Do you believe in the possibility of life on other planets?

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A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years ago
Hello, all. No, I do not spend my nights and days searching for extraterrestrial life, and I'm sure many of you have all of these cute little jokes and puns. However, I would like this to be a place with respectful discussion concerning how other people think about this topic, if at all. Please give your opinions of why or why not.

I personally believe it would be closeminded to believe that in such a vast Universe we and the rest of our animal kingdom and plant life are the only living things in the Universe.
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  Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I'm with you here on this topic. I too feel there's definitely life out there, but I think it's sad that we'll probably never be alive to witness first contact with extraterrestrial life in our lifetime. However, I do know that scientists are starting to discover other planets with atmospheres similar to our own. And like most of them will tell you, where there's water, there's a strong chance for life to flourish there, and maybe even provide a safe haven for us if our planet becomes unlivable or is the object of imminent danger.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yea, I don't think that we'll get to witness it either.
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Maybe it's more a question of probability than possibility. It certainly is possible, but how probable is it? I think as we continue to explore and find more planets that have some of the basic necessities of life, the better we can determine where a planet might exist that has life. On the other hand, we are discovering more species at the bottom of the ocean that live without oxygen, so me might even have to redefine what it means to be a living being.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Hm, interesting. I think it's possible like Bard of Ely said, that there may be other planets where species have adapted according to the environment of their planet. Their life source may be some element unknown un in this galaxy.
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  pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Anything is possible and I agree with you in that if we believe we are the only living things in a very vast universe is very close minded.
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  manlypoetrymanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  If there were no possibilty of life on other planets then where do ya' suppose that E.T. came from? (Geez...)
  
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  Nick Lucasposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  No I don’t believe in life in the form of human life or anything like it. There may be some mold or something but that’s all. There is no way there is intelligent life on some other planet but the true question is whether there is intelligent life on this planet…..I don’t think so….. .
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  Nick Lucasposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I should add that I believe in and follow Jesus but as someone once said God or Jesus never said he wouldnt create again....
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  SoleiMarieposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  The possibility is big. We haven't explored the universe yet. And it has been said that the universe is very wide. We are just a dot in the universe. We are just in the milky way galaxy and we haven't discovered what's in other part of it. Also, we have not even explored the different dimensions we can go through. There are a lot of things proving that some creatures existed in other dimensions of the universe. We may just be in the situation as they are: thinking if we are also existing.
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  melporposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I believe there are other life forms out there but the vast majority of them are probably microbial in nature. If there is any intelligent, complex life out there it probably would be far and wide to find them because they are probably pretty close to the variety of life forms here. As I said in a hub I have written on this subject, for practical purposes we are alone since we have not found or receive any evidence of an intelligent, complex beings capable of communicating over the vast distance between the stars and if they are out there they probably are no more advance than we are since life probably began about the same time, give or take a few million years, on other planets in the universe.
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  arksysposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  People in astronomy have been searching for life on other planets and i've seen documentaries on it... they have searched planets thousands of light years away, but there is no life to be found. The main thing they were looking for in the documentary was the orbit of the planets around their Sun. they were trying to match something similar to the earths orbit and size and all the other variables and they've searched through billions of stars/planets but could not find anything yet.
  
  (if you don't like religious talk... stop right here plz)..
  
  I know from my religious beliefs that mankind is Gods greatest creation and there is nothing superior than us out there. But I try to keep an open mind because the interpretation of our holy books are done by humans who are not perfect. I'm not sure if it does say anything about life on other planets or galaxies though.
  
  We believe there are 7 levels in heaves (or call them gates if you want) .. The highest is for all the prophets and then with a certain measure of good deeds you are placed in one of the heavens from what you did in you lifetime. below is a sentence from the Quran that tells us the lower level of the heavens are in the regions of the stars... and I know that people who go in the 7th level will have a place around the size of earth.. so maybe the stars in the galaxy we see are actually made for mankind who will be living on the lowest level in the afterlife? possible...
  
  Sura 37 - As-Saaffat (MAKKA) : Verse 6
  We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars―
  Translation : Eng-Yusuf Al
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  A Troubled Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  How the heck do you think scientists can know if there's life on another planet or not?
  
  That's nonsense, scientists have not "searched through billions of stars/planets" - that's nonsense.
  
