1 – Introduction
2 – Instantaneous Creation
3 – Recent Creation
4 – Starlight, Star Distances, and the Speed of Light
5 – Genesis Is Scientific
6 – Creation versus Gradual Evolution Debate: a Summary
7 – Naturalism versus Super-Naturalism
8 – Big Bang Theory
9 – Astronomy and Academia
10 – Astrology: Earth at the Center of the Universe?
11 – Life on Other Worlds? And Conclusion
Appendix 1: Outline of the Days of Creation
Appendix 2: Scientists’ Opinions on Big Bang Theory
11 – Life on Other Worlds? And Conclusion
Considering the vast number of planets in the cosmos, it is logical to think that a few could possess the kind of conditions (as we have on Earth) that can sustain life. And this leads to the idea that maybe there are other inhabited planets in the universe. But if that is the case, it should not be of any great concern for humanity now.
In a future age, when the human race has matured and God has restored the heart of humankind and removed the curse, and we have learned to rule ourselves justly, righteously, and according to God’s plan, then that would be the time, if God wills it, for us to interact with other worlds if they do indeed exist. Or, if it so happens that we find there are no other civilizations but there are planets capable of supporting life, then will be the time to colonize them.
In the meantime, it is a vain exercise to speculate much about extra-terrestrial, intelligent life on other faraway worlds. For one thing, if such beings exist, they will only exist because God created them. Or for that matter, if any such life-sustaining planets exist, they too will exist because God created them.
(Because of the complex set of conditions needed to sustain life, such an environment would have to be the result of Divine design. That is a big subject beyond the scope of this study. But here is a helpful study on this called “There’s No Place like Home” by Dr. Danny R. Faulkner.)
For one world to interact with another, that would be an extraordinary event. We can explore and discover, as scientists are well qualified to do, but we have to remember that much of that exploration and discovery happens under God’s guidance; He is the one ultimately in control.
The world’s greatest scientists, because they were firm believers in the Almighty, made path-breaking advances in scientific knowledge. Past scientific discoveries and thinking were enhanced and reinforced by scientists’ desire to glorify God. But modern scientists seem to want to go in the other direction. So it is hard to imagine that God will allow the search for extra-terrestrial life to get very far.
With our present-day lack of appreciation for God’s handiwork, it is difficult to see why God would even want us to interact with other worlds if they exist. Humanity’s search for extra-terrestrial life seems to spring from ignorance of the reality of God or from an unwillingness to acknowledge or trust in God. Rather than deal with Earth’s looming catastrophes, we would rather pin our hopes on salvation coming from somewhere else in the cosmos.
We have enough difficulty trying to take care of our own planet and dwell on it peaceably and rule over it wisely, so why should we concern ourselves with what is going on in outer space, or with whether or not there are other worlds out there similar to ours? Even if other worlds do exist somewhere in those vast outreaches, it doesn’t seem likely that God would allow humankind to discover or contact them in our present stage of spiritual growth and enlightenment. It’s interesting to speculate about such things, of course, but it shouldn’t distract us from the real purpose of our existence.
That is to say, we should not ignore the fact that our earthly lives are a sort of proving ground. Earth is like a battleground for the war between the forces of good and evil, the godly spirits and angels of Light versus the demons of Darkness. Our universe was created as a sort of alternate realm where Satan and his imps could exercise their influence (here instead of there in the Celestial Realm).
And they’ve turned our realm into a mess. As a result we, God’s created beings, have become a mess and are lost and separated from God and His realm. Thankfully, through the work and sacrifice and Resurrection of Christ, we have been given a way to return into fellowship with God and the Heavenly Realm.
So it is true that there are “aliens” – not from outer space, but spiritual beings who dwell in the spiritual realm and remain unseen by us for the most part. These are the “aliens” whom we must either cooperate with or contend against. And it is where the focus of our attention should be: a spiritual seeking of contact with them – the good spirits of course – so that they can direct our minds and actions towards taking better care of the world we live in now.
Conclusion:
In this series of posts we have examined the naturalist view of origins and the idea of a next-to-eternal universe and found them to be shaky in many aspects. We have also looked at some startling evidence of a recent formation of the cosmos and have even considered some evidence pointing to our Milky Way galaxy being located at the center of the universe.
In this secular age, such ideas are denounced as incredible or ridiculous. But when we take a hard look at the naturalistic theories of the origin of the universe, we find that they fall quite easily into the category of incredible and ridiculous. This is not surprising when theories about the cosmos try to imagine the universe coming into being by itself without God.
Some of the main issues that plague our minds these days and seem to cast doubt on the authenticity of the Genesis version for the origin of the natural world are the following:
1) Did God create life or did life come into being by itself?
2) Are human beings the direct creation of God, or are we the evolutionary descendant of apes?
3) Is earth’s topography the result of millions of years of gradual erosion or a result of the cataclysm of the Great Flood?
4) Did God create Earth and the universe in a few days or did they create themselves over billions of years?
The question comes down to, what does one want to believe? If one wants to believe that God created us and the natural world we live in, there’s plenty of evidence. If one doesn’t want to believe that, well, there’s always some lingering doubt or loophole to latch onto. And the science world and academia will, regrettably, be all too happy to furnish material that would seem to cast doubt on the role of the Almighty in the formation of the natural world.
However, contrary to what is commonly promoted in education circles today, there is a wealth of science and evidence available – in this study and the series of posts in Retrieving Our Lost Heritage and in other Creationist websites – so that if one wants to believe, he or she can know there is plenty of reason to do so.
