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And More](https://www.str.org/training) Speakers [Greg Koukl](https://www.str.org/greg-koukl) [Alan Shlemon](https://www.str.org/alan-shlemon) [Tim Barnett](https://www.str.org/tim-barnett) [Jonathan Noyes](https://www.str.org/jonathan-noyes) [Megan Almon](https://www.str.org/megan-almon) [Tripp Almon](https://www.str.org/tripp-almon) - [About STR](https://www.str.org/) [Mission and Values](https://www.str.org/mission-and-values) [Statement of Faith](https://www.str.org/statement-of-faith) [Staff and Board](https://www.str.org/staff-and-board) [Ambassador's Creed](https://www.str.org/ambassadors-creed) [Stewardship](https://www.str.org/stewardship) [Giving Information](https://www.str.org/donate/info) - [Donate](https://donate.str.org/donate/str) - [Store](https://store.str.org/) Theology # But What If Aliens Exist?   Author [Katie Hulse](https://www.str.org/staff-and-board#Katie) Published on 02/27/2025 If we found that aliens exist, would that mean the end of Christianity? While I’ve written [elsewhere](https://www.str.org/w/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-) on the likelihood of finding advanced extraterrestrials, this is a worthwhile question to consider. In fact, Christians have pondered the possibility and implications of the existence of extraterrestrial life for hundreds of years. The Bible itself is silent on the issue of biological life elsewhere in the universe. But it’s important to remember, as [astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink notes](https://www.amazon.com/There-Life-Out/dp/1886653003), > The Bible was never intended to give an exhaustive account of everything humanity would encounter. However, the Bible does give us a complete description of everything humanity needs to know to have a right relationship with God. What the Bible does reveal about this issue is that God is a skillful creator—he created angels, humans, birds, reptiles, fish, trees, and the rest of the extensive array of life we find on Earth. Clearly, our God is one who enjoys creating\! This leads some to argue that since God is a creator, he won’t stop at only one planet. Certainly, there’s nothing preventing the Creator from designing another place in the universe hospitable to life. But others argue that only one planet is required for God to fulfill his ultimate purpose. [Historically](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234), the majority of Christians have thought that humanity is the only intelligent physical life in the universe. Thomas Aquinas was of this opinion. Yet, another medieval thinker, John Buridan, took the opposite perspective that God could have made other worlds. To be clear, when speaking of intelligent extraterrestrial creatures, we’re not referring to angels or demons. Angels and demons are intelligent spiritual beings that can sometimes affect the physical world and even take on physical appearances ([Heb. 13:2](https://ref.ly/Heb.%2013.2;nasb95?t=biblia)), but they’re not physical beings. So, what would it mean for the Christian if intelligent alien life were found to exist? The question that needs to be considered is, *Would this hypothetical discovery contradict what the Bible teaches?* Would the existence of advanced alien life affect any of Christianity’s primary doctrines, like creation, the fall, Jesus’ incarnation, or the resurrection? No. God’s creation of the universe, his creation of humanity, humanity’s fall, and the redemption Jesus offers through his life, death, and resurrection would all still be intact. What about human value and dignity? Many think, as theoretical physicist and cosmologist [Paul Davies does](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/09/et-and-god/376856/), that the discovery of extraterrestrial life “would force us to revise our understanding of who we are and where we fit into the cosmic scheme of things, throwing us into a deep spiritual identity crisis.” Would human value necessarily be called into question if we found advanced extraterrestrial life? The Bible tells us that we’re made in the image of God and that God chose to have a special relationship with humanity. Methodist theologian and astrophysicist David Wilkinson, who has a positive outlook on the possibility of extraterrestrial creatures, [states that](https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Universe-Aliens-X-Files-God/dp/083081938X) “extraterrestrial intelligence does not pose a problem to the Christian belief that men and women are special in the eyes of God.” Indeed, the special status God gives to humans and special relationship he has with us remains unaffected by his creation of other creatures—hypothetical or not. Now, as Christians, we understand that Christ died for our sins. “At the heart of the Christian faith is belief in a divinely initiated redemption, an action of a gracious God on behalf of a fallen cosmos,” [as professor and theologian Ted Peters put it](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234). How would the discovery of other intelligent life affect this key aspect of Christianity? Theologians have offered various