And God said,
Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.
-Genesis 1:14

Whether looking with the naked eye or a telescope, the heavens are fascinating and awe-inspiring. Nebulae, comets, meteor showers, and countless stars help to remind us how small we are. But when we look at the heavens, are we seeing a sterile, inorganic universe, with Earth its only inhabited place? Or might there be other life forms out there, just waiting to be discovered? As we’ll see, how we ultimately answer these questions depends on our worldview.

Evolutionary Assumptions and the Fermi Paradox

In an evolutionary worldview, our habitable planet with its solar system, along with all of its life forms, are the result of random chance and natural processes. It is believed that the first single-celled life form spontaneously generated from nonliving matter, eventually evolving into all of the diverse array of plants and animals we see today.

If life evolved on our planet, why couldn’t it have evolved on other planets? In fact, with the potential billions of other possible planets out there, how could there not be life on other planets somewhere? And if those other planets happened to evolve life billions of years before earth, how advanced those life forms must be! We could expect highly advanced civilizations, with superior technology, and who knows, maybe even the keys to immortality?

This is the kind of thought process that comes from an evolutionary worldview. Contrary to evolutionary expectations, though, we don’t see undisputable evidence for the existence of aliens. This is why Enrico Fermi, an atomic scientist, asked the now-famous question: “Where is everybody?” The lack of evidence for the predicted aliens has become known as the Fermi Paradox.

The Problem of the Origin of Life

There is another glaring problem. If we say life spontaneously generating on earth means alien life could have spontaneously generated on other planets, our premise is faulty. Life has never once been observed to have arisen from nonliving material. Not once! There have been numerous experiments to try to simulate the supposed origin of life, but the closest that scientists get is a wrong mix of amino acids. Even the simplest life forms are incredibly complex.

The Problem of Vast Distances

What about the idea of aliens coming and visiting us, as the supposed sightings indicate has happened? We find there is a problem of distance. The closest star to earth besides our sun is Proxima Centauri, at around 4.25 trillion light years away. If you travelled in a spacecraft going 40,000 miles per hour, it would take you over 70,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri. And that’s the closest star besides our sun! To travel such vast distances, greater speeds would be needed. But with greater speed comes more fuel required to reach those speeds, and more fuel to slow down at the destination. And with more fuel also comes more weight.

People have theorized about travel at or near the speed of light. But one of many problems, besides the power to reach that speed, is the extreme danger of having your spacecraft destroyed by colliding with something, even something as small as a speck of dust. As you can see, there are huge hurdles to travelling the vast distances of interstellar space.

Biblical Expectations

So, what does the Bible say? First, the Bible doesn’t mention God creating life on other planets. As Genesis 1:14 says, the stars were created to give light, and for signs, seasons, days, and years. Sustaining alien life is not included in the purpose God gave them. Isaiah 45:18 says God formed the earth to be inhabited. The earth is specifically and uniquely designed to sustain life, and it seems consistent with scripture to assume it is alone in that purpose.

The Gospel and Aliens

The biggest biblical problem for the existence of aliens, however, is the gospel. This is a problem specifically for the idea of intelligent alien life. God made a perfect creation, which was cursed when Adam sinned. At the right point in history, God Himself came to earth and became one of us, fully God, and fully man (Jesus). As fully God and fully man, Jesus died for all mankind, the descendants of Adam, so that all who repent of their sins and believe on Jesus can be forgiven and reconciled.

But what of aliens? They would not be part of Adam’s race. Romans 8:22 describes the creation as groaning under the curse of sin. Why would God create an alien race, let them suffer the effects of the curse of sin they had no part in, and then leave them with no Savior? Some say that maybe Jesus went and died for them, too, but verses such as Hebrews 9:28 make it clear that Christ died for sinners once. The idea of intelligent alien life is completely incompatible with the message of the gospel.

Why Aliens?

So why are aliens so extremely popular today? From universities and scientific institutions to pop culture and media, there is an incredible amount of interest in otherworldly visitors. Why? For people who don’t believe in God, who else do they have to turn to? Many think of aliens as potential saviors, beings who have progressed farther than we have and may be able to help us live in peace with each other. Do some use aliens as a substitute for God?

A Clever Strategy

There have been multitudes of alleged alien/UFO sightings over the years, with the majority being easily explained. Whether satellites, experimental aircraft, weather balloons, or even reflections on glass windows, many “sightings” aren’t anything much out of the ordinary. Some other accounts have so many similarities to science fiction movies that they were probably imagined or dreamed based on what the people had watched. There are some accounts, though, that do seem harder to explain. It is definitely the minority, but there are some that do sound extraordinary. Could these encounters be of a spiritual nature?

Satan uses many things to deceive people. Belief in aliens has been a very successful deception for many. The Bible tells us that he portrays himself as an “angel of light.” How fitting for him to convince people to put their trust in nonexistent alien “saviors,” instead of putting their trust in Jesus, the only One who can truly save. In whom have you put your trust?

语言

English

作者

Denton Ford

出版社

Reaching Out

主题

科学和圣经