4 Christian Responses to the Biggest Questions in ‘Disclosure Day’
Movies
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Movies
The Bible Seems to Imply We Are Alone
Scripture never directly addresses the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. But it repeatedly emphasizes the uniqueness of humanity and seems to suggest we are the only intelligent beings. Think about it: We alone are said to be created in God’s image. We alone are the subjects of the Bible’s redemption story. And when God stepped into His creation to save a fallen universe, He became a human being – on Earth. Scripture presents humanity as uniquely loved by God and uniquely central to His plan of redemption. Paul even wrote that “the whole creation has been groaning” under the effects of humanity's fall, awaiting the day when God will fully restore all things (Romans 8:22).
Of course, many people look at the size of the universe – with new planets being discovered every year – and conclude that it seems unlikely Earth is the only world inhabited by intelligent life. (Sister Maura voices this very sentiment when she asks, “Why would he make such a vast universe, yet save it only for us?”)
But that reasoning overlooks another possibility. What if God created a universe of staggering size not to accommodate countless civilizations, but simply to reveal His own greatness? To put it another way: Perhaps the universe’s size is simply a massive reminder of the majesty, power, and glory of its Creator – and nothing more.
Photo Credit: ©Universal
Christians Already Believe We’re NOT Alone
The irony of the debate over intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is that, in a sense, both sides already believe we're not alone.
After all, isn’t that one of Christianity's central claims? Christians believe in a supernatural reality. We believe in a Creator infinitely greater than any superhero, in spiritual beings far more awe-inspiring than anything Hollywood can imagine, and in forces of evil – Satan and his demons – far more terrifying than anything found in a horror film. (In fact, some Christian leaders have suggested that unexplained aerial phenomena in recent years may have a demonic dimension.)
We believe history itself is moving toward the ultimate showdown between good and evil – a conflict that will dwarf anything dreamed up by Marvel or science fiction.
We're not alone. We never have been.
Perhaps humanity's fascination with UFOs and extraterrestrial life reflects something deeper: a yearning for transcendence beyond this material world. As Augustine famously observed, our hearts are restless until they rest in Christ.
We're trying to fill a God-shaped hole with little green men.
Photo Credit: ©Universal
Even if Alien Life Exists, Christianity Still Stands
Unlike the government, the church is portrayed in a positive light in Disclosure Day. Sister Maura stands firm in her faith while offering compassion to a former nun who says she has lost hers. “I don't think that you ever doubted your belief in God,” Sister Maura tells her. “I think you lost your faith in people.”
Even when confronted with evidence that extraterrestrials have visited Earth, Sister Maura never wavers.
Disclosure Day even ventures into theological territory when the former nun observes that “Genesis says that we’re His supreme creation,” and she then questions whether intelligent life could exist elsewhere in the universe. Sister Maura responds that Genesis “says we are God's supreme creation on Earth” – suggesting that the biblical text leaves open the possibility that God may have created intelligent life beyond our planet.
Christianity doesn't rise and fall on the debate over UFOs. That's because Christianity is rooted in events that occurred in time and space. Jesus died and rose from the grave. He was seen by hundreds of witnesses. His earliest followers endured persecution, imprisonment, and, in many cases, death rather than deny what they had seen. Jesus altered the course of human history.
Nor would the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life suddenly invalidate the great arguments for God’s existence. The questions raised by Christian thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas, Anselm of Canterbury, and William Paley would remain. Why does anything exist at all? What caused the universe to come into being? Why is there order rather than chaos, design rather than randomness? And … who created the aliens? (Recent documentaries such as Universe Designed and The Story of Everything are worth watching for those who have questions about God’s existence.)
Christianity has stood for 2,000 years. Its claims do not rest on what may exist elsewhere in the universe – but on what happened in first-century Judea.
Photo Credit: ©Universal
Every Conspiracy Theory Must Reckon with Human Sinfulness
In Disclosure Day, the U.S. government has concealed the truth about UFOs and extraterrestrial visitors for decades, with thousands of officials, military personnel, and employees supposedly keeping the secret – and taking it to their graves – until a whistleblower finally exposes it. The government is even depicted as conducting experiments on captured extraterrestrials, creatures that appear largely helpless despite possessing technology advanced enough to travel across the cosmos. The premise, though, leaves two massive questions unanswered: Were these aliens only visiting the United States – and were other nations involved? (After all, the U.S. only covers about 2 percent of the world’s surface.) And how could beings capable of traversing the universe possess such extraordinary technological power yet be unable to defend themselves from human captors?
Few moviegoers will leave the theater convinced that Disclosure Day's plot is entirely plausible. Yet many may walk away wondering whether the government really is concealing information about UFOs and extraterrestrial life. That’s a question worth examining from a biblical perspective, especially in a culture increasingly drawn to conspiracy theories.
It is certainly possible for a small number of people to keep a secret for years. But the larger a conspiracy becomes – and the more people required to maintain it – the less credible it becomes.
Why? Because human beings are fallen. People talk. They boast, leak, confess. They seek revenge, write memoirs for money, and change allegiances. They make mistakes. The Bible presents humanity not as a collection of secret-keepers but as flawed and sinful people whose words and actions cannot be trusted – and who often expose what was meant to remain hidden.
Conspiracy theories often assume a level of discipline, loyalty, and competence that Scripture simply does not attribute to fallen humanity.
Massive conspiracy theories are interesting, yes. But plausible from a biblical perspective? No.
Disclosure Day is rated PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images, and strong language. It stars Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo.
The film contains coarse language throughout and includes scenes of small children being taken captive by aliens. Caution is advised for children.
Photo Credit: ©Universal
