If they find life on other planets, is Christianity proven false?

If they find life on other planets, is Christianity proven false?

The Question
Most atheists believe in aliens and it is quite consistent for them to believe in this way. Atheists generally believe that, if the conditions are right, life can emerge from non-life without the aid of a divine being. Add to this the enormous size of the universe and, from their perspective, there must be E.T. life somewhere(s) beyond our present day vision.

If we are alone it would be very difficult for atheists to explain why that is. But is the reverse true? If we do find life on other planets, would that be hard for Christians to handle?

The Answer
Those atheists who think the discovery of life on other planets would somehow disprove Christianity (or religion in general) have always perplexed thoughtful theologians. Neither the lack of life nor the abundance of life would be a shock to the Christian worldview. Let me explain.

Suppose we never discover life on other planets (or somehow proved that it didn’t exist). This shouldn’t surprise Christians since we do believe that the creation of life requires a divine source. Since we aren’t told that God created life on other planets, it is quite possible (maybe even probable) that it doesn’t exist.

On the other hand, the Bible doesn’t tell us everything that God has ever done. It is written to the people of earth. Since we know God was fond of the idea of creating various forms of life on this planet, it wouldn’t shock us at all if God has also created life across the universe.

Thus, both possibilities seem to fit within the Christian worldview. And it seems that both possibilities are fascinating.