  LOL! Once again, your holy book doesn't have a clue about reality.
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  TJenkins602posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  The more I think about it, the more I do believe that there is life on other planets. We aren't so special after all.
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  Nick Lucasposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  my first reaction was going to be a joke type response but I wont out of respect. I believe there could be something like a plant or fungus but not human like intelligent life....also I never really think about it or wonder until its brought up.
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Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years ago
No, God would have written it in the Bible if he had created life elsewhere. I'm sure if he had created life on other planets, he would have had to destroy them because of their evil ways. I expect to get a lot of flack from the atheists and other lesser life forms on this planet, but don't blame me, I'm just calling it like I see it (through God's eyes).

In fact, I'm not totally sure that even considering exter testicle life is even something acceptable to God. I'm going to pray on it and get back to you. Before I do, please be careful, especially if thunderstorms are predicted in your area.
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  Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  question. i know you already stated exactly how you feel on this matter, and I do respect your right to your own opinion. However, what makes you think that if god created life on other planets, then he'd ever have a need to destroy them? What makes you think that the other life forms were more sinful than ours to deserve being destroyed? Why do you think that? Besides, how do you know god doesn't want us to know everything? It's a distinct possibility.
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  wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  God would have to destroy other life because Man is the best He could do (we know this because He put us at the center of everything with everything else crossing our sky and then zipping back the other way on the flat side.) and He had to destroy man. Therefore He would have to destroy His other works as they are all inferior.
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Testify!!
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Ummmm, I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm. At least I hope so...
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  It is for the both of them.
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Because he already has his chosen people. The ones not chosen are created for him to destroy: Sodomites, Hittites, Trilobites, Islamites, Democrites....
  
  Please capitalize God's name the next time you type it. You may not like him, or even believe in him, but going all lower-case is totally uncalled for.
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  gracewithinposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  LOL I really don't think the creator cares about such petty thing as lowercase.
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  TJenkins602posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Oh he'll smite you.
  
  I SAID CAPITALIZE MY NAME GOT DAMMIT...
  
  God freezes at the realization that he took his own "name" in vain. He then has to smite himself.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  That sounded almost satirical. Are you a closet atheist posing as a christian? If you really are a christian, wow, considering people who don't believe your views to be the same to be "lesser life forms" is a bit much. But, I don't believe in the god of the bible, so this doesn't mean much to me as far as explanations go, but thanks for commenting.
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Another "lower-case" assault. Why do you people hate God and his people? Are you just jealous?
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Ron,
  
  As a Christian you are clearly responsible for showing respect to God and capitalizing his name is a great way to do that. Those who are not Christians are not accountable to you for how they type or how they live. Your goal as a believer should be help guide them into a relationship with God (those who will choose to go there). How much good do you think you're doing in that regard running around poking and jabbing people for not complying to a set of standards they don't believe in?
  
  Ultimately, every person has the freedom to choose to follow or not. Be a light rather than a sharp metal object.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Ron is not really a christian.
  
  Also, I am not in darkness. Actually for the first time in my life, I'm actually starting to see things quite clearly, for what they really are. Non-christian people are not lost sheep who need christian men and women to point the way to righteousness.
  
  But thanks for not forcing your views on people. I can at least respect a christian like that, even though I don't agree with the view of man being inherently evil.
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Sure, no problem.
  
  For sure I don't buy that man is inherently evil. I don't think that's what the Bible teaches anyway (at least not the way some might mean it). In my view, the word evil implies that there is nothing but hate and malice in that person, which is simply not true of the vast majority of people. I think man is inherently fallen in that every single one of us has done something that the Bible would consider to be sin (lie, cheat, steal, etc.). I've never met anyone who could say they've lived a perfect life with a straight face. I think most of us agree there. I also think that the vast majority of us are selfish and just take rather than give. The question is what is the standard, and Christians believe that a God who created everything and breathed life into us gets to tell us what the standard is. Christians also believe that there are consequences for rejecting that creator, but that doesn't give us the right to beat non-Christians up about it. It's stupid for us to do that, actually...
  
  About being in darkness, I think you're saying that based on your perspective of reality. I am convinced that God exists because I believe the evidence that shows that he exists (and there is no evidence that I'm aware of that says he could not exist). If God does exist and you are living your life as if he does not exist, then I would say that you are in fact "in darkness" and are living your life based on a false assumption (ie. there is truth that you cannot see). That is the context for my statement.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I actually understood everything you just said. I am a former christian. Of course, people will tell me that I never could have been one, but they don't know me, so that doesn't mean much.
  
