If intelligent extra-terrestrials were found...

[drich0150]

...would this change/cast doubt upon your faith? I mean, if there were being equally or more intelligent than us who had no clue about Christianity or anything like it, what would this mean to Christianity and how would priests etc. explain this?

we know angels exist, they are of a different race. They are not bound by the same rules of "religion" that we are.. What make you think any other race of beings would be?

We are told that "man" was expressly made in the image of God. Every other creature that we currently know of was not.(This includes Angels) Why would an ET be any different in your estimation? If a creature of God was not made in His image then why would he/she/it be bound to the covenants and Will of God as we are?

We have been set aside (Made holy) by this honor/distinction from the rest of creation, or so scripture says. We have a set of rules no other creature/member of creation lives by.

 

[mulimulix]

we know angels exist, they are of a different race. They are not bound by the same rules of "religion" that we are.. What make you think any other race of beings would be?

We are told that "man" was expressly made in the image of God. Every other creature that we currently know of was not.(This includes Angels) Why would an ET be any different in your estimation? If a creature of God was not made in His image then why would he/she/it be bound to the covenants and Will of God as we are?

We have been set aside (Made holy) by this honor/distinction from the rest of creation, or so scripture says. We have a set of rules no other creature/member of creation lives by.

Two things:

1. "We know angels exist." Are you saying "We" as a mankind point of view or a Christian POV? I certainly don't know that angels exist.

2. More importantly, I think you are correct, that from the Bible, Christians should say that those creatures are no better than animals. But, ironically, this is what the problem is! Why would god choose us to be his chosen group when there is a more intelligent organism. There are flaws in logic here. Am I right in saying god chose humans because we were (and still are) the only capable species on Earth to worship him? If so, there is no excuse for not doing the same thing with these ETs. Or has god just done an "Eeny meeny minee mo" with lots of intelligent creatures?"

 

[darknova]

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[drich0150]

Two things:

1. "We know angels exist." Are you saying "We" as a mankind point of view or a Christian POV? I certainly don't know that angels exist.

Why would it be from your POV? You are asking a Christian a Christian related question. So the "We" refers to Christians.

2. More importantly, I think you are correct, that from the Bible, Christians should say that those creatures are no better than animals. But, ironically, this is what the problem is! Why would god choose us to be his chosen group when there is a more intelligent organism.

This statement presumes too much. In that you believe that intelligence is the most God like attribute He can bestow on a being.. Just look at our society Where those who claim to be the "most intelligent" have the least to do with God. Why would you think things would be different if the venue simply changes?

There are flaws in logic here. Am I right in saying god chose humans because we were (and still are) the only capable species on Earth to worship him?

No, The whole of Creation worship God to the extent in which it is capable. The Flowers bloom, the Grass feeds and covers the land, and so on and so fourth.

If so, there is no excuse for not doing the same thing with these ETs. Or has god just done an "Eeny meeny minee mo" with lots of intelligent creatures?"

We all have our roles to play. Not every member of creation can nor will be a prized member of the body of Christ. If the Whole body was an eye, then how would we communicate? How would we eat? How would we walk around? The body is made up of different parts and they all work together for a common Good. We share the Spirit of God through the souls we have been given. No other creature in creation as recorded by the bible has been given this gift.

 

[Sketcher]

...would this change/cast doubt upon your faith? I mean, if there were being equally or more intelligent than us who had no clue about Christianity or anything like it, what would this mean to Christianity and how would priests etc. explain this?

They very may well exist. Their existence has no bearing on what Christianity has to say about God's relationship with human beings on Earth.

Besides, wouldn't it be logical, that if god did make intelligent life somewhere else, he would mention it some time?

There's lots of things that the Bible doesn't mention which are true and don't conflict with Christianity. I don't see why God would need to mention them.

I would be very interested in what Christians would have to say if we were visited by god-less extra-terrestrials who had not even thought about a deity. This is a massive 'if' but nevertheless, would still be interesting.

It's a huge what-if, and even if such a group of aliens could be found, how would you know they wouldn't be analogous to a group of atheists on earth - say for example, some alien communists got a hold of a spaceship. It wouldn't necessarily be an indicator of what that race as a whole believes, or even what is actually correct.

 

[Saved_Youth]

Has anyone here seen the program "Ancient Aliens"? I highly recommend it. I don't believe it will weaken your faith but make it a lot stronger. A recurrent theme throughout the entire show is that our ancestors were not as 'dumb' as we like to think they were. They draw on many biblical references and christian paintings depicting saints with UFO's in the background and ponder on whether or not people in the past have encountered aliens/ufo's.

Take this picture for example.

This show actually strengthened my faith in Christianity. It is also interesting to observe that the Vatican recently held a five day conference concerning aliens.

 

[mulimulix]

Has anyone here seen the program "Ancient Aliens"? I highly recommend it. I don't believe it will weaken your faith but make it a lot stronger. A recurrent theme throughout the entire show is that our ancestors were not as 'dumb' as we like to think they were. They draw on many biblical references and christian paintings depicting saints with UFO's in the background and ponder on whether or not people in the past have encountered aliens/ufo's.

Take this picture for example.

This show actually strengthened my faith in Christianity. It is also interesting to observe that the Vatican recently held a five day conference concerning aliens.

I haven't watched it, but I have seen ads for it. The problem with ancient history, like in this case, is that a couple of paintings isn't enough to come to a definitive conclusion. Am I right in saying the conclusion in the show was not "There were aliens" or "There weren't aliens"? Funny, because this is almost the same reason I don't believe in Christianity.

 

[walkingxshadow]

did not read all the replies but here is my opinion. God is God and can do what ever he wants and doesnt have to tell us anything he doesnt want to. so if he did create another race of beings then so what? its just another part of the grand creation. i think it would be interesting to see what their religious systems are like and if they bare any resemblance to Christianity. the bible was written to and for the the jews and then was expanded to include the rest of the world. maybe these other beings have their own version of a bible that is meant for them. i personally dont think theres anything intelligent out there but it wouldnt shake me to my core and cause me to stop believing. i think itd be pretty neat as long as the aliens are nice and dont just want to eat our brains....

 

[mulimulix]

did not read all the replies but here is my opinion. God is God and can do what ever he wants and doesnt have to tell us anything he doesnt want to. so if he did create another race of beings then so what? its just another part of the grand creation. i think it would be interesting to see what their religious systems are like and if they bare any resemblance to Christianity. the bible was written to and for the the jews and then was expanded to include the rest of the world. maybe these other beings have their own version of a bible that is meant for them. i personally dont think theres anything intelligent out there but it wouldnt shake me to my core and cause me to stop believing. i think itd be pretty neat as long as the aliens are nice and dont just want to eat our brains....

Ok, but what if their religious system (if any) has absolutely no resemblance of Christianity? I bet this would not matter to you. Only if it does resemble yours would it be interesting. Am I right?

 

[walkingxshadow]

to me i wouldnt give it too much thought unless it was horribly violent or something. if theyre are also created beings put out there by God then God may have chosen to interact with them in a different way. i just think it would be interesting to note the differences or similarities.

 

[freezerman2000]

It would not diminish my faith one bit...if anything, it would strengthen it.