Alien Life

[Murray]

Do you guys think that somewhere out their is alien life? And if we find it do you think it would be a blow to Christianity?

[narnia4]

I don't think there is. I don't think it would really be a blow to Christianity (I know of Christians who believe in aliens, heck even a pastor or two), maybe some would try to use it to put a dent in the fine tuning argument. I can almost see the debate now- skeptics would try to say that aliens would show that life isn't so unique or improbable, while some Christians may counter that it shows that there is special, unique, and incredibly improbable life on possible hundreds of thousands of planets. Since the improbability of life on this planet is so high, at the moment I'm not sure if aliens would help the atheist.

For the theistic evolutionist, it might not make a difference one way or another.

[August]

Alien life is possible but unlikely.

Anyway, as Christians we do believe in other life forms already, so it won't be such a big deal.

[Philip]

Interesting take on this and a bit about UFOs can be found here: http://carm.org/does-bible-tell-us-if-t ... er-planets

[RickD]

Do you guys think that somewhere out their is alien life? And if we find it do you think it would be a blow to Christianity?

I don't know if there is sentient life anywhere else. And, Murray, "Christianity" can't be separated from God Himself. So effectively you're asking if aliens were found, would it be a blow to God? Not my God.

[DannyM]

Why has this alien life not been in contact with us? I'm not talking about spurious sightings, I'm talking about actual contact and dialogue.

Hypothetical alien life doesn't touch Christianity; it merely puts the question one step back, and cannot be the self-sufficient uncaused cause of the universe.

[PaulSacramento]

If by alien one means life rather than human life then there is no reason for that to mean that there is no God since, by THAT definition, angels and demons, as well as God are "aliens".
The whole "space alien" theory behind the history of some of the gods (like the Mayan and Aztec ones), can just as easily be a story about how fallen angels came to be seen as gods by those poor unfortunates.
"alien sightings" were what before the media put "space aliens" into our minds?
What a 20th century person sees as an "space alien" due to Sci-fi may have been viewed as a god by people 1500 years ago.

[ROBE]

The Bible simply says God created the Heavens and the Earth. The creation days or periods relate to an Earth based observation point only.
So we don't know what Alpha and Omega was doing on other worlds, maybe he has a bunch of Earth 2s for makind. To find?

Anyway as others have said God and the Angels could count as alien?
It is life Jim but not as we know it.

[Philip]

And for anyone who really believes that our world has been visited by UFOs piloted by aliens from other planets, you need to read this powerful refutation of the physical impossibility of it:

http://www.reasons.org/physics/constant ... here-there

But could the demonic "appear" as some of the strange phenomena we've heard about? Well, that's another question entirely.

[RickD]

And for anyone who really believes that our world has been visited by UFOs piloted by aliens from other planets, you need to read this powerful refutation of the physical impossibility of it:

http://www.reasons.org/physics/constant ... here-there

But could the demonic "appear" as some of the strange phenomena we've heard about? Well, that's another question entirely.

philip, I don't think it's another question. I think it's the answer to this question.

[Philip]

philip, I don't think it's another question. I think it's the answer to this question.

Rick, I'd quite agree!

[ROBE]

I don't rule out life on other planets, however I would say must alien encounters are due to mental problems or hoaxing. However I would say some is demonic, demons are the Cosmic Jokers after all.

[Philip]

IF there are aliens - ACTUAL, God-created beings that exist elsewhere in the universe - then either they have never been here at all OR - another HIGHLY unlikely and certainly unsubstantiated possibility - God has occasionally and supernaturally brought them here for whatever purposes (which I don't believe). Point is, that the mere physics and enormous distances involved make such travel impossible, and no technology (which might make such travel much faster) solves such travels' inherent problems - in fact, it would only serve to make them much GREATER (=IMPOSSIBLE). So, unless such aliens are metaphysical in nature - which the demonic definitely are - then we have not been visited by aliens, or any like entities that are merely enabled to get here by superior technology. Plus, scripture doesn't refer to unknowns from beyond our world, nor does it prepare us for them. As our universe's distance and travels are insurmountable problems of PHYSICS, then real, PHYSICAL beings are (necessarily) subject to them. And ONLY metaphysical beings would not be.

[Philip]

But, also, I would not rule out that somewhere in this vast universe, God has placed other lifeforms. But, IF they exist, I think we will likely never be able to actually communicate with them. And as God is a Creator upon whom we can scarcely fathom, even His most basic attributes, has He not also created within other dimensions, times and realities? Maybe. Maybe not. My stereo receiver has a mode switch that offers merely AM, FM, Cassette, CD, Phono, etc. But GOD'S stereo may well have a mode switch of unfathomable times, universes and dimensions. Who knows what He has created beyond our comprehension or ability to know of?

[Proinsias]

Alien life is possible but unlikely.

Why would one claim alien life to be unlikely as opposed to likely?