responses to the hypothetical discovery of intelligent alien life. Assuming the extraterrestrial life is fallen, [one proposed option](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234#RSTA20100234C28) is that one incarnation event—specifically, Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection—is sufficient for the redemption of all advanced life throughout the universe. In contrast, [another option suggests](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234#RSTA20100234C28) there were multiple incarnations of Jesus—one on each planet where creatures have rebelled against God. In this view, Jesus takes on the nature of the creatures on each respective planet. [A third proposal](https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/would-discovering-aliens-disprove-christianity) is that God has a different redemption plan corresponding to the “nature of the rebellion” of the intelligent alien life forms. [Others suggest](https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/would-discovering-aliens-disprove-christianity) that redemption might not be a possibility, as it wasn’t for the angels who chose to rebel against God and followed Lucifer instead. Perhaps, though, intelligent alien life isn’t fallen. One alternative possibility is that intelligent creatures were created with free will as we were but chose not to rebel. C.S. Lewis imagined what this might look like in *Perelandra*, the second book of his [Space Trilogy](https://www.amazon.com/Trilogy-Perelandra-Hideous-Strength-Paperback/dp/B00ZAT776G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HVTN9JBDQTGF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sOqAoKxTi2IjlQXtImxB1yxnMdPPdvfE12xf4LUWXRrKM45x-baUQHc5YKOpzvzj5kSORmTJZ22ZnGNwL4xLWzZW-zwS9ExPLGK3vM2tP5JPCppuypYcm9wu1GfsaLVGa_S0wXM1QPmXoczHKHJwjBcM0lt_-bWP4zo1xnO2sL_zHeGCpJSmhtHGAin8I94IDnb9NCbbBwv_indCzpX87dR89Y-9ai9FiXXWq8Y9Uyk.y6oT2Cqp2npKYlzg9xiCnCnkChTWmWEJFdq6uJOieQU&dib_tag=se&keywords=C.+S.+Lewis+Space+Trilogy&qid=1738348274&s=books&sprefix=c.+s.+lewis+space+trilogy%2Cstripbooks%2C131&sr=1-1). My point in briefly summarizing these views is simply to point out that Christians have thought seriously about the hypothetical existence of advanced extraterrestrial life, including what the implications would be if such life did exist. If we encounter alien life, [in the words of Peters](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234), “Theologians will not find themselves out of a job. In fact, theologians might relish the new challenges to reformulate classical religious commitments in light of the new and wider vision of God’s creation.” Of course, there is “One final, and very real, possibility,” [Zweerink writes](https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/would-discovering-aliens-disprove-christianity): “God only created one intelligent creature in the entire universe. If so, then the redemption story of life on Earth is the story of the universe, and this discussion becomes moot.” ## Related Assets # Related [Article Are We Alone in the Universe? 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If we found that aliens exist, would that mean the end of Christianity? While I’ve written [elsewhere](https://www.str.org/w/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-) on the likelihood of finding advanced extraterrestrials, this is a worthwhile question to consider. In fact, Christians have pondered the possibility and implications of the existence of extraterrestrial life for hundreds of years. The Bible itself is silent on the issue of biological life elsewhere in the universe. But it’s important to remember, as [astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink notes](https://www.amazon.com/There-Life-Out/dp/1886653003), > The Bible was never intended to give an exhaustive account of everything humanity would encounter. However, the Bible does give us a complete description of everything humanity needs to know to have a right relationship with God. What the Bible does reveal about this issue is that God is a skillful creator—he created angels, humans, birds, reptiles, fish, trees, and the rest of the extensive array of life we find on Earth. Clearly, our God is one who enjoys creating\! This leads some to argue that since God is a creator, he won’t stop at only one planet. Certainly, there’s nothing preventing the Creator from designing another place in the universe hospitable to life. But others argue that only one planet is required for God to fulfill his ultimate purpose. [Historically](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234), the majority of Christians have thought that humanity is the only intelligent physical life in the universe. Thomas Aquinas was of this opinion. Yet, another medieval thinker, John Buridan, took the opposite perspective that God could have made other worlds. To be clear, when speaking of intelligent extraterrestrial creatures, we’re not referring to angels or demons. Angels and demons are intelligent spiritual beings that can sometimes affect the physical world and even take on physical appearances ([Heb. 13:2](https://ref.ly/Heb.