Life in the Universe Response Paper
Assignment Overview
You will be composing an essay in response to the essay “Religion and Rocketry” in The World’s Last Night by C.S. Lewis. In it, Lewis discusses possible faith implications of finding life on another planet. He addresses questions such as:
- Would extraterrestrial animal life have a soul?
- If so would they necessarily have a fallen nature as we do? Would they be in need of redemption?
- Did Jesus die for humans only? Or does the redemption apply to extraterrestrials as well?
- Is there perhaps some other form of redemption unknown to us that may be applied to other planets?
Assignment Instructions
Compose a four-page academic essay responding to the following:
- Read “Religion and Rocketry” in The World’s Last Nightby C.S. Lewis and respond to his ideas. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with his arguments about the possible states of extraterrestrial life. (2 pages long).
- In light of your thoughts on the Lewis essay, respond to the following hypothetical scenario (2 pages):
In 2022, the Europa Exploration Submarine Lander (EESL) successfully lands on the surface on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The lander drills a hole into the frigid ice covering the planet’s surface and a small submersible probe is released into the ocean below. Searching the water for signs of the life, the submersible eventually comes across several colonies of bacteria thriving in the midst of undersea volcanic vents. After further investigation, this bacteria is found to be growing on many of these vents found throughout Europa.
- Would it affect your view on creation, and humanity’s place in it, if it were discovered conclusively that life existed on another planet (independently from Earth)?
- Would you be forced to adjust your views on God and/or His plans for humanity?
- What would it say about God’s creative character if He had created/allowed life to evolve on another world? (Assume in this scenario that the life is strictly bacterial and is not intelligent).
Now assume a different scenario in which intelligent life were found on another planet:
In 2034, radio telescopes on Earth receive a signal from a planet in the Kepler 22 stellar system. The message includes several pictures and a genetic description of the race of intelligent beings that sent it. For the first time, intelligent life outside the Earth is confirmed to exist.
- Would it affect your view on creation, and humanity’s place in it, if we received a message from intelligent life on another planet (assume the message gave no information as to their religious state)?
- Would you be forced to adjust your views on God and/or His plans for humanity? Contrast this response with that in the first scenario where the life discovered is non-intelligent.
- What conclusions could you make regarding God’s creation and His plan for life?
- Could we learn more about God’s nature via discovering intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?
Assignment Requirements
- Approximately 4 pages in length, not including a title page and reference page
- APA format, including:
- In-text citations
- Title page
- Reference page.
- DO NOT include an abstract.
- DO NOT include a bibliography citation for the CS Lewis essay. Only include external citations if it is something outside the Lewis essay.