Scientists are eager to find a sign of extraterrestrial life - any sign. Billions of dollars and millions of man hours have been spent in this endeavor over the years. The latest attempt is the Phoenix probe that just landed on Mars. Yipee! I applaud the engineering feat, but the goal leaves me less than enthusiastic. In fact, I think it's a bloody waste of time and money. I'd wager that we'll never find a sign of life outside our own biosphere.
While the Bible doesn't specifically address alien life forms, Genesis does make it clear that God created Man and life on Earth. It does make it clear that Man is a special creation and that all the flora and fauna were created for us - to support and brighten our physical existence.
As I am not a devotee of the religion of evolution, it isn't logical that even the tiniest little sign of life would appear anywhere else. It would be meaningless. God doesn't do anything illogical or without meaning.
I think the thought process is that since the universe is so vast, there absolutely must exist, at the very least, the "beginning" of life somewhere out there or signs that life once did exist or that conditions (water) exist that could eventually give rise to the first building blocks of life. If a random process could create life on Earth, surely the odds are that a similar randomness can occur elsewhere.
And wouldn't such a discovery make atheists jump for joy. But, don't hold your breath waiting on that. On second thought, please do.
Archived Comments
orlok ~
There is life outside of Earth.
The father.
Jesus.
Angles.
Demons.
I am sure the demons will be putting on a show for us soon.
BTW-Did you here what the pope said regarding aliens?
May 29, 2008 15:51
AJW308 ~
Just suppose they found abandoned buildings on Mars, long covered in dust, do you think they'd announce it? That would be proof of life, just not what they are looking for.
Some of the conspiracy theories about origins of life entertain me, but are not material to what I believe.
I'm proud my nation can achieve feats like that, but when you look at how many times they've had to try, well, I take that as a sign that NASA's management has been infiltrated by bureaucrats.
May 29, 2008 17:08
Taylor ~
Orlok, I had considered those but here's my thinking. I don't believe that God, Jesus, nor the angels exist in the universe. They exist in another dimension, one we can't reach in this physical form.
Now the demons, I don't know how much freedom of movement they've been given. Maybe they're under "house arrest" and can't leave the Earth and its surrounding atmosphere. Or maybe they don't want to leave our planet since there are no other life forms to inhabit and mess with. I don't know.
And I do believe that any alien activity are those very demons trying their best to mislead us.
Yes, I heard what the pope's astronomer said regarding aliens. He also thinks evolution is a given, and believes in the Big Bang theory. I would expect his Bible is laying in a dark corner of his room, covered in an inch of dust.
But I'm not surprised. The Catholic Church clearly sees the direction this world is taking and it is not about to lose power going against it. It's always been about power for them, not God.
May 29, 2008 20:51
Giraffe ~
If a random process could create life on Earth, surely the odds are that a similar randomness can occur elsewhere.
They have calculated the odds and it is virtually impossible for life to have formed here on Earth. I think that is why they look so hard elsewhere. If they can find it there, it must be more possible than they thought.
It is kind of like a math proof. It always works out if you multiply by zero and add the correct answer.
May 29, 2008 20:56
Taylor ~
Just suppose they found abandoned buildings on Mars, long covered in dust, do you think they'd announce it?
Are you kidding? There would be nonstop coverage of it for a month.
May 29, 2008 21:00
Taylor ~
Giraffe, I think they look for life elsewhere because they don't consider it to be anything special - regardless of the mathematical odds against it. Life is merely molecules that got together under the right conditions, then after millions of years - You've Got Life!
May 29, 2008 21:25
AJW208 ~
They have calculated the odds and it is virtually impossible for life to have formed here on Earth.
As I understand it, you need Oxygen present to form the amino acids that the building blocks of life. However the Oxygen will absorb the UV light and be converted to Ozone high in the atmosphere long before any primordial soup can be created.
May 30, 2008 05:37
Spacebunny ~
Things like this-
I think the thought process is that since the universe is so vast, there absolutely must exist, at the very least, the "beginning" of life somewhere out there or signs that life once did exist or that conditions (water) exist that could eventually give rise to the first building blocks of life. If a random process could create life on Earth, surely the odds are that a similar randomness can occur elsewhere.
and
As I understand it, you need Oxygen present to form the amino acids that the building blocks of life. However the Oxygen will absorb the UV light and be converted to Ozone high in the atmosphere long before any primordial soup can be created.
always make me chuckle. As it only demonstrates that they are not looking for life on another planet, but specifically human life. The scope of their imagination is so limited as to be laughable.
May 30, 2008 06:35
Taylor ~
As it only demonstrates that they are not looking for life on another planet, but specifically human life.
You mean, terrestrial life, don't you, Spacebunny? The evolutionists would be thrilled to see single-celled organisms on some other planet. They could then assume that given enough time, those organisms will eventually evolve into the many life forms we have here. And yes, it would also be understood, with much glee, that human-like conscious life forms would just HAVE to evolve at some point.
I suppose it is the search for human life or it's earliest evolutionary precursor that they're really after.
It's not so much that they lack imagination, but that they so desire to prove that Man is just a fluke - making God null and void.
May 30, 2008 07:28
Taylor ~
Geez, nobody said anything about my drawing. I think my little green Martian is so cute.
May 30, 2008 07:30
Bane ~
Silly girl, Taylor. That whole 'In the beginning' part is actually a terrible translation. Look it up. The Bible has been twisted and warped by people who wanted to believe they were the be-all, end-all of existence, that either deliberately, or out of sloppiness, translated it very crappily. And they have been happily warping it for centuries, to suit their needs and desires.
