Life Elsewhere in the Universe

[saturneptune]

This thread was done several years ago, but with the Old Earth, New Earth thread, it sounds like a fascinating subject. I have noticed there is a connection between the earth theories and this thread. Old Earth people tend to think there is life elsewhere, and New Earth thinks there is not. I believe in Genesis 1 literally, or New Earth, but I also believe there is life elsewhere.

I would be interested in what everyone else thinks. I cannot find Scripture to support or not support the idea. All I know for sure is that if there is life, God created it. For those against it, please state where you get the belief from in Scripture, not from the writings of a dead theologean.

With the vastness of the universe that the Lord created, billions of stars, galaxies, and planets, I just cannot imagine we are it.

The two greatest mysteries that man has sought answers to from the beginning are life after death, and life away from Earth. We know the answer to the first.

 

[asterisktom]

This thread was done several years ago, but with the Old Earth, New Earth thread, it sounds like a fascinating subject. I have noticed there is a connection between the earth theories and this thread. Old Earth people tend to think there is life elsewhere, and New Earth thinks there is not. I believe in Genesis 1 literally, or New Earth, but I also believe there is life elsewhere.

I would be interested in what everyone else thinks. I cannot find Scripture to support or not support the idea. All I know for sure is that if there is life, God created it. For those against it, please state where you get the belief from in Scripture, not from the writings of a dead theologean.

With the vastness of the universe that the Lord created, billions of stars, galaxies, and planets, I just cannot imagine we are it.

The two greatest mysteries that man has sought answers to from the beginning are life after death, and life away from Earth. We know the answer to the first.

Let me answer by first asking you: How many incarnations were there of God's Son?

I don't mean that in a snippy way. I only mean that how one answers that question lead on to those other questions you posed. Good questions too.

 

[Crabtownboy]

This thread was done several years ago, but with the Old Earth, New Earth thread, it sounds like a fascinating subject. I have noticed there is a connection between the earth theories and this thread. Old Earth people tend to think there is life elsewhere, and New Earth thinks there is not. I believe in Genesis 1 literally, or New Earth, but I also believe there is life elsewhere.

I would be interested in what everyone else thinks. I cannot find Scripture to support or not support the idea. All I know for sure is that if there is life, God created it. For those against it, please state where you get the belief from in Scripture, not from the writings of a dead theologean.

With the vastness of the universe that the Lord created, billions of stars, galaxies, and planets, I just cannot imagine we are it.

The two greatest mysteries that man has sought answers to from the beginning are life after death, and life away from Earth. We know the answer to the first.

By life I believe you mean intelligent life. I also believe there is life out there ... both intelligent life and life such as bacteria, viruses, etc., etc. It seems most arrogant to me to say out of the millions, if not billions, of stars and planets that earth is the only one with intelligent life.

Have you read C.S. Lewis' book, "Out of the Silent Planet"?

 

[webdog]

I cannot remember the interview Lee Strobel did in one of his "Case for" books (creator maybe?), but he put up a compelling argument scientifically for Earth being the only planet to support life, so much so that it shook my previous view which is similar to yours. Now I don't know either way, but I do know there are no other humans, and not sure how Adam would have named other creatures . Plant life maybe?

 

[saturneptune]

Let me answer by first asking you: How many incarnations were there of God's Son?

I don't mean that in a snippy way. I only mean that how one answers that question lead on to those other questions you posed. Good questions too.

No Tom, not snippy at all. It is one of the two greatest mysteries of mankind. I believe, going by Scripture, that number would be one. Mitt Romney might have a higher number, and believe I know where you are going with this.

Is the life intelligent to the point of being made in God's image?

Is there sin wherever this life is?

Is the life limited to bacteria, simple celled creatures and the like, or even complex animals?

Why would the Lord have to have the same plan of salvation if one was even necessary?

This is not one of those "die on a hill" issues, kind of like the rapture, end time events, and the mechanics of the creation. If we had proof tomorrow that we were alone, it would not bother me one bit. It does seem a shame to put all those planets to waste.

