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Did God create the universe and with it the innumerable species included in intelligent life? Or maybe he made the Earth with its nature, man – a completely unique and unrepeatable work? Probably each of us once asked ourselves such questions while looking at the stars at night. The discovery of extraterrestrial life may turn out to be one of the most important discoveries in the history of mankind, the consequences of which will affect various spheres of human life – including the religious one. To affirm the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials could shake the current view in theology that human beings occupy the central, highest place in creation. It would be necessary to accept that there may be living beings who are not only more intelligent than us, but also more spiritual. “As there are beings lower than us, so also in other external conditions there may be beings wiser than us”, wrote Father Angelo Secchi, a Jesuit and astronomer of the Vatican Observatory, in 1879. but at the same time it seems to me a very interesting topic, worth attention. In this post I will try to briefly describe the importance of science in the search for extraterrestrial life. I will also present some, in my opinion, the most interesting questions and answers regarding the possible consequences of the discovery of extraterrestrials for religion and theology. .
The Carina Nebula. Hubble photo. source imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/images/hs-2010-13-a-web.jpg
Are we alone in the universe?
People have been interested in the subject of the structure of the universe and extraterrestrial life for a long time. As Steven J. Dick reports, the Maritime astronomer and historian of science, as early as the fourth century BC, Greek atomists claimed that there are infinitely many worlds. According to their theories, other worlds were either inhabited or uninhabited. However, the atomist cosmology did not survive to the Middle Ages, unlike Aristotle’s conception of the opposite position. He believed that there was only one world, which he understood as an ordered system – in Greek, the cosmos, made up of planets extending up to the sphere of moving stars. Aristotle’s concept became an element of the Christian worldview. This, however, involved reconciling the Aristotelian theory with the theological claim of God’s omnipotence. Since we have one world, the question immediately arose: could God not create more of them? The answer was: he could, if he wanted to, but he did not have the will (1).
The medieval Dominican and philosopher Giordano Bruno was also interested in the question of the multiplicity of worlds and extraterrestrial life. He announced in his 1584 book, On the Unlimited Universe and Countless Worlds, that God’s work of creation cannot be limited to the earth. God, Bruno argued, therefore had to create an infinite number of inhabited planets in the universe. Unfortunately, Giordano Bruno paid for his guesses with his life. For these and other alleged heresies, the inquisition burned him at the stake in Rome on February 17, 1600 (2).
SETI
Several hundred years after the death of Giordano Bruno, the American astronomer Frank Drake not only asked himself about the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life, but decided to look for evidence of its existence.
One cold, foggy morning in April 1960, Frank Drake took control of the 26-meter antenna of the National Radio Astronomical Observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia. He had great hope that the aliens inhabiting the planet orbiting Tau Ceti could send radio signals towards us, which could be detected by the powerful radio receiver dish. Frank Drake’s pioneering project laid the foundations for the international research program now known as SETI. The acronym SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) means “searching for an extraterrestrial civilization” (3).
The SETI program has become an extensive, long-term scientific project, the aim of which is to find contact with extraterrestrial civilizations by searching for radio and light signals, artificially produced, coming from outer space, which are not man-made. http://www.sseti.pl/ Unfortunately, this program has some disadvantages. SETI’s research is much more speculative than conventional science. Prudence requires approaching the discussion of extraterrestrial civilizations with a great deal of reserve, but maintaining a healthy skepticism attitude should not stop us from pursuing SETI-related discoveries in a methodical manner and with insight that is based on the most sound scientific foundations (3). Earlier, as part of a discussion on the validity of the SETI research, two physicists Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morisson said that assuming reception of a signal sent by an alien civilization is based on assumptions. However, they finally noted that while the probability of the search being unsuccessful is difficult to estimate, the probability of success would be zero if it is not undertaken.
Astrobiology
Currently, in parallel to searching for radio signals, a new field of biology, called astrobiology, is intensively developing. Astrobiologists ponder the emergence, evolution, diffusion, and future of life beyond Earth. Since no life has yet been detected in the cosmos that does not come from Earth, astrobiology focuses on research that may increase the chances of detecting it. He studies the possibilities of survival of living organisms in extreme conditions, verifies hypotheses about the origin of life on Earth, looks for places where life could develop in the solar system and beyond, and develops techniques that allow to detect life through astronomical observations. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrobiologia http://web.stanford.edu/group/astrobiology/cgi-bin/?page_id=11
In 1996 NASA launched an astrobiological program, but the beginning of the search lives by the American Space Agency go back to 1959, when the first project on exobiology was created. Launched in 1976, the Viking mission to explore Mars included three biological experiments to find possible signs of life on the planet. Nowadays, the importance of astrobiology is increasing. There is even an Institute of Astrobiology at NASA. http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/
Since we can now be almost certain that there are no living creatures on any planet in the solar system, we must search for planets outside the system with terrestrial-like conditions. The presence of intermediates in the process of the formation of amino acids and ribose (RNA component) in space, and the presence of terrestrial amino acids in meteorites suggests that life could have originated somewhere in the universe thanks to a process resembling prebiotic evolution on Earth (4).
