MovieChat Forums > Paul (2011) Discussion > Why is the belief in God and the existen...

Why is the belief in God and the existence of aliens mutually exclusive?


As a sci-fi fan I enjoyed this movie.
But as a Christian there were some scenes I found offensive.
Am I the only Christian that believes in the existence of aliens?
When I look at the size and scope of the universe I not only believe they may exist, I believe they MUST exist. No God would create a universe with 300 billion +/- galaxies each with 300 billion +/- stars and leave it empty of life save for this one small planet in a isolated corner of the Milky way.
At the same time as a science buff when I study the wonderful complexities required for life I find it impossible to believe that life began by accident.
There had to have been a designer.
They could have made the movie without the God bashing and appealed to a even wider audience.
And don't even get me started on the 6000 year thing. There is nowhere in the Bible that says the earth is 6000 years old (By the way the movie even got this wrong and said 4000 years.)
The 6000 year myth comes from one man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_Ussher I have been a Christian raised all my life in a very conservative area and don't know anyone other than a couple of uninformed little old ladies who believe this.

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The Vatican is the only religious state to come out in favor of alien life. They actively seek out alien life.

6,000 year myth has taken hold in the south. Texas school board has gone on record that the teaching should be taught in science class. In the south they have actual museums that tell us that Adam and Eve walked with the dinosuars and that Neandertas were homo sapiens with birth defects.

See http://creationmuseum.org/whats-here/photo-preview/

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It is not exactly correct to suggest that only Vatican came out in favor of alien life. Vatican is an organized and centralized organization, so they actually have an official stance.

All other Christian groups who are generally referred to as protestants cannot have a one singular stance on something since each church is independent from another and when they are categorized they are categorized based on association with some historic origins, or essential theological interpretations. Some churches somewhere, like you said in the South, may tell their visitors specifically "there are no aliens" , but I've never even heard this issue brought up by anyone anywhere online or in person. That's because it has nothing to do with official church positions or the Bible. Aliens do not contradict the Bible, or create any conflict in theology of Christians.

Besides, it would only be a hypothetical opinion about scientific speculation since as of yet no intelligent aliens have been confirmed, so there isn't anything concrete to base an opinion on except the assumption that there must be some somewhere.

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At the same time as a science buff when I study the wonderful complexities required for life I find it impossible to believe that life began by accident.


An argument from incredulity (I cannot believe 'x', therefore it must be 'y') is not an argument at all.

Also, studying life today tells you nothing about the initial conditions required for life to arise - even the most simple single-cell organism has ~3.5bn years of evolution tucked under its belt.


Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

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I've been a Christian my whole life and also believe in the possibility of aliens and the theory of evolution. I think SEC Christians are commonly Republitians.

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Great thread

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At the same time as a science buff when I study the wonderful complexities required for life I find it impossible to believe that life began by accident.

That's odd. You JUST mentioned how big our universe is with 300 billion galaxies. You should also know how much time this universe had to evolve. With THAT many stars and planets that had THAT much time to evolve, why should it be impossible for life to begin "by accident"? The conditions needed for that to happen will surely occur somewhere else as well, given enough time. Also, life could be different - it may be highly unlikely to find the exact same conditions we had somewhere else but it doesn't have do be the exact same conditions.

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It isn't. Paul even says as much.

Paul: Look, if it makes you feel any better, my existence only disproves the notion of the Abrahamic, Judeo-Christian God, as well as all single earth theologies. Science still hasn't categorically rule out the notion of divinity, even though evolutionary biology suggest the non-existence of a creator by probability alone.

Am I the only Christian that believes in the existence of aliens?


No. But you're clearly not a biblical literalist or a young earth creationist. So there's no reason to take offense, since the apparent anti-Christian jokes you saw were actually not targeting you.

They were targeting that subculture among Christians who believe the stories in the bible are a literal history of the world or that the timeline suggested by the bible is actually how long the entire universe has existed(6-10 thousand years). If these ideas don't apply to you, the jokes weren't at your expense.

When I look at the size and scope of the universe I not only believe they may exist, I believe they MUST exist. No God would create a universe with 300 billion +/- galaxies each with 300 billion +/- stars and leave it empty of life save for this one small planet in a isolated corner of the Milky way.


And that's a logical position if one believes in God. So Paul wouldn't oppose your faith. Like I said above, he doesn't have a problem with people believing in God. His problem is more with people thinking they're the center of the universe, while denying all evidence to the contrary.

At the same time as a science buff when I study the wonderful complexities required for life I find it impossible to believe that life began by accident.
There had to have been a designer.


This is where Paul(and myself) would disagree. For example, we wouldn't use the word "by accident." Rather we would say "by chance." It seems like semantics, but the subtle change makes a world of difference when it comes to the implications.

We would argue that there's no evidence that suggests there must be a designer, and would question what lead you to that conclusion.

They could have made the movie without the God bashing and appealed to a even wider audience.


They did not bash god at any point. At most they bashed people who refuse to accept facts. The movie at no point takes a position for or against any god. Like I said, it only opposes those who believe the bible is a literal history of the world.

And don't even get me started on the 6000 year thing. There is nowhere in the Bible that says the earth is 6000 years old (By the way the movie even got this wrong and said 4000 years.)


You're confused. Nobody said the bible claims the universe is only 6,000 years old. That's a belief held by a subculture of Christians commonly known as Young Earth Creationists. They've decided on this age based on several things in the bible.

http://creation.com/6000-years

The 6000 year myth comes from one man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_Ussher I have been a Christian raised all my life in a very conservative area and don't know anyone other than a couple of uninformed little old ladies who believe this.


Your personal experience is irrelevant. It's a fact that Young Earth Creationists and biblical literalists exist. The fact that you haven't met any is entirely meaningless.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

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