  "In my view, the word evil implies that there is nothing but hate and malice in that person, which is simply not true of the vast majority of people. I think man is inherently fallen in that every single one of us has done something that the Bible would consider to be sin (lie, cheat, steal, etc.)."
  
  I don't believe that there is anyone in the world who only has hate and malice inside of them. From the uni bomber, to the 9/11 terrorists, to the men that rape and beat and kill women, to the thugs people look down at in the projects who deal drugs and have "hoes." I believe that is a very black and white way to look at people. (If you would like me to delve more into why, I would be happy to share.)
  
  But, I personally do not believe that is how evil is defined in the Bible, at least from what I read and studied as a believer. I think that's actually somewhat of a worldly way to look at evil. I think a good way to some up evil for the bible is anything that is against the will of God. Which, man, like you said, is all guilty of one way or another.
  
  I do not believe that imperfection is a reason for anyone to be sent to Hell, because perfection is overrated and ultimately unattainable and the people who believe they can reach it are fooling themselves, even if they believe they are being guided by the Holy Spirit, which I can also delve into.
  
  "I also think that the vast majority of us are selfish and just take rather than give."
  
  Ask yourself why that is, and is that true for all of man, or just "civilized" man? Take a good look at people we consider to be simple minded and who live in huts and places where everything isn't handed to them, or attainable with only a walk down the street or enough "will."
  
  "The question is what is the standard, and Christians believe that a God who created everything and breathed life into us gets to tell us what the standard is."
  
  The need for a standard is very important and why religion or spirituality is very important for the development of a society, which is why most societies believe in something/someone transcendental. (Understand also that I am not necessarily a non-theist, but what I believe about the Transcendental is complex.)
  
  "Christians also believe that there are consequences for rejecting that creator, "
  
  I believe that certainly actions need consequence for learning purposes and the safety of other people, etc. However, if I had a child, that became apart of a world that I created, and was not there of their OWN will(in other words, had no choice of whether they came into the world in the first place), and then they didn't live life the way I wanted them to(which was my own fault for creating the father of evil in the first place, since I am all-knowing), and didn't except my "gift", which I knew would be hard for some people to believe or even see as morally right, that they would deserve eternal punishment. Never. No one deserves that.
  
  "but that doesn't give us the right to beat non-Christians up about it. It's stupid for us to do that, actually..."
  
  I agree. I am also sorry for the meanies who attack Christians. I always explain my views and show distaste for the god of the bible, but I always try to be respectful and kind because I have no reason not to be.
  
  "About being in darkness, I think you're saying that based on your perspective of reality."
  
  Why yes, yes I am.
  
  "I am convinced that God exists because I believe the evidence that shows that he exists (and there is no evidence that I'm aware of that says he could not exist). If God does exist and you are living your life as if he does not exist, then I would say that you are in fact "in darkness" and are living your life based on a false assumption (ie. there is truth that you cannot see). That is the context for my statement."
  
  Again, I do not necessarily believe that he/she/it does not exist. I have just yet to be convinced that being interferes in our lives in any important way. I believe that we look at situations differently because we choose to, and it makes life a little bit easier to survive. (Look up cognitive dissonance, a thorough explanation not just a five word sentence). We see it as blessings, but, I don't believe that I would deserve to have food on the table and a solid roof over my head and decent car more than the thousands of people and children that die everyday in other 3rd world countries. I can fend for my self, if He wants to bless someone, send some manner and fresh water there without waiting for people to get there with the "good news."
  
  I see life for what it is. It's hard. It's not easy. I don't necessarily believe that anyone is pulling the strings. People say that I only left the faith temporarily because I want to go indulge in my flesh. They know nothing about me. They don't realize that I can't follow someone that I don't believe in anymore, based on so many things, but the main thing being the very first book written in the bible that at one point in my life I defended passionately. I saw it for what it was. My life was shattered. What held my world together fell apart. But, I am putting the pieces back together. Slowly, and definitely not perfectly. But, perfection is overrated and I don't really need perfection anymore. I wouldn't expect it of anyone else.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Oh, and it would seem that I was implying that only Christian organizations go into third world countries offering relief and assistance. This of course is not true. It's only about the validity of these secular groups by the Christians who believe that only the ones going in with the Word are worth it, instead of the non-Christian ones, who of course must be promoting non-Christian views... It's not enough that these people are being fed and taken care of. It doesn't matter if the Word is not going to be taught (not to all, but to many of the passionate ones, which to me are the only real ones. I still believe that there is a difference between claiming a faith and living one out, I just don't necessarily see eye to eye with that faith).
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yeah, the word "evil" is tricky because there are different definitions (Biblical vs. worldly view). I tend to stick to the definition that I think makes sense to most people. The other definition really only makes sense if you've spent years in the church environment.
  
