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Is otherworldly science fiction biblical?
Published: 3 October 2020 (GMT+10)
W.M. wrote:
I was saved some 40 years ago and have been developing my relationship with Christ ever since. Even though I went to public schools in rural Kansas, my physics teacher refused to teach any piece of Earth age. He detested evolution and laughed at the Big Bang, but never went into why. This probably started me on a course of questioning mainstream science.
I’ve grown into a fundamental Bible believer wherein I take the Bible as the inerrant word of God, who let us know what we needed and has preserved His word through the ages. I stand firm on; Jesus’ promises, that Genesis is true, is history and directly spells out a young Earth through the chronology of Adam through Noah and beyond.
Throughout life, there have been preachers who state sci-fi is evil, or Satanic. My father just told me not to worry, Star Wars and such is all in good fun. I enjoy movies with a critical eye and know when the writers are putting in a political or anti-biblical agenda.
I honestly don’t see why there can’t be Christian science fiction. I’m unsure as to why your team have the view that aliens or extra-dimensional beings would be a result of an evolutionary act. There are Christians, here in Oklahoma who believe any of that sort of stuff is actually angels/the fallen ones…I’m not so sure about all that!
As an author, I myself have penned several novels dealing with space and interdimensional travel. God created - period. I don’t believe it is anti-biblical to imagine Him doing the same elsewhere. In fact, in one of my stories, the scouts who look for planets in the Goldilocks Zones for colonization, come across Elm trees and similar flora and fauna which effectively ends the debate of evolution on Earth. Slipping into another dimension and meeting other civilizations, those beings know of the Trinity and have religions based on God.
What say you?
Gary Bates, CEO of CMI-US, responds:
Hi Eric,
Your question has been forwarded to me as I am the ministry’s ‘alien’ guy.
Any sort of fiction, including science fiction, is a subjective thing. One might say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Your question is one I have been asked many times over the years.
As Christians we tend to be dogmatic about views we form, but on a lot of occasions there is not a one size fits all answer. I encourage you to read my book Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the evolution connection as there is a whole chapter about the history and application of science fiction.
I personally love science fiction and not all science fiction is bad. However, there is no question that modern sci fi with its ideas of technologically advanced ETs has its roots in evolutionism and big bang. See ET needed evolution.
A search of our site would reveal many articles on this. See Evolution and the science of fiction and also Science fiction: a biblical perspective. And as someone who has been involved in UFO research for many years, I can definitely say that multidimensional views are very much part of evolutionary theory and are the main views held by modern secular UFOlogists today. You state you are unaware of this so I caution about writing and venturing into this area until one can fully appreciate that it may lead some astray. Particularly as it appears that you are not even all that well informed about the UFO phenomenon. The evidence of modern UFO sightings is that they are now coming from another dimension. This fits our biblical view but one has to be an informed Christian to discern or interpret it correctly. Modern UFOlogy has invoked extradimensional realms to fit the evidence and nature of sightings and experiences and now claims that ETs are visiting us from those locations. I’m sure you can appreciate that this then leads people to believe that they are advanced ETs instead of deceptive spiritual beings. Possibly millions of people have been traumatized by these evil angels, I have personally seen the damage it causes and in particular how resistant to the Gospel they become. This is because they think that we have some old archaic notions that seek to explain a highly evolved and technologically advanced race of ETs. As such, because of their experiences, they think they are the enlightened ones.
Most people are not informed biblically over this issue. And having a real experience with something they believe to be extraterrestrial transcends any knowledge or information that might contradict it. I have numerous articles on this site regarding this subject and the aforementioned book and our movie Alien Intrusion: Unmasking a deception also explains in depth how secular researchers are interpreting this phenomenon as extradimensional.
The biggest issue we deal with on this subject from other Christians, not unbelievers, is they are trying to find a way to squeeze ETs into the Bible (otherwise why would God have made the universe so big?) and to allow for life on other planets etc. Clearly we have been influenced by popular culture in this regard rather than a Bible first approach. Your view of any sort of life on other planets or other realms (apart from the angelic spiritual realm) would violate the Gospel of Christ. This is not an argument from silence but from logical deductions we can make from Scripture and the purposes of Creation. Please see our article Did God create life on other planets? for more on this as there is a lot that could be said about your ideas of flora and fauna on other worlds.
Also we have numerous articles on multiverse theory, string theory and so on which only serves to highlight that such extradimensional views are very much part of the evolutionary paradigm. I have concern when you said you have a discerning eye yet you obviously did not see the antibiblical agenda in Star Wars, you mention. In my book I have a quote from George Lucas who wrote:
“I put the Force into the movie in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people … I think there is a God. No question. What that God is or what we know about God, I’m not sure.”
And are you now aware that we have a flourishing new Jedi religion and a practicing church? See this article I wrote on our website.
Writing fiction stories about such realms may lead on the uninformed to greater spiritual danger. It’s a trap for young players, and may I say with courteous respect, but a firm admonition, that it is clear from your comments that you are not as well versed in this area as you might think. So I have linked many articles and mentioned some recommended resources. As such, I encourage further study to become fully informed on this subject first. For example, I would only allow my own children to watch science fiction with its notions of life on other worlds once they were old enough to discern and communicate to me the ideologies behind it. Again, keep in mind, most people, including Christians, who watch sci fi are not that well-informed and we need be mindful of the weaker brethren principles of 1 Corinthians 8.