The exact translation definitely leaves open the possibility of other inhabited worlds, and many verses in the Bible even directly hint that there is a vast crowd of 'others' out there, watching God's experiment unfold here on Earth.
May 30, 2008 23:07
Taylor ~
I'm pretty sick and tired of people throwing in the argument of exact or inexact Biblical translations in these types of discussions. I wasn't around when the universe was created. I have not infinite knowledge. I don't know what people's motives were when translating the texts.
I decided I wasn't going to pick and choose which parts of the Bible I was going to believe. But, I do think that the only way to know the truth is through the Holy Spirit who guides us and using one's head and eyes to observe and discern.
Given all that, I'll stick with my position. If I'm wrong, big deal. The reality of other worlds inhabited by other beings does not affect my reality.
and many verses in the Bible even directly hint that there is a vast crowd of 'others' out there, watching God's experiment unfold here on Earth.
If such beings do exist, I don't expect we have the ability to come in contact with them, nor do I expect God intends any contact between them and ourselves.
Humans get very confused as to who God is when you throw in other beings, especially those who have more powers than we do.
There is only one greater being who came into physical contact with humans, who didn't throw us off track - and God sent Him so we could be the beings He meant us to be.
May 31, 2008 00:16
Billy D ~
Taylor - All the Vatican astrologer was saying is basically, we don't know, and God isn't telling. Not everything is all or nothing with regard to alien life forms, or evolution, etc.
"I wasn't around when the universe was created. I have not infinite knowledge."
BTW - Just my $.02, but I think you have some mistaken ideas about the Catholic church. A lot of negative press over 2000+ years. When I go to mass this Sunday I will ask my priest if I can get an update on how the power grab is coming along though. I've been a member for 40 years, so I may be in line for a governorship!
Jun 02, 2008 21:40
Taylor ~
Hey, Billy.
I can understand your reaction. But I am not going by any negative press. I was baptized in the RCC, among other sacraments, went to Catholic grade school and Catholic high school. Some of my best friends are Catholics and I think Catholics as a whole are just dandy people.
I would love to be secure and firmly entrenched into the mighty RCC, but my faith won't allow it.
And I don't think the RCC needs to go for a power grab, it already has it and they plan on keeping it from all appearances. It does appear that the RCC is more worldy than godly. But that's one woman's opinion.
Jun 02, 2008 23:36
gadfly ~
I understand that the Earth, Moon and sun are all ideally situated to allow life to exist. If the moon was slightly bigger or closer to the Earth, then the tidal forcs would be too great to allow life as we know it.
If it was smaller, then it wouldn't be able to stabalize the Earth's rotation, and the Rotational axis would be wobbling all over the place. if the Earths orbit was more eccentric, then life would be possible. IF the Earth's orbit was slightly closer to or further from the sun, ditto.
Jun 12, 2008 17:12
Jason ~
Hi Taylor, just a minor correction for the writer above. Experiments that form amino acids cannot have oxygen as part of the equation. All evidence available suggests that the Earth has always had an oxygen rich atmosphere. Consequently the supposed process of producing amino acids would not work under real world conditions.
Let's be frank about it. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is just about holding onto funding for the space program. Never mind that very little return on the billions (trillions?) of dollars pumped into the program has ever been seen.
Mar 13, 2009 13:58
Now that's some tasty stuff, right? Just about everyone likes to eat mashed potatoes and gravy. Actually, I'm talking about a whole new style of mashed potatoes and gravy, a very different mashed potatoes and gravy. And the recipe is so simple. You just sit on a plate and take a big shit. OK, it's not really mashed potatoes and gravy but it kind of looks like it, if you squint - and hold your nose.
This new style may not be to everyone's liking but there are quite a few people who just love it. And they really, really resent it when people will complain about them eating this dish. In fact, at one time, the prejudice against eating this new mashed potatoes and gravy was so rampant, that they actually had to eat it in private, secret like. You know, people can be so narrow-minded. Fecesphobes are what they are. Really, it's no one's business what other people choose to eat. Just because they have a different palate than normal people is no reason to discriminate against them. Some people are even born with a craving to eat shit, but others acquire a taste for shit as they grew older.
The fecesphobes don't want this dish served in public. They say that shit has no nutritional value, that eating shit is unsafe and can even kill you. They say that shit isn't even a food and it's quite revolting to watch someone eat shit, not to mention the stink that emanates from it. Well, eating is a basic human function and some people like to eat shit. What's the big deal? And there are plenty of junk foods around that people eat all the time. Hell, some people eat worms and other revolting, stinky things. Why don't they have a problem with that?
As a matter of fact, eating shit is better for you. Obesity is a terrible problem now. All those fat slobs are quite disgusting. A diet of shit will keep you very lean. And there is always shit around to eat. It's very easy to whip up a tasty dish of mashed potatoes and gravy. Fecesphobes are nothing but intolerant haters.
But, after a long, hard-fought struggle, eating shit is finally acceptable. Oh, the shit eaters are making great strides. The new mashed potatoes and gravy are even offered as a food choice in school cafeterias. Children must be taught that eating shit is perfectly acceptable and should be encouraged to try it. We don't want our children to grow up as lard asses, do we? Yes, the social stigma has finally been erased as evidenced by the increasing references to mashed potatoes and gravy on TV shows, even going so far as having characters who are partakers of this delicacy. That wouldn't have been possible twenty years ago.
The shit eaters have a long way to go though before their preferred food is as widely available as other foods. Their goal is that every restaurant and grocery store be required by law to serve or carry their mashed potatoes and gravy dish. They have the right to eat their favorite food as much as anyone else. Please help the shit eaters by writing your congressman, senator, the prez and demand that shit eaters get their right to eat their dish anywhere, anytime and as much they want. Thank you.