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It is interesting to think about the implications that the discovery of life in other worlds would have on theology. It would not be the first time that a scientific discovery would modify or infuse the spiritual world’s perspective on the universe. The antecedent of this can be seen in Darwin’s theory of evolution and the passage of the geocentric model to a heliocentric one in the Copernican turn.

The positivism of Auguste Comte thought that after passing through the theological state and the metaphysical state, you would follow the state science, where the hubris of humanity would finally surpass the other forms of knowledge to give way to one in which science leads the way (this is known as the law of the three states). In the theological state, human beings explain the world through supernatural beings; in the metaphysical state, reason supplants these beings to give an explanation of your environment; and finally assumes the positive state, in which the explanation based on scientific evidence predominates, which is the one that would eventually be established as the one form of knowledge that leads us to truth, freeing us from any form of theological thought [1.16].

Religion still exists and, in some countries, is even stronger today. Perhaps analyzing the etymological origin of the word religion will help us to understand it in another way and not as positivist thought was trying to do.

“The word religion comes from the Latin religare which means ‘to bind together.’ Religion in this sense would be the construct that for a long time has allowed us to unite our world, giving shape and meaning, giving us a character of teleological beings, or beings that seek a purpose, which is not given a priori but is rather developed [1.3].”¹

If we understand religion as giving meaning, then its function can be better understood, since it is not a question of worshipping certain gods or one in particular, but of offering the meaning that human beings need to guide their lives. Religious experience is a dimension of the human being that cannot be left out. Religion can be understood as a natural phenomenon, which is a cultural product that society has needed to give meaning to its environment, and has been so for thousands of years, leaving an undeniable imprint on the human mind [1.17].

On the other hand, the universality of religious experience can also be understood as a form of perennial wisdom, as Aldous Huxley explains:

“To this the fully developed Perennial Philosophy always has and, in all places, given fundamentally the same answer. The divine Ground of all existence is a spiritual Absolute, ineffable in terms of discursive thought, but (in certain circumstances) susceptible of being directly experienced and realized by the human being. This Absolute is the God-without-form of Hindu and Christian mystical phraseology [1.18].”

If we understand it from this perspective, religion is not a secondary accessory for humanity. For a person it can be dispensable, since you can be an atheist and use the sense of religare in other activities such as science itself (an extreme version of this can be seen in the Religion of Humanity by Auguste Comte, where science was an important part of the cult).

If we have this perspective, it is important not to forget the theological aspect in astrobiology, regardless of whether one is a believer or not, because it is a relevant issue to consider and has an impact on the way we see the world of millions of people on Earth. The mere discovery of a second Genesis would potentially have significant implications for the way we see the world. Based on this we could speculate and say that religions will adapt. Perhaps there are religions more flexible to this type of new scenario than others.

But we must also consider another factor. We have religion whose Praxis is institutionalized, and we have the personal way in which people live their religious lives. In accordance with their belief system, perhaps for the average person it is not exceedingly difficult to assume that life exists on other worlds, but another scenario may be that the religious institution makes adjustments in the short term. The truth is that religion will not disappear because there is life on other worlds.

The theological explanation of Christian creation will find ways to contextualize in this new scenario, Buddhism will be able to share existence with other forms of life, and ancestral spiritual practices, such as in the Andes and its cult of Pachamama, could contemplate the fact that Mother Earth (in a cosmic context) is always generous in giving life even in other lands.

Considering the complexity involved in having a religious discussion in relation to the discovery of life in other worlds, it is important to talk about astrotheology, which is the discipline that studies the theological implications related to the results of astrobiological research. The word astrotheology was coined by Ted Peters, and he defines it as:

“Astrotheology is that branch of theology that provides a critical analysis of contemporary space sciences combined with an explanation of classical doctrines such as creation and Christology for the purpose of building a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of our human situation within an astonishingly immense cosmos [1.25].”

In astrotheology we could discuss religious aspects in a context of astrobiological discoveries. Traditionally accepted questions in some religions can be seen in a renewed way in astrotheology. We could take as a starting point of reflection the four fundamental axes of astrotheology proposed by Tom Peters:

1 To reflect from different religious traditions the issue of creation and geocentrism.

2 Discuss the parameters on the debate of the person of Christ and the work of Christ.

3 Analyze and discuss astrobiology and related sciences from within, exposing extra-scientific assumptions, interpreting the high value of scientific enterprise.

4 Cooperate between scientists and religious leaders to prepare for possible extraterrestrial contact [1.25].

At least the second axis corresponds more to a reflective aspect of Christian astrotheology. We could include other axes that also represent important aspects of different religions, but this could increase them unnecessarily. The other option would be to encompass the more general notions that have to do with this form of perennial philosophy of all religions and reflect them in the framework of astrobiological discoveries.

One issue that is extremely important is that the astrotheological discussion should come from religious representatives who have adequate knowledge of the working form of science and astrobiology. Point 3 is essential in order to not fall into absolute biases that blind the assimilation of new results that arise, which will ultimately influence point 4.

The most fundamental aspect we could infer from these four axes is that of our place in the universe from a religious perspective. What is our place in the universe considering the presence of life outside the Earth within the framework of religion? are we moving towards new religious forms that contemplate “other creations” as well as a second astrobiological Genesis? This will push us to rethink several of the religious concepts we currently handle [1.2].

However, when discussing axis 4 we would have to take into account the following:

“Astrotheology should take seriously that most astrobiologists are searching for life that is far from an ETI with which we might have conversations over metaphysics. It is microbial life that is being imagined and that seems like it potentially could be found [1.26].”

There are important issues worth discussing about astrotheology and the discovery of life outside the Earth. To what extent is it relevant for religious studies to find microbial life compared to extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI)? Would discovering non-intelligent and microbial life forms imply a sort of preference for “intelligent creation” on Earth over other planets from a biogeocentric point of view? These and other issues deserve proper discussion to reach a consensus.