  "I do not believe that imperfection is a reason for anyone to be sent to Hell, because perfection is overrated and ultimately unattainable and the people who believe they can reach it are fooling themselves, even if they believe they are being guided by the Holy Spirit, which I can also delve into."
  
  Surely anyone who thinks they can reach perfection in this life is very confused (Holy Spirit or not). We can be better than we were, hopefully growing all the time. But not perfect. About imperfection as a reason for people being sent to Hell, I get what you're saying. From a theological perspective, it's a complicated cause and effect thing related to the nature of God. See if my nutshell version lines up with what you were taught: God is a just God by nature, and justice requires payment (ie. the scales must balance). We are ultimately accountable for our actions because they are a result of our own choices. We humans love to pass the buck and blame someone else for our messes (republicans blame democrats, democrats blame republicans, etc.), but ultimately we have all done things we shouldn't have. Theologically (again), God's nature was to be perfectly loving but also perfectly just at the same time. In other words, payment could not be permanently deferred as a result of love. The scales wouldn't balance which would be a violation of his nature. As you know, the cross served both purposes (love and payment). Our pride may not like it, but it's really the fairest thing in the world. He pays, you get in. All you have to do is accept the ticket he's trying to hand you.
  
  I understand all of the debates about whether the Bible is true or not. I think the evidence is there to refute that, but people will always have this argument. Each person has to decide for themselves. Some will actually look at the evidence and make an informed decision, some won't. We all make a decision and we all must live with whatever the consequences are for that.
  
  About seeing life for what it is, I would still characterize it as seeing life for what you can see--not necesarrily for what it is. How can you see the universe for what it is? After all, a telescope will only get you so far. There's a ton of detail that we'll never know in our lifetimes. Not seeing a God who is interested and involved in our lives doesn't mean that he doesn't exist.
  
  I'm assuming you're talking about Genesis and the story of creation (first book written). What was it that "shattered" your faith exactly? I'm interested in what the flaming arrow was.
  
  Good stuff. Thanks for the discussion.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  First of all, I would like to say that yes, you explained my former view of God well.
  
  "God is a just God by nature, and justice requires payment (ie. the scales must balance). "
  
  I don't agree with this, and I will explain why.
  
  Now, we are all taught that God is all-knowing. Many people have different opinions about the meaning of that, some say that He is willfully blind about some things, (it is still willful, doesn't mean He can't know, He just "chooses" not to) but I think it's safe to say that most people, when they use that term, it means that God knows the past, present, and future all at once. He does not see time the way we see it. This being true, He knows, ulltimately, what everything that He creates did, is doing, and will do.
  
  If this is true about Him, then why did He create Lucifer?
  
  Here is the series of events as stated in the bible about how things and sin came the to be the way they supposedly are now...
  
  1. He knowingly creates Lucifer, knowing full well what he would do(if He is omniscient).
  
  2. He, instead of killing Satan after he turns against Him, and leaving man free of his bad influences, sends him to Earth.
  
  3. On Earth, He creates man, puts a tree that would cause them to understand the truth behind good and evil, (which would imply that evil already existed?).
  
  4. He allows the Devil that He created to roam freely on that earth and to tempt Eve (remember, He's all-knowing, and He does allow the devil to mess with people to test them in a sense (Job)). Instead of coming to her and saying, "Eve don't do it, he's lying," He turns a blind eye to "test" them and see if they would be His obedient little humans? Didn't He know what they would do? And what that would lead to for billions of other people in the world? (Hell, agony, suffering, etc.)
  
  He is omniscient, so He must have.
  
  4. After Eve and Adam eat of the apple, God does essentially kill them, i.e. if they were supposedly going to live forever, now they must eventually die of old age and also die "spiritually."
  
  Where is there justice in these events? A God who creates man for His own personal benefits (to be loved and worshipped) and then fails them when they don't pass His test (the garden), and their Ultmate doom is Hell if they refuse His gift(Jesus)? That sounds more like a dictator than anyone who cares about free will.
  
  Free will would've meant that people could choose His way because it could benefit them more and the people around them and make them the happiest, but the people who don't have the RIGHT not to, and will not be eternally punished for making that decision. That is true free will. If He really wanted them to not be robots and choose the way that leads to Him and worship Him, He wouldn't have needed such a scare tactic(Hell).
  
