This week we are kicking off a new series at the two churches called Ask The Pastor. As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m going to be addressing a lot of the questions right here on my blog.
The first question I thought I’d cover has to do with Aliens and UFO’s. “Does the Bible say anything about the possible existence of Aliens or life on other planets?”
Now, some might be quick to dismiss this question as a silly one. And yet, according to the website Aliens Central, a Newsweek poll discovered that 48% of Americans believe UFOs are real. 29% believe that we have made contact with Aliens, and 48% believe there is a government coverup concerning UFO knowledge.
A lot of people seem to believe in some form of alien existence.
Do I believe in aliens? Well, if you’ve been a reader of my blog for more than a few years, you know that I was possibly abducted by aliens during my motorcycle road trip in October 2009. I was riding into Roswell, New Mexico, when something happened. In fact, my blog was even hijacked by an alien who wrote these words. Did it really happen? I can’t say. I can only let you decide for yourself after reading the post.
All kidding aside, no, I don’t really believe in aliens. Although it’s a belief I hold loosely. I do believe in UFOs however. After all, a UFO is simply an unidentified flying object. I have seen many objects in the sky that I was unable to identify. To me, those are UFOs. Someone more clever — or in the know — can likely identify what the object was/is, but I wasn’t able to.
But are there flying saucers and other space craft visiting our planet and abducting our people? I don’t think so. It would take a lot for me to believe that there is.
The Bible
Does the Bible talk about UFOs and aliens? Not that I am aware of. That doesn’t prove or disprove their existence. It’s just that the Bible is silent on the subject.
The challenge you face if you believe in life on other planets is what to do with the story of Adam and Eve and original sin. If life exists elsewhere, you have to decide if that life is similar to humans. If so, do those beings have a soul? If the answer is yes, did they sin? Did they need Jesus to die for them? Or, are those beings more like animals and other living things on Earth that do not have a soul and are not under the curse of sin?
UFOs and the Future
I do believe that UFOs may play a large role in End Times Theology. Now, don’t freak out here, I’m not going to go all “Harold Camping” on you and predict the end of the world. However, the Bible clearly teaches that at some point in the future a rapture will occur. How and when that happens is up to debate, and not the subject of this question. Could UFOs and alien abduction be used to explain away the disappearance of so many people.
Again, depending on the end times timeline you hold to, unbelievers may be left on Earth after the rapture takes place. Hundreds of Millions of people will be gone. How will that be explained away? Perhaps people will claim it was aliens who abducted all those people. Perhaps.
Conclusion
Ultimately, this is a tough question to answer. In one sense, if you give any credence to it, you seem to be acknowledging the existence of aliens. And yet, if almost half the population of the U.S. believe in the existence of aliens, it’s important to at least consider if the Bible has anything to say about the subject.
Personally, I doubt the existence of aliens. And yet, if one day it is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they exist, it wont shatter my faith at all. Nothing will change when it comes to my belief system.
In the meantime, enjoy the song Unidentified Flying Object written by Larry Norman, the forefather of Christian rock and roll.
