Theological Reflections on ETNL
we just said, exobiology focuses on the discovery of microbial or biologically
simple forms of life, extraterrestrial unintelligent life or ETNL. Astro
ethicists are concerned about exobiological contamination, actually two
directional contamination. Forward
contamination would consist of earth intrusion into the ecosphere of
another world. By landing either a robotic probe or our own astronauts on Mars
or a moon orbiting Saturn or Jupiter, the context which supports whatever life
form exists might be subject to alteration, perhaps deleterious alteration. Back contamination could result from
bringing life samples back to earth, altering earths ecosphere and perhaps
poisoning some of us. Astro ethicists are busy devising preparatory principles
to rely upon when the first news of ETNL breaks.
might be the theological implications of ETNL? Margaret Race at SETI opens up
this question. If we find evidence for past or present Earth-like life on Mars, it would be extremely interesting
scientifically, but less so theologically or philosophically because it could
be explained as the result of dispersal between neighboring bodies; the
panspermia idea would then be a strong hypothesis. If, however, Martian life
were found to use a completely different biochemistry, it would be suggestive
of an independent origin of life, with significant philosophical and
theological implications (Race, 2007, p. 493). Now, just what is the logic of
Races suggestion here?
ETNL on Mars or another neighbor within our solar system is found to be
earthlike, then it would support the panspermia hypothesis. The idea of
panspermia suggests that the planet earth as well as Mars was seeded with a
primitive life form coming from a common source in space. The source in space
is unidentified; but the hypothesis includes the assumption that all life forms
both on earth and elsewhere in our solar neighborhood are kin to one another.
Life on earth would be part and parcel of extraterrestrial life.
is hinting that continuity in life would be less challenging to traditional
Western theology than discontinuity - that is, a second genesis elsewhere might
be more upsetting to traditional religion than a single genesis which we
earthlings share with our space neighbors. So, perhaps we should ask: if life
originated independently on earth and elsewhere, would this mean a loss of
significance for life on earth? Does our theology presuppose earth-centeredness
and earth-life-centeredness? And would it be upset if life - even ETNL - would
begin to grow without earths influence?
of science Robert John Russell formulates the question Race is hinting at. If
life were nowhere to be found in the universe except on earth, would this
increase its significance (as with the parable of the coin) or decrease its
significance (as though it were a curious anomaly)? (Russell, 2008, p.280).
appears to me that the answer to such questions would be: finding a second
genesis of ETNL or (or even ETIL) would not marginalize the significance of
terrestrial life. Our confidence in Gods love for life on earth would not be
compromised, just as a parents love for a child is not compromised because
that child has a brother or sister. God could love both.
In addition, belief in a unique genesis of life restricted to
earth does not seem to be implied by biblical accounts of creation. The
worldview of the ancient Hebrews at the time the Bible was written certainly
assumed that earth is the center and that the stars in our sky look down upon
us. This worldview has changed, of course. Our modern image of the cosmos with
billions of possible worlds is a recent development; yet, our modern word, cosmos, was still the word used in the
Bible to describe Gods creation. For God so loved the world
says John 3:16, that God gave his only begotten son... Perhaps the biblical
image of the cosmos was smaller than ours, yet the word still referred to the
totality of created reality for the Bible just as it does for us today.
Biblical theology was never a strictly earth-bound theology.
yes, Thomas Aquinas argued that the concept of perfection implied that there
could be one and only one world, our earth. Nevertheless, many other medieval
theologians could speculate about the existence of other worlds among the stars
where life would be flourishing. God would have been the author of such life
there just as God is the author of life here. John Buridan (1295-1358), for
example, held from faith that just as God made this world, so he could make
another or several worlds (Cited by Dick, 2000, p.29). And, relevant to our
discussion of exobiology, these other worlds might have different elements and
could obey different laws of nature; and they could produce different results.
With the advent of Copernican heliocentrism, many theologians along with
scientists began to speculate about life among the stars. In my own study of
this matter, I could find both acceptance and rejection of the extraterrestrial
hypothesis in the history of theological thought, with the preponderance of
speculative opinion favoring the existence of separate worlds among the stars.
though the sharp distinction between ETNL and ETIL is necessary for the pursuit
of astrobiology, it would seem to me that previous theological acceptance of
ETIL should suffice to cover what might happen should we discover ETNL. In sum,
I do not forecast much in the way of theological upset over a discovery of
ETNL, at least within the Christian tradition.
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| Contributed by: Ted Peters