Are We Alone In the Universe? New Analysis Says Maybe

"I'm sorry E.T., no one's home..."

SOURCE ARTICLE: http://www.space.com/12421-alien-life-rare-universe-extraterrestrials-seti.html

"Don't be afraid, you're not alone. There's no God, but there's lot of people out there, I'm sure of it. Sweet Dreams!"

Foundational World Views

The evidence for intelligent life in the universe is dwindling. To some people this is a most depressing idea because it means there is a vast amount of space and it's virtually wasted solely on us. The idea that we're alone in the universe is an assault on the modern psyche because for a generation we have been told stories about alien life and the possibility of first contact and how that would re-write history and even religion. There is even a mathematical equation that shows there are literally thousands of civilizations out there! Proof of alien life, or first contact, would be akin to the revolutionary shift in foundational worldviews which were at stake in the debate about the helio and geocentric models. It speaks to the position of Man in the Universe and ultimately our purpose, if any. The essence of the debate can be reduced down to this: Are Human Beings special and unique and was creation made for them alone? 

The Heliocentric model was not created

 by Christians or Jews. Rather started with Greeks, and was approriated by

 the Church in Rome as a Holy doctrine.

There was a time when people felt the geocentric view indicated that Human Beings were the center of the universe and the heavens revolved around us, while the heliocentric view would indicate that the Sun is the center thereby reducing our importance on a cosmic scale: positioning as it turns out is important, but being 'center' is not. The existence of alien life, while a very modern concern, has similar implications for many.     

For most secular people the idea that the universe was made specifically for us is rather absurd, as it seems like an awful waste of space. At one point I definitely agreed as I practically grew up on Star Trek and science fiction. The idea that we're not alone is a completely natural position for me. I really like the idea that the universe is dotted with uncountable civilizations, that we'll share information and be part of a larger community. However much I enjoy fantasy and wish it were reality, there is growing evidence that galactic fellowship as represented in science fiction is probably not true as there are specific conditions necessary for life to arise, and not only for life to arise, but specific positioning and parameters necessary in order to observe the universe. In fact, the more we learn, the more our existence becomes even more radical. So, we might actually be 'alone' in the Universe. For people without God, this is incredibly depressing since this means we experience pain, suffering, murder, depression, strife (you know the drill) and it's all pretty much meaningless; or there is a perverted sense of cosmic justice that's totally unclear. 

Why These Worldview Matter

And though we are increasingly becoming aware of the vastness of space and the outrageous odds that we even exist, we are still drawn into petty issues like freaking out over losing 5 seconds on our commute; which the distance of doesn't even register on a universal level, let alone an earthly one. Our situation in modernity is rather pathetic and mundane, so it goes that if everything we see was created just for us than it's most certainly a waste.

We've lost our moral bearing,

our fears and alienation are exploited,

as well as our labor.

And it's right to feel that way. 

We can only operate through the slavery of debt

We will age and die; and there is no escape. 

Given our situation it is reasonable to want something greater than ourselves to frame our experience in a meaningful context.

In fact, it was the reason why I never really entertained the idea that we might be alone in the Universe, until I watched a lecture by Dr. Hugh Ross. I have to admit I was impressed with his knowledge and presentation. Now, there are many people who attack him as a hack and a fraud. I just want to point out that's a natural disposition of many scientists.  That is how the 'englightened' engage in debate. It's all rather nasty, so if you research him try to look past the rhetoric as even the great names such as 'Einstein', 'Tesla' and many others had such detractors. No one has all knowledge and so we are piecing this thing together, climbing on the achievements of the generations from ages past. What is important is consensus. The article confirmed the data he presented, and by secularists who froth at the mouth when 'God' is mentioned; so they certainly do not advocate Dr. Ross. 

What impressed me while watching his online lecture  is that not only does he possess scientific integrity, but he also shared a perspective that I had never considered: If the universe was made just for us then its vastness is not a waste of space, but rather it speaks to the incredibly high value that human beings have. I realized then that the idea of our value has always been at the heart of the debate, from antiquity to modernity. Our value as sentient beings is what's at stake. The world has always had problems, but the lack of human value has led us to a dangerous precipice, of which only an act of God can pull us back. It is my prayer that this message infects the dangerous meme that secularists have embedded in the modern framework*; that we go from a culture of death, despair, and alienation, to a culture of value, respect, hope and purpose.

*The notion that there is nothing in death permeates our media in subtle ways. Watch 1:39 seconds in. This is the narrative that's being sent, and if you watch the story arch from this moment on, he acts accordingly: disassociated, which is the mental state that plagues a great deal of people:

*The second scene is about 10 minutes long. Watch starting 3:50 seconds in. You will see the theme repeat itself again.

