How will "religions" handle the discovery of alien life?

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I'm not sure you would know if it was a fiery chariout unless you were awfully close. I'm visualizing something like an Roman Chariot with a contrail at 5000 feet...would scare the bejabbers out of people that had never seen an airplane.

They only saw the whirlwind. Only Elisha saw the fiery chariot.

 

[Jaqui Francis]

No one will 'discover' alien life. Not Adventists, not Protestants, not Catholics, not Christians, not atheists, etc ....

Alone life has already been discovered. Just not intelligent alone life. Be more specific.

 

[BobRyan]

Read Ezekiel 1

does not say "heaven is located just above our heads"

Genesis 18 says God and two angels were seated in Abraham's tent eating a meal... does not mean the heaven is located inside a tent in the middle east.

Ezekiel look up through the raqia and saw Jesus on or above His throne.

And Abraham looked across to the other side of his tent to see YHWH and 2 angels eating with him.

These are not texts with geographic info on the location of heaven, the city of God, the temple of God, the New Jerusalem.

 

[BobRyan]

Reminder -- the subject and title of the thread is from the article --

How will "religions" handle the discovery of alien life?

Some respond with "it will never be discovered" - which means that "in the scenario proposed" by that article, those persons would simply be flabbergasted by a scenario they never allowed themselves to consider.

Others have taken the course that if such an event happens then it is just a deception being put-on by the "father of lies" - the devil.

Others as the article points out - claim that they will try to evangelize the aliens. But I have never heard a story about aliens coming to earth to find out if there is a gospel -- so those who consider that aliens show up looking for a Bible or the gospel are making quite a few assumptions about what God is not telling anyone else the universe.

 

[BobRyan]

I'm not sure you would know if it was a fiery chariout unless you were awfully close. I'm visualizing something like an Roman Chariot with a contrail at 5000 feet...would scare the bejabbers out of people that had never seen an airplane.

contrails form because of water vapor in jet engine exhaust mixing with low air temps at high altitudes -- is it your belief that whatever mechanism God used to take Elijah to heaven would have involved spewing out water vapor similar to jet engines?

 

[renniks]

contrails form because of water vapor in jet engine exhaust mixing with low air temps at high altitudes -- is it your belief that whatever mechanism God used to take Elijah to heaven would have involved spewing out water vapor similar to jet engines?

I have no blessed idea. I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit.

 

[Norbert L]

Reminder -- the subject and title of the thread is from the article --

How will "religions" handle the discovery of alien life?

Would it be out of the question for the different Christian congregations, our communities and faith groups to handle such a discovery differently among ourselves? It's not as if this type of issue with the question, can God create other worlds, hasn't been asked before but actually dates back through the centuries.

 

[BobRyan]

Would it be out of the question for the different Christian congregations, our communities and faith groups to handle such a discovery differently among ourselves? It's not as if this type of issue with the question, can God create other worlds, hasn't been asked before but actually dates back through the centuries.

I think it is expected that different groups would find different ways to fit it in or be shocked or toss out religion altogether.

The native Americans had certain religious beliefs that did not fit in with Europeans coming in a taking over. Not much native American religion still going on at least not dominating the nation as it was before the Europeans got here

"A new reality" is what all the Christian missionaries go out to share with the people of other nations who do not know anything about Christianity. The result is that Christianity is by far the largest religious group on Earth. (As of 2010 - 2.2 billion Christians)

 

[BobRyan]

I have no blessed idea. I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit.

A blessing on your head my friend

I thought your post did have some humor and wanted to give you a chance to expand on it if you wished.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I have no blessed idea. I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Well, since God does whatever He Pleases (and no one can stop Him unless He permits them to),

if God wants water vapor, God gets water vapor..... sweet and simple, as He Says.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Would it be out of the question for the different Christian congregations, our communities and faith groups to handle such a discovery differently among ourselves? It's not as if this type of issue with the question, can God create other worlds, hasn't been asked before but actually dates back through the centuries.

"out of the question"? How so? It happens daily ("through the centuries" I believe you noted) - people go on doing and saying what they want to.

"Disobedient"? Certainly. God allows that. He does not coerce people to be willingly joyfully obedient, ever.

 

[The Transcendentian]

.... So now you know how people get into forests and becomes missing and never found.

