September 22, 2014
Current Events
According to NASA, it’s highly unlikely we are the only intelligent life in the solar system and very likely we will discover what we consider “alien life” within the next 2 decades. As of now, there are 3 big telescopes searching for signs of habitable conditions in space: The Hubble, Spitzer and Kepler Space Telescope. In fact, NASA thinks advancements in telescope technology should help confirm the existence of other life on at least 1 of the 100 million worlds in our galaxy.
“Small planets are extremely common…1 in 5 sun-like stars may have a planet that is favorable, not too hot, not too cold but just right for life,” said MIT professor Sara Seager. In fact, in a universe with 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of millions of stars, it is unlikely that earth is the only place where life has evolved.
For some, extraterrestrial life would be greeted with open arms. The thought of a much more advanced world sharing technology, cures to illnesses, the secrets of the universe and more would be nirvana. Still, others believe an advanced society might not think of us as equal partners and could step on us in the same way we squash an irrelevant insect.
Noted scientist Stephen Hawking is one of those people and he believes if we ever receive contact from an alien world, we should ignore the call. According to Hawking, it may not be the friendly hello we want it to be, but rather the end of civilization as we know it. “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,” Hawking said.
Current Events
However, what would the existence of alien life do to the concept of Christianity? According to the bible, God created Adam and Eve in His image and as the first beings to ever exist anywhere. If additional worlds are discovered to have existed long before, many people would be forced to completely rethink and reexamine their spiritual beliefs. For them, extraterrestrial life would be a huge religious disappointment.
What if there truly is a world (or worlds) in existence aside from earth? What if they all know about each other and we’re the only ones unaware? What if time travel and/or alternate universes and/or heaven was somehow connected to these alien worlds?
Do you believe we may not be alone?
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