God vs. Aliens

By Rolando José Olivo

In the Modern and Contemporary Era, there has been a profound awakening of interest in the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life, which might have the technology to visit us.

On the one hand, some scientists, researchers and writers are convinced that the sky gods, mentioned in some ancient religious texts, are aliens, and some of them shared their knowledge with humankind. And on the other hand, in the absence of hard evidences, the more radical monotheistic religionists (who defend their beliefs fiercely) and some scientists deny the existence of advanced extraterrestrial life.

From there arises this debate: Does God exist? Do extraterrestrial beings exist? Or both? In what can we believe?

It is relevant to note that there aren ́t proofs on the existence of the Lord and aliens, rather there are evidences to support them (along with arguments against), and this discussion of difficult issues hasn ́t lost its relevance. Even the possible existence of extraterrestrial beings would create a conflict with monotheistic religions, perhaps difficult to solve...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rolando José Olivo
• Release date: Feb 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005910655

Rolando José Olivo

[e-mail] Instagram: @rolandojolivo Systems Engineer with 3 postgraduate degrees: Master's Degree in Applied Economics, Diploma in General Management and Specialization in Management of Social Programs (Summa Cum Laude). Work experience in companies in the oil sector, occupying these positions: Planning and Logistics Manager, Project Coordinator, Financial Advisor and Consultant. Consultant in the economic and financial area. Writer of books on economics, management, self-help, novels and Christianity, among others.

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I. INTRODUCTION

The first Homo sapiens were nomads, hunters and gatherers. They liked to stay in caves and over the years, learned to master fire, make tools, farm and tame some animals, becoming sedentary and forming small tribes that were constituting communities, more and more numerous.

Different social hierarchies arose in these clans. Laws, codes and regulations were also decreed to stipulate the duties and rights of each person, determining the right to property. In addition, the demands of the members of each tribe were satisfied, in part, by their protection mechanisms and plans to expand their territories.

Additionally, since immemorial times the human beings observed the heavens, wondering about the great existential enigmas (origin, purpose and destiny of humanity), the meaning of life and the final reality after death. They also sought a meaning for various unexplained natural phenomena. This gave rise to a religious, spiritual, esoteric, mystical and superstitious thought (even everything that could not be explained was due to a deity and replaced by superstition), and the emergence of several legends, myths and religions (including ancient texts, which mention the gods of sky).

Furthermore, ancient astrologers discovered that the movements of the Sun coincide with the changes of the seasons, and the lunar phases influence over tides and floods. Additionally, since the planets and other celestial bodies move in a predictable way (immutable), don´t die (eternal), are everywhere in the sky (omniscient), and appear to have inconceivable powers (almighty), they believed that the heavenly bodies were living gods.

In this sense, during ancient times, primitive astrologers concluded that the stars (gods) influence and shape the destiny of human beings, and move to transmit messages to their legitimate representatives (astrologers, magicians and priests). Because of this, the priests were the rulers, and in some cultures they were considered deities.

However, despite the remarkable development of polytheistic beliefs, reinforced by the behavior of the star-gods, and superstitious thinking, most of the first generations of human beings worshiped a Unique Creator God (a fact that surprises some anthropologists, academics and researchers), while the next ones worshiped several gods, in accordance with the evidences of the sky of those times (being the monotheistic cult of the Jewish people, an unprecedented and exceptional phenomenon).

Therefore, in almost all primitive cultures, the following ideas stood out:

1. There is a god or goddess for every unexplained event. Therefore, there are innumerable deities associated with the nature (the rain, the thunder, the fire, the crops, the sea, etc.), the cosmos (the Sun, the Moon, the planets, etc.), and more abstract notions (the time, the beauty, the war, the fertility, the life, the death, the justice, the good, the evil, the new year, the dreams, etc.).

2. The catastrophic events (floods, droughts, earthquakes, diseases, famines, invasions, military defeats, deaths, etc.) are due to the wrath of the gods.

3. It is necessary to make human or animal sacrifices to please the deities, calm their fury, and request various favors from them (an ideal climate for crops, protection against enemies, victories in wars, long life for rulers and their descendants, etc.).

4. The legitimate leaders of the community are those who communicate with the gods, and act according to their will.

The tribes were organizing. On the one hand, the first kings were astrologers, magicians and/or priests (who supposedly communicated with the gods and transmitted their messages, appealing to a religious, spiritual and divine authority), and on the other hand, the other social classes were made up of: warriors, farmers, shepherds, hunters, gatherers, builders, craftsmen and slaves.

The efficient division of labor and the guarantees of rights (mainly property), resulting from religions, laws and hierarchies, allowed these archaic communities to survive and gradually improve their quality of life.

At some point in the Ancient Age (it isn´t known exactly when these events occurred), many of these tribes desisted from violent actions against their neighbors and began to exchange various products.

At first, barter prevailed, then commercial activities were carried out with a novel invention, initially made up of small portions of minerals: the money.

The great profits from foreign trade stimulated the increase in agricultural production, the manufacture of better products and technological development. At the same time, these economic incentives promoted the rise of new influential social classes: inventors and merchants.

In this regard, technological progress grew spectacularly. The villages became towns and many of these, in cities. Human beings harvested crops, stored food, domesticated wild animals, made big constructions, and in addition, they elaborated tools, ornaments, carriages, weapons, and a large number of products, which they could sell to other communities.

