Extraterrestrial Soteriology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/SetF.2023.006Keywords
extraterrestrials, incarnation, atonement, original sin, fall of humanity, antipodesAbstract
One scientific objection to religion is that the discovery of extraterrestrial life would show that our religions are not veridical, with Christianity being the most common target. I will first look at a parallel issue, the ancient and medieval controversy over antipodes. This raises two problematic Christian doctrines that would apply equally to extraterrestrials: the transmission of original sin and the cosmic fall. These issues raise questions about their spiritual status, but I conclude that not having such answers does not amount to an objection to Christianity’s credibility.
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