Possibility of Aliens even with Christian Theology

[Matisyahu8898]

So, I had a discussion recently with someone who believed that aliens probably exist on other planets. After talking to them for a while longer, I understood that they were a Christian, so I tried to use biblical arguments to shoot this down, since I don't believe aliens exist. I realized that although there were a lot of small oppositions I could raise, there was nothing I could do to destroy the argument. It seemed to me that it's insanely unlikely, and I don't know why God ever would create aliens on another planet, but totally plausible. I wanted to hear other opinions on this, though, so I was not skilled enough to fully defend myself.

Some of the points raised were as follows:
If we're created in the image of God, and Jesus appeared as a human to save us, then wouldn't these aliens have to human like us?
They probably would have to be human, but this doesn't prove anything.

Would these aliens have their own paradise like we did in the Garden, and did they have their own fall, and did Jesus appear to them as well to save them from their sins?
This would have to be true if there were aliens, but this still doesn't prove anything.

When the souls of those who die on the other planet go to the same heaven that we do when we die? And since heaven is only temporary, what happens when heaven comes down to earth to restore the paradise that was lost in the fall?
They would likely go to the same heaven, but when our paradise is restored, so will the other planet's paradise.
(I don't think this argument was fully answered, and I'm not sure it can be answered, but nevertheless, it doesn't single handedly destroy the theory.)

Italics are questions I raised, the bold is what the other person responded with.
Everything is paraphrased, but the full idea is there.

Romans 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all;
(not just all humans here on earth)

Now I feel like there probably is some sort of contradiction to be found in the bible, but Romans 6:10 is the only I can find, and even then, it's not exactly clear, since Paul was not trying to assure his readers that aliens don't exist. Although I think there is something in Revelation that puts a high importance on earth, from what I remember, doesn't allow aliens into the story, but I don't remember it well enough to use it as an argument. I think it was in the last few chapters of Revelation.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Serving Zion]

So, I had a discussion recently with someone who believed that aliens probably exist on other planets. After talking to them for a while longer, I understood that they were a Christian, so I tried to use biblical arguments to shoot this down, since I don't believe aliens exist. I realized that although there were a lot of small oppositions I could raise, there was nothing I could do to destroy the argument. It seemed to me that it's insanely unlikely, and I don't know why God ever would create aliens on another planet, but totally plausible. I wanted to hear other opinions on this, though, so I was not skilled enough to fully defend myself.

Some of the points raised were as follows:
If we're created in the image of God, and Jesus appeared as a human to save us, then wouldn't these aliens have to human like us?
They probably would have to be human, but this doesn't prove anything.

Would these aliens have their own paradise like we did in the Garden, and did they have their own fall, and did Jesus appear to them as well to save them from their sins?
This would have to be true if there were aliens, but this still doesn't prove anything.

When the souls of those who die on the other planet go to the same heaven that we do when we die? And since heaven is only temporary, what happens when heaven comes down to earth to restore the paradise that was lost in the fall?
They would likely go to the same heaven, but when our paradise is restored, so will the other planet's paradise.
(I don't think this argument was fully answered, and I'm not sure it can be answered, but nevertheless, it doesn't single handedly destroy the theory.)

Italics are questions I raised, the bold is what the other person responded with.
Everything is paraphrased, but the full idea is there.

Romans 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all;
(not just all humans here on earth)

Now I feel like there probably is some sort of contradiction to be found in the bible, but Romans 6:10 is the only I can find, and even then, it's not exactly clear, since Paul was not trying to assure his readers that aliens don't exist. Although I think there is something in Revelation that puts a high importance on earth, from what I remember, doesn't allow aliens into the story, but I don't remember it well enough to use it as an argument. I think it was in the last few chapters of Revelation.

Let me know what you think.

It sounds like you've both been watching a lot of Sci-Fi movies with aliens in them

Even if God has created life on other planets, I don't see any sound reason to expect that it should necessarily be like earth, where there is a humanoid "in the image of God", and even if there were, there is no sound reason to expect that it should have been subjected to fall under sin and require a sacrifice of Christ as earth has done..

It's all speculative anyway, but this is what I see in your logic. Some assumptions have been made that don't necessarily need to be made.

 

[Rescued One]

It sounds like Mormonism --- a non-Christian religion.

