What is the purpose of human existence? This has been a long-prevailing question. Scientists look for scientific review, while some look up to a higher power. Although in the end, it comes to just a perspective of the human mind to answer the above question.
Hence, 24 theologians have been hired to understand the human understanding and religious perspective if a groundbreaking discovery of alien life is made to understand both the popular views.
NASA is close to finding aliens
The infamous James Webb Space Telescope launch, two rovers on Mars, and several probes orbiting Jupiter and Saturn have raised NASA expectations.
The scientists of NASA believe with all these accomplishments, they are on the right track to finding alien life.
New technologies have brought contact with extraterrestrial beings closer and sooner than expected.
If the stars aligned for this belief, it would profoundly affect the global psyche and our understanding of the world and its creators.
NASA wants to be prepared for that.
Henceforth, NASA is seeking theological knowledge and asking theologians to understand how humans would respond if aliens exist and how the discovery could change our views about gods and the creation of the universe.
Steps taken for the assignment
The agency’s Centre for Theological Inquiry (CTI) at Princeton University in the US will see to the task.
For this purpose, NASA gave a grant of $1.1 million to CTI in 2014. The theologians will participate in a NASA-sponsored program titled Social Implications of Astrobiology.
A British priest. Rev. Dr Andrew Davison, one of the theologians listed by NASA, wrote in a blogpost that “Religious traditions will be an important feature of how humanity will work through affirmations of life elsewhere”.
NASA Hires Theologians to Understand How the World Will Respond