The search for Intelligent Life

1). Personally I think it likely that there is life elsewhere in this universe, and in other ones if in fact we inhabit a multiverse. Humans have always had an egocentric view of the universe. We thought that it was created for our benefit, that the earth was the center of the solar system (and by extension the universe), and that the earth was a totally unique entity not present elsewhere in the universe. All of the above is false.

We also used to think that every light in the sky was a star when in fact they were almost entirely galaxies, each with millions of stars and God knows how many planets each. And there are billions and perhaps trillions of galaxies. What is the likelihood that only earth has life on it and we are the only intelligent beings?

2). The origin of life from inorganic material seems ludicrously unlikely. It’s so unlikely that I suspect that there is some unrecognized natural force that drives it in that direction. There is so much in the universe that we do not understand and I suspect there are several types of natural forces and laws that we have not begun to grasp. Is there some mysterious natural force that increases the likelihood of inorganic material combining into self replicating units? And how do it know?

It is only recently that we have understood that time is a dimension, that space expands and contracts, and that there are probably more than four dimension. We can theorize that they exist but we haven’t the slightest clue what they would look like. We exist amidst Donald Rumsfeld’s "unknown unknowns."

So, yeah, I think life elsewhere is probable and - even though the spontaneous onset of life is impossibly unlikely - since it happened once it probably has happened again and again.......................Luca

Call me dogmatically skeptical on this issue. I firmly believe we are alone in the universe. Despite billions of dollars and decades of searching, no evidence of intelligent life has ever been found, and the requirements for life to even exist are so astronomically high that it seems to rule out other Earth-like planets that could support intelligent life.

And there's some serious theological problems with this as well, not the least of which include original sin, the singular event of the Incarnation, and Christ's unique role as the one mediator of redemption and salvation.

God created the universe for us and man is made in His image. That's all.

If there is evidence to the contrary, it has not been provided.

I believe that God is omnipotent...more than powerful enough to create/oversee/nurture more than just this one planet. The video below does not represent God Himself, but rather what may be part of God's hierarchy. For those of you unfamiliar with Babylon 5, it was a sci-fi show about a United Nations type space station filled with people from many different planets.

This scene shows how different peoples, saw different things, based upon the way they have understood God and his angels to appear. Kind of reminded me about the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles who began speaking "in tongues."

Every species on Babylon 5 saw, in ethereal Kosh, what their religion told them of high sentient beings - humans saw Archangel Michael, Minbari saw Voleri, the Centauri saw their version of that, and so on, and so forth. Brilliantly done. 

Sorry to have misled you, MDDad...

However, in all candor, I can’t say I did not consider that possible interpretation.  One might even suggest I purposefully worded it that way.  😲

I’m open to the possibility. First, as the Professor said, God is way capable of creating and sustaining other inhabited planets and, if we accept His creation of us was the perfection of which only He is capable, I expect “they” will be very similar, if not identical to us.

i do agree with your final statement, though:  Such evidence has not been provided insofar as I can determine... so why has it not?  My feeble brain can only figure a couple of reasons:

• The Bible and all our research into origins and existence is meant for us and such evidence is irrelevant; or
• There is no other life in the universe; or
• God was purposeful in excluding such evidence and doesn’t want us “interfering” in other creations, or even finding them.

Mathematically, if we ever find mold or fungus on another planet within our limited view, it all but guarantees there is more advanced life on other planets.  The sheer number of galaxies, stars and planets makes it almost inconceivable that there wouldn't be.

And Dave, perhaps the reason we have found no evidence is because in relation to the size of the universe, we haven't seen past the end of our nose.  If you look only in your closet and don't find an elephant, it doesn't mean elephants don't exist.