What will happen to Christianity when we finally confirm ET?

a reply to: coldkidc

Genesis is not just the alleged literal account of the creation of Earth and life on Earth, but of the whole Universe. It mentions all the stars but doesn't mention a single planet other than Earth.

a reply to: Snarl

Here's a question if I may (not trying to derail, mind you. Ignore if you want.). If the known universe is 13 billion year old, and everything came out of The Big Bang, and the Earth was part of this Big Bang ... How can the Earth be only 4 billion years old?

That's pretty easy actually...

Look at any nebula... stars are being born as we speak...

Planets come along with that in most cases as we've recently found

originally posted by: Akragon
Extra terrestrial life is not compatible with Christianity...

What kind of ET's?

the ones from Ridley Scott's (Alien)

or the one from Steven Spielberg's (E.T.)

or... Close Encounter of the Third Kind?

originally posted by: Akragon
Extra terrestrial life is not compatible with Christianity...

The belief that all life in the universe started here is fundamental to Christian belief structure...

Adam was the first man, created by God from dust... but before that...

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Life was created on the third day with the emergence of plants... except

More then likely, Life was in other places in the universe far before it was here...

So what happens to the belief structure when we finally meet and confirm the existence of intelligent life beyond this little blue rock?

Obviously its only a matter of time before we know for sure...

Will Christianity conform to reality?

Or

Will they consider them "devils" which I've heard so many times?

I wonder...

I'm Christian, and I believe in ETs. I think it's quite arrogant to think of all the galaxies out there, WE are the only form of life in the universe. Now, I don't know if God IS ET, or if God created ETs as well. I guess I will discover that when I get a chance to ask Him/Her/It. I believe in keeping an open mind.

originally posted by: guitarplayer
What do you mean? How does it errant the word of God?

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: guitarplayer

Hard to reconcile with the "inerrant word of God" wouldn't you say?

Well it seems to me that an all powerful God would not leave a "gap" in his holy word...

Devils advocate for now

a reply to: Akragon

So it would only invalidate Christianity if the alien civilization was older than the Earth then right?

a reply to: Bone75

Where does it say that God stopped with Earth?

Where in the Bible does it say he didn't?

It says he rested. It's left at that cliffhanger.

Maybe the other planets, and alien life, will be included in the sequel to the Bible. Any word on when to expect that?

There are clues through out the bible. The position is that when God created everything it was good the by the time of the fall of satan it threw the universe into chaos.
a reply to: Akragon

originally posted by: guitarplayer
Have you ever heard of the gap theory? In gen one it says God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was void and without form. Isa says that God does not create in parts but in fullness. So there is a gap between gen 1 and gen 1 so to say.
a reply to: Akragon

Start at the 1 minute mark to bypass the intro and go right into it.

In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (In the beginning whenever that was nobody knows)

The Earth then Became Wasted, Void, and Dark

The 6 days follow


MINDSHIFT: In the REAL Beginning

www.youtube.com...

originally posted by: Lucid Lunacy
a reply to: Akragon
Christians are very good at modifying their interpretation of scripture to accommodate change.

I don't think the confirmation of alien life will harm their beliefs.

As for considering them 'devils'. Should they show up to our planet I think there is a good possibility the religious will freak out, assume it's the Biblical end of times, even if they show no signs of malevolence.

I don't believe everything is demonic, but my uncle was one of those. I took a soda out of my aunt's closet when I was 5 and my uncle told me I was going to burn in hell for stealing. My aunt lit a fire under his butt for talking to me like that at that age. My uncle was ultra religious though because he had a lot of very severe health problems and he turned to religion to validate why he was the way he was, if that makes any sense. He had very severe neurofibromatosis. Very severe.



Plus he also had severe epilepsy, and severe acid reflux making it difficult for him to hold food down. So a lot of health problems. I think he turned to God to deal with them, but he "overdid it", so to speak. But to each his own.

originally posted by: coldkidc
a reply to: Akragon

So it would only invalidate Christianity if the alien civilization was older than the Earth then right?

Im not saying it would invalidate Christianity in any case... Only Fundamentalism in the religion really...

And if an alien civilization made itself known, it would have to be far older then ours...

Of course we would have been much further along in technology if the church didn't condemn anyone with new ideas a few hundred years ago... but still, for the most part as far as we've found, "aliens" would have mastered Light speed travel... to get here within any reasonable time

The thread title suggests that the existence of ETs is already a fact, simply waiting to be made "official". You are accepting the existence of ETs based on what you think must or should be. In reality, very few people claim to have experiential knowledge of ETs--the only type of knowledge that would confirm anything.

