(5 min read)
Aliens. Those little grey people that come down on flying saucers…right?
Growing up, I understood that was what conspiracy theorists and people with tinfoil hats believed in. As time has passed, though, a few things have occurred that brought the idea back to my mind: the National Intelligence Agency declassifying instances of UAPs, even a congressional hearing where high-ranking military officials recovered “non-human biologics.”
Now, I couldn’t tell you where I stand on the question, “Are there other forms of life in our universe?” However, I think it is essential for Christians to think critically and engage with the information presented to us, even if it is contrary to what we once believed. A wise person once said, “It is the mark of the educated mind to entertain an idea without accepting it.”
Why we should talk about Aliens
You may wonder, “What good is it to entertain this concept?” My response would be that it’s like a vaccination: when you expose yourself to ideas that seem far off, you and your faith can grow.
Let's say that ten years from now, it turns out that aliens are real; you could be in a position where your faith is shaken (for reasons detailed below), or you could be in a position where you can offer hope and peace to others (because you have already been down this road before).
So, let’s talk about it.
And by “it,” I mean Aliens.
The Problems With Believing in Aliens
Intelligent life presents theological challenges that the thoughtful Christian will have to consider:
- Are they made in God's image?
- What part do they play in God’s ultimate plan for the world?
The Bible begins by describing how God created the heavens and the earth. Amidst all his creation, humanity alone is defined as something “made in his image.”
If conscious life exists on other planets, would they also be “made in his image”?
If they are made in God’s Image, are they impacted by the fall and, therefore, in need of redemption?
C.S. Lewis has a series that entertains this exact question. In it, the main characters are transported to another planet before it falls and are tasked with stopping that from ever occurring. The answer to this question could impact how humanity interacts with this new species.
If they need redemption, did Christ die for them as well?
Here, we find a particularly tricky idea: If they have fallen, they need redemption, but does that mean Christ’s death also saves them? Or did Christ incarnate into their world, live a perfect life, and die for their sins as well? If this were true, then would it be the case for every alien race? Did Christ incarnate and die countless times on each planet with sentient life throughout the cosmos?
Alternate forms of life present the issue of intelligence. If they are wildly superior to us as a society from a technological standpoint, why would we not assume their worldview/theology is also not superior?
To present a hypothetical situation: what if a technologically superior race contacts Earth, and you get the honor of grabbing coffee with them? While enjoying your cup of joe, you ask them what they think about God, and if they respond that God was a delusion that their society had earlier on but outgrew as they developed. If they turn out to be intellectually superior, if they are the big fish in the small pond (as we have gotten so used to feeling like), then it would be intellectually dishonest not to consider their worldview simply because it does not mirror our own.
Finally, aliens present the issue of Inspiration. If they existed, why didn’t the Bible say anything about them?
Sure, Christians love to pick out that verse in John where Jesus famously said, “I have sheep that are not of this pasture” (John 10:16), but in light of Acts, that verse most likely means other people groups outside of Judaism. If aliens land on Earth, I, for one, would wonder why the Bible hadn’t said something more explicit about them (a little heads-up would have been nice).
A Framework for Alternative Life
Some believers have responded to this question by reasoning that the Bible does refer to sentient life (angels and demons). While I disagree with that specific point, it does imply something true: the Bible has the habit of expanding our view of the World without explaining it.
What do I mean by that? Sometimes, God’s word opens a can of worms and then lets it sit on the table. Think of 1 Samuel 28, where Saul visits a witch and uses her to raise his mentor, Samuel, from the dead. This is a surprising turn of events because if we are to take the Bible seriously, then that means that there is a dark power out there in the world powerful enough to raise someone’s spirit from the dead!
You might think this was merely a trick, or even some spirit masquerading as Samuel, but (1) The narrative gives NO information that would lead us to draw this conclusion, (2) He acts precisely as Samuel would have, and (3) he even gives a prophecy that came true! So…is necromancy a thing? I'm not sure; it's just a can of worms…
Or think about the New Testament; there is a girl possessed with a spirit who follows around Paul and proclaims divination about who he is. What is weird about this instance is that the text states explicitly that she was possessed by a “snake spirit.” When we study this text even more, we realize that the culture in that day had a story where a slain serpent god would possess a woman and speak divination through her. Paul cast the Spirit out; Christ is Lord over all, but that leaves the thoughtful reader wondering…was that urban legend onto something?
To make a long story short, the person who honestly reads the Bible never walks away with a “small” view of creation, but rather a “large” view of creation and an even “larger” view of God.
If you feel confident in your understanding of the world and if it fits into a neat little box, then you may not be living with a Biblical View. There are plenty of other stories like this that I call “Worm can stories” that I would be glad to share later.
A large and wonderful world
Cognitive development theory states that moments of growth occur for individuals, like stacking books on a shelf. There comes a time when a new book is introduced onto a shelf when there is no room left. When this occurs, “growth” is dismantling the bookshelf to build a bigger one.
What if discovering alternative life led us to a larger view of the cosmos and God’s redemptive plan?
New Testament Scholar NT Write once observed that any time Heaven is described, it is an external force invading our present reality. What if God’s redemptive work included, maybe even started here, but was much greater than we could have imagined? What if God’s plan to make a new Earth does include a new “heavens” or “cosmos?”
With this thought experiment, there are certainly questions that we won’t have an answer to. The existence of aliens might give us a book that doesn’t fit on our shelves, but maybe it is because those shelves were too small to begin with.
Photo by Marat Gilyadzinov on Unsplash
Login To Leave Comment