Lol yes I have thought about doing that.

 

[The Transcendentian]

Regarding this article "How Will Our Religions Handle the Discovery of Alien Life?"

How Will Our Religions Handle the Discovery of Alien Life? - Nautilus - Pocket

. . . . .

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Heb 1 - NKJV/KJV
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

Heb 11 NKJV/KJV
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Job 1 and Job 2 --- Satan says "he comes from Earth" -- where does everyone else in the room "come from"?

If there was "only one place to come from " why is Satan being asked "where do you come from"?

also Hebrews 4:14
in the literal translation (YLT) it says
"Having, then, a great chief priest passed through the heavens -- Jesus the Son of God -- may we hold fast the profession,"


This is one of my favorite topics, I have a VERY overactive imagination.
I enjoy finding bible verses that seem to allow for the existence of aliens but this is probably all a very big stretch and taking scripture out of context.

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Theoretically, I think if real aliens randomly showed up on Earth one day, that many humans who call themselves Christians would suddenly renounce their faith because they think the existence of aliens would directly conflict with the teachings of the Bible. Such "Christians" had no real faith to begin with. This is unfortunate, not because so many people would lose their faith, but because they don't have any real faith.

Also, if Satan was going to make a FAKE 'extra-terrestrial civilization first contact scenario', wouldn't he have done it already?

 

[The Transcendentian]

Apart from there being no indication that there is any life on other planets in the Bible the big question is how will atheism survive the discovery of alienlife?
Imagine the scene a room full of scientists, politians, celebrators awaiting the first conversation with the aliens whose language has been translated and they speak. " Please tell us about Jesus?"

How would they respond?

I don't know if the translation would be exactly that, but I imagine since Satan is limited to Earth (hopefully (C.S. Lewis seems to think in his sci-fi novels that Satan could find some loophole to access other worlds)),
other civilizations would have a much higher percentage of people that believe in the ONE TRUE GOD, than the percentage of humans that believe in Him.

 

[BobRyan]

Theoretically, I think if real aliens randomly showed up on Earth one day, that many humans who call themselves Christians would suddenly renounce their faith because they think the existence of aliens would directly conflict with the teachings of the Bible.

True. And given the advanced civilization that fallen angels represent as compared to humans - how would humans even know the difference between a fallen angel putting on a show as if he were a being from another planet in the human narrative of "star trek" vs the fallen angel behind a facade?

 

[Halbhh]

Regarding this article "How Will Our Religions Handle the Discovery of Alien Life?"

How Will Our Religions Handle the Discovery of Alien Life? - Nautilus - Pocket

The article raises some interesting points but one thing they miss when it comes to Seventh-day Adventists (and many other Christian groups) is that "angels are aliens" and we already accept the fact that there are good ones and bad ones.

What is more -- we are not trying to "evangelize the fallen angels". Nor do Christians attempt to "Evangelize" the good angels.

1. Is there anything that prevents the bad angels from "mock" spoofing as bad aliens from other worlds? IF that is part of their "plan" they have the technology (power) to pull it off, no question.

2. Is there any reason that good beings on other worlds would want to come here on "vacation" - to a world where the Bible says the devil is "the god of this world"? 2 Cor 4:4?

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Heb 1 - NKJV/KJV
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

Heb 11 NKJV/KJV
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Job 1 and Job 2 --- Satan says "he comes from Earth" -- where does everyone else in the room "come from"?

If there was "only one place to come from " why is Satan being asked "where do you come from"?

Well, I think it's hard to guess how many Christians will handle the discovery of primitive elementary life on another planet, when and if that happens. But at least many I think will, just like me, praise the Lord.

For He made all the Universe!

And notice how it is, that which He made:

Genesis 1:31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

All. All He made is good.

But Earth is special as a home -- here life can flourish not just for a while until a star flares or a massive asteroid comes and destroys all life on a planet.... Or until the orbit gradually drifts in or out due to nearby large planets tugging, broiling or freezing the primitive life. Or until the solar wind of the star gradually strips away all the water or even all the atmosphere of a planet without an unusually strong magnetic field....

But instead we are in a perfect world for life to flourish -- All the ways Earth is special, with special conditions, the total of all the ways, together -- and He watches over us here.