CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS
THE FIRST FALL IN HEAVEN
Remember the Fall of Lucifer. What happened? He became arrogant and revolted against God. The archangel Michael defeated him and his rebellious angels. However, there's something strange about the Fall: Satan and his angels were thrown down from heaven to earth. How can a spirit - an immaterial being - fall to a planet?
The answer is astonishing: in the beginning, there was only a spiritual world, filled with angels. For immeasurable times they served God; but then, after the Fall, a dramatic change took place: God created the material world to purify the angels who had defected to Satan.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FIRST FALL
The material world, from here to the most remote galaxies we can watch with telescopes, is the fallen world, filled with fallen angels. The major part of the angels remained pure and loyal to God. They have never incarnated and are still in the spiritual world. But we - a tiny part of the legions that fell - have incarnated in the material world to let go of our pride and serve and love God again. As it was our haughtiness that caused the Fall, it is our task in this material life to become humble.
As a consequence of these events in heaven, there are many worlds that are inhabited by other fallen angels. They are our brothers and sisters, because they suffer the same fate. Nevertheless the level of these civilizations will vary, since the local conditions are different, and - much more important - some of them will have conquered their haughtiness to a large extent, while other civilizations have not yet managed to sublimate their primitive drives. In short: the level of a civilization is determined by its spiritual progress. Materialistic civilizations haven't learned anything.
We don't know what progress other worlds have made. What we do know is that a dramatic event took place on Earth - an event that meant a serious setback in our development.
The second fall of Adam and Eve (according to me that's a methaphor) is an indication that mankind fell again and became worse. Finally, Christ had to incarnate to save us again from Satan. And He will come back: the return of Christ is God's last intervention to save as many souls as possible and defeat the evil spirits and humans who still resist Him.
This second fall of the angels who incarnated on Earth is the event that distinguishes us from other civilizations, since it's not likely that other worlds experienced such a dramatic setback too. The consequence of this disaster is, that many planets will be inhabitated by beings who are less materialistic and more spiritual.
THE FIRST FALL AND LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS
God's children on other worlds will have a remembrance of the first Fall; their theology will reflect that major event in heaven. Another consequence of the first Fall is, that the inhabitants of other worlds are humanoids (humanlike life forms), because they are in fact fallen angels.
Our sins have separated us from God, but on planets were the inhabitants have become more spiritual than on earth, they'll know God better. That's why I long for the day we meet our brothers and sisters of other worlds where they have a much deeper knowdlege of God and His angels.
EFFECTS OF CONTACTS WITH OTHER CIVILIZATIONS
The consequences that contacts with other civilizations will have on our theology and culture are unimaginable; it will be a magical mirror thats shows us who we are and what kind of level we have reached since the start of our own civilization. I'm sure that very advanced civilizations are capable of solving the problems we have created, but we have to solve them all by ourselves.
In a spiritual sense we are angels, so we have overwhelming capabilities, but we can only dispose of them if we love and serve God.
There are more questions that have to be answered, e.g. the meaning of the incarnation of Christ. Did He only save us by descending to Earth and dying at the cross, or did He save other civilizations too? I'll try to answer that question and many others in my next - speculative - article about christian theology and life on other worlds.
Remember the Fall of Lucifer. What happened? He became arrogant and revolted against God. The archangel Michael defeated him and his rebellious angels. However, there's something strange about the Fall: Satan and his angels were thrown down from heaven to earth. How can a spirit - an immaterial being - fall to a planet?
The answer is astonishing: in the beginning, there was only a spiritual world, filled with angels. For immeasurable times they served God; but then, after the Fall, a dramatic change took place: God created the material world to purify the angels who had defected to Satan.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FIRST FALL
The material world, from here to the most remote galaxies we can watch with telescopes, is the fallen world, filled with fallen angels. The major part of the angels remained pure and loyal to God. They have never incarnated and are still in the spiritual world. But we - a tiny part of the legions that fell - have incarnated in the material world to let go of our pride and serve and love God again. As it was our haughtiness that caused the Fall, it is our task in this material life to become humble.
As a consequence of these events in heaven, there are many worlds that are inhabited by other fallen angels. They are our brothers and sisters, because they suffer the same fate. Nevertheless the level of these civilizations will vary, since the local conditions are different, and - much more important - some of them will have conquered their haughtiness to a large extent, while other civilizations have not yet managed to sublimate their primitive drives. In short: the level of a civilization is determined by its spiritual progress. Materialistic civilizations haven't learned anything.
We don't know what progress other worlds have made. What we do know is that a dramatic event took place on Earth - an event that meant a serious setback in our development.
The second fall of Adam and Eve (according to me that's a methaphor) is an indication that mankind fell again and became worse. Finally, Christ had to incarnate to save us again from Satan. And He will come back: the return of Christ is God's last intervention to save as many souls as possible and defeat the evil spirits and humans who still resist Him.
This second fall of the angels who incarnated on Earth is the event that distinguishes us from other civilizations, since it's not likely that other worlds experienced such a dramatic setback too. The consequence of this disaster is, that many planets will be inhabitated by beings who are less materialistic and more spiritual.
THE FIRST FALL AND LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS
God's children on other worlds will have a remembrance of the first Fall; their theology will reflect that major event in heaven. Another consequence of the first Fall is, that the inhabitants of other worlds are humanoids (humanlike life forms), because they are in fact fallen angels.
Our sins have separated us from God, but on planets were the inhabitants have become more spiritual than on earth, they'll know God better. That's why I long for the day we meet our brothers and sisters of other worlds where they have a much deeper knowdlege of God and His angels.
EFFECTS OF CONTACTS WITH OTHER CIVILIZATIONS
The consequences that contacts with other civilizations will have on our theology and culture are unimaginable; it will be a magical mirror thats shows us who we are and what kind of level we have reached since the start of our own civilization. I'm sure that very advanced civilizations are capable of solving the problems we have created, but we have to solve them all by ourselves.
In a spiritual sense we are angels, so we have overwhelming capabilities, but we can only dispose of them if we love and serve God.
There are more questions that have to be answered, e.g. the meaning of the incarnation of Christ. Did He only save us by descending to Earth and dying at the cross, or did He save other civilizations too? I'll try to answer that question and many others in my next - speculative - article about christian theology and life on other worlds.
