Humans have loved the idea of aliens for many years, especially in movies, books, and comics. They create a picture of what they think aliens look like by giving them big heads, disproportionate bodies, and weird language. The word “alien” might not be the correct term for life outside of Earth. “Extraterrestrial life” might be a better term to describe creatures living on other planets. Extraterrestrial life is “life that may exist or may have existed in the universe outside of Earth.” This article will explore extraterrestrial beings, what Ellen G. White says about them, and student’s opinions about this topic.
For many, Ellen G. White is a trustworthy source when we ask these questions. Her inspiration and connection with God allow us to better understand things outside our world, like extraterrestrials. EGW and the Bible explore a lot about angels. One of EGW’s books discusses the purpose of angels. She says, “Angels are sent on missions of mercy to the children of God.” EGW then gives examples in the Bible like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, and Peter who had contact with angels through various forms of communication. She discusses how “guardian angels are appointed to every follower of Christ.” We know that God created angels and that Lucifer was a fallen angel. Angels are unlike humans because they were heavenly made. They can’t reproduce, have no sex, and are beautiful beings. We can apply this knowledge of angels to extraterrestrial beings.
This podcast explores this topic further and dives into various theories and philosophers who have expressed their opinions about the existence of extraterrestrial beings. The host describes how Ellen White “never formally set out to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence on other planets from Scripture or science. She assumed from her visions a universe that expressed the principle of plenitude, and the principle of plenitude is something most of those writers (Thomas Paine, Michael Crowe, and Andrew Fuller) espoused, which means that in the vast universe, God wouldn’t just create it empty space. He would fill the universe with words and populate those worlds with people…Through the principle of plenitude, he would fill it with life.” EGW also talks about the “Great Controversy” or “cosmic conflict.” The existence of extraterrestrial beings is a major emphasis in her writings, especially when discussing the Great Controversy. The host states that the inhabitants of other worlds are mentioned about 1,700 times throughout Ellen’s writings.
Considering this, I asked a few students about their opinions about extraterrestrial beings and their existence. Alaina Schultz is a nursing student at Southern Adventist University. She states that “Aliens do exist. We have no idea what they look like, but they are probably nothing we came up with. It would be really cool to see one, though.” Another student from Southern Adventist University, Grace Sikora, who is a business student, elaborates on aliens and says, “It would be very self-centered of us to believe that we are the only creatures that God created, especially when we look at heaven and the rest of God’s court and see that there are other creatures. So, we know that some forms of aliens exist. Even the Bible conflicts to some capacity. Ellen G. White says, ‘other worlds are watching us because of sin.’ Once again, this affirms the already established knowledge of the existence of sin and aliens.”
The fascination with extraterrestrial beings has been a longstanding aspect of human imagination, portrayed in various forms of media. We explored Ellen G. White’s perspective and established that her deeply rooted connection with God and visions helped emphasize the existence of beings beyond Earth. Furthermore, we discussed a podcast highlighting extraterrestrial beings’ significance and the “Great Controversy.” Lastly, students’ opinions also reflect a broad spectrum describing the possibility of alien existence and the assumption that we weren’t the only creatures created by God. This exploration allows us to combine knowledge from theological insights, philosophical perspectives, and individual opinions to try to understand the existence of extraterrestrial beings.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.