Many scientists today seem obsessed with finding life on other planets. In fact mankind is spending billions across several different nations for the purpose of finding life on other planets. With all our problems here on our own planet, why is man so set on finding life somewhere else in the universe?

The answer is fairly simple. Man desires to prove there is no God in order to squelch that nagging doubt that there must be something bigger than humanity. Man rejects his submission to his Creator and instead insists on his own law and way as superior.

You can go here: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=28 and find a fascinating article on the latest attempt by the European Space Commission to find life on other planets. What struck my eye was the title of this multi-billion dollar space odyssey. By naming it the "Darwin Flotilla," these scientists have exalted their man-god in an attempt to dethrone the true God, much like man’s futile efforts at the Tower of Babel. Below is the explanation of the mission.

THE MISSION:
Darwin will use a flotilla of three space telescopes, each at least 3 meters in diameter, and a fourth spacecraft to server [sic] as communications hub. The telescopes will operate together to scan the nearby Universe, looking for signs of life on Earth-like planets. This is a daunting challenge and will require a number of technological innovations before the mission launches in the middle of the next decade.

Independence from accountability to a Creator is the real point. Man wants to prove that he is not accountable to any being bigger than himself. He wishes to be his own god. Ever since the serpent hissed to Eve that she could become a god, man has desperately pursued the same course that caused the fall of Satan in the first place. The desire to be worshipped and to be accountable to only himself is nearly overwhelming in every human. From the Garden to Nebuchadnezzar, from the Pharaohs who claimed to be descendent of the sun god to the Caesars who demanded to be worshipped as gods, history is replete with men who vaunted themselves as gods. But it isn't just great leaders who want to be god. Every man wants to do that which is right in his own eyes and be his own god.

However, against this natural bent towards independence to which any mother of a two-year-old can readily testify, is the God-placed hole of loneliness in the soul of every human. He is the architect and designer of humanity and has placed a "homing device", if you will, to bring man back to Himself. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." Again, in Psalm 97:6, the Psalmist says, "The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory." The word, "glory" means "the visible manifestation of one's essence." The universe that we see at night is a part of the self-revelation of God to man. A part of that "homing device" is the sky we look at during the dark hours. We know that it is so massive that we can not comprehend it. We also know intuitively that Someone made it and that Person must be bigger than we are. Man has to be taught that the sky is an accident but that the chair we sit on was designed and built.

In ancient times man worshipped created planets like Jupiter or Mercury in the place of Jehovah. These gods were just inflated men. They had the same passions as man. They were mean, cruel, vindictive, etc. They were simply men with great power. These imaginary false gods were the way the ancients escaped responsibility to their Creator.

With the advent of the Age of Reason, man began to move further away from accountability to his Creator. Evolution was the secular philosophic capstone of the era. Darwin's theory was a direct attack on that which revealed the greatness of God: His creation. Humanity has just witnessed the end of the first entire century that was influenced by the full weight of evolution. In that century literally millions were murdered through the political agendas of Communism and Nazism. These two political systems were and are simply political extensions of Darwin's proposition of survival of the fittest. One would think that after the slaughter of millions at the altar of Darwinism, humanity would have second thoughts about his foolish beliefs, especially in Europe where his philosophies have brought horrible destruction. Sadly, this is not so.

Man continues to stubbornly resist God's authority by refusing to heed the lessons of the "Darwinian Wars" of the 20th century as evidence of the bankrupt nature of Darwin. Yet, once evolution removed God's existence, man was not free. He now found himself alone in a huge universe. That old problem of the "hole in the soul" came to full force. Modern man has dethroned his Creator through false philosophy and vain deceit but now realizes that he is all alone in the Universe. He has and is reacting like a spoiled, lonely child all alone in a house at night: he acts out and is angry, but is unwilling to seek help from anyone who could actually help him. He is bitter, manipulative, and destructive. Yet, he refuses to turn to the only One who can fill the hole in the middle of His soul. God placed a desire for companionship in the soul of man to drive man back to Himself, but man can have that companionship only when he submits to God's laws and God's ways.

We have come to realize how unique in the universe our planet is. Having a planet in which the temperature is right to have water in its liquid form is very unusual. We also know that water is the source of life and without it life ceases. We have come to realize that very small sectors of our galaxy or even other galaxies have the right mix of heat and cold to allow water to be in a liquid form, if it even exists on those planets. In addition our planet has a unique atmosphere to burn up asteroids and all matter of potentially destructive flying debris. This and many other unique features of our planet allow us to realize how special our world is. These facts scream: Creator! Yet, man is desperate to run from responsibility, much like a two year old runs from his mother when told, "Come."

Yet man, who has rejected his true Creator, attempts to find life on other created worlds to prove that their God, Darwin, was correct! I don't know if there is life on other planets. Whether there is or is not is really immaterial to a Christian. It will not prove or disprove a Creator God. He could easily create life in other environments; however, this attempt by man to find life is motivated by the vain desire to destroy all belief in a Creator. At the same time, their quest proves His existence. These who disdain a God to whom they would be accountable prove His existence because the loneliness that He placed in them to drive them to Himself drives them, in their rebellion, to find someone--anyone--to "talk" to "out there."

Michael D. Sproul, D.Min.
Senior Pastor