A poster in another thread said that the only extraterrestrials are God and the angels. Obviously, I’m assuming he bases this on biblical authority.
But does the Bible specifically rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial life? Or is it possible, within the context of the Bible, that God created other worlds with their own races as well as creating Earth and humanity? I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in the Bible saying this happened but is there anything that specifically says it didn’t?
No need to post “The Bible is just a myth.” I already believe that. I’m just asking what it says.
There’s very little actual mention of what goes on in space in the Bible. The most references to Jewish astronomy occur in Job, where they are largely poetic.
Any mention of beings in the heavens (night sky) is undoubtedly intended to signify the stars or constellations, or the gods commonly worshipped in the region. The “hosts of heaven” is taken to be either the stars (or their gods) or the angels, depending on where it’s used, and not anybody living on them.
Job 38, for example, has this passage:
(NKJV, which unfortunately ditches the fantastic line “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades?”)
That passage incidentally is probably the best Biblical answer for whether there are extra-terrestrials. It’s a question that God only knows, neither explicitly allowed for nor ruled out. Only if you subscribe to a ‘it’s not mentioned in the Bible, therefore it cannot have existed’ mindset would you reject the possibility.
Christian writer C.S. Lewis, of course, wrote his best fiction based on the idea of extraterrestrial dealings with God, in the Cosmic [Space] Trilogy. Clearly they’re meant as speculative, but he imagined a world that was ancient but had never fallen (Out of the Silent Planet) and another one that was still in an Edenic state and might receive Salvation in an altogether different manner than Earth did (Perelandra).
I don’t think the people at that time had any concept that the Earth was just one world among many or even that the sun was just a star. A few ancient Greek scientists like Aristarchus had the concept but that was very specialized knowledge.
The bigger theological question I’ve seen is, if there is extraterrestrial sentient life, then did Jesus die for their sins too, or do they need another savior?
Also, I know a guy who believes that angels and demons are actually extraterrestrials, and another who believes the opposite–that any extraterrestrial life would be demons pretending to be aliens.
Unsurprisingly, I share your enthusiasm for this book series. I’d just like to add that Mars did fall, in its way, but not very far - Malacandra-Oyarsa himself dealt with the situation - whereas Venus did not fall (thanks to Ransom) and so would not require salvation - but if it had, matters would have been all the worse.
Did you ever read this? (I borrowed a copy of The World’s Last Night many years ago, but I don’t own it.)
Curiously, while I’m not aware of anything in the Bible that would contradict the possibility of extraterrestrial life, it does indeed (supposed you believe it) give a fairly clear hint on its existence - right in the first verses of Genesis, where the text has life (i.e. plants) created before the sun, indicating (again, if you accept it as true) that at least simple life forms are probably rather common.
As the catholic.net link says, they might have never fallen at all, and thus not need saving thankyouverymuch. That would crank the guilt trip up a notch, the Catholics would *love *that
I have always taken John 14:2 (“In my father’s house are many rooms”) to refer to other planets and other sentient life forms. Earth is one room, there are many others. If I am misguided, what is the mainstream interpretation of that passage?
That must be it. God decided to put cryptic, ambiguous messages in the Bible when it came to one of the most important details in the universe. He was just too busy specifying what fibers could be worn together.
If you understand the Bible as a guideline for life on earth, the question of extraterrestrial life might very well qualify as one of the least important details in the universe.
It is entirely possible, perhaps even vastly more probable than not, that Man will never have the slightest need to know whether there is other intelligent life in the universe; or, at any rate, is not in the least danger of meeting or usefully communicating with such.
But hey, ten posts in before the snark started puts us ahead of the game.
Actually, I think the Bible, at least the NEW testament has alot to do with getting along together and treating each other with kindness and respect. Once we figure out how to deal with EACH OTHER we will be more able to handle a six foot atichoke named “Jhgfyt7rn” with a 3700 IQ.
I was taught more-or-less the latter as a child. UFOs are real, and piloted by aliens. Humans are created in God’s image. Therefore, aliens are not created in God’s image, and are therefore either demons or creations of Satan. Therefore, UFOs are piloted by demons or Satanic creations.
I’d just like to add that Mars did fall, in its way, but not very far - Malacandra-Oyarsa himself dealt with the situation - whereas Venus did not fall (thanks to Ransom) and so would not require salvation - but if it had, matters would have been all the worse.
