I don't see why it would. Religions have always adapted their views and interpretations to new discoveries. Theists will just say that their scriptures were meant for Earth and God had no reason to reveal other life on other planets to us when the scriptures were written.

Can’t see why it would. Religion is a construct that creates social cohesion. Life on other planets hasI nothing to do with it. It may ask new questions about deity however.

Believe I’ve watched several ‘documentaries’ reviewing the behavior of the religious cults after it had been revealed the numerous aspects for which they’d been lied to. Didn’t phase them a bit…

Much like the roman catholic clan … pedophile priests falling from the rafters - yet they continue to ‘believe, follow and donate!’

We’re talking about followers, a significant segment of society apparently too weak to think for themselves, thus doomed to follow … as long as someone’s willing to lead them to slaughter ~ hell - they'd follow the Aliens

I don't see how that would cause some great influx of rationalism.

Probably not.

IMO, no there would be some other excuse.
And remember Uncle Matthew thought the Martians might be cool, closer to god because of their knowledge that was right before they turned him into roast priest.

In the age of Trump I'll just say... It's okay, Jesus died for their sins too!

Why might life on other planets make religion irrelevant? I don’t see how it would in the least.

I once heard a priest say that. " The only interesting thing about finding alien life on other planets, would be to discover how god had chosen to reveal himself to them."

The fact that believers are well able to close their minds and eyes to, not only the beauty of the real world and science but also the existence here on earth of many conflicting religious beliefs, in their faith that only their own religion is true, and that the world can only be seen through that lens, means that they can close their minds to anything. The proof of which is in the priest's statement itself, which went straight to the assumption that life meant, intelligent life with its own culture, because no other form of life had any meaning or value to him, and he had no understanding of the anything except received culture.

It would certainly make anyone with brains left have to re-evaluate!