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.

The Tao of Pop-Culture

THE TAO OF POP-CULTURE

**********

This is a real chat between co-workers discussing a situation at a real company. All names have been substituted with [Generic] words that describe their function. The chat transcript has been changed to resemble Plato's form of the dialogue, it's participants with names from Plato's 'Republic': The Cave

Glaucon: please back me up on my last

Socrates: ??

Glaucon: check your Email
Glaucon: [Management] is on his, 'how can [The Software] lose sales' kick
Socrates: oh, i already told him
Socrates: long story short, they brought you in because [The Customer] freaked out on me when i told him the file was gone
Socrates: [The $%#!@] wanted it 'escalated'
Socrates: they just wanted you to confirm my work because it was....'escalated'
Glaucon: ya but there are underlying issues with [The Software] and redundancies that needs to be addressed
Glaucon: and yes feeling the pain about being overworked now ... lol
Socrates: it's [The Company] man
Socrates: it's standard operating procedure
Socrates: hahah
Glaucon: ha
Socrates: they talk about the glory days of [The Company], the 'gilded age'
Socrates: but i remember when they had our feet under the fire every three months
Glaucon: omg all the time
Socrates: [The Company] has always been, and always will be kray-kray
Glaucon: I have told [Management] like 100x to call [Person who can help] to do an L1 training and if she wanted too much I would undercut it just to get these people trained to know what to ask
Socrates: nope
Socrates: it's much better to have a situation that's totally reactive
Glaucon: lol
Socrates: you remember the movie the fifth element
Glaucon: ya
Socrates: remember the speech with zorg, about destruction
Socrates: the order out of chaos
Socrates: it is the philosophy of the destroyer, the black hole that kills souls, sucking the light of life out of it
Socrates: this is the monster that orbits our reality, and why it will always and forever will be, kray-kray

Socrates: management and executives are people that somehow exist on it

Glaucon: lol
Socrates: they feed off it, because it rewards obedience
Socrates: like servants of the nothing, the destroyer from the never ending story
Socrates: they help it along, assist it
Socrates: even though they are in the process of being devoured by it. [The Office] by its nature is inherently violent; mentally and spiritually
Socrates: and won't change
Socrates: so no, there will be no training to make things easier. k? Mhhh, k!
Glaucon: lol ... and [Management] wonders why I keep saying no about moving out there no matter how enticing he makes it ... lol
Socrates: yeah, you're like rowdy rodney piper, and i'm the black guy, and we're the one's who can see
Socrates: 'weeee got one who can SseeeEE!'
Socrates: haha
Glaucon: lol
Socrates: run man, ruuuuuuuun!
Socrates: for you LIIIIIiiiiiffffFFFFFEEEEeeeEEE!!!!
Glaucon: is typing...
Glaucon: ok time to play WoW

Global Jubilee?

Bloggers Note: I was reading through Leviticus and thought Chapter 25:8-55 was particularly prescient and applicable to our world today. I wondered what kind of blessing would be poured out on the world if it was applied globally. I also wondered if anyone else had a similar idea. I did a google search for Global Jubilee and I found this article. I thought it was wonderful, so instead of reinventing the wheel I decided to repost it here. Enjoy!

No Global Jubilee
By Wilfred Hahn ((Eternal Value Review)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of the past few years has ravaged many households. Millions are living in dire conditions not dissimilar to those experienced in the time of the 1930s Great Depression. Over 42 million American households today rely upon food stamps.1 That is an increase of 44% since the start of the GFC (considered to be early September 2008 when the firm of Lehman Brothers collapsed). One of the busiest times of the month for Wal-mart is now early in the morning on the first day of the month, when the food stamp cards are transactionable.

