Dr. Billy Holland

We are all philosophers, which simply means we all have opinions and worldviews about most everything. Since the birth of the internet and social media, we've seen just how true this is, and I'm sure, as the topic of this column caught your attention, you already have your own thoughts about the subject. If you've ever been a part of a group discussion, it does not take long to realize that humans are proficient at collecting ideas with the ability to store them in their memory banks, along with the confidence to communicate what they believe. This includes the possibilities and speculations about extraterrestrials. Before we get started, we should establish that there are different types of views about aliens, and not all of them necessarily mean beings from other planets. Whether your response is 'no', 'yes', or 'I don't know', this has become one of the most popular unsolved mysteries in our culture.

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the interest in the unexplained phenomena of UFO's has soared. We have seen the documentaries where witnesses declare they have seen objects in the skies, and some have not only testified about seeing creatures, but claim they were abducted. Up to the 1940's, the majority of the population thought that martians were a joke, saying those who claimed to see flying saucers were hallucinating, confused, or just wanting attention. But in today's modern world, there is not as much laughing and mocking. One reason could be the significant number of highly respected people, including pilots, who have come forward. Another reason could be that our entertainment industry has produced so much fantasy fiction that the younger generations consider these anomalies more of a probability than a possibility.

As a Christian minister, you would think I would occasionally have someone ask me what I think about little green men from outer space, but it's rarely mentioned. Maybe it's because we have not just a trepidation of our integrity being questioned, but an honest fear of the unknown. There is still a certain amount of stigma associated with saying we have seen an unidentified starship, but maybe the more important questions are: What difference would it make if aliens are real, and what makes life on other planets seem unreasonable? I realize that many Christians interpret the Bible as not mentioning other worlds or civilizations that exist within or beyond our solar system. However, is there anything necessarily wrong or sinful with being open-minded about people definitely seeing disturbing things in the sky, and the likelihood that strangers are watching us?

The sheer vastness of the universe alone allows our minds to ponder what or who else is out there. Since God is infinite, could this planet be just one of many He has created? What did God do before He made our world? It's interesting to consider if these advanced and curious lifeforms are just our neighbors, or angels that once lived in heaven and were cast down to where we live? Both are no doubt far more advanced than we are, and most likely have been observing us since darkness was upon the face of the deep. I believe orthodox worldviews would struggle if aliens were to finally reveal themselves and want to negotiate an alliance with our planet, but it's my opinion that the proof of extraterrestrials would most likely cause religious belief systems to accept this discovery as another part of God's indescribable power and authority, rather than panic and collapse.

While the scientific community, along with the spiritual philosophers try to process the reality that aliens are actually real, many who believe and trust God would eventually interpret these lifeforms as a confirmation to move away from an earth-centered view where we are the only living creatures in the entire cosmos. One example of a theological debate would be whether these visitors are simply beings from another planet that desire to be friends, and if the Bible and salvation apply to them. On the other hand, are they demons that have a mission to deceive, plunder, and destroy? Or could they be God's angels that are doing His will and trying to help us? Either way, most people would be extremely cautious, even if gifts were offered, such as incredible advances in technology, within the negotiation of a galactic peace alliance. Then, of course, there will always be those who will dismiss and ignore the evidence as they claim it contradicts the foundation of divine truth. What are your thoughts?

Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, chaplain, teacher, and author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com