NASA has been convening two dozen theologians to advise on how the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrials may shake up various religious doctrines and those who believe in them. One of the researchers is Cambridge University priest and religious scholar Andrew Davison who joined Princeton's Center of Theological Inquiry to participate in the project.
"I am researching and writing a survey of the main topics in Christian belief – what is sometimes called 'systematic theology' – from the perspective of life elsewhere in the universe," Davison writes in a report. "I am thinking about its bearing on the doctrines of creation, sin, the person and work of Jesus, redemption, revelation, eschatology, and so on."
From the New York Post:
Research published in 2017 found that people with a strong desire to find meaning, but a low adherence to a particular religion, are more likely to believe aliens exist — indicating that faith in either theory may come from the same human impulse[…]
According to the Times, Davison's book [Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine, due out next year,] notes that a "large number of people would turn to their religions traditions for guidance" if extraterrestrials were found, and what that means "for the standing and dignity of human life."
image: Neizu/Shutterstock.com