 

[saturneptune]

By life I believe you mean intelligent life. I also believe there is life out there ... both intelligent life and life such as bacteria, viruses, etc., etc. It seems most arrogant to me to say out of the millions, if not billions, of stars and planets that earth is the only one with intelligent life.

Have you read C.S. Lewis' book, "Out of the Silent Planet"?

No, but I would like to read it. The more we learn about the universe, the more we know about the Lord. It is not so much the Bible says one way or the other, it is just a fascinating subject.

 

[mandym]

I have been given no reason to believe there is intelligent life anywhere else and I am not interested in wishful thinking based on no evidence to at least hold that it is possible.

 

[saturneptune]

I cannot remember the interview Lee Strobel did in one of his "Case for" books (creator maybe?), but he put up a compelling argument scientifically for Earth being the only planet to support life, so much so that it shook my previous view which is similar to yours. Now I don't know either way, but I do know there are no other humans, and not sure how Adam would have named other creatures . Plant life maybe?

It seems odd to be fair to the other side, that we have not found any hard evidence as long as we have been searching. Of course, there is a big difference between life being out there, and its ability to reach us.

Another problem with this subject, is the deceptive work of demons or evil beings. I believe the nonsense or the latest craze with ghost hunting to be either a fraud or the deception of such beings. UFOs could be the same situation. However, as stated above, all of that does not mean there is not life out there. In fact, although I do believe there to be life out there, I do not believe it has ever been here.

All of the programs on TV now, such as Ghost Hunters, etc, are nothing but baloney. If there is an ounce of truth to them, it is not dead human souls, it is some type of demonic activity.

 

[saturneptune]

I have been given no reason to believe there is intelligent life anywhere else and I am not interested in wishful thinking based on no evidence to at least hold that it is possible.

Have you been given any evidence that there is not any life?

 

[mandym]

Have you been given any evidence that there is not any life?

See my earlier post.

 

[saturneptune]

See my earlier post.

We all have subjects that do not interest us. For example, I have no interest in debating someone over the merits of the King James Bible, so, I stay out of the threads.

 

[Scarlett O.]

Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Isaiah 48:3 – “Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together”

Revelation 4:11 – “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

God is God. He has created more in His universe than we could even possibly imagine. There are more undiscovered plants, animal species, and geologic wonders just on THIS planet than one can shake a stick at. I’m amazed at God all over again every time we find something here that we’ve cohabitated with since the beginning and never knew about.

The blind, albino sea spiders recently discovered, the giant underground caverns that hold MONSTROUS crystals that look like something from a sci-fi movie, the long-thought extinct Coelacanth discovered alive and well in the 1940’s – and so much more. And we have the vanity to believe that this planet Earth is the ONLY place in the universe where God designed creation to bring Him glory in the form of life - even if simplistic and non-sentient?

I think not.

I am confident that there are no humans or any other creatures made in the image of God, fallen, and in need of a Savior elsewhere in the universe.

But I am also confident that if God has desired for other non-imagebearing life such as plants or animals to exist elsewhere, that is His business and I, for one, cannot be so stubborn as to deny the possible existence of them.

 

[mandym]

We all have subjects that do not interest us. For example, I have no interest in debating someone over the merits of the King James Bible, so, I stay out of the threads.

You said:

I would be interested in what everyone else thinks.

So I responded. Perhaps you should have said only those who believe in intelligent life elsewhere need respond.

 

[drfuss]

A number of years ago, I heard someone say that the Garden of Eden was actually not on earth, but somewhere else. When Adam and Eve sinned and were take out of the Garden of Eden, they were actually transported here to earth.

Has anyone else heard of this type of thing?

 

[quantumfaith]

One of the most popularly well known "estimates" for life in the universe is the Drake equation.

