What if? (religious reaction to extraterrestrial life)

C. Munroe question:
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1) Contact was made with an extraterrestial civilization?
______________________________________________________________________As a creo I would say this would exacerbate the atheo - creo debate.
ET's would probably be more in the dark about God because the Bible teaches that Adamkind is His master creation and science tells us that the Earth is more or less in the center of the universe. ET's want to know too - that is the point.______________________________________________________________________
2) A life form was discovered on Mars?
______________________________________________________________________Then it would be the product of ID ______________________________________________________________________
3) Science is able to create a crude form of life in the laboratory?
______________________________________________________________________The Bible indicates that God will have to shorten the time at the "end" to prevent man from destroying himself. This indicates astronomic advancement in the hands of evil sinners AKA mankind in general. A laboratory life form doesn't disturb me a bit.______________________________________________________________________
4) Medical science discovers a means of extending human life
indefinitely?
______________________________________________________________________The Bible says God originally created us to live eternally - this would be congruent with number 4.

DC85:Just because you do not have relationship with God does not mean that He does not exist. It just means that thus far you have rejected His overtures because of a psychological state of mind that refuses to WANT a Boss.

Zeph quote:
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So, you're saying that you'd agree with medical science doing God's work for him?
______________________________________________________________________Absolutely not !I am vehemently against all ghoulish tinkering. I only tried to communicate that it wouldn't effect my beliefs about God IF these attempts are "successfull".Medicine can extend life; as you know they can keep a person alive, albeit, as a vegetable. When is a person dead ? The courts argue about this constantly.The Bible says in Lev. 17:11 "the life of the soul resides in the blood". Pour out the blood and you are dead.Dr. Scott says Henry Drummond best defined life "the capacity to relate to ones environment".Mankind lost the ability to relate to the source of life (God) WHEN God expelled them from the Garden for sinning.Prior to the expulsion, Adamkind was created to live eternally, this is drawn from the Genesis text directly AND by interpretation.Adam/Eve failed by misusing their freedom and eating from the no no tree. God, arbitrarily placed everyone born after Adam/Eve in this state of separation/original sin. Unfair ? The Bible NEVER debates the fairness of it - it just declares what God did. However, Jesus, in the Book of Romans is called the Second Adam, get right with Him and ALL curses are null and void and God promises "newness of life".Zeph quote:
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Also, if it was the original plan of an omniscient, omnipotent deity, how could it fail to come about?
______________________________________________________________________IF free will exists (and it certainly does) then how could God be PERFECTLY omniscient ?God is omnipotent with one exception: He cannot create the one thing He wants: Which is for free will beings who have the opportunity to do otherwise to choose to trust what He says. (right use of freedom)Whether a free will being trusts what He says or not is the ONLY exception to His omniscience. This exception is derived from Genesis 22 when God tells Abraham "Now I know thou fearest Me". Until that moment God did not know if 120 year old Abraham feared Him. Fear is a synonym for trust/love.God's intended plan of eternal life for Adam and his descendants failed when Adam/Eve chose to misuse their free will and listen to the devil. God intends to fill the vacancy left by the fallen Lucifer with free will beings that choose to trust what He says when they have the freedom to do otherwise.God knows everything except what a person will do given the chance to trust Him or not. He can predict what you will do but He doesn't know for SURE until you do what you do. He is ready in either scenario but He doesn't know for sure because man has the ability to change his mind at will.Without trust freely given, love of, cannot be determined. The only way to love an invisible God is to do what He says pleases Him, and Hebrews 11:6 tells us plainly what that is.

I can agree with your point. It makes sense too.

