Why Science Hopes for Extraterrestrial Life

As multiple honest scientists have observed, a major reason for the search for purely physical explanations for phenomena is to prove God is not the answer. Why is this? Because, if there is no God, then the Bible is nullified, along with the moral law it teaches. In short, people hate being told how they should live their lives, even by their Creator. As a logical extension of this rebellious attitude, the hope of many scientists is to find life on other planets and nullify the “myth” that God created life on the earth as the Bible says He did. Billions of dollars have been spent in the never-ending quest to find life “out there.”

For decades, scientists have searched the heavens with radio and space-based telescopes in the hope of detecting even the tiniest indications of potential life on distant planets. One of the indicators they have searched for is rocky planets. Many cosmologists believe that a rocky planet is one of a host of essential prerequisites for life (Reuters, May 8, 2024). Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers recently discovered such a planet outside our solar system—a rocky planet nearly nine times the size of Earth and 41 light-years away. Unlike previous discoveries of rocky planets, this one appears to have an atmosphere. Yet all indications suggest that this planet is very inhospitable to life. It is “one of the hottest-known rocky exoplanets” with an atmosphere that is unbreathable and a molten surface of around 3,140º F (or 1,725º C). No life-supporting planet beyond our own has yet been found: “All of the previous exoplanets found to have atmospheres were gaseous planets, not rocky ones. As Webb pushes the frontiers of exoplanet exploration, the discovery of a rocky one with an atmosphere represents progress.”

As scientists continue in their quest to find life out there, they continue to reject the clear evidence of a Creator right here on Earth (Romans 1:18–20). There are several key questions that, when honestly asked, lead one to conclude that there is a reason life exists on our planet. To learn more, read or listen to our booklet The Real God: Proofs and Promises.