N = R* fp ne fl fi fc L

where,
N = The number of communicative civilizations
R* = The rate of formation of suitable stars (stars such as our Sun)
fp = The fraction of those stars with planets. (Current evidence indicates that planetary systems may be common for stars like the Sun.)
ne = The number of Earth-like worlds per planetary system
fl = The fraction of those Earth-like planets where life actually develops
fi = The fraction of life sites where intelligence develops
fc = The fraction of communicative planets (those on which electromagnetic communications technology develops)
L = The "lifetime" of communicating civilizations


Be certain to read criticisms of this predictive estimate. Drake himself, I think, indicated that it was created mainly to spur debate about such a topic. I am sure there are more "up to date" techniques for estimating the possiblility and probability of life outside of our neighborhood. Personally, not a game changer for me either way. Mathematics and probability might suggest, it may even strongly suggest life elsewhere, but again they are speculative predictions.


BTW, this Drake equation is derived, I think from an integral relating to the rate of star formation. If there are any physicists in BB land, perhaps you could share your knowledge about such.

 

[asterisktom]

It seems odd to be fair to the other side, that we have not found any hard evidence as long as we have been searching. Of course, there is a big difference between life being out there, and its ability to reach us.

Another problem with this subject, is the deceptive work of demons or evil beings. I believe the nonsense or the latest craze with ghost hunting to be either a fraud or the deception of such beings. UFOs could be the same situation. However, as stated above, all of that does not mean there is not life out there. In fact, although I do believe there to be life out there, I do not believe it has ever been here.

All of the programs on TV now, such as Ghost Hunters, etc, are nothing but baloney. If there is an ounce of truth to them, it is not dead human souls, it is some type of demonic activity.

Just before I became a Christian in 1975 I was quite fascinated with UFOs and the whole subject of life elsewhere. I am now embarrassed to go into detail about how involved I was in that topic. I guess it started when I actually was part of a levitation experiment when I was in high school.

Boy, that was an eye-opener. I knew that there must be a spiritual or other-worldly part of life that I was totally ignorant of. And, not being a Christian, this led me to belief in UFOs and occultism.

I say all this just to underscore that I am not one of those who blandly assert "There is no life on other planets because God's Word does not teach it." I mean I do believe that the Bible teaches against it (through a patient connecting of "If A then B") bit this belief came (at first) against my will and after much study and thought.

My in-between period, already a Christian but still "holding out" for extra-terrestial life, was one of reading books like Lewis's Planet trilogy and a few others. I remember - just before I was saved - of reading a very depressing book (because it seemed so real and valid), "God flies a Driving Saucer", by RI Dione (I think). I am so glad that his foolishness is not true!

 

[saturneptune]

Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Isaiah 48:3 – “Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together”

Revelation 4:11 – “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

God is God. He has created more in His universe than we could even possibly imagine. There are more undiscovered plants, animal species, and geologic wonders just on THIS planet than one can shake a stick at. I’m amazed at God all over again every time we find something here that we’ve cohabitated with since the beginning and never knew about.

The blind, albino sea spiders recently discovered, the giant underground caverns that hold MONSTROUS crystals that look like something from a sci-fi movie, the long-thought extinct Coelacanth discovered alive and well in the 1940’s – and so much more. And we have the vanity to believe that this planet Earth is the ONLY place in the universe where God designed creation to bring Him glory in the form of life - even if simplistic and non-sentient?

I think not.

I am confident that there are no humans or any other creatures made in the image of God, fallen, and in need of a Savior elsewhere in the universe.

But I am also confident that if God has desired for other non-imagebearing life such as plants or animals to exist elsewhere, that is His business and I, for one, cannot be so stubborn as to deny the possible existence of them.

Could not have said it better, and it answers Tom's post #2. Excellent post.

 

[saturneptune]

You said:



So I responded. Perhaps you should have said only those who believe in intelligent life elsewhere need respond.

You are correct and my apologies.

 

[mandym]

You are correct and my apologies.

All is good!

 

[asterisktom]

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Could not have said it better, and it answers Tom's post #2. Excellent post.