The GFC is not over; it is still morphing through various stages. Lately, financial troubles are ripping through parts of Europe. Much more trouble surely lies ahead elsewhere. The GFC indeed could represent a preliminary phase of the global economic travails that ultimately manifest in the final economic collapses detailed in the book of Revelation. However, events can unfold in unexpected and deceitful ways. A deceptive aspect of the times is that even as many more people have fallen into difficult circumstance, perhaps losing all or a considerable part of their savings in the real estate crash, the wealthy seem to be doing fine. Yes, many wealthy people also suffered loss throughout the GFC. However, as a group, they nevertheless today account for a greater share of national wealth than likely ever before in America’s history. According to one recent estimate, the richest 20% of all U.S. households now account for 84% of all wealth.2 Another survey dating back to 2006 data, focusing on the top 0.01% (1 hundredth of 1%) of the U.S. population, shows this group earning 976 times the income of the bottom 90%. That ratio by far exceeds the extremes of 1928, the last peak period of an extreme wealth distribution in the U.S. Therefore, even while we see luxury goods in high demand today, we also observe that the majority of households have reduced their overall spending … even on staple goods.

We live in a period of time where the financial world has become decoupled from the real world. In other words, the realm of financial wealth and asset markets has become its own master, seeking to insulate itself from the real-life underpinnings of the day-to-day world of labor, income and massive household indebtedness. Today, rather than money being in the service of mankind, societies have been taken into the bondage of servicing money. Whenever such a state of affairs has occurred in past history, it has ultimately led to a demise of that society. Unless things change, this same outcome is likely to befall America, Canada and a host of other countries. In fact, today these conditions impact the entire world, not just individual countries. The globalized financial edifice is looting entire countries, progressively forcing governments to appropriate taxpayer monies to bailout banks and global sovereign bond markets.

The Façade of Rich Hopes

The topic of wealth … should we even discuss it? According to the prophet Amos, perhaps we shouldn’t. He said: “Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil” (Amos 5:13). To have any opinion on the accumulation of riches in these times is to be branded of a particular political persuasion—perhaps Democrat, Republican, Libertarian … even a Socialist or a Communist. It is a particularly treacherous topic in North America. Why? Because the ideas of opportunity for all … the freedom to excel … property rights … human rights … etc. … run deep. These represent the very foundation of the American Way. It is not that any of these notions are unreasonable or reprehensible. They should be upheld. However, along the way, the object of worship has changed. The focus has turned from these ideas to the acquisition of money and wealth itself—in short: greed and humanistic materialism.

None of these comments are meant to support any one particular political view. They are simply Biblical statements of fact which confirm the vulnerabilities of the human heart to corruption. We are therefore speaking here of human affections, not political philosophies.

Capitalism and Other Views Not Sanctified

For some, the objective of the maximization of wealth is a religion itself… an “ism.” Anything that would stand in the way of this Mammon edifice must be struck down and removed. To them, money exists for its own sake. All policies of state and matters of human life must be in subservience to increasing wealth. And so, increasingly for the entire world, wealth has been transformed into a highly visible financial form, one that is narrow and deceiving.

Without naming names or politicizing the views being expressed here, it is very evident that many rich and powerful individuals, the corporate sector represented by the large multinational corporations, as well as the parasitic financial community (collectively referred to as Wall Street), are run by the interests of money. They have tremendous influence and lobby hard to continue the pursuit of even more wealth. That societies may be crumbling; that the global economic standing of entire nation states is being sacrificed; that an ever larger portion of humanity is being enslaved are just part of the competitive scoring game.  Quoting Dr. Michael Hudson, in America: "We are dealing with shameless demagogy. The financial End Time has arrived. […] The argument is made that ‘The rich create jobs.’ After all, somebody has to build the yachts. What is missing is the more general principle: Wealth and income inequality destroy job creation. This is because beyond the wealthy soon reach a limit on how much they can consume. They spend their money buying financial securities – mainly bonds, which end up indebting the economy. And the debt overhead is what is pushing today’s economy into deepening depression." 3

Being or becoming wealthy is not a sin, though few are able to remain untainted by its influence. On the other hand, desiring to be wealthy or to oppress others in the effort to attain or preserve wealth is a sin. Such motives, if not curtailed, lead to destruction, as the Bible outlines. In fact, it could be considered a physical law that applies to anything that draws the affections of mankind. “[…] Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Today, we see ample evidence of the destructive trends of wealth hoarding at work.