Paradigm Shifting

I appreciate Ken Wilber's work in regards to the integral nature of our experience. We obviously differ theologically, but that doesn't mean mutual ground can't be found: We must understand our context within a dynamic, holistic context. No one should understand this better than the Christian.

It has been my experience that the degree to which you feel you are living a meaningful life is directly related to the level of value you perceive you have physically, psychologically and spiritually. This is why our labor, relationships, and cosmological context are all incredibly important to our over-all well being.  It is these spheres that are perpetually under assault, in every age, but today they are under siege. What's particularly grotesque about the modern experience is that our labor and relationships can only be understood within a commercial context and our spiritual context within the material: pantheism, or universal expression. Our families, our first encounter with the social life, have been decimated and as a result we see the social (civil society) disintegrating. Our labor is dictated by the extent to which loans can be secured, not what we can produce. As individuals, we are plunging ever closer into the shadow of death and all you can see is a future darkness. If everything we see came from nothing, back to nothing you go. Or you might believe the inverse, you are an expression of an impersonal universe that cannot care and never really be known except through your personal experiences. You feel that you should be doing good, but the only problem with that is despite your efforts you don't really do too much good - no better or worse than the next person, right? Never before have all quadrants of human existence been mortally wounded at once so don't fret, it's not exactly your fault. We simply have faulty foundations. This predicament is exactly what Jesus was speaking to when he was addressing the crowd:

"Therefore, whosoeuer heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I wil liken him vnto a wise man, which built his house vpon a rocke: And the raine descended, and the floods came, and the windes blew, and beat vpon that house: and it fell not, for it was founded vpon a rocke. And euery one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall bee likened vnto a foolish man, which built his house vpon the sand: And the raine descended, and the floods came, and the windes blew, and beat vpon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:24-27, ESV

Read it again but substitute the following words:

The House=Life

The Rock=The Living God

The Rains=Alienation/Depression

The Flood=Debts/Financial Trouble

The Winds=Death/Illness

The Sand=Philosophy of Man/Atheism

Now, I'm going to type it again using the direct symbolic meaning:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his Life on The Living God. And the alienation fell, and the debts came, and illness and death blew and beat on that Life, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on The Living God. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his life on the philosophy of man. And the alienation fell, and the debts came, and illness and death blew and beat against that Life, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

Isn't that exactly how you feel. So lost when these things start to befall you, especially all three at the same time! God knows what our experience is and what human experience would be in the future. His Word is the Living Word that transcends space and time to speak to us even still. It is sad not too much has change since the dawn of civilization, but God's Word speaks to that too:

"The thing that hath beene, it is that which shall be: and that which is done, is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing vnder the sunn." Ecclesiastes 1:9, ESV

While there might be nothing new under the sun, I do not take our situation lightly. It's true that the human experience has been wrought with pains and sufferings, but there is no doubt that we are experiencing them more acutely today. It's almost as if the magnitude of our technological and industrial grandeur matches the suffering we experience under its misuse. Now, at this point I can probably guess what you're thinking (besides thinking that I'm a crazy person and wondering why you've even read THIS far, ha!). 

The idea of God is so broad, who can define it? There are so many competing ideas who's to say which one is correct? These are difficult question to answer directly, but what I can say in response is that to find the answer you must ask yourself different questions. What does your foundation worldview do for you? Do you feel free? Does it validate all spheres that pertain to our happiness, or does it validate one at the expense of another? You might have work or feel financially secure, but have broken relationships. Or you doing great and are dumbstruck by a sudden death or illness.

You can really pick any permutation, but we are always deficient in one sphere or another. The moments that are good are when all these quadrants are in balance: When mind/body/spirit enter synergy.

This post cannot encompass all four quadrants in depth, but brings to question to the cosmological foundational worldview we have been given. It is my hope that the reader will at least consider a God who is actively interested in their life, as he is the author of life and the Master Architect of the Heavens and Earth. And not only come to realize God in your life, but come to Love him, as he Loves you beyond measure. The secular scientist can appreciate the mechanics of the heavens and the earth, but the Lover of God can praise it! Trust me, there is a difference.  

Breaking Down the Book of Job

The link I provided about the video I saw with Dr. Ross is to a pay video. I encourage you to watch it as it was the one I watched that really provoked me to post this. There are plenty of video's online as well. I thought this one in particular was really wonderful. Enjoy!

Cosmic Fingerprints / Answers in Job: Biblical Teaching on Creation from CCC Omaha on Vimeo.