Lewis and extraterrestrials
Did C.S. Lewis think there was life on other planets? Joel Heck, Professor of Theology at Concordia University, takes a look at an essay that Lewis wrote on the subject. He writes,
In Paul's letter to the Romans (8:19–23), Lewis argued, God hints that the longing for redemption is cosmic, and therefore not limited to this world. Perhaps redemption has happened for all those who need it, has happened through Christ's redemption, and has somehow been extended to other creatures. But we really don't know. And to speculate about other creatures in other worlds takes us into the imaginative narrative that comprises Lewis's Ransom Trilogy, especially Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. One paragraph of the essay in particular, beginning with the words “It is interesting to wonder ...,” imagines the scenario that Lewis spells out in Out of the Silent Planet. We find Lewis speculating that the vast distances in the universe are “God's quarantine precautions,” designed to prevent the rest of the universe from being contaminated by the corruption of our world.
Read the full post online. And why you're at it, check out the rest of HarperOne's C.S. Lewis blog.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, NARNIA, and all book titles, characters and locales original thereto are trademarks of C.S. Lewis Pty Ltd. and are used with permission. © DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. and WALDEN MEDIA, LLC. All rights reserved.