  This is how things could've have gone.
  
  Angels singing in Heaven, la la la la.
  God: "Hm, I shouldn't create Lucifer. That would be bad if I also decide to create these beings one day. I also shouldn't create a tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so that these beings, these "humans," yes that's what I'll call them, won't be tempted to eat of it, because I will love them, and I don't want them to die."
  
  So, He doesn't. He creates humans one day, they live happily together forever and ever. The end. No torturous Hell. No gnashing of teeth. Just peace, love, and happiness. And He gets his selfish desire of worship fulfilled.
  
  Oh, and question, if God wanted people who would worship him in spirit and in truth, with "free will" also, why would He want to hide the truth from them (no eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)? Was He afraid that if they knew evil, they would follow it? Did he make an imperfect creation with a steering towards evil? He must have if they so easily disobeyed Hum. But, that's impossible, since God in inerrant, as is His "Word."
  
  If everything He did, He did on purpose, than it would be false where it says He wishes no one to perish. That He is just. That He is a good God.
  
  This alone keeps me from coming back.
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yeah, these are all really good observations. You're right that God knew the future and did all those things anyway. In fact, I think it's worse than that. What about Judas? Judas was chosen to be in the inner circle knowing the betrayal that would come later. God chose the Jews to be his chosen people knowing that over and over they would stiff-arm him. Jesus chose Peter knowing that he would deny him. I'm sensing a pattern... These weren't mistakes made by a God who didn't know what was coming. These were decisions based on knowledge of the outcomes.
  
  What's most interesting about your points from my perspective is that you don't seem to be arguing that the God of the Bible doesn't exist because of A, B, and C. You just don't like him. I think that the way God has gone about his business according to the Bible just makes you mad. You've decided that God is selfish, egotistical, and more or less sucks at being God. If you remember, Job had similar frustrations. God was not acting the way Job thought God should act. Do you remember what God's response was to Job? It's worth reading.
  
  So why did God put the tree in the garden? Everything boils down to that really. We know that there was only one rule in the garden. That one rule established man's freedom to choose (if no rules then how can you disobey?). It also established authority (the proper creator/creation relationship). So what good is freedom to choose? Love means nothing if you have no choice. I think the meaning of life is not found in accomplishments, achievements, routines, etc. It's found in relationships. And, relationships mean nothing without the ability to choose to be or not be in the relationship. The tree didn't just give us the ability to choose God. Indirectly, it gave us the ability to choose each other as well. Somehow (and I don't claim to know how), meaningful relationships, true love, and free choice outweighs all of the rest of it. That to me is the bottom line. Without choice, we're robots and life truly has no meaning.
  
  Still, I guess we don't have to like it. But I personally think it's better than if there was no tree. When a child grows up, leaves home, and shoots somebody, do we say "It's the parent's fault for letting him leave the house"? Is it right to send the parent to jail? I'm pretty sure the answer is no. I personally think that same logic applies here.
  
  Good, well written response. You've definitely been thinking a lot about it.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Firstly, only for the sake of our discussions, do I speak of God in the terms of Christianity.
  
  With these examples that you used, you're trying to make God look like the victim. He is not. If you want to talk about choices, He CHOSE to create us. If He created us knowing what COULD happen, the result of not choosing Him shouldn't have been death. That's like parents playing the victim and getting angry when things don't go their way. I appreciate my mother and I love her and help her anyway that I can, but I do what I do for her because I love her. There's no eternal doom hanging over my head if I choose to forget about her and do my own thing, so I COULD if I wanted to, but I choose to love and help her and keep her company. She is special to me and she is lonely. But, my mother and father decided to have sex, and as a result, I was born. Not of my own free will did I come into this world, so I essentially owe them nothing. That's not being ungrateful. That's just stating the facts.
  
  Parents owe their children love, because they decided, for whatever reason, to have them. If that child decides to live a life different then what the parents want, eternal hell fire should not be the result... I see God that way. I still do not agree with your definition of free choice, because the consequence of disobeying Him should not have been death or anything but maybe not living life at the highest level of peace and happiness.
  
  Free choice is like... Here's option 1 & 2. You can choose either. I will love you no matter which one you pick. If you choose 1, yay, I'm happy. If you choose 2, I'll be disappointed but happy if you're happy, though I know you could be happier. The end.
  