For the record: The post you should of responded to was mine, number 26.Charles Munroe quote:
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According to Genesis only two people were involved in disobeying God; Adam and Eve. You and I and billions of other to come had nothing to do with their actions and yet according to the Bible we are held equally responsible.
______________________________________________________________________This is absolutely true.The Bible DOES NOT debate the fairness of this - it simply declares what was done.In isolation, this Biblical truth doesn't make sense. Yet, the entire record explains the reason why.Lucifer/Satan and his angelic followers rebelled against God. The N.T. says they vacated their "first estate". Lucifer, having beheld God face to face and enjoyed the ineffable effects of God's presence STILL wanted the one thing he could not have: part of the Godhead.
The point is Lucifer discounted the greatest, and because of this, God decided that he and his followers would not be forgiven.When God judged them and cast them out of heaven this left a void - a void that God intends to replace with those from Adamkind WHO will pass a course of predetermined trials. These trials are intended to see if certain Adamkind will trust God or not. If they trust God then He promises that they will fill the void left by Lucifer/Satan AND they will not face the same trial of Lucifer which had him yawning in the presence of God.Lucifer/Satan is granted temporary parole from Hell to vie for the souls of Adamkind. Lucifer/Satan wants to destroy every person because they are the prospects to fill the void left by him. Lucifer/Satan is implacably angry because God gave His Son to pay for the sins of Adamkind but declined to include his sins for the reasons already stated.Charles Munroe quote:
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Why are you and I being held accountable for the action that took place before we were born? Doesn't make sense does it.
______________________________________________________________________I agree it doesn't make sense but it is nontheless true. God wants to repopulate heaven with persons who have an overwhelming sense of undeserved salvation. This knowledge, a knowledge that knows they do not deserve salvation or God EXEMPTS them from the same thing happening to them that happened to Lucifer - which was a total lack of gratitude towards being allowed in God's presence.We are born separated from God in a state of "original sin". God developes our condition to make us understand that we need Him and His forgiveness. This is why the most common testimony from every person to encounter the forgiveness of God is to exclaim "Amazing grace....that He saved a wretch like me !"Reject God's decision to place every human being in Adam's sin ?Nothing can stop you from this reaction. It is also an indication that you are failing your trial. You are saying, in effect, I am not a sinner in need of God's help. Jesus, in the N. T. is called the Second Adam. Come into relationship with Him and ALL the Adamic curses are null and void.Charles Munroe quote:
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If God really gave a damned about human kind then why did God allow the serpent into the Garden of Eden.
______________________________________________________________________Already explained above.The serpent/Satan is allowed to test us. Satan's interest is to get us to fail and secure our presence in his fiery kingdom, AND best of all, Satan gets satisfaction on God because Satan knows God loves us and when Satan wins he hurts God for His decision to not forgive him.You see Satan cannot get revenge on God for not forgiving him EXCEPT through Adamkind. God recognizes this, that Satan thinks it is unfair for God not to forgive him. God allows Satan to tempt us with the stakes being our souls. In Satan's case: revenge against God. In God's case: Trophies that testify to love of God via trust (something Lucifer chose not to give God).Why does Satan cooperate ?Because the alternative is to go to hell before he has to.The Tree of Knowledge Good/Evil represents the Bosshood of God. Adam/Eve wanted the one thing they couldn't have (just like Lucifer/Godhead). They CHOSE to eat/disobey God.God wants free will beings who have the freedom to do otherwise to choose to trust Him. We face the decision to eat from the Tree every day. Trust God or don't trust God - this is the reason for being.

The Bible says inability to understand spiritual things is an indication that God does not want you.Charles Munroe quote:
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Your arguement sounds like you got it out of a comic book.
______________________________________________________________________It is what the Bible teaches - it is the truth whether you embrace it or not.Charles Munroe quote:
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If God created Satan not knowing that Satan would eventually betray God's trust then God cannot be called all knowing.
______________________________________________________________________I HAVE ALREADY argued that God's omniscience has ONE exception.IF free will exists (and it does) how can God be perfectly omniscient ?Free will beings (including Lucifer/Satan) can change their minds at will. This means God does not know FOR SURE but He can be ready in either case. He can predict - but He does not know for sure until the being does whay they do.Charles Munroe quote:
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The real reason for sin in the world has nothing to do with any Satan but requires a much more rational explaination. Without sin, such as one species eatting the other, evolution would not work and God's ultimate creation would still be at the bacterial stage.
______________________________________________________________________Do you have any evidence for these bare assertions ?I used the Bible for mine.How does evolution disprove the God of Genesis ?Charles Munroe quote:
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In the future try to do a little more thinking and less quoting of scripture that you are ill prepared to understand.
______________________________________________________________________You are the defective God rejected person. IF the Bible is meaningless to you then this means you have no God sense - removed by God for premeditated rejection of His Bosshood over your life.