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Old 01-23-2004, 10:19 AM   #23 (permalink)
irateplatypus
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Location: dar al-harb
Quote:
Originally posted by cnor
In order to follow Christians doctrine, you have to be able to look up into space, at all the solar systems and galaxies and truly believe that we’re the only ones out here….
as usual i must ask: where do you get these things? i know that the theological doctrine i most identify with (Wesleyan, which comprises a lot of the protestant church as a whole) has no such limitations built into it. there is no basis for this broad-sweeping comment and many others of its ilk. just because you say it or want to believe it doesn't make it so.

for myself, i am what many on TFP would consider a "diehard believer." finding life on other planets would not shake my faith a bit. i'll grant anyone the point that certain scriptures will have to be reinterpreted to account for that massive leap in human consciousness. still, the purpose and meaning of the Christian faith would be unaffected. just because we might not immediately understand the theological and eternal implications doesn't mean that the answers aren't there. personally, i am of the opinion that a faith that is held or lost by whether or not life exists on other planets is one that is, at best, tenuously held.
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