Interestingly, research conducted by astrobiologists is of interest to the Catholic Church. This can be proved by the organization of a scientific conference devoted to the search for extraterrestrial life in 2009 by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Vatican Observatory. Father Jose Funes SJ explained why the Vatican drew attention to this topic: “While astrobiology is a new field and an ever evolving topic, questions about the origins of life and whether there is life in the universe are very interesting and deserve to be taken seriously. These questions have many philosophical and theological implications “http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/11/vatican-extra-terrestrials-catholic
Image promoting the 50th anniversary of NASA’s astrobiology and exobiology programs.
The impact of the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrials on religion.
According to Paul Davies (5), a message received from an extraterrestrial would have an immediate and shocking impact on the world’s religious beliefs.
Theology is only now beginning to be interested in this topic – so far it has generally prevented the consideration of the impact of the discovery of extraterrestrials on the interpretation of the Bible. Few modern theologians are interested in the question of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. This could be due to two factors: the geocentric model has survived in our thinking as a result of our human focus, and the divorce of theology and science since Darwin’s time has removed the question of extraterrestrial life from the view of most theologians. The almost complete lack of sound theological reflection on this matter in the Bible, in tradition and among prominent theologians, necessitates the pioneering work of building a theology of extraterrestrial life. In particular, we should consider the implications for Christ’s work of redemption (6). Some theologians are starting to ask questions that no one has ever dared to ask before. Will there be a need to formulate a new dogmatism and call a council that reconciles with the biblical concept of creation the existence of higher intelligences? Did Jesus Christ also die on other planets to save extraterrestrials? Will we convert them or will they convert us? What do these civilizations know about God? There are many questions and it is not always possible to find satisfactory answers to them. Below are some questions that I found in publications that I found most interesting in the context of the impact of the discovery of intelligent beings living outside our planet on theology and religion. The answers are provided by Polish and foreign theologians.
Extraterrestrial life and theology. Questions and answers.
1. Are there theological grounds for the possibility of extraterrestrial life?
Zdzisław J. Kijas OFMConv: Theology speaks of the creative fertility of God the Creator. It teaches about the omnipotence of God who, without being restrained, gives rise to something that does not yet exist, that calls into existence, that does not exist yet and that no man is able to do. He is almighty, therefore he does what he wants, when and where he wants. God can therefore bring into existence without being bound by anyone or anything. So he could create a rational life elsewhere as well. Nevertheless, these are only assumptions, though not devoid of rational foundations (7).
2. Do extraterrestrials have an immortal soul?
Fr Andrzej Draguła: The concept of an immortal soul is a legacy of Greek philosophy and, in fact, does not belong to the original biblical vision. Today we are talking about the immortality of man, the whole man, and not only about his soul. Of course, these are only deliberations, but you have to imagine that potential rational beings understand themselves differently than we do and do not use categories analogous to ours. The idea of duration, survival, life beyond death (is death not an overly human category?), Immortality – or what would we call it – is perhaps expressed by them in a different way than through the category of the immortal soul (8).
3. Do aliens need salvation?
Zdzisław J. Kijas OFMConv: Christian theology teaches that creation in the image of God does not refer to the physical form, but speaks of the spiritual nature of creation. This is a very important remark in the context of the present considerations about rational beings, possibly existing in the universe. It indicates that the size of a man or other creature similar to him is not determined by his physical shape, how many legs or upper limbs will have, how many heads and eyes they will have. The color of their skin and the quality of their activities will also be irrelevant in the context of their salvation. The most important thing will be their spiritual life, their sensitivity and openness to what is happening in themselves and around them, to the world around them, and in particular to their neighbors with whom they are in contact. John Paul II in the encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem taught that the Incarnation also has its cosmic sense and cosmic dimension. The firstborn of all creation, by incarnating in the concrete humanity of Christ, unites in a certain way with the whole reality of man, who is also flesh – and in it with all flesh, with all creation. The Pope thus recalled that the Incarnation of Christ, one of the central mysteries of Christianity, applies not only to man himself, but also covers the entire creation, even the entire cosmos, including possible creatures living in the universe, but not yet known to us (9) .
4. Should we convert aliens to the Christian faith?
Fr. Andrzej Draguła: The very concept of conversion is already debatable, which can be seen, for example, in relation to non-Christian religions. We also convert them in the classic sense of the word. Certainly, a very thorough interpretation of what might be called extraterrestrial religiosity should be made at the beginning. You need to explore what they believe and how they believe if they believe.