%2013.2;nasb95?t=biblia)), but they’re not physical beings. So, what would it mean for the Christian if intelligent alien life were found to exist? The question that needs to be considered is, *Would this hypothetical discovery contradict what the Bible teaches?* Would the existence of advanced alien life affect any of Christianity’s primary doctrines, like creation, the fall, Jesus’ incarnation, or the resurrection? No. God’s creation of the universe, his creation of humanity, humanity’s fall, and the redemption Jesus offers through his life, death, and resurrection would all still be intact. What about human value and dignity? Many think, as theoretical physicist and cosmologist [Paul Davies does](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/09/et-and-god/376856/), that the discovery of extraterrestrial life “would force us to revise our understanding of who we are and where we fit into the cosmic scheme of things, throwing us into a deep spiritual identity crisis.” Would human value necessarily be called into question if we found advanced extraterrestrial life? The Bible tells us that we’re made in the image of God and that God chose to have a special relationship with humanity. Methodist theologian and astrophysicist David Wilkinson, who has a positive outlook on the possibility of extraterrestrial creatures, [states that](https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Universe-Aliens-X-Files-God/dp/083081938X) “extraterrestrial intelligence does not pose a problem to the Christian belief that men and women are special in the eyes of God.” Indeed, the special status God gives to humans and special relationship he has with us remains unaffected by his creation of other creatures—hypothetical or not. Now, as Christians, we understand that Christ died for our sins. “At the heart of the Christian faith is belief in a divinely initiated redemption, an action of a gracious God on behalf of a fallen cosmos,” [as professor and theologian Ted Peters put it](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234). How would the discovery of other intelligent life affect this key aspect of Christianity? Theologians have offered various responses to the hypothetical discovery of intelligent alien life. Assuming the extraterrestrial life is fallen, [one proposed option](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234#RSTA20100234C28) is that one incarnation event—specifically, Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection—is sufficient for the redemption of all advanced life throughout the universe. In contrast, [another option suggests](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234#RSTA20100234C28) there were multiple incarnations of Jesus—one on each planet where creatures have rebelled against God. In this view, Jesus takes on the nature of the creatures on each respective planet. [A third proposal](https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/would-discovering-aliens-disprove-christianity) is that God has a different redemption plan corresponding to the “nature of the rebellion” of the intelligent alien life forms. [Others suggest](https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/would-discovering-aliens-disprove-christianity) that redemption might not be a possibility, as it wasn’t for the angels who chose to rebel against God and followed Lucifer instead. Perhaps, though, intelligent alien life isn’t fallen. One alternative possibility is that intelligent creatures were created with free will as we were but chose not to rebel. C.S. Lewis imagined what this might look like in *Perelandra*, the second book of his [Space Trilogy](https://www.amazon.com/Trilogy-Perelandra-Hideous-Strength-Paperback/dp/B00ZAT776G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HVTN9JBDQTGF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sOqAoKxTi2IjlQXtImxB1yxnMdPPdvfE12xf4LUWXRrKM45x-baUQHc5YKOpzvzj5kSORmTJZ22ZnGNwL4xLWzZW-zwS9ExPLGK3vM2tP5JPCppuypYcm9wu1GfsaLVGa_S0wXM1QPmXoczHKHJwjBcM0lt_-bWP4zo1xnO2sL_zHeGCpJSmhtHGAin8I94IDnb9NCbbBwv_indCzpX87dR89Y-9ai9FiXXWq8Y9Uyk.y6oT2Cqp2npKYlzg9xiCnCnkChTWmWEJFdq6uJOieQU&dib_tag=se&keywords=C.+S.+Lewis+Space+Trilogy&qid=1738348274&s=books&sprefix=c.+s.+lewis+space+trilogy%2Cstripbooks%2C131&sr=1-1). My point in briefly summarizing these views is simply to point out that Christians have thought seriously about the hypothetical existence of advanced extraterrestrial life, including what the implications would be if such life did exist. If we encounter alien life, [in the words of Peters](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2010.0234), “Theologians will not find themselves out of a job. In fact, theologians might relish the new challenges to reformulate classical religious commitments in light of the new and wider vision of God’s creation.” Of course, there is “One final, and very real, possibility,” [Zweerink writes](https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/impact-events/would-discovering-aliens-disprove-christianity): “God only created one intelligent creature in the entire universe. If so, then the redemption story of life on Earth is the story of the universe, and this discussion becomes moot.”