9 Theological Implications
A theologian's examination of the implications of extraterrestrial civilizations has indicated that there can only be one planet in the universe that has a civilization. If Earth is the only planet in 5.5 billion years on which a civilization has evolved, then the fraction of planets in the Galaxy on which primitive life gives rise to a civilization is 0.0000000001. Whether the probability of a civilization arising in 5.5 billion years is one in a billion is a matter of opinion.
The theological argument leading to the conclusion that there is only one civilization in the Galaxy made use, perhaps unwisely, of the reductio ad absurdum argument, based on two premises. The argument examines the conclusion reached if both premises are true. If an absurd conclusion is reached, then at least one of the premises is false. An absurd conclusion was indeed reached by the argument, so the premise that extraterrestrial civilizations exist was determined to be false. If extraterrestrial civilizations are found to exist, then the other premise is false, namely, the Christian dogma of salvation.