"In recent years, with advanced telescopes and other instruments, scientists have begun to search not just for stars but also for planets around those stars. The number of planets discovered is growing rapidly. As of March 2013, the number surpassed 900, and some appeared to lie in the same habitable zone as our earth. The number of planets in our galaxy alone could easily be in the hundreds of billions. Considering that there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the visible universe, the number of planets is so large as to be incomprehensible—truly worlds without number (see Moses 1:33–35).

"And scattered among them, as the Prophet Joseph Smith testified, are worlds whose 'inhabitants … are begotten sons and daughters unto God' (D&C 76:24; see also Joseph Fielding Smith, Out of the Darkness, Ensign, June 1971, 2)."
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/08/worlds-without-number?lang=eng

 

[Matisyahu8898]

It sounds like you've both been watching a lot of Sci-Fi movies with aliens in them

Even if God has created life on other planets, I don't see any sound reason to expect that it should necessarily be like earth, where there is a humanoid "in the image of God", and even if there were, there is no sound reason to expect that it should have been subjected to fall under sin and require a sacrifice of Christ as earth has done..

It's all speculative anyway, but this is what I see in your logic. Some assumptions have been made that don't necessarily need to be made.

I agree that they wouldn't have to be human and in the image of God, but the animals and plants here on earth given to Adam, and Adam would care for them. Why would God put animals on other planets if there aren't humans there?

 

[Greg J.]

There isn't anything solid in Scripture as most people know. However, there is this:

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (Romans 8:19-22, 1984 NASB)

IMO, All creation fell when Adam sinned, because God gave authority over the earth (= physical realm IMO) to mankind. All creation will be restored/recreated after Judgment Day. Scripture indicates everywhere that all these things are tied to humans. However, one can argue that God revealed himself through the Bible to reveal himself specifically to earthlings. Who knows what else he could have done?

 

[Matisyahu8898]

It sounds like Mormonism --- a non-Christian religion.

"In recent years, with advanced telescopes and other instruments, scientists have begun to search not just for stars but also for planets around those stars. The number of planets discovered is growing rapidly. As of March 2013, the number surpassed 900, and some appeared to lie in the same habitable zone as our earth. The number of planets in our galaxy alone could easily be in the hundreds of billions. Considering that there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the visible universe, the number of planets is so large as to be incomprehensible—truly worlds without number (see Moses 1:33–35).

"And scattered among them, as the Prophet Joseph Smith testified, are worlds whose 'inhabitants … are begotten sons and daughters unto God' (D&C 76:24; see also Joseph Fielding Smith, Out of the Darkness, Ensign, June 1971, 2)."
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/08/worlds-without-number?lang=eng

I know what you're referring to regarding Mormonism, but I'm approaching this from a different angle. The biggest difference being that there is one God above all still. One creator of the universe, and that same God would rule above all plants if indeed there are aliens on other planets, but I don't think there are aliens. Unlike Mormonism where there is one god per planet, and those gods were once human as Mormonism states, "As man is, god once was."

 

[ewq1938]

Aliens are any life forms that didn't originate on Earth so by definition God and the angels etc are aliens....are there other aliens created like us by God that are non-angelic? Perhaps...the bible doesn't speak of such things but it's a bit of arrogance for humans to think we are the only creations God made to inhabit a world especially given just how many worlds God did make.

 

[Serving Zion]

I agree that they wouldn't have to be human and in the image of God, but the animals and plants here on earth given to Adam, and Adam would care for them. Why would God put animals on other planets if there aren't humans there?

"And God saw that it was good" - light, land, plants, species.. God did things that He decided to do, and He saw that it was good. I don't believe the entire purpose of creation was to make a world for the humans .. (there is no partiality with God).

I did this word search for "saw good" in Genesis, and it's interesting that the problems came when Eve saw that the fruit of the tree of knowledge was good, and the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good.

It's interesting in fact, to see that in Genesis 6:11-13, God says He saw only evil in the hearts of mankind .. and He was so grieved, that He regretted making them - He was moved to wipe all flesh from earth. This is happening again in the present day, just as Jesus said the increase of sinfulness would cause the love of many to grow cold, and as a consequence, the activity of God dries up (God is love - He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him). As a result of that, faith suffers and mankind becomes increasingly wicked.

 

[Tutorman]

I do think there are aliens out there. There are to many worlds that have been created for there not to be.

