We may be preparing to create a colony on Mars and go even further, but the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wants to know if humans will be okay if we encounter alien life there. So, it set-up a one-year program to bring together 24 theologists to discuss the impact of this discovery, Futurism reported.
Our own solar system may seem lifeless, but with billions of galaxies in the universe, there is a high probability that the planets revolving around the billions of stars in these galaxies will also have life on them. Space agencies are eager to find out which of these planets actually harbors some life form, and the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope should provide clues as well.
When that happens, there will be 2 big questions ahead of us. First, how do we come into contact with these life forms? And second, how do we communicate to billions of Earthlings that we are not alone? NASA’s program aimed to understand how such news could affect an individual’s belief system & how religious groups would respond to it.
The year long-program called Societal Implications of Astrobiology, was conducted at Center for Theological Inquiry (CTI) at Princeton University, New Jersey, and wondered if religions should also change their doctrines.
Religious doctrines are quite open to idea that life could exist elsewhere & that would be good, theologians agree. Among them, a British priest who is also a theologist at the University of Cambridge, the Rev Dr Andrew Davison went ahead & recently published a book titled Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine. David’s findings argue that non-religious community overestimated challenges of religious people.
While this is an interesting find that could likely pave the way for further investigation into religious doctrines, it is also a signal of NASA’s closeness to the discovery of alien life. We might not be able to contact them immediately, but at least we would have an answer to the bigger question, are we all alone?