It may turn out that the meaning of their faith is very close to ours, they only use other categories, concepts, myths, symbols, etc. It may turn out that we proclaim to them what they already know and believe, though perhaps in the dark, as if in a mirror. If it turns out that their faith is still imperfect, then they should certainly be preaching the Good News. Of course, respecting their freedom (10).
5. Does the possible presence of rational creatures in the universe, apart from humans, of course, constitute a threat to our faith?
Fr. Archbishop. Józef Życiński: The vision of the universe in which other rational beings live should not disturb or frighten a Christian. God the Creator is the Creator of the entire cosmos. Christ gave his life on the cross for all creatures, including the potential inhabitants of other planets, if they required redemption, because we do not know if the drama of original sin also appeared in their history. However, there is no reason why God’s omnipotence should be limited to our space province, not to other regions of the universe (11).
6. If life beyond Earth were discovered tomorrow, how would it affect science, philosophy, and theology?
Steven J. Dick: It would depend on how the discovery was made and its nature. Finding living microbes and life, even complex but without the ability to sense, would be of more interest to science than to philosophy and theology, as scientists would study the nature of the newfound life, trying to determine whether it is based on the same biochemistry as life on Earth. The discovery of intelligent life, on the other hand, would have direct significance not only for science, but also for old philosophical problems, such as the nature of objective knowledge (do we see the world in the same way as these extraterrestrials?) And for theology, which usually means man’s relationship to God, and now to God. all intelligent beings in the universe. There is a possibility that the discovery of extraterrestrials will give rise to new theologies. (12)
7. Would the salvation of extraterrestrials require a repetition of Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection?
Sjoerd L. Boting: Van Vorilong stated that it would not be “appropriate” for Christ to have to go to another world to die again there. It was an expression of affection rather than a rational theological view. E.L. Mascall considered this in a more theological way. First, he rejected the extreme kenotic view that, by incarnation, Christ limited his divinity to human measure, for then incarnation was unlikely to occur on two planets simultaneously. He also rejected the concept of a second place of incarnation after Christ’s ascension. Instead, he stated that the orthodox view does not regard incarnation as a transformation of Deity into a human body, but as an elevation of humanity to a divine level, the other finite rational nature of the inhabitants of another planet can thus successfully experience such an elevation, that is, many incarnations are possible.
My answer to the question about multiple incarnations is based on a different reasoning, but also leads to the conclusion about the uniqueness of Christ. Over the centuries, folk Christian beliefs narrowed the meaning of the incarnation to the role of mere introduction to the salvation of us humans. Following Paul (2 Cor 5:19) and John (Jn 3:17), and on the basis of our knowledge of cosmic and biological evolution, I recognize Jesus as the cosmic Christ. The incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Palestine two thousand years ago has a cosmic and lasting significance. … There is no need to assume multiple incarnations (13).
Will extraterrestrial life ever be discovered? We cannot be sure of this. What is certain is that the possibility of its existence will continue to stimulate the imagination of filmmakers and writers, mobilize scientists to conduct research and theologians to consider.
References:
1. , Is an extraterrestrial intelligence questioning God’s position? Documentary from the series Closer to the truth. director: Peter Getzels. USA, 2010.
2. Life in the universe. p 7. Collective work. Ed. PIW. Warsaw, 2008.
3. The silence of the stars. Search for extraterrestrial civilization. pp 8-14. Paul Davies. Ed. Prószyński i S-ka. Warsaw, 2013.
4. Life in the universe. p 192. Collective work. Ed. PIW. Warsaw, 2008.
5. The silence of the stars. Search for extraterrestrial civilization. p 286. Paul Davies. Ed. Prószyński i S-ka. Warsaw, 2013.
6. Life in the universe. s 192-192. Group work. Ed. PIW. Warsaw, 2008.
7. Angels and aliens. The Church in relation to extraterrestrial civilizations. p 9. Tomasz Rowiński. Published by M. Krakow 2011.
8. Angels and aliens. The Church in relation to extraterrestrial civilizations. pp 27-28. Tomasz Rowiński. Published by M. Krakow 2011.
9. Angels and aliens. The Church in relation to extraterrestrial civilizations. pp 19-20. Tomasz Rowiński. Published by M. Krakow 2011.
10. Angels and aliens. The Church in relation to extraterrestrial civilizations. p 29. Tomasz Rowiński. Published by M. Krakow 2011.
11. Angels and aliens. The Church in relation to extraterrestrial civilizations. p 37. Tomasz Rowiński. Published by M. Krakow 2011.
12. Life in the universe. p 155. Collective work. Ed. PIW. Warsaw, 2008.
13. Life in the universe. pp. 202-203. Group work. Ed. PIW. Warsaw, 2008.
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