[meteorite-list] ALH 84001 and Creation - Part 2 of 2

From: meteorites_at_space.com <meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:12 2004
Message-ID: <20010614154708.3691.cpmta_at_c000.snv.cp.net>

Interesting post. Having a degree in theology, one thought in regard to this crossed my mind-- What if God redeemed us because we were the only ones in the universe that "fell from grace?"

It would then not be a matter of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ being for all races of beings in the universe, but only for us as "lost sheep."

And if such were the case, then this would be a supreme example of the infinite mercy of God insofar as it would prove and exemplify God's concern and grace with forgiveness extended to one of perhaps billions of races of beings scattered about the universe.

And I agree, if we ever make contact with others in this universe, just imagine the theological discussions that will ensue.

Steve Schoner, AMS
http://www.geocities.com/american_meteorite_survey


On Mon, 04 June 2001, Bernd Pauli HD wrote:

>
> Kenneth Woodward (1996) Sacred Realms: God's Expanding Universe - The
> Mars discovery excites religious thinkers (Newsweek, August 19, 1996, p.
> 46):
>
> If the laws of life are uniform throughout the universe, what about the
> laws of God? For Hindus and Buddhists, there is no problem: their
> cosmologies already teem with alternate universes inhabited by celestial
> and other beings. But the religions of the Bible clearly have
> theological questions to consider. Does the revelation of God on Mount
> Sinai apply to beings from another planet? If Christ died for the sins
> of a fallen humankind, would his death redeem beings from a distant
> galaxy? And must Muslims wage holy war with aliens to extend the
> community of Allah?
> For the world's largest religion – Christianity - Scripture may provide
> a clue. The New Testament proclaims that all creation was sanctified and
> redeemed through Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John, in particular,
> presents Jesus as the Word of God who existed at the beginning of time -
> and, therefore, presumably of space as well. "It may be that God became
> incarnate in other forms elsewhere in the universe," suggests Jesuit
> Consulmagno. "If we were to make contact with other intelligent life,
> we'd have to tell our own sacred story, listen to them tell theirs and
> learn. But who would be the teachers, and who the learners - that we'd
> have to find out."
> To astronomer Slavsky, the mere possibility of intelligent life
> elsewhere in the universe opens up a new sense of community - and an
> expanded notion of sacred drama. "We already have a different sense of
> community than that which existed 5,000 years ago," he says. "Today it
> means everyone on this Earth. Someday I hope we can extend that sense to
> a community of the universe." And what about God? Perhaps the Lord's
> reproving words to Job, his protesting faithful servant, will still
> inspire awe. "Where were you when I laid the foundations? Tell me, if
> you understand."
>
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Received on Thu 14 Jun 2001 11:47:08 AM PDT