Last Question From Me Regarding Religions

David Sklansky · #1 07-13-2005, 05:41 PM

I'm ready to wind down this subject and give my final verdict. But first I need to be sure I know the answer to the quesions below as it pertains to each of the various religions and their branches.

1. Does your religion allow for the possibility of intelligent, conscious, beings existing on other planets?

2. If yes, are these beings, if they exist, as important to God as humans?

3. If yes to the above two questions, would these beings be offered your own religion (suitably changed for the circumstances) regarding prayer, good works, afterlife, etc.

4. If yes to the above, and if your religion believes in Jesus, would it be necessary that Jesus appears to them or could it be someone else, (maybe who looks like them) or possibly just God.?

runner4life7 · #2 07-13-2005, 05:46 PM

I am Lutheran

1. Theoretically yes because God can do whatever he wants but there is no reason to believe that he did create other life forms on other planets.

2. That would be hard to say because I am not God.

3. It would not make sense for them to have our religion because I think Jesus died for the people of Earth and it would not make sense for a planet far far away to have a savior here IMO.

4. It would depend on if they became sinful and needed a savior, or if God made a better race that worshiped him and never fell into sin.

David Sklansky · #3 07-13-2005, 06:02 PM

1. Theoretically yes because God can do whatever he wants but there is no reason to believe that he did create other life forms on other planets.

Then why create a quadrillion planets?

gumpzilla · #4 07-13-2005, 06:20 PM

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Then why create a quadrillion planets?

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Why create anything whatsoever? Trying to appeal to the motives of a possible superhuman entity doesn't seem like a fruitful way to go about arguing here.

Darryl_P · #5 07-13-2005, 06:38 PM

1. yes

2. yes

3. yes

4. not applicable because my religion doesn't require a past, present, or future messiah, but if one is necessary for others to practice it, then that's fine and it doesn't really matter who it is as long as he's a good messiah.

David Sklansky · #6 07-13-2005, 06:53 PM

What religion please.

malorum · #7 07-13-2005, 07:04 PM

The Lutheran tradition is somewhat fissiparous, doctrinal mileage may vary:

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It would not make sense for them to have our religion because I think Jesus died for the people of Earth and it would not make sense for a planet far far away to have a savior here IMO.

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What about the trinity. Jesus is more than just the saviour, he is God. If we have multiple incarnations of God then the doctrine of the trinity would be compromised. This is contrary to the Lutheran confessions.

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4. It would depend on if they became sinful and needed a savior, or if God made a better race that worshiped him and never fell into sin.

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Scripture states "Through one man sin entered the world".
Generally Kosmos or world is taken to mean creation.
When adam sinned creation fell. the imperfect fallen nature of creation should be as obvious to the christian, as to the rationalist critic. I have no reason to suspect that the material universe suddenly becomes less fallen when we leave earth. I suspect things still die, and eat each other etc. An unfallen race would require an unfallen creation.

malorum · #8 07-13-2005, 07:09 PM

We are thinking of starting a prayer group for you at our Church David.

DCWildcat · #9 07-13-2005, 07:32 PM

Mr. Sklansky, I'm confused as to why having a large number of planets in existence is any sort of an indicator that God may or may not exist. To ask "why did he create all those other planets?" is a silly and irrelevant question to me.

Dov · #10 07-13-2005, 07:41 PM

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Mr. Sklansky, I'm confused as to why having a large number of planets in existence is any sort of an indicator that God may or may not exist. To ask "why did he create all those other planets?" is a silly and irrelevant question to me.

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It's not an indicator of God's existence. It's a question.

If you believe that God exists, and you believe that God created the universe, and you don't believe that there is life on other planets, then what is your belief for why God created so many other planets?

In other words, what is their purpose in an intelligently designed universe?