When we turn away from God as He has made Himself known, we don’t trust in nothing; we trust in all kinds of things. – Alistair Begg

It was a hero’s welcome for the Artemis II crew following a safe return and splashdown recently in the Pacific. The astronautsarrived at the Johnson Space Center to cheers, a standing ovation and hugs from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. They completed a 10-day record-breaking lunar flyby and traveled deeper into space than any human had before. 

Having grown up in the 1960’s, I’ve always been intrigued by space exploration. My family huddled around the TV as Neil Armstrong took that first step and said those immortal words: That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind as he stepped on the moon’s surface.

But do you know what the Artemis II crew didn’t see, nor has any other space exploration crew? Little green men. They’ve never seen E.T. or some creature from outer space. 

Did you know though that 65% of Americans believe intelligent life exists on other planets and 47% think aliens have probably visited Earth. Now I love Science Fiction. I’m both a Star Trek and Star Wars fan. 

A well-written alien story can cause us to question if life exists somewhere else in the universe. If so, how would aliens interact with us? In science fiction, we often find some frightening answers. Although some alien encounters are friendly and charming (like ET), most are portrayed as terrifying. From minor invasions (Signs) to (War of the Worlds) aliens are seen as a threat, reaching out from space to attack and subdue mankind.

While chilling alien encounters could be chalked up to the need for interesting story plots, maybe what drives them is something much more significant? Humanity’s fascination and fear of aliens come from our innate sense that there’s something bigger than we are in the universe.

Throughout history, humans have had an inherent feeling that something greater than themselves exists beyond this world. In ancient societies it was the gods. With the rise of Christianity, extraterrestrial life was largely relegated to supernatural beings like angels. It wasn’t until Darwin’s Origin of Species that this view of extraterrestrial life drastically changed. 

Rejecting the supernatural, evolution promoted atheism, arguing that our world came about by random chance. With so many possible variations in which life could evolve, evolution suggests that life could have also developed in various ways across the universe. Unfortunately, the rise of evolutionary thought eroded the biblical concept of man’s uniqueness, suggesting that we evolved accidentally after millions of years of random chance. This worldview severely degraded the sanctity of human life, particularly in science fiction. With a survival of the fittest philosophy, humanity rather than being the apex of God’s creation is instead subject to being exterminated by more powerful beings that have come to conquer earth. It’s a logical outcome for those who hold an evolutionary worldview.

This fear of something beyond earth is also heavily rooted in the rapid decline of religion in a post–World War II society. Bible believers know that God created all things with a good design though His creation has been corrupted by sin. After World War II, many abandoned their faith, choosing instead to accept a naturalistic view of creation…and with it, deep space becomes terrifying. With an evolutionary worldview anything could exist in the cosmos. Who knows what types of horrifying creatures are hiding in the shadows of the universe?

Absent of Christian morality and purpose, many look to the skies with trepidation, concerned with creatures that could possibly exist in a universe formed by evolution. Since evolution is sporadic with no purpose or will, there could be creatures out there waiting to exterminate humanity. 

Public interest in space invaders is so intense that the Government funded the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) to analyze UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) encounters. In early 2024, this office officially announced that no empirical evidence that any UAP investigatory effort since 1945—foreign, domestic, government, private, or academic—has ever uncovered verifiable information regarding the recovery or existence of extraterrestrial beings or crafts. Still, many across the globe remain convinced that aliens are real.

From a biblical perspective, there is no evidence that alien life exists. The universe did not evolve randomly over billions of years. Instead, according to the Genesis account of creation week, an Intelligent Designer (God) carefully designed the earth specifically for mankind and created the rest of the universe, “for signs and seasons” (Genesis 1:14). Is there life somewhere out there? Maybe but probably not. 

Here though is where it becomes very fascinating for those infatuated with evolutionary theory. Just one example—scientist Leonard Mlodinow, co-author of The Grand Design with Stephen Hawking, declared, Science shows that God is not necessary to explain the universe. I find it very hard to see how people could believe in the Bible.

But then Mlodinow gave this shocking answer to another question in the same interview: I tend not to believe things that there is no evidence for. But it is not always true. I do believe, for instance, in aliens. I believe that there is life on other planets, and I think there is no evidence for that. We don’t understand the origin of life on Earth well enough to say how probable it is that on another star life would form. But in my heart for some reason, I find myself believing that.

Isn’t that bizarre? Mlodinow doesn’t believe in God and creation, yet he believes in aliens even though he says he has no evidence for it, but he just finds he believes in his heart that extraterrestrial life exists. So, with the obvious design of creation, how does he not find it in his heart to think that God exists and created this world. All of creation shouts – where there is a design, there is a Designer. If Mlodinow thinks he is rational in believing in aliens, why isn’t it rational to believe in God? 

The answer is Romans 1:21-22: For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. Let’s be thankful for Artemis II. Yet, whether it’s Artemis II or XX, don’t wait for E.T. to phone home.