  Don't be mistaken, I do not believe in the God of the bible anymore, rest assured. If, in the end, He did turn out to be the real thing, I would not recant, and He could choose then what to do with me (dictator). I believe what I believe and say what I say from my heart. If He thinks I deserve hell fire for that, or anybody else on this Earth just trying to find their way, then shame on Him.
  
  "Love means nothing if you have no choice." Why is a perfect God so desperate for love? He must've been if that's what He wanted and did all this for. Why did He need to create more things to worship him when the angels were already praising him in Heaven? Obviously the angels had free will as (as you define it), because lucifer turned against him along with a 1/3rd of the other angels, supposedly. When will he have enough people telling him how wonderful "He" is? Why do the people who actually exercise their "free will" have to face Hell? It doesn't make any sense when you think about it. Or at least when I thought about it.
  
  I don't need everything in this life to be explained. I understand that mystery is a part of life because it is impossible for us to know everything. But, I also know that there are other parts of it that are right there in plain sight. I will leamrn from all of my experiences what I can as I go on my life's journey, and maybe learn something else about the possible Transcendental. But, it won't be with the church.
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  "I will learn from all of my experiences what I can as I go on my life's journey, and maybe learn something else about the possible Transcendental. But, it won't be with the church."
  
  Fair enough. I understand that this is how you feel. I obviously don't agree with your conclusion but that's not a requirement.
  
  "Don't be mistaken, I do not believe in the God of the bible anymore, rest assured."
  
  To be clear, I wasn't implying that you are still a believer. What I mean is that none of your arguments so far address the evidence that Christians believe validates that Jesus is who he said he is and that he was crucified and resurrected. Your arguments so far are all about why you think God is a scumbag, right? They are merely philosophical ones and don't have anything to do with actual data, evidence, etc. I think it comes off as arrogance (creation telling off the God of the universe). It's cool with me. Whatever floats your boat. It seems like you would want to have a little more in your back pocket than that though. Maybe you do and I haven't heard it. I just don't hear a lot of people making real arguments against the gospel account that aren't philosophical ("God is no good."). The ones I do hear are pretty lousy.
  
  I think I understand where you're coming from on what you've shared. I think there are flaws in your arguments, especially about the relationship between parent and child and about God being "desperate for love". But I don't think trying to hash all that out here would be productive. If you ever decide you want to discuss more let me know. I love the banter. I can comment on your hubs, you can comment on mine, etc. See you around!
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  SoleiMarieposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I'll take only some points here. It was not god who created Satan. He created himself. God gave us the freedom of what to choose between good and bad. Lucifer who has been considered to be the morning star wanted to be greater than God and that made him a devil.
  
  Not just Satan was given the freedom to choose also us. Eve chose to believe in devil and had even tempted Adam to do the same thing. Adam chose his wife instead of choosing the will of God and so they were punished. God was too good that he didn't take away their lives but live on the way they want to. Its up to them if they will continue serving God. It's just the same as we ought to serve our masters.
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I am but a humble club, bashing skulls in the name of our lord; yours and mine whether you believe it or not. Neither you nor these alien heretics has the right to doubt the existence of he who created, and has the right to destroy as he sees fit, the creatures who populate the Earth and maybe some of the lesser planets.
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Hmmmmm.... Please stop by when you get a chance and read my hub below. If after that you still believe that being a club has value, I'd love to hear what an argument for that might look like. Cheers!
  <snipped>
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Including self-promoting links in a forum response is a mortal sin...
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  sonfollowersposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Good one! That's pretty funny. Apparently your just making up your own sins now? It's up to you, dude. I think it will be helpful for you (and indirectly for those around you), but that's just my opinion.
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Grammatical errors, such as using your instead of you're, are an affront to God. Say 3 hail E.B. Whites and sin no more.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Ron is not really a christian, man. Satire. Folks. It's not really his beliefs.
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  lone77starposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  @Ron said, "No, God would have written it in the Bible if he had created life elsewhere."
  
  Why? Can't God do things without telling us? Even the founder of Christianity said that there are things I cannot reveal to you now (talking to his disciples). Definitely some things were left out of the Bible. And a great many things of wisdom were hidden in the Bible. I found a few of them.
  
  Extraterrestrials? Why not?
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I'm pretty sure he meant stuff like why do toilets drain the wrong way in the heathen hemisphere, or if a tree falls in the forest yada yada yada. He righteously boasted about all of the life forms he created.
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  TJenkins602posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Harmonica: There weren't toilets in those days.
  
  Cheyenne: But son's of bitches, yeah.
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  klarawieckposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Uh... God did not write the bible.
  
