NASA turns to religious scholars to prepare humanity for alien contact

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A.Joseph

Puritan Board Senior
Anybody get that call?
“Detection [of alien life] might come in a decade or only in future centuries or perhaps never at all, but if or where it does, it will be useful to have thought through the implications in advance.” :detective:
 
I'm ready for it. I'm already a believer in aliens. I'm a rational thinker, but many years ago a friend and I saw a UFO very close to us. It was amazing. We saw the lit up windows all around it. Any aliens must be created beings, so that doesn't hinder my view of God. I am very curious though as to why they have not directly communicated with humanity yet.
 
I'm ready for it. I'm already a believer in aliens. I'm a rational thinker, but many years ago a friend and I saw a UFO very close to us. It was amazing. We saw the lit up windows all around it. Any aliens must be created beings, so that doesn't hinder my view of God. I am very curious though as to why they have not directly communicated with humanity yet.
Not sure if serious.
 
I believe that there are human beings, elect angels, and fallen angels but no other created beings.
My old pastor had a professor at Knox seminary who had an alien poster hanging up in his classroom that said "I'm a believer."

If a respectable reformed scholar can believe in them, I guess I can too.
 
I’ve actually been thinking about the ‘question’ of intelligent beings on other planets, because my daughter texted me some questions. Some thoughts:

Any being with a rational soul would be one made in the image of God, yes?

Any being created in the image of God must be one created with a free will, as was Adam?

Such a being would of necessity have to undergo a period of probation as Adam did and… succeed where Adam failed?

I think the Scriptures plainly show this earth and the heavens as being the stage for God’s work of creation. I mean, he rested after this work and instituted the Sabbath as part of his moral law…
These things and more give us to know that as far as intelligent life and living souls, God chose this planet alone to display his works of creation.
 
I’ve actually been thinking about the ‘question’ of intelligent beings on other planets, because my daughter texted me some questions. Some thoughts:

Any being with a rational soul would be one made in the image of God, yes?

Any being created in the image of God must be one created with a free will, as was Adam?

Such a being would of necessity have to undergo a period of probation as Adam did and… succeed where Adam failed?

I think the Scriptures plainly show this earth and the heavens as being the stage for God’s work of creation. I mean, he rested after this work and instituted the Sabbath as part of his moral law…
I completely agree with your line of reasoning, as it is mine, as well. There are rational beings, though, that are not made in God's image (i.e., angels). Other than that, your argument is exactly where I land.
 
Other than what Jeri said, my position is this: extraterrestrial life is real. They are called angels. Beyond that, my favorite statement on this subject comes from Robert Reymond:

Hundreds of the world’s space scientists are spending vast sums from their nations’ treasuries trying to make meaningful contact with imagined rational beings living in deep space. It is an extremely questionable undertaking for many reasons, but the insatiable thirst for a word to us from another world drives them on in a pursuit that has to date yielded nothing.

The Christian church believes that it already possesses such a word from “outer space,” or, more accurately, a word from beyond space, even from the Triune God of heaven himself.​
—Robert Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 2nd ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1998), 2; emphasis original.​
 
Anybody get that call?
“Detection [of alien life] might come in a decade or only in future centuries or perhaps never at all, but if or where it does, it will be useful to have thought through the implications in advance.” :detective:
No I definitely don't believe in Aliens though we did chase them around with a friend for a few years before we were Christians. Its easy to convince yourself especially if you don't have the Word of God or the Holy Spirit. Our friend had an instrument that detected electromagnetic energy and reckoned it alerted him to their presence. What I'm worried about is a sudden message from the 'Aliens' instructing us all ect through the Christian, Islamic and Jewish leaders. You can just imagine the scenarios and scams they could use playing this one on the people. God help us. Stick to the Word of God. It's got all we need for Life and Godliness 2 Peter 1:3.
 
I doubt the existence of intelligent life outside of earth but if it were discovered it wouldn’t hurt my faith at all. Deuteronomy 29:29.

I do think there could be plant and animal life out there, ready for the day man lands there if that were ever possible.
 
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The west has been given a new religious icon to adore.

Do others here see something spiritually nefarious in all this increasingly common mainstream talk of "Hey folks! We're about to make contact with extra-terrestrials!"? I am seeing a lot more of it lately, and I can see the Rulers of this World using it as yet another weapon to attack Christ and His Church by weakening peoples' Christian faith even further. So not only am I skeptical about the claims of ET life itself, I am even far more skeptical with regard to "what are the powers-that-be up to this time??"

Just my € 0.018.
 
