Belief in alien existence gives us a chance to contemplate existence in general. Why are we here? Where are we going? What does this all mean?
And if you can't think outside the box, you have a lot of explaining to do because the Bible certainly has enough occurrences of life forms coming from heaven to sustain a belief in extraterrestrial existence.
So maybe the big question is, do they believe in us? If so, did that belief warrant a trip to our planet? And if not, then what?
FR. VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church
In His Shoes Mission
A friend of mine, Dr. Velvl Greene, is a biologist who was enlisted by NASA in the 1960s for a project to determine the status of life on Mars. He once asked my teacher, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, if such a project was appropriate to engage in and whether it was in accord with Judaic teachings (after all, the Bible says nothing about extraterrestrial life).
Rabbi Schneerson replied, "Dr. Greene, definitely look for life on Mars. And if you don't find it there, look somewhere else in the universe for it. Because for you to sit here and say there is no life outside of planet Earth is to put limitations on the Creator, and that is not something any of His creatures can do."
Personally, I'm skeptical of the alien hype. I don't believe UFOs visit our backyards, and the alleged abductions of humans and pets seem a bit far-out to me. But building a UFO-themed amusement park is harmless, and will provide much enjoyment to many people — which is always worthwhile. And at the end, there may very well be some form of extraterrestrial life that is worth seeking out.
Even though we haven't found anything significant yet, one day we just may — and that discovery could have an incredibly positive effect on our lives. Wouldn't it be nice if we found the solution to our current gas crisis in the form of a new source of energy on some other planet that is safe, clean and inexhaustible?
RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN
Chabad Jewish Center
Yes, I've seen them. Of course, they are UFOs to me, identifiable something-or-others to those who know what they are. Do I think we have Martians flying around, snatching and probing people? Nuh-unh. I like science fiction, and having a son keeps my interest in "Star Wars" alive, but that's about as close to ETs that we're going to get.
