Indiana Jones and the Origin of Life
So when I first heard that Harrison Ford was coming back for a fourth serving of the Indy series, my first thought was…
"Huh?"
No disrespect here, but Ford is old enough to play his character's father - which is fine if we're talking about a time travel movie or something…but this series is about action and adventure - right?
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So I assumed the movie would be called "Indiana Jones and the Greeters at Wal-Mart" or something to that effect.
"Watch as Indy and his sidekick Silo LeBeef discover the lost hearing aids of aisle 51!", "Be shocked and awed as full contact checker games unfold before your very eyes!"
But ya know what? I believe this movie is going to be all right after all. If anyone could pull off being a geriatric super hero, it's Harrison Ford for sure. So yes - I think you'll enjoy "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
Ah yes...the Crystal Skull (semi-spoiler to follow!). The cryptic and creepy remains of an ancient alien dude. He (or she) who returns them to the City of Gold will wield supreme power over life, the universe, and everything (end semi-spoiler)!
So do you believe in aliens? Are there really races of creatures cruising around the friendly skies kidnapping cattle for "farm" aceutical purposes?
Well, I'm not sure - and frankly, I'm not sure I care either. But do you know who does care to know? The answer to this might surprise you - but in my experience, the group of folks who need aliens in their worldview are atheists.
Again…"Huh?"
Well you see, there is a very important question in this world that is not only 'a' question, but one of 'the' big questions:
How did life begin?
As one very smart person put it: questions that don't get answered properly don't tend to go away. And this question has had some very poor answers in recent years.
What poor answers? Here are two biggies:
-Life has no beginning.
-Life was started when a bolt o' lighting struck the chunky gooey primordial soup and PRESTO! We got us a livin' organism!
Uh, no…and no. Time doesn't allow us to fully evolve the reasons as to why those are poor answers - but do a little research outside of the atheists-r-us dominated sources, and you might be surprised.
So when those two answers don't cut the mustard, naturally you must select another as the fittest option. Option one would be, you know, God or something - but as it turns out, that's not a great one if one wishes to maintain a non-God belief system.
Option two is…(cue the suspenseful music)…none other than an alien race who 'seeded' life on this planet some 128 gazillion years ago (give or take a few leap years added in).
No, I am most certainly not making this up. Go see (or rent in the future) the movie "Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed" - and at the end you'll witness Richard Dawkins - author of The God Delusion (hint - this classifies him as an atheist) - essentially take seriously the alien theory as an explanation of where life came from.
And this is sort of the common logical descent that happens when the "origin of life" question is raised and God is put down.
Several thousand years ago, there was a group of very oppressed slaves who looked around for a sign of hope in their very cruel world. The biggest questions on their mind were:
"Is there really a God, and did He really create all that we see around us?"
So God answered with a hand-written account from His servant Moses:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (Gen 1:1, 26-27, 31, NLT).
God wrote these so they - and we - could have the right answer. Life came from life, and that life is God.
And the most important part? The life that was given to us by God is not very good without Him. The good life with God isn't hidden like some Indiana Jones artifact…it lies right at your door.
Head: There are only a few options when it comes to answering the question of 'how did life begin'? According to science, life comes from life. According to the Bible, life comes from God.
Heart: The majority of feelings we have are based on what we believe. Think about what feelings come from the belief that we are nothing more than a result of undirected mutation which originated from either a scummy pool that got electrified, or a 'seed' from an alien race. Now compare that with the concept that you are the result of a loving God who decided to create you and handcraft you.
Hands: Unfortunately, many Christians are opposed to atheistic beliefs, but they are not sure as to why they believe that. Take some time this week to check out the reasons why you believe there is a God.
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with to provide resources for youth leaders and students. Dare 2 Share exists to energize and equip teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries or the GameDay youth conference tour, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
