tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post3999112804282884342..comments2010-05-18T12:55:50.829-07:00Comments on Welcome, Weirdness: Why I Believe In Life On Other PlanetsNate MacFarlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17182185216763971466noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post-62032463550981545902010-05-18T12:55:50.829-07:002010-05-18T12:55:50.829-07:00Ecclesiastes is not saying we don't know wheth...Ecclesiastes is not saying we don't know whether there will be animals in heaven. The author is saying in a poetic way, like the rest of the book, everything under the sun is meaningless and dies away when viewed in the absence of God. If God was not who He is, then yes, man is no better than the animal, destined to die off and disintegrate. <br />The Bible clearly states in other passages that man is superior to the animal and we are commanded to be good stewards of the earth. The Great Commission commands us to witness to all nations of the earth. So what would it be that makes humanity superior to animals? Created to glorify God? no - animals glorify God far better than man does. In fact, they perfectly obey their creator and do exactly what they were created for. Every chirp of a bird glorifies God and acknowledges Him as LORD.<br /><br />The Bible always states that man was made a little lower than the angels. So in terms of superiority it seems the hierarchy of creation is 1. Angels, 2. Humans, 3. Plants and animals. Why are angels superior to humans? They also glorify God far better than mankind can on Earth. My understanding of all this is it all comes from levels of mortality. All 3 creatures have a beginning - God created them all. We don't know when He created angels, but only God is eternal with no beginning or end. There is really no mention of angels dying (except for the ultimate outcome of the fallen angels - but are they going to die, or spend eternity in Hell with the damned?) Death does not seem to be an issue with angels - they were created, but they seem to be immortal. Man is of course mortal, in his present state. But the Bible mentions an afterlife, heaven and hell, so man is also immortal, or at least what we call the soul is immortal. The bodies we know presently will cease and we are promised new, perfect bodies. One day Pete2.0 and Nate2.0 will be able to glorify God together for all eternity.<br /><br />So all this leads me to conclude that what makes animals lower than humans is the fact that they, like plants and microorganisms have no soul - that is, have no afterlife. This in no way means there won't be animals in heaven - they just won't be our animals that we knew on earth. In fact there could be a whole new set of creatures in heaven that we can't even imagine.<br /><br />I realize I could be wrong, and the Bible is not clear or doesn't take the time to include info on everything. One thing is clear - the Gospel message is for humanity - beings that sin and are deserving of eternal damnation. God executed a perfect plan to save those humans who would believe in Jesus as Christ. <br /><br />I think our emotional attachment to pets makes it hard to accept that all dogs do not go to heaven. Technically a person could be attached to her plants as much as another person is to his pet, and come to the conclusion that all her plants will be in heaven too.Petehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17816183074625419971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post-67382460490187650152010-05-14T23:11:31.663-07:002010-05-14T23:11:31.663-07:00Good points, Nate. I agree with what you wrote - ...Good points, Nate. I agree with what you wrote - although I would add one more hypothesis. There are alien beings/lifeforms/even civilizations in the universe, but they do not have souls, therefore they do not need salvation. They simply exist. <br>Similar to say, monkeys or dolphins - pretty much accepted as the two most intelligent creatures on Earth next to humans. Monkeys have many features and characteristics that remind us of humans, but we believe they are just animals and do not have souls - they do not struggle with nor have the choice of sin.<br>The movie Avatar made me consider this. Looking at it from a Christian perspective, understanding Cameron's worldviews and putting them aside, could there be a civilization of aliens like the Na'vi? Can that answer be found in Scripture or more importantly would that answer discredit Scripture in any way? No it can't be found in the Bible, and no it would have no impact on the Bible or Christianity as a whole if proven true. Like you said, the Bible is God's Word given to the human race on planet Earth.Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17816183074625419971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post-7324312159346483322010-05-15T16:04:10.421-07:002010-05-15T16:04:10.421-07:00Hi Nate - great blog. I understand what you'r...Hi Nate - great blog. I understand what you're saying and agree that we can't know everything - and yes, that the universe is huge. I also would follow up by saying, although it has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the Truth of the Bible, scientifically, there are very, very few planets - if any others at all that could support life - within the realm of space we are currently able to explore. This would support your idea that we are being isolated if, in fact, there are other beings out there.<br><br>Pete - I just question - and always question - where in the Bible it tells you or me that animals are soul-less. In fact, I believe Ecclesiastes 3:21 begs that very question. Who knows for sure that the spirit of a man rises and the spirit of an animal goes into the earth? The fact of the matter is, we don't. So, this is another point on which it is important to keep an open mind.<br><br>Great blog, Nathan - love it! :) <br>~Lindsay~DUI-Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04036531872157740443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post-51326993653989954382010-05-15T16:07:15.130-07:002010-05-15T16:07:15.130-07:00One more thought, though slightly less provocative...One more thought, though slightly less provocative than Ecclesiastes: The great commission commands us to do what, exactly?<br>Mark 16:15 & Colossians 1:23 both speak of preaching the gospel to every creature - - and to every creature under heaven. Interesting that we're not called to preach the gospel to all mankind or to every man and woman. <br><br>Just food for thought...DUI-Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04036531872157740443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post-72412843256887305682010-05-15T16:18:34.637-07:002010-05-15T16:18:34.637-07:00Actually, over 200 extrasolar planets have been di...Actually, over 200 extrasolar planets have been discovered in the past 15 years. And considering that we've only checked an infinitesimally small corner of our own galaxy, I'd say the odds that potentially inhabitable planets are out there somewhere are pretty good...Nathan MacFarland Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00832185227267757941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7964659394007919847.post-18597365367591812882010-05-15T16:37:53.976-07:002010-05-15T16:37:53.976-07:00As for the point about animals, to me the question...As for the point about animals, to me the question isn't whether or not they have souls. I think we can all agree that an animal has never consciously sinned, and therefore is not in need of salvation, like Pete suggested. The question is whether or not there will be animals in heaven, and, as Ecclesiastes points out, we simply don't know. My guess is that there will be animals in heaven since there were animals in the Garden of Eden. But will my childhood pet, Apricot, be there like I knew her? I certainly hope so, but I suppose I won't care so much, what with being in the presence of God's glory and all...Nathan MacFarland Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00832185227267757941noreply@blogger.com