Good day. This piece has been collecting dust since it was first written approximately six years ago as part of a FB discussion. Given the current state of the world (and the various controversies that dovetail nicely with the screed below), I felt that the time was finally right to dust it off, make a few edits, and post it. Enjoy.
There are certain truths which, when taken at face value, seem
like contradictory statements, but are in fact part of the same broad tapestry.
Specifically, the idea that there is a God, evolution and intelligent design
are at odds with each other, and that there is intelligent life on other
worlds.
I do believe that there is a supreme being who created the universe. That same being in its infinite wisdom strove to create a universe that would be self-regulating (barring divine intervention, miracles, etc), ergo the laws of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and so on. That same being also chose to create life amongst the various worlds throughout the universe that had the capability of supporting it.
If the universe is between 12 to 14 billion years old and the Earth is about 4 and one half billion years old, it would only stand to reason that life originated on other worlds thousands, millions, possibly even billions of years before it ever showed up on ours. That fact, in and of itself, would give rise to civilizations whose technology would be as far beyond ours as ours would be compared to a bunch of cavemen. In their quest to learn more about their surroundings and a desire to explore what’s out there, they would no doubt have developed spaceflight capability and set out to discover the great unknown (much like we’re doing now).
As to how life came into being, the only one who really knows all of the intricacies involved in the process would be our creator. What doesn’t seem like such a mystery though is how we could be what we are and not some creature swinging from a vine. Let’s go back to that mechanism regulating the workings of the universe. That same mechanism would also have the ability to identify those life forms that had the potential to be more than they were and work on ways to exploit that potential over the course of eons. It would be able to weed out unsuccessful approaches from the more successful ones and push the most viable ones forward. It would basically be a combination of intelligent design and evolution.
Both folks on the left and right believe, in one fashion or another, that we are all there is in the universe, as if a god who believed in life in all of its glory would have only created one sentient species to inhabit the limitless cosmos. As for evolution, it could also be considered arrogance to believe that we are at the pinnacle of creation. If the mechanism that has been working to bring about humanity as a species is still doing its thing, then it stands to reason that we are not a finished product (if the Lord made us in his spiritual image, then we have an awfully long way to go).
If we as a people (I’m talking about humanity here, folks), can come to grips with this, then we would be more willing to accept our differences, not just as relatively minor, but as infinitesimally insignificant and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. The key to our survival hinges on our ability to look beyond the trivial and focus on what really matters. If we can do this, then our ability as a species to not only survive, but thrive, will be assured.
Lastly, anyone who somehow thinks that these views are incompatible with each other may be lacking in vision as well as wisdom in my humble opinion. It would be the height of sheer arrogance, on second hand, make that hubris, to think that we know everything that there is to know and that we are all there is. Remember: pride goeth before the fall.
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