Life on other planets

[ebia]

I doubt that they counted all the grains of sand either.

Why on earth would you need to?  You can count how many in a bucketful and calculate from there.  Also bear in mind, that not all counting has to be done by hand - computers are pretty good at counting things.

Astronomy is just about the most ancient of the sciences - modern astronomers are very aware of the assumptions they make and have very good reasons for beliveing them to be valid.

Posted by: Royo  Posted on: Today at 11:14:39am  
First off, I think your first response was excellent Hiedi.
As for life on other planets, I don't think so. And this is from what I feel the scriptures say.
We are told that God created the heavens and the earth, and then He created man because He wanted children.
The Word says that at the end, God will burn up the heavens and the earth, and create a new heaven and a new earth, and that we will live with Him for all eternity upon this new earth. This leads me to believe that life exists only on the earth, where we will live with Him forever.
I do not claim revelation about this; it is just how I see it.
Love in Christ. Roy.  

Why on earth (sorry   ) shouldn't all that apply equally well to other "earths" as well.

What if on a planet far far away the local Adam and Eve never ate what passes for an apple there? What if there was no tree with a serpent in it to tempt Eve. What if the local version of Adam never fell?

Jack Lewis aside, that presupposes a literal Adam and Eve who have to be literal antecedents of us all, rather than representing our individual seperations from God.

Thanks, Royo. I also tend to believe that there is no life on other planets. Even if there is, it is obviously not something that God deems important enough for us to chase after or He would have placed more emphasis on it.

Maybe He did, but in a way that will only become clear when we have the capability of doing so.  Its unbelievably presumptous to assume we now have all the understanding we will ever have.

I tend to think not. I think He made this endless universe to reveal His glory, but I do believe God has an infinite number of other equally endless universes and that there is life there.

Irrelevent point, but the universe may be very very big, and expanding, but it isn't endless.  Or, more precisely, it isn't infinite.

[Allinall]

As I am wont to do, I must refer to the scriptures for my understanding on such matters:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.


Genesis 1:1-19

I find it very interesting that in the creation, such a huge portion of that work is relegated only these words: "and the stars."  While we are not the center of the universe, we are the express crown of that universe according to scripture.  That being so, why such an expanse of stars in the heavens?

The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

The "heavens" are there to declare the glory of God.  Anyone who has ever done any investigation on the stars and such, and has faith, will see the wonderous painting of His glory that God has given us.  

The stars aren't there to support other life.  According to God, they simply declare His glory to man.

[Saved_4ever]

Oh joy I always love professed Christians that don't believe in Adam and Eve.

Its unbelievably presumptous to assume we now have all the understanding we will ever have.

The bible is all the information that God feels we need to know for now.

Irrelevent point, but the universe may be very very big, and expanding, but it isn't endless.  Or, more precisely, it isn't infinite.

And you know this how?

Considering I have seen the scientists that use the hubble telescope say they "enhance" the images from it, I hold little value in the pretty pictures they have.  The telescope takes rough black and whites and they use computers to come up with the colors.  Sounds shady to me.

[Royo]

Ebia, are you a Christian?
I am asking this as a serious question. You say there was no Adam and Eve, and yet God says He created them. I have not been here long enough to know about everyone, so I don't know if you are one of the atheists that comment here, or not.
Just want to know before I comment to your reply.
Thanks, Roy.

[Saved_4ever]

She's an aussie catholic if I remember correctly.  Whatever that means to you.

[ebia]

Oh joy I always love professed Christians that don't believe in Adam and Eve.

Its unbelievably presumptous to assume we now have all the understanding we will ever have.

The bible is all the information that God feels we need to know for now.

Irrelevent point, but the universe may be very very big, and expanding, but it isn't endless.  Or, more precisely, it isn't infinite.

And you know this how?

Considering I have seen the scientists that use the hubble telescope say they "enhance" the images from it, I hold little value in the pretty pictures they have.  The telescope takes rough black and whites and they use computers to come up with the colors.  Sounds shady to me.

[ebia]

Oh joy I always love professed Christians that don't believe in Adam and Eve.

Pleased to make you happy.

Its unbelievably presumptous to assume we now have all the understanding we will ever have.

The bible is all the information that God feels we need to know for now.

Only in matters of faith.  In other areas, this is so obviously untrue as to be laughable.

Irrelevent point, but the universe may be very very big, and expanding, but it isn't endless.  Or, more precisely, it isn't infinite.

And you know this how?

Science.  Physics and astronomy.

On the other hand, if you don't trust science, you may as well argue for a earth-centred universe with the stars painted on a glorified tablecloth.

Considering I have seen the scientists that use the hubble telescope say they "enhance" the images from it, I hold little value in the pretty pictures they have.  The telescope takes rough black and whites and they use computers to come up with the colors.  Sounds shady to me.

Surely "shady" would be black and white.  

Ebia, are you a Christian?
I am asking this as a serious question. You say there was no Adam and Eve, and yet God says He created them. I have not been here long enough to know about everyone, so I don't know if you are one of the atheists that comment here, or not.
Just want to know before I comment to your reply.
Thanks, Roy.

She's an aussie catholic if I remember correctly.  Whatever that means to you.

No part of that is correct  
But I am Christian.

[Corpus]

Since scripture only makes reference to the stars above, I presume we can discount other planets altogether ( Mars, Venus, etc..). After all, scripture makes no mention of other planets, much less life on them.

As ebia has stated, scripture is intended to inspire, edify and inform on matters of faith. Any other utilization of it is contrary to God's purpose. It is a book of salvation, NOT a textbook of science/facts.

Scripture can help in understanding what is worth studying and exploring, but that doesn't mean it will tell us what we'll find.

[atheist]

The stars aren't there to support other life.  According to God, they simply declare His glory to man.

This sounds curiously like the summary of someone who lazily felt like skipping a chapter while translating.  Or someone who was writing with no imaginative skills.

[Allinall]

This sounds curiously like the summary of someone who lazily felt like skipping a chapter while translating.  Or someone who was writing with no imaginative skills.

If this is in reference to me...what translational error have I made?  If it is in reference to those who did the translational work...what translational error did they make?  This sounds curiously like the summation of someone who does not understand what is written, therefore negates its validity.  Boy.  What an imagination!  

[geralduk]

Those  who for the  history of men but deny God look for the START of LIFE in the DUST.
Those who love science("so called") look for the future of man look  to the stars.
Both seek LIFE 'other' than God who is the author and giver of it.

AS men deny God by whom he was created in the PAST.
and who deny God to whom as it were we go in the FUTURE.

Then they are DEAD  and know it and are seeking LIFE.
The one the START of it,the other its END.
For in truth if they had LIFE then they wouild neither SEEK it nor wonder where it came from.

But  God by whom we were made promised to ABRAHAM that His seed would be as the SAND as as the STARS in heaven in number.