“There is simply no evidence for life beyond Earth”
30 years ago there was no real proof of planets around other stars. What is your point? Because we dont have a method to detect it yet, it means it isn’t there?
“yet for some reason people completely discount the possibility that the Earth is unique. In fact they mock anyone who holds that possibility might be true.”
Because those people are called idiots. They are providing no basis for their position whatsoever. And yes most of the absurd points being made on this thread are being made around some supposed biblical view that God made life only on Earth and people should stop right there....because reasons.
Well, I’m not an idiot, and I will try to resist the temptation to stoop to name calling.
Now as to the argument that there was no evidence of other plants orbiting stars years ago, I could counter that there was no evidence that unicorns existed then either, and I doubt there will be many centuries from now. It seems to me that the numbers argument is persuasive, but not conclusive. I believe the estimates of grains of sand on Earth exceed the number of stars in the known universe, or at least the estimate of those stars which might have a planetary system capable of supporting life. Yet no naturally occurring grain of sand will be found in the shape of a cube, with six sides of the same size flat, at ninety degrees to each other, within the tolerance achieved by a skilled machinist using a non-CNC milling machine. No matter how many tons of sand are sifted through, factors beyond numbers prevents such a discovery.
If it turns out that life exists only on Earth, it might be evidence of the existence of God, but not proof. On the other hand, life on other planets does not necessarily mean God does not exist. It’s perfectly rational that an infinitesimally small chance of the exact combination of factors for life to arise, or perhaps survive, occurred only once.