If they remain blind to child abuse, how drumpy really is, racism, gay-bashing, climate change, abuse of migrants, etc etc etc, why would some ectoplasm on Mars (or anywhere else) phase them?

That there are stjll flat-earthers indicates quite a number of humans will stick to their beliefs whatever the circumstances

If they can live in a world with talking snakes, magic apples, people living inside the belly of a fish for 3 days, they will have no trouble explaining that one away.

How can discovering life on Mars have ANY impact on the question of whether or not a god or gods exist? For example, my dog just crapped in the front yard. Therefore, there must be a god.

They will continue to reconcile cognitive dissonance by making up stuff just as they always have.

I doubt that many (very, very few), would question their beliefs for just the discovery of microbial life on Mars. They have the ability to rationalize anything that would seem to challenge their beliefs. "God works in mysterious ways."

Cognitive dissonance has a funny way of convincing people to maintain the status quo. They will comb through their sacred book, cherry pick examples and come to some hasty conclusions.

discussed/ debated some such subjects with a pod of Fundies last week.. Asked them about ‘life elsewhere’ ...and… they don’t believe it. With how many planets found to exist in various ‘goldilocks zones’ within distant solar systems ...and the religious zealots refuse to acknowledge there could even be life..?

With their well-honed skills of denial, they could be buried alive in proof ..and still be muttering ‘fake news’

Some will claim fake news. Some will point to Yahweh only being one of many gods, as alluded to in the bible, but it's the "real" god, so no need for questions.

Denial. They'll use the same illogic they use to explain away fossils. Either the devil will have put them there or it'll be some kind of test from their gods.

Very similar question was posed by Giordano Bruno and he was declared heretic, was hung upside down naked prior being barbequed alive. We have come a long way, as a minimum now we can ask the question.

It will just be a theory, no need to pay it any attention.

I don't know how the religious types will respond, but the Wee Folk who live under the rocks on Mars, are likely to eat the first missionaries to arrive!

IF?..... IF?

They already have found life on Mars according to a leading scientist who ran the Viking probe there.

[blogs.scientificamerican.com]

But to answer your question about reactions... The religious right has shown over the years that they have been stocking up on stupidity for hundreds if not thousands of years! They have an overabundance of stupidity stored up and they are waiting to use it!

So... When it is unveiled... You guessed it... Jesus died for those microbe's sins!

BOOM

(Drops mic)

This is a corollary to the "God of the Gaps" argument.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Wherever science ends, religion takes over. Religion loses ground as science discovers more evidence to refute it, but I don't envision the mass belief in a Christian god dying out over the discovery of life on Mars.

Unless little green men come to earth and use their technology to subjugate us. That might kill the religions we're familiar with, finally. Then again it may not.

I kind of don't care what they think about it, but I would like to see them all GO there.

Odds on, in my opinion, they will either, A) Pray that it all goes away, B) god sends down his mighty wrath upon those heretics, or, C) simply turn off the television and avoid any further news bulletins about it, but those are just a mere FEW of the reactions to expected of and from the Faithfools.

Can't tell no end to their delusions

Nah, reinforce their belief that their god made life on other planets for our benefit for whatever reason. It will be related to that mysterious movement thing he does!

For 2000 years they have been "moving the goal posts" to support their God.

Mysterious ways. Just like when a priest slips his tinkle tugger in a kid. You can't explain that other than via the jesus.

Most people in the religious community are extremely well insulated and vaccinated against actual knowledge. To the report of life on Mars most of them simply and easily will deny it. Many will repeat their mantra that science has always wanted to attack religion and will hunker down. Others will simply attack the evidence as false (like what they do with the evidence of global warming being caused by humans). Others, when you tell them the news, will look at you very condescendingly and will tell you that they will pray for you. Others will say that it does not matter anymore because we are living the latter times and the end is near. Others will try to destroy the evidence, ala Contact, the movie. Others will open their Bible and offer to pray with you. Others, the more enlightened, will say that it is part of god’s plan (just like he created the earth with fossils already buried in it). Some will see their chance to break free from something they have been wanting to leave for quite some time. A lot of them will not understand the implications of the discovery. And so on and so forth....

I think like trump, he makes this shit up everyday. If you think about it, God has all of the traits of a sociopath too.

In my lifetime it has always been to modify the story. As much as I hate that idea when it comes to religion we do that ourselves as we review our lives and what meaning they have. Humans are always modifying their story but if you are religious you simply make things up. I can look back on things I used to believe even just a short time ago that I do not believe today. How do I justify? Ignorance and stupidity because we are always learning whether we like it or not. If you are religious you just put that in god's plan.

"How can a microbe from Mars be life but a baby still in the womb isn't?" I see this already on social media. Some will probably also say fake, we put it there, or God's plan.