So if you don't have experiential knowledge of something, yet you accept it as fact anyway... isn't that along the lines of something we call "faith"?

But we don't even know what ETs are. Are they like us, having simply evolved on a different planet earlier than us, thereby having more advanced technology? No one knows. Are they extra-dimensional? No one knows. Are they demons?? No one knows. If the ETs showed up and said they were just like us but from somewhere else, why would you believe them? If they were demons, I would expect them to lie to us.

Anyway, point being that no one really knows what they are or even if they are (really). The OP accepts the existence of ETs on little more than faith, while not-so-subtly taking a cheap shot at Christianity.

The irony.

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: Snarl

Here's a question if I may (not trying to derail, mind you. Ignore if you want.). If the known universe is 13 billion year old, and everything came out of The Big Bang, and the Earth was part of this Big Bang ... How can the Earth be only 4 billion years old?

That's pretty easy actually...

Look at any nebula... stars are being born as we speak...

Planets come along with that in most cases as we've recently found

LOL. This is gonna be fun. I've got to run in a minute, but I'll be back 15 - 30 minutes later.

Nebulae are stars which have blown up (usually ... I guess some people say they're other things as well). And stars ... I don't think anyone's actually witnessed a 'birth' yet. Lots o'speculation ... but, sorry ... nothing tangible.

Again ... why can the Earth only be dated to 4 and half billion years. Einstein ... matter can neither be created not destroyed ... Converted to energy and then reconverted back to matter ... Would that re-set something's definitive age?

originally posted by: Akragon

originally posted by: coldkidc
I've always wondered why people say this...

What exactly makes Christianity exclusive to a non-alien existence and why would the existence of aliens invalidate Christian beliefs?

Technically it invalidates Judaic beliefs, but Christianity holds to the same book...

Which I've already explained in the OP... Life started here according to the bible

Now see I'm Christian, but I'm also a thinker. The Book was written by man. Man is infallible. They can leave things out they don't agree with, and add things. Plus think of all the tons of translations that Book has gone through, what has been left out by accident in translation? I ask these questions of priests in the past and have gotten kicked out of churches for it. Apparently you are not allowed to be Christian and think for yourself.

a reply to: NthOther

I only accept the existence of Alien life, and intelligent life based on the size of the known universe...

Its completely impossible that life only exists here, and IF we evolved into intelligent self aware life...

its most definitely happened else where...

Personally I call it, Not being naïve...

a reply to: NthOther
No. That's a black and white fallacy. It's not either experiential knowledge or it's faith. There is another. It's called highly probable. You're right we don't know it for a fact. We don't [or maybe some do!] have experiential knowledge of this. Yet what we know of both the size and nature of the Universe points to alien life being very very likely. That's not blind faith.

originally posted by: Akragon

originally posted by: Bone75
Where does it say that God stopped with Earth?

Also you should change your title to "if" instead of "when".

Well there is a verse in the bible that says the Sun stood still, but that isn't really the topic...

And I think i'll leave the title as it is... we will find alien life eventually...

Many people believe they're already here... idk wtf they're doin but they're hangin out

Maybe they're observing, determining if we are worthy of saving? Sometimes I doubt it, myself.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Apparently you are not allowed to be Christian and think for yourself.

That depends on the flavor of Christianity you're raised in...

but for the most part this is true

originally posted by: Lucid Lunacy
a reply to: coldkidc

Genesis is not just the alleged literal account of the creation of Earth and life on Earth, but of the whole Universe. It mentions all the stars but doesn't mention a single planet other than Earth.

You have to remember, Man wrote the Book. So we're going by Man's account, not God's. Personally I'm sure when God created the stars, He was creating planets as well as other galaxies. (That's just my take.)

originally posted by: NthOther
The thread title suggests that the existence of ETs is already a fact, simply waiting to be made "official". You are accepting the existence of ETs based on what you think must or should be. In reality, very few people claim to have experiential knowledge of ETs--the only type of knowledge that would confirm anything.

So if you don't have experiential knowledge of something, yet you accept it as fact anyway... isn't that along the lines of something we call "faith"?

Yeah that is pretty weird...

People accepting the unseen like because they seen it on a movie or something or in a book?

The bible may not directly address "Aliens" but I think it instructs Christians on how to compose themselves and deal with the acceptance of "life in the universe" when it is in fact discovered?

*The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.