Conclusion

This survey has sought to provide data relevant to confirming or disconfirming the following hypothesis: upon confirmation of contact between earth and an extraterrestrial civilization of intelligent beings, the long established religious traditions of earth would confront a crisis of belief and perhaps even collapse. Responses from persons self-identifying with one of seven major religious traditions report that they do not fear an impending collapse in their own religious belief system. Taking into account a minority who for theological or scientific reasons affirm the rare earth position, relatively little fragility in existing religious beliefs seems evident.

If the hypothesis of impending religious collapse might be considered true, the burden of proof lies with those advocating the hypothesis. Advocates would have to claim that religious believers are not themselves in the best position to understand their own beliefs. Advocates would have to provide evidence that despite the self-understanding of religious believers it is still the case that such belief is subject to challenge by new knowledge of ETIL. To our knowledge, such proof has not yet been introduced into the public argument. Until it is, we are confident that the self-understanding of self-identified religious believers counts significantly in disconfirming the hypothesis.

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