their own ways
Acts 14:16
14:16 their own ways. God was not unconcerned with this pagan ignorance, but was patient. As Paul later told the Athenians, “God winked at” it for a time (Acts 17:30). The pagans did have ample evidence, in both creation and conscience, of the true God (Romans 1:20; 2:15), as well as the witness from the Jews in their midst, so they were “without excuse” if they did not acknowledge Him. In fact many had, indeed, already come to “fear God” and listen to His Word in the synagogues (Acts 13:16,26,42), even though they had been reluctant to become proselytes to the full Jewish religion. It was such as these latter who most readily responded to the gospel of Christ when they finally heard it.
Recent marketing research conducted a 24-country survey about people’s belief in aliens. They released their results just before the next widely anticipated Star Wars installment. How do biblical truths and scientific facts impact humanity’s concept of aliens from outer space?
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Recent marketing research conducted a 24-country survey about people’s belief in aliens. They released their results just before the next widely anticipated Star Wars installment. How do biblical truths and scientific facts impact humanity’s concept of aliens from outer space?
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Marketing research group Glocalities conducted a 24-country survey about people’s belief in aliens. They released their results just before the next widely anticipated Star Wars installment. How do biblical truths and scientific facts impact humanity’s concept of aliens from outer space?
Reuters news summarized some of the survey results.1 Sixty-one percent of 26,000 respondents said “yes” when asked if they believe in “some form of life on other planets.” That lifeform could mean bacteria or something more intelligent. Forty-seven percent believe “in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations” out there somewhere.
We apparently live in alien-crazed societies. Where is the evidence that has convinced so many of space aliens?
First, Scripture shows no direct support for E.T.s. In fact, the Bible poses a gospel challenge to the existence of intelligent alien civilizations. ICR news wrote in 2011, “Extraterrestrial life would also contradict the Bible’s claim that ‘Christ died once for all’ to pay for the sins of humanity (Hebrews 10:10), since to be fair, He would have to die as many times as there are planets inhabited with intelligent life.”2
Since the Lord Jesus died only once before His resurrection, He could not have gone to die again on alien planets. Therefore, intelligent redeemable E.T.s must not exist.
What about support from science? Even secular researchers have refuted intelligent aliens on the basis of a complete lack of E.T. evidence. Nobody has ever detected a single intelligent signal that came from out there.
Plus, they long ago raised a logical argument against aliens called the “Fermi paradox.”3 So many stars and planets populate the universe that even if a tiny fraction were suitable for life, many should populate the universe today if stars and planets have been emerging for billions of years. Instead it’s as silent as sound in space.
It looks like half the world believes in aliens for reasons other than tangible or logical evidence. So, what feature do E.T.s carry that compels so many to accept the concept?
It does fit right in with evolution’s story of a universe where nature, not God, somehow does all the creating.
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute is dedicated to the search for space aliens. ICR news quoted from a 2011 SETI website plea that said, “That’s why we’re appealing to you—someone who recognizes that the evolutionary drama that has taken place on our planet may have happened on other worlds”4 But after listening for years the SETI Institute has zero E.T. evidence.
Cultural phenomena like the movie industry and popular evolutionary dramas may propagate widespread belief in space aliens, but so far it has no biblical or scientific legs to stand on.
References
- Deutsch, A. and L. King. Are Earthlings Alone? Half of humans believe in alien life. Reuters. Posted on reuters.com December 7, 2017, accessed December 8, 2017.
- Thomas, B. Another ‘Goldilocks’ Planet Stirs ET Hopes. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org December 16, 2011, accessed December 8, 2017.
- Lisle, J. Are ETs & UFOs Real? In The New Answers Book. Posted on answersingenesis.org December 6, 2007, accessed December 7, 2011. Also, the upcoming movie Alien Intrusion vividly illustrates the Fermi paradox.
- Thomas, B. 2011. SETI Funding Linked to Belief in Evolution. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org May 9, 2011, accessed December 8, 2011.
*Brian Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his M.S. in biotechnology from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Article posted on December 26, 2017.
[body_edit] =>Marketing research group Glocalities conducted a 24-country survey about people’s belief in aliens. They released their results just before the next widely anticipated Star Wars installment. How do biblical truths and scientific facts impact humanity’s concept of aliens from outer space?
Reuters news summarized some of the survey results.1 Sixty-one percent of 26,000 respondents said “yes” when asked if they believe in “some form of life on other planets.” That lifeform could mean bacteria or something more intelligent. Forty-seven percent believe “in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations” out there somewhere.
We apparently live in alien-crazed societies. Where is the evidence that has convinced so many of space aliens?
First, Scripture shows no direct support for E.T.s. In fact, the Bible poses a gospel challenge to the existence of intelligent alien civilizations. ICR news wrote in 2011, “Extraterrestrial life would also contradict the Bible’s claim that ‘Christ died once for all’ to pay for the sins of humanity (Hebrews 10:10), since to be fair, He would have to die as many times as there are planets inhabited with intelligent life.”2
Since the Lord Jesus died only once before His resurrection, He could not have gone to die again on alien planets. Therefore, intelligent redeemable E.T.s must not exist.
What about support from science? Even secular researchers have refuted intelligent aliens on the basis of a complete lack of E.T. evidence. Nobody has ever detected a single intelligent signal that came from out there.
Plus, they long ago raised a logical argument against aliens called the “Fermi paradox.”3 So many stars and planets populate the universe that even if a tiny fraction were suitable for life, many should populate the universe today if stars and planets have been emerging for billions of years. Instead it’s as silent as sound in space.
It looks like half the world believes in aliens for reasons other than tangible or logical evidence. So, what feature do E.T.s carry that compels so many to accept the concept?
It does fit right in with evolution’s story of a universe where nature, not God, somehow does all the creating.
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute is dedicated to the search for space aliens. ICR news quoted from a 2011 SETI website plea that said, “That’s why we’re appealing to you—someone who recognizes that the evolutionary drama that has taken place on our planet may have happened on other worlds”4 But after listening for years the SETI Institute has zero E.T. evidence.
Cultural phenomena like the movie industry and popular evolutionary dramas may propagate widespread belief in space aliens, but so far it has no biblical or scientific legs to stand on.
References
- Deutsch, A. and L. King. Are Earthlings Alone? Half of humans believe in alien life. Reuters. Posted on reuters.com December 7, 2017, accessed December 8, 2017.
- Thomas, B. Another ‘Goldilocks’ Planet Stirs ET Hopes. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org December 16, 2011, accessed December 8, 2017.
- Lisle, J. Are ETs & UFOs Real? In The New Answers Book. Posted on answersingenesis.org December 6, 2007, accessed December 7, 2011. Also, the upcoming movie Alien Intrusion vividly illustrates the Fermi paradox.
- Thomas, B. 2011. SETI Funding Linked to Belief in Evolution. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org May 9, 2011, accessed December 8, 2011.
*Brian Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his M.S. in biotechnology from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Article posted on December 26, 2017.
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