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SETI: Part II
(a conversation between Ron Hughes and Dr. Humphreys)

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(Dr. Humphreys and Ron Hughes continue their discussion about the search for extra-terrestrial life in the universe and address a new search for planets similar to Earth outside our solar system.)

Ron Hughes:  Now, David, let’s talk about what the Bible has to say about intelligent life, because you and I believe the Bible and we know that it talks about non-human intelligent life in the universe.

Dr. Humphreys:  Right.  Now it is important – we’re speculating about whether there’s intelligent life out there like scientist do, but… I’m glad you reminded me that, of course, the Bible does tell us a great deal about life beyond terrestrial life.  I mean, that’s what Christianity is all about; that there is life more than physical life, more than life on earth.  And, of course, as a Christian, I have to say that Christ and heavenly beings (Christians believe in angels), they existed before there was an Earth let alone life on Earth.

So, sometimes we need to step back and realize there are creatures, who are intelligent creatures.  I’m talking angels here, who are not only not on earth (I mean, they may act on earth), but they’re not confined to space or time.  We have to understand the Bible says a great deal about extra-terrestrial life, not in the science fiction sense, but in the real spiritual sense.

Ron Hughes:  David, it’s one thing to be searching for signs of intelligent life, but I recently heard on a radio program, a science program, that they were searching, not for life, but for planets that would be suitable to sustain life, as we know it.  They talked about Earth-sized planets and then, is a planet of the appropriate dimensions in the right place in the solar system?

Dr. Humphreys:  Right.  I think we can expect to find many more planets about the size of Earth or Mars.  Now at the moment, I have to say, anything we’ve discovered so far is either too near it’s star or it’s too wobbly an orbit or it’s got some quirks that make life not something we can conceive of. 

But, you see, what it’s led me to understand better than ever is that even if there’s all kinds of Earth-sized planets out there (and we still don’t know) you start to come back to the fact that [there are] maybe 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100, or some people claim even more, specific characteristics that all have to be fine tuned for life – like advanced life, intelligent life to be there.  (I’m not talking about a few organisms now).  And so we come down to the fact that the probability of a non-designed Earth-sized planet, a chance Earth-sized planet, having the capacity to support life, in terms of probability is very, very small.  Some people have said 1 to the power 10 to the 150.  I mean, that’s just saying, ‘Very, very long odds; very unlikely.’  And so, what I’m looking at is the possibility of science discovering many, many planets, Earth-sized planets not containing life because of not having all these characteristics. 

And what it will underscore is what we’ve always felt as Christians that there’s, what I call, a warm-wet-niche in the universe.  I mean, the Earth in a backwater galaxy, called the Milky Way, is very special, very unique.  We have a special solar system.  We have water and lots of things, a long list of characteristics.  Such a long list that I talk design and say this is the Creator’s touch.  I’m not ruling out the Creator’s touch somewhere else in the universe, but I am saying that the odds of intelligent life on a little planet like this – the odds against it are enormous.  And that’s one of the reason that I believe in a creator, and a designer who’s made a home for us.