Alien Ideas: Christianity and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

CRISIS magazine via CERC ^ | BENJAMIN D. WIKER

[Doctor Stochastic]

What experimental evidence indicates the difference in Creationism and Intelligent Design?

[MHGinTN]

I like the way you expressed that, re. 10,000 years ... I've often wondered, perhaps we are but the first to make it this far and there are myiad others accomplishing it as we continue, and by the time we have developed some form of exploitation of energy and forces and no longer rely on electromagnetic pulses, we will be invisible to them when they search for us 10,000 years from now.

[Cvengr]

It might be noted that man was formed in body, made in soul and created in spirit in the image of God.

Note that after Adam, all man had to suffer death as a penalty for sin. Death in Scripture frequently means a separation. For a bodily death, a separation of soul and spirit from the body. For spiritual death, a separation from God.

Note that unlike man, the angels ahd been created without death. It has been summised from study of Scripture, that since Satan and the fallen angels have already been condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, and that decision made in prehistory, that man's role in this affair is simply evidence testing in a cosmic appeal. Man essentially provides massive evidence in the angelic conflict that His judgment is not only immutable, but just.

In the case of angels, or other creatures, the issue of redemption assumes those creatures had sinned or had come into live as a consequence of sin. Just because God's grace provides a Kinsman-Redeemer for man, doesn't mean the relationship of other creatures with God is identical as Man's relationship with God.

Discovery or identification of 'aliens', especially when they fit the descriptions and characteristics of demons, by no means destroys the Word of God. On the contrary, many of the independently reported testimonies of such encounters are remarkably consistent with Scriptural settings of angelic attributes and conditions.

[Cvengr]

You bring out some great points, especially regarding immateriality of angels. For example Lot in Sodom, giving host to visiting angels, seen by others and lusted after by the homosexual Sodomites.

Also consider the miracles of Christ, such as walking on water, making the fishes and loaves. These issues never get very well addressed in many studies other than their mystery. I believe there is a balance to consider these events wihout becoming gnostic which is better understood by studies of the Holy Spirit and discerning the meaning of faith and belief.

[Valin]

On This Day In History
1900 1st prize of 100,000 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians excluded-considered too easy

[Boiler Plate]

I thought those were rather strange books, I didn't really care for them.

[Centurion2000]

bump

[TopQuark]

I am glad you liked it.

It's true: the first hardship that comes to mind is covering enormous distances. But then it appears that it's not all, that time is also of the essense; the very need for the journey may disappear by the time of its compeletion. A discouraging thought, isn't it?

[Boiler Plate]

Quite possibly for the same reason that we aren't spread out all over the galaxy ourselves. The speed of light limit, and the enormous energies or time needed to traverse the galaxy put an enormous barrier to its exploration. Those barriers may be untranscendable, making them as difficult for others as they are for us.

Maybe the didn't eat the apple and are still living in Eden. Why bother leaving if it can't get any better?

[Valin]

Second, if there are intelligent aliens, why aren't they here?

And what makes you think They're not? < /Art Bell> :-)

As far as life on other planets...sure why not. Maybe even intelligent life, maybe the fall didn't happen.

Not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you can imagine
A Einstein (I believe)

[FreeLibertarian]

I'm sorry, but that is such a pig-ignorant, arrogant statement it almost defies belief.

Pigs are not ignorant but the author of the article certainly is an idiot.

[FreeLibertarian]

Quite possibly for the same reason that we aren't spread out all over the galaxy ourselves. The speed of light limit, and the enormous energies or time needed to traverse the galaxy put an enormous barrier to its exploration. Those barriers may be untranscendable, making them as difficult for others as they are for us.

Understanding and harnessing Zero Point energy and the related physics will overcome those limitations.

[A.J.Armitage]

Because they don't know how to power such an object for that long, can't guarantee a minimum reliability over that long a haul, and can't afford to build it in the first place.

How would you know?

[A.J.Armitage]

None of that matters. If we go to Mars, it's not so we can enjoy the great Martian civilization.

Settlement and colonization is what I have in mind.

[TopQuark]

Settlement and colonization is what I have in mind.

That well may be, but that's not what you said:

if there are intelligent aliens, why aren't they here? That is what I tried to answer.

[MHGinTN]

Our spacetime isn't the same as that of the Angels, yet their spacetime is but 'an arm's length away'. When we learn to make contact with their spacetime from our spacetime bubble that protects us, we will likely have access to the vastness now unreachable in the flesh. I don't think real colonization will occur until that where/when ... I don't think our concept of distance and temporal limits will be the hindrance they are now, when we discover how to access the spacetime realm in which Angels dwell.

[A.J.Armitage]

Don't pull that with me.

I said no more about visiting or making contact than I did about colonization. That comment includes both. To say you answered "what I said" in your answer to a partial component of it is simply dishonest.

[Salvation]

**The Evidence of Absence**

This brought a chuckle to me. Seems like an oxymoron. Evidence -- Absence

[TopQuark]

Well, I did the best I could. Now that you uncovered my dishonesty, I'd better stop lest you find more of my sins.

HAve a good night.

[Dumb_Ox]

While you're waiting for the new movie, the article How Hobbits and Company might really exist, touches upon the salvation of non-human intelligent beings, including aliens and elves.