  Is there life in other planets?
  
  I don't know, Sparks. But I guess I'd say if it is just us... seems like an awful waste of space
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Of course he did. It says so in the Bible which makes it true.
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  TJenkins602posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Likewise, God would have written it if this was the only planet that had life. Also, there is "extra-testcle life" Or is the universe on giant Testicle?
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Eaglekiwiposted 13 years ago
Absolutely ,because I have a paper that says 'Adjusted Alien status'

Beam me up Scotty..
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paradigmsearchposted 13 years ago
Intelligent life? No. We haven't even found any here yet.
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  Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  
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donotfearposted 13 years ago
If there is life on other planets, we haven't seen it yet. Anything is possible.
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thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago
Absolutely, I do. Since God created the universe, why would he not create more life than just on Earth? On the other hand, if God did not create the universe, how many other alien cultures are out there for us to discover?
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MelissaBarrettposted 13 years ago
I am starting to believe that if I wrote a topic on my morning BM that it would end up turning into a religious debate within 3 posts.

And the first one that says holy s**t gets it just on principle.
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  paradigmsearchposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Oh sure. God gets lower-cased but bowel movements get the respect of capitalization?
  
  Heathens
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yep, you're a poser.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Probably, @MelissaBarrett.
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OutWestposted 13 years ago
I do believe it is not only possible but probable too. It could be a matter of timing. Maybe they existed a billion years ago. Even if there were millions of civilizations the chances of finding any are even more remote when you factor in the time differences.
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DRG Da Real Grincposted 13 years ago
Yes. I believe that because I feel we are from another planet.
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Bard of Elyposted 13 years ago
Every environment and habitat on this planet has forms of life adapted to it and I would assume this would be the case on countless other planets through the universe! For that not to be the case would be very very strange and unlikely!
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I agree!
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  Peggy Wposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  And I agree.
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dfunzyposted 13 years ago
Get your pitchforks ready, neighbors. The space aliens are coming!
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Wayne Tullyposted 13 years ago
Yes because I've seen them in movies and on TV, so if they caught them on camera then they do exist.....revolution people!
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newsandtechnologyposted 13 years ago
mabye just a myth,like we seen on the movies
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forallposted 13 years ago
Well, what I think is that still there are many creatures that we didn't discover on earth. Bacteria, viruses.... And many other kinds of life yet not discovered or not well explained. About other planets, I have no idea. Maybe if we discover everything on earth we will have something to see on any other planet.
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lone77starposted 13 years ago
Certainly, life is possible on other planets, but most likely only those planets with liquid water.

One television article I saw several years ago showed California researchers slamming a metal container at meteoric speeds while carrying simple chemicals on board. The speed of impact had a curious effect. It added to the complexity of the chemicals rather than breaking them apart.

Could a combination of billions of collisions during late planet formation have resulted in chemicals complex enough to result in life? If so, then every liquid-water-bearing planet in the universe likely has some form of life. And the way things seem, now, nearly every star system might have planets.

The likelihood of an Earth-like planet in the Goldilocks zone (habitability distance) might be upwards of 5%. That might not seem like a lot, but 5% of nearly a trillion stars in our own galaxy approaches 50 billion suns. That's a lot of neighbors. And that's just in our galaxy -- one of billions of galaxies.
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DoubleScorpionposted 13 years ago
If there isn't life out there in other galaxies, then we have alot of wasted space if you are a believer. And since God doesn't make mistakes what would be the reason for all of the other stars and planets?

For those who aren't believers, we have found a planet (about 20 light years away) that is very simular to earth. It is the right distance from it's sun and appears to have a atmosphere, so it would seem logical that it could support life of some sort. If it doesn't have life now, it might be able to support life in the furture.
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ubanichijiokeposted 13 years ago
Hell No! I stand to be corrected.
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Hugh Williamsonposted 13 years ago
"Do you believe in the possibility of life on other planets?"

I think it's possible that there is but I also doubt that we'll ever be able to determine just how likely it is.

We don't know what the spark was that kindled life on our own planet. We have lots of theories but no one has yet created life to prove theirs.

There may be a billion planets capable of supporting carbon based life but unless something sparks the process, it doesn't happen.

Theology, conspiracy theories and urban myths aside, we may really be alone. And that would be mind boggling.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  That's quite an interesting viewpoint. Thank you. The only thing I would say to that would be that there may be possibilities of life based on an element besides carbon. Who knows, really? And, side bar. How do you personally define life?
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  Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  The infallible word of God has no sidebars.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  You make me giggle.
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  Hugh Williamsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I don't know how you define life to everyone's satisfaction. Is a viral fragment alive? Future computers that can make decisions and plan for their own futures - is that life?
  
