Let's dispense with the ceremony and get down to it. Who believes? Who doesn't? Why or why not? And when I'm talking about life, it can be anything. Sentient life, one-celled organisms, a piece of moss, flower, Alien or Predator, or something human beings couldn't even fathom because God is God.If you're bold enough to answer with anything more than the token Rich Pearce response of, "I don't know," then come with it. I mean, we're in The Realm of friggin' Possibility, are we not?
[NOTE: And as long as we're dispensing with stuff, we may as well dispense with any acrimony as well. Let's try and keep this civil. I realize I'm an Ignoramus of the Third Kind when it comes to flirting in this kind of territory, but it's never stopped me before. And who knows? If we get more people commenting than the regular or semi-regular four to six people that occasionally (and some even more than that) comment, there's all kind of room for opposing viewpoints, and some that may have factual basis. So if you really know what you're talking about here, please show mercy and kindness to those who may not know so much as you. But don't be afraid to answer. Thanks.]
14 comments:
I'm Rich Pearce, and I'm coming with my token response of, "I don't know."
Just kidding.
Actually, I believe that part of God's personality is that of a Creator. He loves to create. I have no evidence, obviously, other than if you believe in His Creation as the Bible tells, which I do (although as I've discussed some with codepoke on a separate post, I'm not sure about Old Earth or Young Earth but may lean toward Old), then it shows His creativity here on Earth (and in creating the universe, etc.). But I wouldn't be a bit surprised, as C.S. Lewis hinted in Magician's Nephew, that even if there isn't life other than us in the universe we know -- and I probably think there is -- there are at least other dimensions or something I may have no clue about where other "life" exists.
Once again, call me whacky, but that's what I think.
existing in perhaps another dimension (or, perhaps Mississippi)
LOL!
It's just hard to believe that God has existed for all eternity and its all about us.
I'd say it's more about Him than it is about us ;).
With that said, if God created other things, were they fallen creatures and would/did Jesus die for them? Would/will he need to?
Those are good and interesting questions to ponder. I need to go back and check up on exactly what Paul wrote about the Fall and its effects upon all creation. To me, that would be all creation we know, but I'm definitely "O Ye of Little Knowledge" here.
From a scientific standpoint as far as any of the satellites we've sent out, I'm correct in saying we've found zero, zippo, nothing so far, right? Maybe evidence "suggesting" that there may have been water on Mars or something like that, but we've never discovered other life. I mean, if we had, boy would I look foolish writing this post, now wouldn't I?
My vote:
Nothing in scripture precludes there being life out there, but I don't think it exists. If it does, though, we will find it after the redemption of all things.
I think the heavens are out there for us to explore, again after the redemption of all things.
Wait a minute.
Are you saying that there are other planets??
Prove it.
Kevin or Scot,
I think Ken's question is directed at one of you.
Hi y'all,
I like Diane Duane's idea, or at least the ones presented in her series. (plug plug)
According to her world, The Fair and the Fallen (satan) caused entropy and death. He, in some form or other, went to each beginning civilization of each planet and offered them his 'deal'.
Whether or not they took his deal, there are people (wizards in her terms) who are there to fight him on all levels in everyday life. "I greet you with defiance," I believe is one of the things the characters tell him.
All that to say, I think there could be life out there. Not x-files kinda life, but life. I've also wondered whether or not we were the only peoples to be tested in a garden setting.
And what is the New Heaven and the New Earth about in Revelation?
Wanda
Wanda,
Believe it or not, we have a similar concept to Diane Duane's - although different enough to be safe - with our backstory to Crown of the Summerhavens, and just how the two worlds, Summerhaven's and the fantasy world, fell in the Great Chasm. Other worlds are involved as well as far as our major antagonist is concerned, but of course, we only are concentrating on the one or two, rather, that are connected.
I can prove there's a Mississippi, and there used to be water on Mars: QED
Codepoke:
Of course there's a Mississippi. I married one of those aliens from Clarksdale. :o)
Wanda
There may be other creations (physical or not physical) existing in perhaps another dimension (or, perhaps Mississippi) that are created based on a different aspect of God's image.
Then perhaps you can tell us which aspect of God's image the Clarksdale aliens represent.
And do they come in peace?
You know, this was actually my attempt at a serious post...
Maybe we need a little more acrimony.
OK, my semi-serious reply. And hopefully, that's as serious as I'll get while visiting the Realm.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
I think that this places God outside creation as Creator. And I agree with C.S. Lewis that creation includes the frameworks that govern the physical heavens and earth that He created like the concept of time.
Therefore, when we try to understand God in terms of concepts that were created to govern a creation that He is outside of, it doesn't work.
So, when we talk about what God might or might not have created, we first have to determine whether the concept of creation is also created by God in the context of the biblical creation (natural) OR if instead it is a revelation of His overall (supernatural) character independent of the biblical creation.
If it is the former, then we can't talk in terms of "what else God spent his time creating" because then we are binding Him to the principles of time and creation which He created within the creation context. And without these terms, we are just left not being able to describe or even comprehend God outside his interaction with the only frame of reference that we can understand.
This I think gives one an inkling of the immense magnitude and boundlessness of God. Which I believe is helpful to a certain degree, but I believe that God has shown through His other interactions that He desires us to understand a little more than that.
So, I think that for the very reason that he is such an awesome God, this provides Him with the ability to "dumb something down" for us within our creation-bound (natural) framework that is still absolutely accurate about His non-creation bound (supernatural) personhood.
This being that the latter option is either inclusively or exclusively true as well and creation also serves to reveal to us a part of His supernatural nature, that of Creator.
And I think that His creation of other supernatural, eternal, non-biblical creation creatures, such as angels, back this assertion up.
However, given this, I still believe that the known or unknown physical universe, including but not limited to the planets is all a part of "the heavens and the earth" described in the account of the biblical creation.
Therefore, any aliens which populate these planets, I believe would also have been part of this same singular act. However, the existence of other creations of a supernatural kind, neither implies or rejects the existence of natural ones anymore than they limit God from having created other supernatural beings outside the ones that have interacted with his biblical creation.
It also does not prevent God from creating beings that cannot be described by our creation-bound minds at all.
I do not think that it makes logical sense, however, that these beings or the supernatural creatures would live within the context of the natural world, on a physical location like planets.
All this said, I think that any life which inhabits other planets would have been part of the biblical creation account and would therefore have been part of the Fall just as the rest of the biblical creation was. And since Christ was sent to Earth to redeem those lost because of the Fall, I'm inclined to think that there is no life on other planets that was created in God's image with a redeemable soul. However, there could be life in the form of plants, animals, or some other unknown-to-the-planet-Earth type of soulless creatures.
But that's just my opinion.
Now, that's more like it. I don't understand it. But it sounded serious, and it sounded thought out. Not to mention, I think this little post might have gone to # 1 in our most popular (although it should be stated that 9 of those comments, and this might be 10, came from you and me - but WHO CARES?).
BTW, I was just kidding about not understanding your comment. I got you, and I don't think you and I are that far apart in our thinking. Imagine that! You could be right!
Good comment (in all seriousness), Ken.
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