New Life Form/God

[lilyannerose]

I've been curious as to whether or not the discovery of this new life form would generate any discussion regarding the myths of creation as presented in the Christian bible. It seemed to me that this life form would be embraced and just like the dinosaurs walked the earth with Adam and Eve so this life form was created during the same week as everything else. Could even be interpreted that god had a Plan B?



Does New Life Form Mean God is Dead?
David Gibson
Religion Reporter

The discovery of what is apparently an entirely new form of life -- a bacteria based on toxic arsenic rather than phosphorus, one of the six building blocks of all life on Earth -- has set the scientific world abuzz, prompting White House inquiries to NASA and threatening to upend longstanding beliefs about biology.

But some say the announcement also signals an end to religious faith, or at least the beginning of the end, because it implies that life can spring forth unexpectedly on Earth or even on other planets, and in unexpected forms -- developments that seem to run counter to literal readings of biblical creation accounts.

"The polite thing to say is that discoveries such as this don't really impeach the credibility of established religion, but in truth of course they really do," David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association (AHA), a leading secularist organization, said of this week's revelations about the microbes discovered in Lake Mono in California.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/04/...nk3|188214

[Paul the Human]

I think believers will simply fall back on the "See, science can be wrong" thing, as it is something we didn't know could exist. In reality, it is just another way that the evolutionary process has worked to the benefit of the life forms in a given environment. I don't think it effects religion much at all, but it does expand the concept of 'life as we know it'. Those that deny evolution will just continue to do so.

[Minimalist]

I've been curious as to whether or not the discovery of this new life form would generate any discussion regarding the myths of creation as presented in the Christian bible

I guess it must have been on the "ark," too?

[thesummerqueen]

"God works in mysterious ways"

Bleh.

[DeistPaladin]

I can imagine that IF I'm right that God exists, the universe would contain a good variety of different life forms. We'd be just one of many projects.

A universe absent of life except for us would convince me that God is unlikely to exist.