  The discovery of arsenic-based bacteria by NASA should increase the odds of some form of "life" existing somewhere. Whether we will ever be aware of it, is another thing entirely.
  
  Great thread.
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Wow, that's interesting, concerning the bacteria. I'm going to look that up, thanks!
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  earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  It would indeed be mind boggling. There are quite a few planets out there!
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  Jonathan Jancoposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Despite the debate, I do enjoy the interesting theories about what life there is on other planets. I think the 'greys' theory is too consistently described the same way to be completely written off. Then again it could be just that CIA mind control at work. The 'reptilian' theory is still going strong despite the painstaking research people have done to debunk it. The theory that the Sumerian pantheon was aliens is getting more and more popular every year, not to mention Zeus being an alien is widening its audience. Or the theory that the angels in the bible actually came from the Pleiades . . . that's an interesting one, too. The only theory that I would have to doubt entirely would be the idea that we are the most intelligent advanced race in the universe. What a crappy universe if that's the case.
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  earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  
  Good comment.
  
  Mud is smarter than humans! Self destructive, neurotic, warmongering consciousness would not seem to be too difficult to surpass!
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  LoL, Jonathan. I know I'm not.
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  TJenkins602posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Haven't you ever watched Transformers? IT was the All Spark.
  
  (Transforms and Rolls out)
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thejeffriestubeposted 13 years ago
V'ger wishes to join with the Creator.
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bluebirdposted 13 years ago
Cute! That movie made me cry. Seemed like ages ago. ET as a fictional movie character? Yes. But ET as a real extraterrestrial actually living out there in the on beyond? I THINK NOT.
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earnestshubposted 13 years ago
I thought ET looked like a giant earthworm with a skin condition.
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katherynmcmahonposted 13 years ago
yes
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mocrowposted 13 years ago
Sure, I believe there's probably life somewhere else in the universe. Why would we be the only speck with life?
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  A Thousand Wordsposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Love the way you put that.
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Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years ago
Looks like God hijacked another thread. Why does that keep happening? Perhaps its not for us to know.
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Infinite712posted 13 years ago
Of course there are other organisms (animals and plants) on other planets. In the infinite universe, there must be infinite lifeforms.
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brotheryochananposted 13 years ago
Its not a waste of space. Space doesn't need to have life on the planet to be considered as not waste. The universe is Gods canvas. He can do what he wants with it.
A lot of other questions come into being when we consider life on other planets:
What kind of life?
Is God concerned with that life in regards to His holiness?
Did Adam and eve fall?
Did God pull a moses - 10 commandments and a rescue from egypt?
Was jesus hung on a cross there too?
How many jesus' are being crucified throughout the known galaxies?

The book of revelation says God descends out of heaven and comes to live with mankind on earth. Suffice it to say, i have my conclusion.
We have Gods undivided attention.
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lostwithinmyselfposted 13 years ago
I believe there is life out there some where. The universe is huge, if we are here there has to be something else out there some where. So yes I do believe x
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RavenBikerposted 13 years ago
Life is a broad term. Are we talking technological or microbial? Microbial life does exist we just haven't been looking long enough to find it.

Technolicically intelligent like us? Possibly. Can you win the big lottery. Sure. Odds are high but it is possible. A point that never comes into discussion is when could or does intelligent life in the universe exist...in another words...if two civilizations had existed, are they exisiting at the same time?

Again, we're taking about the big lottery here.
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jcmayer777posted 13 years ago
I'd say there almost has to be some form of life beyond micro-organisms out there. Back when I went to school, it was believed that Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercuy, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranis, Neptune, and Pluto were all the planets out there. Now, just in the last decade, hundreds have been discovered. In fact, many scientists now believe the universe to be infinite. If it's infinite, I suppose there are infinite possibilities.

It might not be life as we know it, but I bet life is out there.
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Nexis19posted 13 years ago
What i believe is that there is little to no chance that we are the only planet with life on it. What with the countless amounts of planets and solar systems etc Earth cannot be the only one with life on it. Just thinking realistically. Although realistically it is unlikely we will find out for many lifetimes.
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klarawieckposted 13 years ago
I don't think you need to go to other planets to find extraterrestrials...

I got a few in my neighborhood....

...just sayin'
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