Do others here see something spiritually nefarious in all this increasingly common mainstream talk of "Hey folks! We're about to make contact with extra-terrestrials!"? I am seeing a lot more of it lately, and I can see the Rulers of this World using it as yet another weapon to attack Christ and His Church by weakening peoples' Christian faith even further. So not only am I skeptical about the claims of ET life itself, I am even far more skeptical with regard to "what are the powers-that-be up to this time??"

Just my € 0.018.
I would say that most of us would say that earth is the center of God's created universe in the sense that earth is where God shows His ultimate glory in His Son's sacrifice. However, we are seeing more talk of UFO's and aliens in our culture and media.

This brings up a question for me. Should we as Christians have an answer from our Christian worldview as related to UFO's and aliens? I would say so. That article points out that NASA is employing 'religious scholars' for an answer. When they try to blend the worldview of UFO's with 'religious scholars' who are not Christian, many can be led astray.

I think that in some ways Christians not having an answer for this topic hurts our message of God to the world. Unbelievers scoff at the idea that we can talk about the Creator but not have an answer for video footage that our government releases or the eye-witness testimonies. Not that we should focus on this topic, but it's a good practice in my opinion to at least discuss it and how it relates to our worldview.
 
Do others here see something spiritually nefarious in all this increasingly common mainstream talk of "Hey folks! We're about to make contact with extra-terrestrials!"? I am seeing a lot more of it lately, and I can see the Rulers of this World using it as yet another weapon to attack Christ and His Church by weakening peoples' Christian faith even further. So not only am I skeptical about the claims of ET life itself, I am even far more skeptical with regard to "what are the powers-that-be up to this time??"

Just my € 0.018.
Yeah I think I see that as well. Especially because this is being viewed as highly scientific and intelligent stuff we're dealing with, and it's becoming very recognized within the scientific community, military, and political establishments. It's becoming very mainstream, which I don't see how it couldn't be. There are so many unexplained phenomena happening in our airspace, and none of us have any idea what it is. The implications of this are huge, depending on what the truth is.

As a Christian it is not going to affect my faith either way. Even if there is intelligent life other than humans, they are obviously not God. I do understand that it would be more difficult to fit alien life into the biblical worldview, but nonetheless I'm sure it can be done. I definitely think the idea of extra-terrestrials is becoming more normalized and not suppressed or ridiculed anymore, so we are probably blazing into new territory as humans.
 
I think that in some ways Christians not having an answer for this topic hurts our message of God to the world. Unbelievers scoff at the idea that we can talk about the Creator but not have an answer for video footage that our government releases or the eye-witness testimonies. Not that we should focus on this topic, but it's a good practice in my opinion to at least discuss it and how it relates to our worldview.
Yes, I agree. When there are credible videos and testimonies, and a Christian's only response is that that is an angel or demon, that makes us a laughing stock and seems so out of touch with reality.
 
Yes, I agree. When there are credible videos and testimonies, and a Christian's only response is that that is an angel or demon, that makes us a laughing stock and seems so out of touch with reality.
How akin is this to the credible evidence we are shown for evolution in an old earth, (for instance), which we deny by faith? Are we not just as much a laughingstock for that and many other things we can only know by revelation?

I agree that it will be good to search the Scriptures and learn how to speak wisely to these claims of extra-terrestrials and such.

(By the way Ryan, I saw a similar thing in my teens as you describe. Frightened me. But I never thought it was an extra-terrestrial/alien thing and there’s a reason for that.)
 
Why are we so quick to ascribe unexplainable phenomena to beings that God has never said that he created (aliens) as opposed to ones that he has (angels)? If Satan can masquerade as an angel of light, why can he not masquerade as some stupid flying object.

I have to fully confess, I think the idea of aliens is complete and utter garbage, a colossal waste of time and spiritually unprofitable.
 
Why are we so quick to ascribe unexplainable phenomena to beings that God has never said that he created (aliens) as opposed to ones that he has (angels)? If Satan can masquerade as an angel of light, why can he not masquerade as some stupid flying object.

I have to fully confess, I think the idea of aliens is complete and utter garbage, a colossal waste of time and spiritually unprofitable.

I agree with your post here. One thing that keeps occurring to me as I think about all this is how any supposed encounter with supposed extra-terrestrials will be interpreted through the lens of SCIENCE, further reinforcing the modern/post-modern idea that SCIENCE is the only possible key to understanding such encounters. ANYONE who tries to appeal to anything Biblical, will be mocked and ridiculed. And I am willing to bet that none of these "religious consultants" that NASA has hired will toe a traditional, biblical line, but will immediately presuppose that SCIENCE is the only way to explain what's happening. Their job will be to formulate some new ethical paradigm based on this "new scientific data" under the patina of religiosity.
 
