God and Astrobiology

This Element is a guide between Gods and astrobiology, from microbes on Mars to UFO cults to Ancient Aliens.

Richard Playford (Author), Stephen Bullivant (Author), Janet Siefert (Author)

9781009296144, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 February 2024

74 pages
23 x 15 x 0.5 cm, 0.132 kg

Church Times

The perception that life on other planets would be, problematic for religious people, and indeed for religion itself, is a longstanding one. It is partially rooted in fact: astrobiological speculations have, on occasion, engendered religious controversies. Historical discussions are often far more nuanced, and less one-sided than often imagined. 'Exotheology' is a lively subdiscipline within several religious traditions. This Element offers a wide-ranging introduction to the multifarious 'problems of God and astrobiology', real and perceived. It covers major topics within Christian theology (e.g., creation, incarnation, salvation), as well as issues specific to Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. It also discusses the very different perspectives offered by other (non)religious traditions, including Mormonism, various 'alien-positive' new religious movements (e.g., Heaven's Gate, Scientology, Raëlism), and the 'Ancient Astronaunt' theories popularized by Erich von Dāniken and the History channel's Ancient Aliens.

1. 'Irreconcileable inconsistencies'? Introducing the problems
2. What do we mean by Astrobiology?
3. Christianity: incarnation, redemption, and soteriology
4. Terrestrial religions and extraterrestrial life
5. The problem of god in a lonely universe
6. Atheism and (ancient)
References.

Subject Areas: Philosophy of religion [HRAB]