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PANSPERMIA EXPERIMENT CAPUT WITH LOSS OF RUSSIAN SATELLITE (Friday Church News Notes, November 18, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The failure of Russia’s Phobos-Grunt satellite to leave Earth orbit has doomed an experiment that was intended to test the evolutionary hypothesis of panspermia: that life could have been seeded on earth from outer space. The experiment, called LIFE (Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment) and funded by the Planetary Society, consisted of a small flat capsule containing bacteria that was attached to the Phobos-Grunt satellite. The idea was for this capsule to accompany the satellite on a three-year journey, flying to the Martian moon Phobos, landing to gather dirt and rocks, then returning to Earth. If the microbes survived, it might have provided some evidence that life forms could survive a journey through space if they were protected inside of rock. Panspermia was first proposed in the 18th century by Benoit de Maillet, who believed that germs from space fell into earth’s oceans and grew into fish, which became amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. He was convinced that there are lots of such evolving germs in space. William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) proposed a similar idea in the 19th century, hypothesizing that life was carried to earth on “countless seed-bearing meteoritic stones.” In 1907, Svante Arrhenius of Germany claimed in his book Worlds in the Making that life wafts through space by means of “spores” that colonize any hospitable planet they find. Sir Fred Hoyle (d. 2001), noted British astronomer, also held the proposition that alien life enters earth from outer space. He believed that the earth has been repeatedly seeded with alien life, and that the seeding is a product of intelligent design by some unknown higher power with “an overt plan of planetary invasion” (Evolution from Space, p. 126). Francis Crick (d. 2004), Nobel-prize willing co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix construction, and Leslie Orgel (d. 2007), a British chemist, proposed the “theory” of “directed panspermia” in the 1970s, suggesting that the seeds of life were planted on earth by extraterrestrials. The Oxford University atheist Richard Dawkins said in an interview with Ben Stein that he also suspects that life was seeded on earth by aliens. This was published in the documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. These men claim that the Bible’s account of creation is unbelievable and unscientific, yet they accept wild-eyed views of alien life and panspermia which are not supported by one scintilla of evidence.

BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE LEADERS JOIN INTERFAITH SUMMIT (Friday Church News Notes, November 11, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Top leaders of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) participated in the pope’s interfaith summit of peace and justice on October 27 in Assisi, Italy. This abominable event, which brings “Christians” and pagan religionists together for the sake of world peace, was begun 25 years ago by Pope John Paul II. Joining Mary-venerating Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists, and “a wide range of other religious adherents,” plus several agnostics, were joined by John Upton, BWA president, and Neville Callam, BWA general secretary. Upton praised Pope Benedict’s initiative in hosting the day of prayer and said, “It was good for Baptists to be there” (“BWA leaders bring ‘fullness of what it means to be Baptist’ to peace summit,” Associated Baptist Press, Nov. 4, 2011). Callum said, “It was fitting that religious leaders from around the globe should focus on peace ... as peace is one of the most urgent needs of our time.” If these Baptists really believed the Bible they would know that there is no peace for the wicked apart from salvation in Christ (Isaiah 48:22) and that the end-time peace movement is destined to failure as it will ultimately bring in the antichrist (1 Thess. 5:3). Did Upton and Callam explain this to the other participants? Doubtless they did not, as such comments would have disturbed the interfaith harmony! Further, if they really believed the Bible they would know that God does not allow the believer to yoke together with heretics and unbelievers in any spiritual forum (Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 2 Timothy 3:5).