I have been reading much about the chance of life existing elsewhere in the universe. There seems to be a prevailing opinion that this is likely.
If we find life on another planet or moon in our solar system, will this change the way you view God and humanity's place in the universe?
Thanks
2007-09-25 16:27:56 · 16 answers · asked by Sheed 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Dze can you provide any sources that say it is unlikely? Most articles, journals ive read suggest that life somewhere in the universe is almost a given
id be interested to see what you have read
2007-09-25 16:34:52 · update #1
Being a Christian, I can tell you that life exists in the universe which is not human life. I find that Christians who do not believe this to be obtuse.
The typical person who thinks there are intelligent sentient aliens out there will think that the aliens have no clue about the Creator of the Universe. I think that this is not true. The opposite is true. They know full well who God is. They are either on one side of the issue or the other.
those who are on the wrong side of the issue will feign ignorance, or in some other way attempt to deceive. The one's on the right side of the issue may not say what they know, or proclaim it loudly.
2007-09-25 16:40:51 · answer #1 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible does not state explicitly, but in several places there are hints that we are not alone in the universe. An infinite God who has lived forever, did not just come up with the whole creation thing when this earth was created. How shortsighted and self important we must be to think that we are all there is. A couple of places that come to mind.
In the book of Job, the "Sons of God" came to present themselves before God and Satan came as well. These might have been angels, but the fact that Satan came as well long after his fall from grace seems to indicate that Satan, as the leader of this earth, a title he usurped from Adam after the fall, came to represent his planet.
Ephesians 3:10 states that God, through the church is making his manifold wisdom known to all "principalities and powers in heavenly places"
This verse could not be talking about the angels. They already know about God's manifold wisdom. It is the surrounding universe, other planets who have not fallen into sin, that need to learn about the malignant nature of sin. Our planet is a lesson book for the entire universe so that sin will not arise a second time.
After the fall, sin was quaranteened to this solar system so that Satan could showcase his form of government and so that the surrounding universe could learn why sin is so deadly without becoming contaminated by it.
2007-09-25 23:46:43 · answer #2 · answered by 19jay63 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is an excellent book called the Case for a Creator where the author interviews top Scientists in their fields to determine the likely hood that life developed on earth by natural forces. He was an atheist when he started doing the research. The Science proved to his that there must be a higher power. Anyway, several chapters are devoted to the many factors that must be present for life to even survive. There are lots of factors, and they must be near perfect. When you combine them, the probability of there being life on another planet is slim to none, even considering the possibility of billions of planets.
Another great resource would be a DVD called The Privileged Planet. It Examines similar evidence, but Gives Graphic demonstrations of all of the facts explained.
2007-09-25 23:52:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The universe was made big so it must have a purpose so it wouldn't affect my faith to find a worm on mars. Now as for the odds of life as a Christian I think that I will let the words of an expert speak for me...
"The principle of [divine] purpose ... stares the biologist in the face wherever he looks ... . The probability for such an event as the origin of DNA molecules to have occurred by sheer chance is just too small to be seriously considered ... ."Ernst Boris Chain - Nobel Prize in medicine
.. on the other side of the fence you have the origin of the life astro biologist Chandra Wickramasinghe that has said at different times he thought life was started on earth by spores from a spaceship, life started in a comet and that the SARS epidemic was because of a space virus... he seems to think life just pops out everywhere. He has calculated that given the early conditions on earth it would have been impossible for it to originate here so it must be floating around in space somehow...???? I guess the cosmic radiation, solar radiation, the cold, no atmosphere are irrelevant...?????
Just put his name in Wikipedia or yahoo search
Quite the contrast eh?
Todd
2007-09-25 23:50:00 · answer #4 · answered by Pilgrim in the land of the lost 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like you say, our opinion. It is not a prevailing opinion that life exists on other planets. Oh, the scientists think for sure they have found life on a planet but its 200 million miles away. I really laugh at scientists. They say there is evidence of a global flood on Mars but there is no water to be found. The earth is made up of 75% water, yet they laugh at Christians when they say there was a global flood on earth and they say its not possible. Funny isn't it.
2007-09-25 23:34:40 · answer #5 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No.
If we find intelligent life I may need to do some thinking about my view of God and humanity's place in the universe.
Yet when people speak of life existing elsewhere as a real possibility they are not referring to intelligent life but usually single celled organisms or complex bacteria.
I think it would be AWESOME to find organic life on Europa!
2007-09-25 23:32:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't see why it would change my view of God. I'm sure He's quite capable of creating life elsewhere in the universe, same as here.
2007-09-25 23:37:42 · answer #7 · answered by sparki777 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No it will not, sorry but I dont care if there are a billion planets with life on them, the Bible and Jesus are the Truth that guides my life, the rest is not important to me. However if there are other inhabited planets I would gladly try to communicate to them that there is One God and get them to accept Him/
2007-09-25 23:35:42 · answer #8 · answered by cowboy_christian_fellowship 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would not change my view. If God wants life on other planets, it's His right. He created the planets so He can do what He wants with them.
2007-09-25 23:30:57 · answer #9 · answered by Annie Rod 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Bible teaches that God created ALL things. I'm not going to worry about it. We have more than enough problems right here on earth, much less considering other places.
2007-09-25 23:32:19 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