Carrie

If there's a god who designed the universe, why would this god create all those useless planets? For example, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, etc. There are huge storms on these planents, mountains, volcanoes, all these things going on, but no life. Lifeless useless planets. What's the point? Why create these planets in the first place? Wouldn't a god create planets that were meant to have life on them? This tells me that there is no god with a plan. Maybe it's just a crapshoot, and wow, we got life on Earth, by chance. Well, unless God created Mars and the other planets to effect the earth in an Astrological way, but that's a little "out there" for me. Any explanations for all these useless planets?

Carbuncle

Hey, it's not like science explains WHY the planets had to form anyway . . .

In fact, other planets do have an astrological effect on our planet, albeit not a big one. But who are we to say that what God does makes no sense? I mean, if we can't even explain our own actions, do you really expect us to explain the actions of one who is infinite?

Or maybe God just thought extra planets would look pretty? ^_^

Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.

notMichaelJackson

There is speculation that there was once life on Mars, and I have heard that it may one day be possible to colonize Venus. I have also heard that asteriods may one day be used as a source of metals such as iron. Often when the planets are in the proper position in the sky they can appear as stars to those watching from Earth.

The extra planets could just be the useless remains of creation, like a pile of dirt remains after a building is constructed.

P.S. Greetings from Springfield.

Family Man

Or maybe God decided he needed to provide us with retrograde motion, which led us to realize that the Earth is not the center of the universe and we're really not the most important things in the universe after all.

Wyz_sub10

I assume you mean that the planets have an effect on the earth in terms of gravity, rather than an "astrological" effect, which sounds like "an effect on us, as per astrology".

lpetrich

That's actually a good question -- why create a whole universe and let most of it go to waste? Why not create an Earth with a nearby backdrop? And why create a Universe that's MUCH larger than its smallest structures?

In fact, a couple centuries ago, it used to be believed that every planet was inhabited, for the reason that god would not let a world go to waste.

Some size scales:

Planck (quantum gravity): 10^-34 m
Grand Unified Theory: 10^-30 m
Electroweak Unification: 10^-17 m
Nucleon: 10^-15 m
Big nucleus: 10^-14 m
Atom: 10^-10 m
Width of typical biomolecule: 10^-9 m
Bacterium: 10^-6 m
Eukaryotic cell: 10^-5 m
Sand grain: 10^-3 m
Tallest tree: 10^2 m
Tallest mountain: 10^4 m
Ocean depth: 10^4 m
Earth-crust thickness: 10^4.5 m
Atmosphere thickness: 10^4.5 m
Earth: 10^7 m
Moon's orbit: 10^8.5 m
Sun: 10^9 m
Earth's orbit: 10^11 m
To nearby stars: 10^16.5 m
Galactic disk: 10^19 m
Galaxy: 10^21 m
Local Group: 10^22.5 m
Observable Universe: 10^26 m

One can perform a similar analysis for time scales, but my patience has run out.

EstherRose

That sounds so depressing, so hopeless.

I personally don't think the planets are useless at all. I love astronomy. I think all of the things we are discovering about the universe are thrilling. Who's to say they are useless? What can we know about how everything works? There could easily be some reason for the rest of the universe to exist.

You could say the same thing about art. Why does mankind create such useless stuff, especially some art that is never seen? Isn't the act of creation enough?

I'm an artist so I guess I appreciate the act of creation just for itself.

emotional

How easy it was to believe in God when people had in mind a geocentric cosmos, where the stars where just tiny lights stuck onto a dome or stellatum, and a special creation of all species separately. For men of the Middle Ages, faith in God was not pure faith at all, for it was backed up by reason and evidence.

But now, in our times, there is no more scientific assurance for the existence of God, and such belief is no longer synonymous with reason. Faith in God, therefore, can only be pure faith, blind faith, a hope for fulfilment in the life to come.

I believe our lives have a purpose although I also accept evolution by natural selection and a vast cosmos. I believe in God and the afterlife, no matter what the evidence says. Such is the necessity when one lives in our scientific age, where science has eroded all comforting beliefs.

Magus55

To behold His wonders and magesty. A universe so breathtaking and unimaginable, it leaves us speechless. Yet this entire massive, seemingly infinite universe with wonders by which we have never experienced was all created just for us.

emotional

Yes, this time I have to agree with Magus. He who wishes to know of the greatness of God should study Astronomy.