Nope, I’d look for ways to destroy it, especially if it’s malevolent Simply put, nothing can convince me that “supreme beings” exist ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/5 "2014-08-16T00:11:57Z")
What does “loyalty” mean in this context? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/6 "2014-08-16T00:14:23Z")
Heck, I’ll even worship a powerful, godlike human, if I think there’s something in it for me. I’m a bit of a whore that way. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/7 "2014-08-16T00:17:23Z")
I wouldn’t - I don’t care how many rainforests he creates, if he’s willing to mass murder millions of people, he’s a monster. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/8 "2014-08-16T00:22:06Z")
If he tells me to be cool to my fellow humans, I’m cool with it. Otherwise, I take my chances. ---
**Author:** ![CodeB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@CodeB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CodeB)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/9 "2014-08-16T02:39:30Z")
I might. I will probably be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-worship-a-powerful-godlike-alien/695654/10 "2014-08-16T02:50:39Z")
Not only would I not worship it, I wouldn’t acknowledge its superiority, nor its means of demonstrating its strength. We, also, have strengths.