 

[Greg J.]

@Tutorman, I don't consider that logical, although I understand it can seem reasonable. The fact that there are roughly 10²² stars out there doesn't mean anything without also considering the probability of life. It seems to me that scientist Hugh Ross' calculation of the probability of sentient life is the sort of number I would expect (and is very arguable, of course): 1 chance in 10^300. Without doing real probability math, based on Dr. Ross' number, we can suggest that with 10²² stars, the chance is still only 1 chance in 10^278 of life arising by chance in the universe. That is far, far less likely than all kinds of things we use the word impossible for. Because of that, I'm comfortable saying that it is (scientifically-speaking) impossible that mankind came about through randomness. (A sample size of 1 is statistically meaningless. i.e., the fact that we exist cannot be used in probability calculations)

For those challenged by large numbers:

The chance of winning the Power Ball Lottery in the article below (Jan. 4, 2018) was 1 chance in 292,200,000.

1 chance in 10^278 is comparable to the chance of a person winning the next 32 Power Ball Lotteries in a row (buying only 1 ticket each). I.e., mathematically possible, in practical terms, "impossible."

7 Things That Are More Likely to Happen Than You Winning Powerball

 

[Serving Zion]

It's the gambler's fallacy anyway: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/the-gamblers-fallacy

God is the originator of life, not chance: Isaiah 65:11.

 

[Bobber]

It always makes me smile when I see secularists so very much wanting to find other life. I think to many of them they'd feel they could rebuke the religious people who think there could never be other life existing. Funny it would be if advanced aliens appeared and said to the people of the Earth, "How is it that all you people aren't worshiping the God of Heaven?" I suspect SETI might stop that message from getting out and close their doors forever. "Nope...we never found life and it's our thinking we never will!"

 

[Greg J.]

The Gambler's Fallacy doesn't have anything to do with my post. My calculations are based on the probability of a series of independent events happening.

 

[Greg J.]

It always makes me smile when I see secularists so very much wanting to find other life. I think to many of them they'd feel they could rebuke the religious people who think there could never be other life existing. Funny it would be if advanced aliens appeared and said to the people of the Earth, "How is it that all you people aren't worshiping the God of Heaven?" I suspect SETI might stop that message from getting out and close their doors forever. "Nope...we never found life and it's our thinking we never will!"

Pretty much.

 

[Bobber]

I do think there are aliens out there. There are to many worlds that have been created for there not to be.

Maybe it all depends how you look at it. God made a garden in Eden, beautiful but the goal was they had to replenish the earth and subdue it. This gave them a goal to release their creative expressions...just like God. What would have happened if man didn't sin.

The Earth would have been replenished and then what? Just hang around with nothing to do? Well maybe the goal was then to go outward to the stars and replenish the universe. The Earth would have been like a home base, like a seed, a mustard seed.

Though it be small it'd effect something great...the whole universe. Maybe just maybe that agenda will be picked up yet after all sin issues are dealt with. So the vastness of space may not be a proof there has to be something else out there....it could mean it was the place where mankind forever was to replenish other worlds and develop like the Earth.

 

[Serving Zion]

The Gambler's Fallacy doesn't have anything to do with my post. My calculations are based on the probability of a series of independent events happening.

You said "life arising by chance", which we know of course, is luck and fortune.

Besides, we have far too little data to establish that there is a reliable pattern or rate for life spontaneously appearing .. therefore, it can only be the gambler's fallacy.

 

[Rescued One]

I know what you're referring to regarding Mormonism, but I'm approaching this from a different angle. The biggest difference being that there is one God above all still. One creator of the universe, and that same God would rule above all plants if indeed there are aliens on other planets, but I don't think there are aliens. Unlike Mormonism where there is one god per planet, and those gods were once human as Mormonism states, "As man is, god once was."

The quote from Joseph Smith and others I've run across suggest that the supreme God (Father) of this earth is the God of the aliens and the Mormon Jesus is their Savior.

 

[Greg J.]

You said "life arising by chance", which we know of course, is luck and fortune.

Besides, we have far too little data to establish that there is a reliable pattern or rate for life spontaneously appearing .. therefore, it can only be the gambler's fallacy.