The Bible’s View on Today

Let’s allow the Bible to speak of the indictments and judgments that applied to Israel and Judah during similar times of elitism and economic oppression. Please read these statements and compare them to conditions evident in our day: Son of man, say to the land […], There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. […] Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. […] The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice (Ezekiel 22:24-25, 27, 29). Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, ‘Bring us some drinks!’ (Amos 4:1). ‘So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, […] against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the LORD Almighty (Malachi 3:5). For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts (Amos 5:12). Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance” (Micah 2:1-2). Do any of the conditions or attitudes exemplified in the Spirit-inspired statements of the prophets cited above, apply in our day? Most readers will likely agree.

Moreover, an attitude of rapaciousness and an incessant striving for gain is rampant. Attitudes such as these were also spoken against by the prophets. Consider Nahum indicting the brutal Assyrians, saying, “You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away” (Nahum 3:16). Today, avaricious actions such as these take different forms. For example, a company is taken over, its assets stripped, laborers downsized, and then it is laden up with debt to pay out gains to its acquirers. Not only do actions such as these undermine the strength of these companies, but also entire nations. As well, the obsession of multiplying wealth for its own sake, was also deplored by the prophets. Said Isaiah: “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land” (Isaiah 5:8). We see here that the objective of gaining wealth—of piling up and hoarding riches—is not to be the leitmotif of life. The incessant striving for “growth and increase” virtually ensures that a large number of poor will result, destroying society.

Points to Ponder

This writer believes that the conditions of materialism and economic oppression witnessed today—even in such advanced nations as the U.S., Canada and others—is at least as rampant as during the times that the prophets sounded the warnings and indictments against Judah and Israel. The divide between the rich and poor has become extreme. No Jubilee Year is practiced as in ancient times of the Hebrews, where all liabilities are forgiven and the forces of exponential gain are again reset to zero. (“In this Year of Jubilee, everyone is to return to his own property” (Leviticus 25:13)).  In today’s world driven by global materialism, there is no rebalancing of wealth and property other than through eventual calamitous financial busts and economic depressions.

To date, global leaders and finance ministers from the major nations have no answer to the Global Financial Crisis other than to reshuffle debt and to shift liabilities upon governments and aging populations. There is no possibility of a voluntary Jubilee Year. The net result is even greater financial slavery for the average citizen; even greater relative wealth of the “haves.” Yes, some leaders speak of a return to “stewardship” and stopping the march into greater indebtedness. However, for the most part, societies and their leaders will opt for policies that seem the lightest ... that promise deferral of the ultimate consequences, even if only for a period of months.
But surely, the judgments that were carried out against Israel and Judah for their economic sins could never happen to the U.S. or Canada, for example. Many refuse to believe that today’s generation will not be absolved of its idolatries and sins, on the good credit of prior generations that may have founded their nation upon Christian principles. Or, they may think themselves impervious to judgment because of the great evangelical outreaches and good deeds to the rest of the world that were birthed in their country.

They forget the lessons of ancient Israel and Judah and the principle illustrated in Ezekiel 18. Here Ezekiel provides a detailed illustration of the accountabilities of fathers and sons, concluding that each generation must answer for its own conduct. For example, the sins of the son cannot be absolved on the strengths of the good deeds of the father. Says Ezekiel: “For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4-5). As such, the immoral and evil conditions that we witness today will be accounted to the current generation. God is faithful, a respecter of no one. As Apostle Paul observed, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8).

Living in this dispensation upon earth, great and wonderful promises have been given to us in addition to salvation. While the world becomes mired in its humanistic materialism, losing everything, we can translate what we have into eternal riches, “where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20), gaining everything. “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9).