Accidental progress

Not alone

It is quite likely that on planets some way away, other life forms will evolve or have already evolved too. Communicating with them won’t be easy. By the time a message is sent back and forth one will be in decline. Would contact with other communicating life forms send the religious into a tailspin? Quite the opposite. Suddenly a long-forgotten scroll will be unearthed and upon it will be a severe message; God has given two sets of people a chance to prove their devotion. The ones who manage to convince every living soul to hold absolute belief and are abiding by certain instructions will be saved. Ideologies are cunning and are adaptable when they need to be.