Charles L. Harper - Would Sentient Aliens Demoralize Religion?

The Judeo-Christian religion teaches that human beings are special in God's sight, the core of God's purpose for creating the universe. What then if intelligent aliens are discovered? How would theologians explain them? Some say that the more intelligent life in the universe, the more we see God's love for life. But there are other problems.



Charles L. Harper Jr. is former Executive Director and Senior Vice President of the John Templeton Foundation.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[walternullifidian]

The question isn't whether there is life beyond Earth, the only question is how far away it is.

[JB-qmvt]

What a great guest; such an interesting, eloquent and thoughtful man.

[TheShinedownfan]

Scientific knowledge in general demoralizes the Christian and Muslim religions, but not the transcendental religions such as Buddhism or Taoism.

[mrshankerbillletmein]

Angels are beings not of our world many refuse to even accept the possibility of their existence but insist alien life is inevitable.

[madness]

The universe is under no obligation to be logical and not terrifyingly bizarre from our perspective.

[markupton]

Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Without an observer beauty doesn't exist because it doesn't even have meaning.

[thedudegrowsfood]

Wait for the Aliens to say: "Convert or die, Unbelievers!"

[bobbabai]

No, because in the mind of believers, God would suddenly be "much bigger than we thought He was before, which is even more amazing", and they still would not have addressed the objection that they never present any evidence of a god that can be tested. And they never try. Their test for God is simply how much amazement they can associate with their idea of the god.

[SRAVALM]

Why Robert say we went beyond Philosophy?
Philosophy seeks the core, an essence as in Wisdom, the deepest understanding of all.

[terrencekane]

I met these two aliens. They're from Meepzor. I asked them if Jesus died for their sins too. They laughed their asses off.

[xobx]

I bet there are countless planets out there with just plants. Sentient beings are more complex, but not as rare as we’d like to think

[jamesruscheinski]

What does the planet population represent in universe? Could the universe be made for planets, some having life and a few having advanced intelligent life, as diverse planets are being found around every star in galaxy?

[shrivardhanpatil]

Can this hypothesis has possible meaning: Time can be explained relative to energy i.e., imagine at relativistic speed a region is created
of the energy (potential) due to that
less energy is transmitted for the observer outside the region. This indirectly explains that time can be rate at which observer observe the

[scott-qksm]

Still ignoring the mountain of UAP data right in front of your nose - amazing

[azhakhussam]

This is a great proof that philosophy is not dead, and that we were so ignorant at the beginning of the 20th century when most of us thought that we have concurred the universe.
Only philosophy and theology can help our physicists to find the hidden bridge between quantum physics and physics, and the concept of zero and infinity or in plain words to answer the fundamental question: what came first the chicken or the egg.
I love this program, we need more of this not only on U tube but also in our schools.
Thank you and may God bless you Mr. Kuhn.

[douggta]

Pov: Alien starts crossing himself before talking!

[mintakan]

I think he's identified the key question (for human beings), regarding spirituality. (This goes beyond any specific religion, with their culturally conditioned dogmas.)

Is the universe an "accident" (largely a stochastic process, with some generative rules)? Or does it have a "purpose", even if it's simply in some broad sense (teleology)? In other words, does it have a "meaning"? Or is it essentially meaningless ("nihilism")?

[gabrielteo]

I still don't understand the purpose of the rapture? Maybe the rapture is at the heat death of the universe? The dead don't mind waiting. They're dead, they cannot experience waiting.

[nevinsonlotterman]

We human should feel release when we talk about extraterrestrial because look at how interesting human could get when human talk about god the bible or if their alien life out in the cosmo the truth could make you feel free and release

[Jonnygurudesigns]

Just commenting to help the algorithm ☺️