The Gambler's Fallacy is thinking independent events have an effect on each other. Since I only made reference to one event, I don't see your point. However, it's moot. I know life didn't arise by chance. I was just contributing a thought to the thread, taking the viewpoint of someone who doesn't think God created mankind. My point was that the atheistic viewpoint of life arising by chance is properly described as "impossible." Trying to rely on the idea it is actually mathematically possible requires rejecting all human perception of what is reasonable.

 

[mmksparbud]

So, I had a discussion recently with someone who believed that aliens probably exist on other planets. After talking to them for a while longer, I understood that they were a Christian, so I tried to use biblical arguments to shoot this down, since I don't believe aliens exist. I realized that although there were a lot of small oppositions I could raise, there was nothing I could do to destroy the argument. It seemed to me that it's insanely unlikely, and I don't know why God ever would create aliens on another planet, but totally plausible. I wanted to hear other opinions on this, though, so I was not skilled enough to fully defend myself.

Some of the points raised were as follows:
If we're created in the image of God, and Jesus appeared as a human to save us, then wouldn't these aliens have to human like us?
They probably would have to be human, but this doesn't prove anything.

Would these aliens have their own paradise like we did in the Garden, and did they have their own fall, and did Jesus appear to them as well to save them from their sins?
This would have to be true if there were aliens, but this still doesn't prove anything.

When the souls of those who die on the other planet go to the same heaven that we do when we die? And since heaven is only temporary, what happens when heaven comes down to earth to restore the paradise that was lost in the fall?
They would likely go to the same heaven, but when our paradise is restored, so will the other planet's paradise.
(I don't think this argument was fully answered, and I'm not sure it can be answered, but nevertheless, it doesn't single handedly destroy the theory.)

Italics are questions I raised, the bold is what the other person responded with.
Everything is paraphrased, but the full idea is there.

Romans 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all;
(not just all humans here on earth)

Now I feel like there probably is some sort of contradiction to be found in the bible, but Romans 6:10 is the only I can find, and even then, it's not exactly clear, since Paul was not trying to assure his readers that aliens don't exist. Although I think there is something in Revelation that puts a high importance on earth, from what I remember, doesn't allow aliens into the story, but I don't remember it well enough to use it as an argument. I think it was in the last few chapters of Revelation.

Let me know what you think.

It all depends om what you mean by aliens! If you mean just creatures that are not of this earth---God and all His angels are aliens! Jesus is not for He was born here as a human. Angels were created long before any human was. We are not told of other creatures on other worlds.
God is a creator God. It is Jesus that created everything ---

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The bible says

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.


Nothing states that this is the one and only planet He created with creatures of some sort in it. He created this Galaxy with this planet on it---I believe this Galaxy is more or less---quarantined from the rest of the universe---we are diseased, we have the contagious disease of sin, with Satan the carrier, and he is the prince of this world. There is nothing stated that God did not make other forms of life on other worlds-----there are millions of them and many, many, many galaxies. We are the ones made in His image, we are the ones that fell. Nothing is stated that all those other worlds are not populated with unfallen beings, like the unfallen angels. There, is in fact, a slight indication that there may be other inhabited worlds.

Job_1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job_38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?


The whole universe sang for joy when Jesus created this world. All His angels and, possibly, other created beings. Satan went to what amounts to a heavenly meeting of the leaders of other worlds, a heavenly conclave, and Satan came as the representative of this planet.
If by aliens you mean those grotesquely ugly science fiction monsters that have 3 cucumber fingered hands that couldn't hold a football but have created flying machines requiring extremely dexterous fingers with opposing thumbs, that wish to kill us-----nope. If there are unfallen beings up there--they are smart enough to stay away from here. We have not one, single, solitary thing that they would want. And the whole universe has seen what Satan and his followers lead to---they all saw it at the cross.

 

[Tolworth John]

someone who believed that aliens probably exist on other planets.

Either there is life out there or there isn't.

If there is alien life it either knows about God and worships him, as in c.s. lewes's scifi books or is ignorant of God.

If they don't know about God then we have a duty to go and tell them.

Forget everything you've seen in films we do not have the technology to go to the stars.
They equally don't have the technology to reach us.

That being the case it is highly unlikly that God would create a race that could never hear about Jesus.

May I suggest reading:-
https://creation.com/alien-life-ufo-questions-and-answers
or http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/spacewardetect.php
where you can learn about traveling in space and how everything you learnt from films about space travel is wrong.