You asked for our opinion and advice and although this may be a challenge to you, I do hope you will take it on board. It is a very serious issue with the souls of human beings potentially at stake due to the great deception in this area.
Readers’ comments
To all - very interesting comments.
There are people who try to make money writing Christian science fiction (some of which is "adult" themed and the author could not read excerpts on the radio!), so at the risk of using the appeal to motive fallacy, I am a mite suspicious of their arguments. In fact, one evangelist who is a creationist abandoned his work to focus on why CMI arguments about ETs are wrong. People neglect their callings to focus on alien life, saying Hell is not real, and so on.
Originally, I was a proponent of the "other sheep are ETs" concept, but realized that I was doing eisegesis and also arguing from ignorance. Wishful thinking, even. After all, space is so big, there *must* be other life... Not hardly!
Science Fiction was a big part of my life in early years, and I still like the "Stargate" TV shows. Also, I used "Star Trek" as inspirations for articles, showing how evolutionary thinking is often illogical, and in "Engineered Nanobot Evolution", "evolution" was conflated with intelligent design and engineering. In my online ministry and articles, I refer people to articles here and to "Alien Intrusion". (In fact, I am going to use that book as a reference point in another planned article.) Science fiction can be entertaining and useful, but its best for people to have a strong foundation in both creation and theology so they are not fooled by it.
Cordwainer Smith (a pen-name for Dr. Paul Linebarger), a Protestant and the godson of Sun Yat-sen, wrote SF. He also wrote the nonfiction book Psychological Warfare, which is still regarded as the authoritative book in its field. Frederik Pohl edited Smith's first fiction and encouraged him. Scanners Live in Vain is his most famous story.
Of other religious persuasions are Orson Scott Card and Brandon Sanderson, famous Mormons in SF/F. I've read gnostic fantasy (though I don't recall the author's name).
But, yes, *most* SF/F stories are godless and present views contrary to Scripture and not just re: evolution/aliens.
I enjoy reading/writing SF/F. My concern in my stories is with the larger message, or what some call its theme. Does it promote Christian values while at the same time telling the truth about man and his sinful condition?
Some non-Christians argue that, broad and generally speaking, stories with happy endings have a Christian basis. There are valid criticisms of that view, but if you assume that stories should be edifying, then that argument does have some merit.
Good Christian fiction will have some Christians in it. The point is not to be obvious but the biblical idea of a remnant and that non-Christian fiction frequently fails on that count.
There is one rule they must follow.
Everything, all life, all woman god's etc are clearly and visibly subject to Jesus.
May I refer you to C S Lewes sci to books, where the martians worshipped God. Or to his fantasy story Prince Caspian where the river God pleaded with Aslam to be freed from his chains.
Our task as Christians is to Glorify God and that includes the stories we tell.
I'd like to add my own perspective on two points WM. First, people talk about "other dimensions". Say what? They don't even know what the heck they're talking about. The only other "dimension" that exists could be called the spiritual one, as Gary has pointed out. And as a matter of fact we have that dimension as an integral part of ourselves. All of our thoughts and feelings belong outside of the physical dimensions of time, matter, and space. Now what about string theorist's extra dimensions? They aren't some other worldly thing where Buckaroo Banzai can jump into or fight aliens from! If they do exist they are already a part of us but are too small to be observed. So ... no alien universes there!
The other thing I see is on the question of the universe's size. Gary's point on this is quite good and I can only add that it seems to me to be a quite appropriately sized playground for what God intended as immortal beings, sons of God. I believe it was intended to be a blank canvas on which Man could be creative in eternity. JMO.
It is a pity that discernment is not taught more. All scifi is not demonic, but scifi can be demonic (and much of it is). We need to be more careful in how we explain things. It is very wrong to condemn all scifi as demonic, but also wrong to uncritically accept it as harmless fun. But even more dangerous to think that aliens (sentient beings from other planets) could exist as it harms the gospel - as you so clearly point out.
Thank you for this article, Gary, as you've explained the right approach to take not only to fiction but to the reality of whether there are aliens. And I pray that WM will take time to read all the articles on creation.com on this topic, and hopefully even purchase the book and movie that explain all these issues so clearly.
What sheep is he referring to? It obviously was not the Jewish people around him. Could it have been a reference to Gentiles? I've heard it could have been a reference to populations of other planets. My thoughts are for the Gentiles.
I like the work you folks at CMI do. We know man's days are number seeing everything taking place all over the world. Still many lost sheep everywhere and The Lord is still calling for them to hear HIS voice and answer HIM by opening their hearts to HIM. The days left to respond to HIS voice are few. The next few weeks will show us just how near HIS return is. May all the family in Christ Jesus be found doing HIS WILL as we wait for HIS return. Give honor and praise to HIM Who lives forever.
Thank you Gary.
"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."
We should not go beyond what God has revealed to us in his word, where Christ has prevailed for us through his blood, and has been given pre-eminence over all things. Though we travail and groan in these present earthen vessels, the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are already seated with Christ. "Let angel minds enquire no more"!
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