Nonetheless, the citizens dissatisfied with their commercial profits and the lack of collaboration of their supposed foreign allies, aspired to greater benefits, which could be obtained by invading and looting foreign cities.

Obviously, as there were more comforts and better living standards, people (more emotional than rational) were characterized by wanting to possess what others have (from simple material objects to fame, power and prestige), and being envious of the success of neighbors and foreigners (whom they despised).

Broadly speaking, the imperfect human beings wanted to: a) improve their quality of life, b) achieve a high social status, c) imitate the winners, d) take revenge for social injustices, e) enjoy various goods and pleasures, f) dominate other people, and g) impose their religion.

These behaviors (typical of human rationality and explained by the Mimetic Theory of the French historian and philosopher Rene Girard) generated violent conflicts in archaic communities. The monarchs used various strategies to calm the discomfort of their subjects, standing out the following ones: a) reaffirm their divine authority, b) apply the laws to punish alleged criminals or weak victims (scapegoats), c) carry out human sacrifices (although some kings and priests replaced these practices with animal sacrifices), and d) invade other communities to destroy them and/or appropriate of their properties.

And these events gave way to confrontations between various civilizations. Later, great empires arose: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia and Greece, and advanced cultures in Israel, India and China (in some there were paintings and texts that mention the gods of sky, which can be associated with extraterrestrial beings); and eventually the Romans took control of a large part of Western Europe and the Middle East.

Surprisingly, the imminent defeat of monotheism didn´t occur because the Western geopolitical situation of the 1st century and the following ones, allowed Jesus (coming from the Jewish people) and his followers (groups of Jews dissidents from Judaism) to spread Christianity in the Roman territories, and then, with the support of the Emperor Constantine the Great, impose that religion as the only valid in the Roman Empire. In the same way, the subsequent decline of Roman civilization contributed to the rise of the Arab Empire, initially led by a prophet of the monotheism: Muhammad.

Currently, there are some monotheistic religions (being Christianity, Islam and Judaism the main ones, which come from descendants of the Jewish patriarch Abraham and share some common ideas), and the belief in a Unique True God, Creator of the universe, life and human being is strongly rooted in Western culture and part of the Eastern world. So much so that believing in Him constitutes an act of faith, while science hasn´t been able to prove or disprove the existence of the Lord.

Moreover, in these modern and contemporary times, due to various events (greater scientific and technological progress, questionings of religions, UFO sightings, emergence of science fiction literature, among others), interest has arisen in the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life, from other places of the universe, who might have the technology to visit us. In the same way, some scientists, researchers and writers are convinced that the sky gods, mentioned in ancient religious texts, are aliens, and some shared their knowledge with humankind, in ancient times.

From there arises the debate: Does God exist? Do extraterrestrial beings exist? Or both? In what can we believe?

To address the path that helps glimpse certain notions or general ideas to these questions (which don´t have definitive answers), it should be noted that there are no proofs (that can be validated by the scientific method) about the existence of the Lord and the aliens, rather certain evidences persist (which give a level of certainty, helping to raise assumptions, hypotheses, theories and conclusions), although some are not conclusive, in one way or another, they support the existence of God and possibly the presence of intelligent extraterrestrial beings.

With the purpose of providing relevant information on these questions previously mentioned (does God exist? Do extraterrestrial beings exist? Or both? In what can we believe?), and also about the great existential mysteries (how did the universe originate? What is the origin of life and the human being? Is there a struggle between the good and the evil? Why is there so much suffering in this world? What is the meaning of human life? What comes after death? Why does time exist? What is the destiny of humankind?), giving readers relevant guidance on these topics, this publication is divided into the following main chapters:

II. The Existence of God.

III. The Wonderful Origin of the Universe.

IV. Other Great Existential Mysteries.

V. The Existence of Intelligent Extraterrestrial Beings.

VI. Conclusions and Recommendations.

The Chapter II. The Existence of God comprises these sections: a) II.1 Evidences in Favor of the Existence of God (the absence of satisfactory explanations about the origin and evolution of the universe and life, the conditions that allow the existence of life, the limitations of science, the diffuse vision of the science-religions conflict, the conscience and other cognitive abilities, the biblical prophecies and the existence of Jesus, and the five ways of Thomas Aquinas), b) II.2 Arguments Against the Existence of God (what are they?), c) II.3 The Relativization of God (how is this approach?), d) II.4 The Problem of Monotheism (why is it so controversial?), and e) II.5 Conclusions on the Existence of God.

Although the Creator can´t be defined and He is incomprehensible and unattainable for the human mind (Job 26:14, 36:26 and 37:23), different perspectives are analyzed, including: a) the evidences in favor of the existence of the Lord, b) the arguments against his existence, c) a practical solution of the agnostics and other believers, and d) the religious and philosophical crisis that monotheism generates.

The Chapter III. The Wonderful Origin of the Universe is divided into these parts: a) III.1 The Notion of Big Bang (what is this?), b) III.2 The Fundamentals of Big Bang (what are they?), c) III.3 Questionings to the Big Bang (what are the flaws of this Theory?), and d) III.4 Conclusions on the Wonderful Origin of the Universe.

It is relevant to note that despite its faults, the Big Bang is an extraordinary Theory (perhaps it is incomplete), which is consistent with the presence of the Creator, and needs a greater religious focus and new scientific discoveries.

The Chapter IV. Other Great Existential Mysteries includes these subchapters: a) IV.1 The Origin and Evolution