Ok so I want to start a weekend topic dealing with subject matters that are controversial. Yep stuff you’re not gonna like. Or at least will have a strong opinion about. Actually, I want this to be a lively debate about what you think, and more importantly, why you think what you do.
So here’s my question for this week’s blog post on Christianity and things controversial.
If we found intelligent alien life on other planets; how would that impact our view of God and the Bible? Does it threaten Christianity at all?
If the Bible is God’s word to man, then would it stand to reason that God might have a different book for another species?
Would Christ’s death on the Cross have efficacy for the Romulans. (I’m serious) Christ is called the last Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45) Not the last Regallian.
“When Christianity spread throughout the West, the Ptolemaic system became very widely accepted, and although the Church never issued any formal pronouncement on the question of alien life,[111] at least tacitly, the idea was aberrant. In 1277, the Bishop of Paris, Étienne Tempier, did overturn Aristotle on one point: God could have created more than one world (given His omnipotence). Taking a further step, and arguing that aliens actually existed, remained rare. Notably, Cardinal Nicholas of Kues speculated about aliens on the Moon and Sun.[112]” Wikepedia
Here’s something to mull over.
Peter Stoner, in his book, Science Speaks, states that coincidence can be completely ruled out by the science of probability. Of this science of probability, Stoner says of eight prophecies that “we find that the chance that any man might have lived and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.” Now maybe that seems possible. Not completely unlikely. But for one man to fulfill 48 prophecies, Stoner says the chances are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.”
So here we have the chances of Jesus fulfilling all these prophecies as well…a really big number. And we will claim that he is the fulfillment of these astronomical possibilities. So if the odds of this being true is something we can believe is it so hard to fathom the possibility of ET?
There is an equation, called the Drake equation that gives us some idea of the odds of finding intelligent life.
When you look into research by Professor Andrew Watson and keep Drake in mind the chances of intelligent life emerging is low – less than 0.01 per cent over four billion years.
So when it’s all said and done we might not be alone after all.
Now assuming we find it; and some say God forbid that we do: because were up poops creek without a paddle. As in all likehood they will probably be more advanced than us. (Remember Columbus and the Indians?) Think Independence Day people.
Will the gospel apply to them? Forget intelligent life. What if we find ANY life on other worlds. Again how does this alter our view of God, and Christianity? Should it?
I would say it doesn’t The Bible was written for man to man. Not from God to the Romulans. But again hey maybe the scripture that deals with those who have not heard the gospel applies to aliens?
Romans 2:12-15 it states, “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts ultimately accusing or defending them. In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”)
The Bible teaches we all have inherited the sin of Adam. Romans 5:12 states that “Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
But that means sin didn’t come from Regulus. So this scripture wouldn’t apply to our alien friends. Would our evangelism efforts be limited to humans? Should we even evangelize Romulans? On what grounds? How should Christians then look at behavior where Aliens co-habitate? What if they have more than one spouse? What if they engage in same sex relationships?
Angels are extra-terrestrial life are they not? So the Bible wouldn’t apply to them. They have their own codes and laws don’t they? After all they can leave their first estate. There’s no indication from the scripture that angels have ceased from falling or don not have the ability of free will where they cannot fall. Why not other species?
Yeah, yeah your thinking…not in my life time. It will never happen.
Ya never know…the Rapture is not here yet.
D
Donovan and the act of musing 
Why would such a wonderful God create only little us (Humans)? My theory is that he wouldn’t. The infinite universe empty? No. Perhaps, however, we were the only ones to fall to sin, and thus we are cut off from the others of God’s creation until the time of New Jerusalem and the eternal rule of the Lord.
Hi Stacie,
It does seem like quite a lot of space out there. Of course we’ll never know until someone contacts us. Or the Lord comes back. But it does make you wonder for sure, what Mans place would be in a creation with other species of intelligent life. Thanks for the feedback!
If I was a betting man (and I am) I would say some Alien like creature is typing this same exact thing message into their version of their planet wide internet system and talking about the same thing right now….
I don’t think our race is centric to the galaxy or the universe…I think we will be sorely humbled many, many, many years from now at what is actually out there and our place in it. I’m just mad I’m going to miss it….because it probably will happen a millennia or two from today, I’m betting. I hope my ancestors live to see it come to pass. Great Post Don.
lol..thanks Phillip. Yeah seems the odds are pretty high to me that we would find life at some point.
C. S. Lewis tackles this question in his science fiction novel, “Out of the Silent Planet.” It turns out that earth is the only planet that is ‘fallen’ and other inhabitants of the universe are watching the ‘silent planet’ because it is such a curiosity.
As for me, I would love to live in a Star Trek sort of world, but I would be happy just to go to Mars. However, that ain’t happenin’ in my lifetime!
Wow, that’s a great idea by C. S. Lewis. I’ll have to do a read on that particular book. That was kinda of my thinking as well. Thanks for posting!
If alien beings were found on another planet I think it would shake the faith of many people, but it doesn’t necessarily need to. Never mind the rest of the galaxies out there, I often wonder why there are other planets revolving around our sun. Is there a reason? Was there a purpose to them in the past – or even the future? Christians originally thought that the earth was the centre of the universe and were then proven wrong so, whilst I think it unlikely that there are aliens, I would stay clear of saying ‘definitely not’.
Hi Stephen, it does make you wonder why God would create so much just for us? I do think alien life on other planets unfortunately would shake the belief of many. I agree I doesn’t have too. But yeah someone people see us as the center of all things. Which when you really think about it is so different than what the gospel teaches. To me its an intriguing thought for sure. Thanks for posting!
Some interesting questions and statements you have made Donovan. We could split hairs and say that the Bible says, “for God so loved the world…” meaning only Earth as if this world was the only one created for it does not does not say, “For God so loved all the worlds….”. World is translated as a singular entity not plural.
If there were other God created beings in other universes, it is interesting as to why we have not met yet. If we did, would they be fallen like us? If not, what would that mean for us and for them if we have the same God? Would it confuse both “races” if one was fallen from sin with a Saviour from God and the other not fallen with the same God who did not need a Saviour. Would this put us equal in each other’s eyes? Would we get on? Would there be enmity between us despite having the same God and that we may not be the same species or race?
The questions could go on an on. I feel that if there were other God created beings in other universes, I can see no reason why we would not be able to meet. But God’s thoughts are not my thoughts, His ways not my ways, so either they exist and are prevented from making contact with us and vice versa for His reasons that he does not want us to know or He just created us and us alone.
Guess we will find out when we get to heaven and all will be revealed.