Scripture does not explicitly state that God created other life forms, but it does say that He created man and the animals on our planet Earth. Scripture also states that God created the entire universe, along with other planets. It is currently not in our knowledge that other life forms exist on these planets.

From childhood, we are taught the golden rule — do unto others as you would have done unto you. In other words: treat everyone with fairness and respect. While animals and all other creatures were created to serve man, we still apply this rule to humans and animals — so why not extraterrestrial beings as well?

In history, the human race has often been at fault for criticizing anyone different than the norm.

Until the emancipation movement, blacks were segregated for their skin colour; during the reign of Hitler, Jews were pegged as the scapegoats; now following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Muslims are being persecuted for the stigma that surrounds their ethnic affiliations.

The human population has, as a whole, often found it difficult to accept a group that is different from what they know and understand.

What we must do is look at these previous examples and ask ourselves what is the best way to treat those who are different from us — whether they be other humans, animals, even new life forms. We have treated fellow human beings with disrespect many times before. We must learn from our mistakes.

On television and in film, extraterrestrials are often portrayed as bloodthirsty animals. However, our Catholic faith tells us that if extraterrestrials exist, they are God’s children as well. While we may not know whether or not they are peaceful beings, we do know that God’s creations should always be treated with dignity.

The Bible does not explicitly state that no life exists outside of Earth, but it does place our planet as God’s crown creation. Yet with so many different interpretations of the Bible, perhaps we have missed some signs that are pointing us to our  brothers and sisters in different galaxies.

While the idea of life outside of Earth may seem a little strange now, it still remains a possibility. And if that turns out to be the case, we should be welcoming to our new friends and hope that our kindness will be reciprocated.

(Lewis, 19, is a journalism student at Carleton University.)