How akin is this to the credible evidence we are shown for evolution in an old earth, (for instance), which we deny by faith? Are we not just as much a laughingstock for that and many other things we can only know by revelation?

I agree that it will be good to search the Scriptures and learn how to speak wisely to these claims of extra-terrestrials and such.

(By the way Ryan, I saw a similar thing in my teens as you describe. Frightened me. But I never thought it was an extra-terrestrial/alien thing and there’s a reason for that.)
Thanks for your good points!

So there are literally thousands of eyewitnesses who have claimed to see UFOs. Some of them are gigantic, like 100 yards across. Some people have even claimed to see these things up close. Our own military I believe is now saying out of many cases they investigated, only a few of them they were able to determine what they were.

Something really strange is happening, and that is a fact. As far as we know it is not technology that humans have. And these things that are seen are vehicles, with lights, shapes, materials, and other things that are not spirit by nature.

If we are constantly seeing angels and demons in the sky, why are we not seeing them here among us? The biblical examples of such spiritual beings generally take some sort of living form. The Bible does not describe them as looking like flying discs, airships, and things alike.

I don't feel I need to try to convince somebody about this, as I think in time we will know more. But I do think we should be open-minded, and ready to shape our Biblical worldview based off of reality.

I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, but as of right now ETs just seem like a plausible reality to me.

Blessings to you!
 
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Even though Seraphim Rose was a convert to the eastern church, he did write a decent book that dealt with, among other things, the topic of UFOs entitled "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future."

Writing in the mid-70s, when UFOs were becoming all the rage (as I remember so well, having grown up in the 70s-80s), Rose noted that the thirst for UFOs was just another anti-Christian religious phenomenon bound up with the modern world. Even though the modern world prides itself on abolishing religion, we are religious by nature and, once the Christian God is rejected, all sorts of other transcendental and mysterious beings will fill the void, and their meaning will be explained by the scientists, as SCIENCE is viewed as the only way to attain Truth.

As he put it, "Science fiction has given the images, evolution has produced the philosophy, and the technology of the 'space age' has supplied the plausibility for such encounters" in this new UFO-religion. He also noted that many of those adherents of this UFO-religious phenomenon, rather than thirsting after the Christian God, instead (quoting Jacques Vallee), have a "great thirst for contact with superior minds that will provide guidance for our poor, harassed, hectic, planet."

None of these adherents would believe that Christ can save us ....but these aliens can.

What he said back in 1975 I think still holds true today with regard to all this talk of extra-terrestrial encounters.
 
Even though Seraphim Rose was a convert to the eastern church, he did write a decent book that dealt with, among other things, the topic of UFOs entitled "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future."

Writing in the mid-70s, when UFOs were becoming all the rage (as I remember so well, having grown up in the 70s-80s), Rose noted that the thirst for UFOs was just another anti-Christian religious phenomenon bound up with the modern world. Even though the modern world prides itself on abolishing religion, we are religious by nature and, once the Christian God is rejected, all sorts of other transcendental and mysterious beings will fill the void, and their meaning will be explained by the scientists, as SCIENCE is viewed as the only way to attain Truth.

As he put it, "Science fiction has given the images, evolution has produced the philosophy, and the technology of the 'space age' has supplied the plausibility for such encounters" in this new UFO-religion. He also noted that many of those adherents of this UFO-religious phenomenon, rather than thirsting after the Christian God, instead (quoting Jacques Vallee), have a "great thirst for contact with superior minds that will provide guidance for our poor, harassed, hectic, planet."

None of these adherents would believe that Christ can save us ....but these aliens can.

What he said back in 1975 I think still holds true today with regard to all this talk of extra-terrestrial encounters.
This could be a reality, but just because something can become an idol, that doesn't make it any more or less objectively true.
 
ready to shape our Biblical worldview based off of reality.
And what is the reality? You saw something and we've heard reports of other people seeing something, and we've even seen videos and stuff put out by others and by the government. But as always, we need a biblical approach to how we think and speak about these things. Do you have any thoughts on the issues raised earlier re: the fact that any intelligent being must be a rational soul created in God’s image; and if that being is not an angel or a devil, it can only be one of us?
 
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Do others here see something spiritually nefarious in all this increasingly common mainstream talk of "Hey folks! We're about to make contact with extra-terrestrials!"? I am seeing a lot more of it lately, and I can see the Rulers of this World using it as yet another weapon to attack Christ and His Church by weakening peoples' Christian faith even further. So not only am I skeptical about the claims of ET life itself, I am even far more skeptical with regard to "what are the powers-that-be up to this time??"

Just my € 0.018.
Yeah, I think it’s a joke. A sad, desperate joke. Gatekeeping and manipulation tactics.
 
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