"Namely that we are not privileged in the cosmos. This should not pose a threat to religious beliefs."

I think what it will do is prove that our mythologies and religious gods are in fact extra-terrestrials...the ones spoken of throughout the Bible and other religious books. The ones who may have created us and who were clearly master genetic engineers.

It will cause us to examine and create a whole new and much more sophisticated metaphysical understanding of our place in the universe. It will not be one based on outdated fundamentalist religious beliefs which have caused innumerable wars and suffering. Ones based on patriarchal dominance.

We also have no idea what the beliefs or understandings are of the NHI that are clearly visiting our planet. I believe understanding that there are many other species and intelligences here in this universe with us, will cause a massive expansion of human consciousness and of our understanding of how we fit in and what it all means.

As a science fiction writer this has been one of the main subjects which I explore in my five book series. As a scientist your job Avi is to show us that they exist and existed - as a metaphysiical and philosophical writer, my job is to look at meaning that is not encumbered by outdated and simplistic religious texts.