Does the Discovery Kepler 452b Kill the Existence of God?

Some seem to think that the discovery of life on other planets would destroy the idea that God exist. Personally I do not think that it does. If anything it would shed more light on the matter. What if we go to these planets and find intelligent life and learn that they to also believe in some form of God? What would people think about that? Would they say that all life in the universe is delusional? Or would they finally embrace the idea that maybe God really does exist?

I have no problem accepting the fact that intelligent life most likely exist out there somewhere. I don't think we are the only creation of intelligence that God has created, there is likely millions. And no, I don't think they all have the Bible, but it could very well be that they do in fact have some kind of concept of God.

Anyway, here is an article that goes into this more. I've summarized it just to put some of the main points out there. It's a pretty good read and deals with both sides of the argument. Read the whole thing Here

Kepler 452b (AKA-Earth 2.0) has posed some questions that go to the heart of religion rather than science.

For Jeff Schweitzer, former presidential advisor on science and technology to Bill Clinton, Earth 2.0 represents the “worst possible news for God” and all who believe in him.

Whenever we consider space and all its possibilities, it’s easy, of course, to be dazzled by the sheer numbers involved. Some estimates put the total number of stars in the observable universe at a septillion stars – that’s a one followed by 24 zeros.

But for Schweitzer, the numbers are irrelevant — it doesn’t require billions, or even millions, of other possibly habitable planets. There only needs to be one other to disprove religious myth. In other words, even if Kepler-452b were the only other habitable planet besides Earth, it would – by itself – be sufficient to discredit the idea of a god. Not surprisingly, the announcement of its discovery is therefore pregnant with both scientific and theological significance.

Schweitzer wants us to accept that, because the Genesis creation narratives speak of life in the Earth-bound singular, any proof or even possibility of extra-terrestrial life falsifies the Bible’s own claims about the god who “instructed” its authors.

If there were other lives or habitable planets apart from Earth, God would surely have told the biblical writers to mention them. Because he didn’t, the Bible is therefore false and its God non-existent.

Of course, at the most basic level, Schweitzer is right. The Bible does only concern itself with the creation of life on this planet. For all its talk about “the heavens”, there is no mention of other possible Earth-like worlds, nor do any of the writers enquire into the existence of alien lifeforms. But is this really the fatal oversight that Schweitzer believes it to be?

Why should the texts, even those that speak of God’s astronomical creativity, necessarily go beyond the horizon of this worldly experience? That is hardly their purpose.

I agree with the last part of this quote. Why should the Bible be concerned with life outside of this planet? The scriptures are only relevant to life on this planet. Just because the Bible doesn't say life exist elsewhere does not mean that it doesn't.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Does life on Kepler 452b or any other planet kill the idea that God exist? For me it doesn't, but I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Logic killed God a long time ago.

K452b confirms or refutes nothing until we find out more about it.

Considering God created the entire universe, including this rock orbiting Kepler and Kepler ... I'm not sure why it would.

Not in my opinion.

I can't speak for Christians or what I remember of The Bible, but The Quran is quite explicit in stating that God created other worlds with Life on them.



I don't think Life on other planets affects any belief system that I know (enough) of.

God is He who created seven heavens/universes/skies, and of Earth, a similar number.

originally posted by: 321Go
Logic killed God a long time ago.

K452b confirms or refutes nothing until we find out more about it.

What kind of logic are you talking about?

originally posted by: RealTruthSeeker

originally posted by: 321Go
Logic killed God a long time ago.

K452b confirms or refutes nothing until we find out more about it.

What kind of logic are you talking about?

Flawed logic is my guess.

Until the day we find refutable proof that some sort of deity exist or dosent religious folks will find all sorts of excuses to prove themselves right.

It may not kill the idea of God, why would it, but it may kill the idea of any religious form of God that exists here on Earth. If the philosophy and attributes of God don't match any of the ones here on Earth then that puts a dent in any religious form of God in my opinion.

If the Christian/Jewish/Islamic/Hindu forms of God/gods and the concepts behind them aren't present on other planets then how could we consider them to be universal or THE God?

originally posted by: dukeofjive696969
Until the day we find refutable proof that some sort of deity exist or dosent religious folks will find all sorts of excuses to prove themselves right.

Same with science is god types.

a reply to: ketsuko

Religious people are good at back peddling when science figures out why thing work a certain way.

If there is a hell, well most religious people will end up there also, you cant just decide what to follow.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

That's the tricky part. I would suspect that maybe the laws and concepts would be different for them. They may not need things like salvation or repentance. It could be that they actually obeyed and never strayed from whatever message they received. I don't think it would be fair to say that, if they don't believe in Jesus then that makes Jesus on this planet irreverent. Heck we might be the only creatures out there who actually need a Savior because we are so screwed up. Life on other planets could have been like "Ok, we get it and will obey" whereas here on Earth we just want to do and think how we want without acknowledging our Creator.

I personally don't think it does. Aside from my beliefs on a higher power I think the mindset of a god would've been more local anyways. Why concern ourselves with "others" if we have our work cut out for us here (and we clearly have quite a ways to go if we judge ourselves based on ANY gods' wishes)

More importantly, if we find life outside of earth and they have ideas of god, will we be able to accept that their gods may be like the gods of the old? And could we accept that our idea of god isn't as personal and specific as we want it to be (in universal terms)?

If we find a civilization on parallel with (let's say) Ancient Egyptians, can we accept that their "sun" is their belief? Or will humans be door knockers on another planet telling them how they are all going to hell for not accepting our god(s)?

Door knocking with nukes and photon guns of course

a reply to: RealTruthSeeker

originally posted by: dukeofjive696969
a reply to: ketsuko

Religious people are good at back peddling when science figures out why thing work a certain way.

What has science figured out that is so baffling to religious people? I don't know of any such discoveries.

a reply to: RealTruthSeeker

Odin created lightning and such, since the invention of writing we have all these saga stories from around the world where we used gods to explain everything, well its 2015, religious people had to rewrite there books so it made sense for new generations.

a reply to: DuckforcoveR

That would be a sad thing if it happened. But I could see people from earth trying to spread their message. I don't know about nukes and stuff but a heavy dose of preaching would most likely be in play.

originally posted by: dukeofjive696969
a reply to: ketsuko

Religious people are good at back peddling when science figures out why thing work a certain way.

If there is a hell, well most religious people will end up there also, you cant just decide what to follow.

Considering that it will be a very, very long time before man is able to start exploring outside the boundaries of this universe and reality where its Creator is, it will also be a very, very long time before simply figuring out how something inside this universe and reality works disproves the concept of God for me.

But it's cute that you express concern for the state of my soul.

a reply to: dukeofjive696969

I can't speak for other religions, but the Bible has never been rewritten, only translated to different languages in modern speech. And what's wrong with writing things down? Everything you know and have learned today has come from some kind of book right? How do you know that those books aren't deceiving you? Were they not also written by man?

a reply to: ketsuko

Most human behings dont follow there holy books to the letter, so that means hell is full and heaven well pretty empty.

In the Christian bible it states...

John 10:16

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Why would it destroy God if it is clearly written that there are "other folds/sheep"?

a reply to: RealTruthSeeker

Thats a good one, never been re written.