Is directed panspermia a viable theory for the origin of life?

TL;DR:

There is no supporting evidence for directed panspermia—the theory that life began someplace else and was intentionally seeded on Earth. This speculative theory contradicts the creation of life by God.

what does the bible say?

The origin of life is described in Genesis 1. God created the world and life in it out of nothing; He did not refashion existing matter nor did He import life from elsewhere. Directed panspermia is the term for a speculative theory of how life began on earth. The general idea is that life on earth originated somewhere else and somehow migrated here. Directed panspermia is the hypothesis that basic forms of life from other planets were placed here on purpose, sparking the evolutionary process in an attempt to bring about the thriving, teeming world of species we see today. However, there is no evidence to support directed panspermia. Further, the vast distance between stars in our galaxy poses significant challenges to this concept, requiring enormous time scales.

from the old testament

Genesis 1 describes how God created everything from nothing, including life on Earth. God did not make the cosmos out of preexisting matter, nor did God import life from elsewhere.

from the new testament

The apostle Paul noted that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they [unbelievers] are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The complexity of creation itself testifies to a Creator. Those who believe in naturalism or panspermia seem willing to take vast leaps of faith with no evidence rather than believing in God.
The universe, and everything in it, was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible (Hebrews 11:3). This verse affirms that God created everything out of nothing.

implications for today

Directed panspermia is not well accepted by the scientific community mainly due to lack of evidence. Also, it contradicts the favored explanation of naturalistic evolution. Yet the question of how life began on earth is different from the question of how that life progressed. The preferred belief about the origin of earth life is that of abiogenesis (the supposed development of living organisms from non-living matter) even though decades of research has not yielded progress on how abiogenesis might have occurred. Scientists often prefer the naturalistic explanation, both for the origin and progress of life, simply because it leaves out any possibility of a Creator.

One early promoter of directed panspermia was Francis Crick, one of the co-discoverers of DNA. A committed atheist, Crick found it impossible to believe that DNA could have evolved, based on his knowledge of its structure and the principles of naturalistic evolution. Rather than consider the possibility of DNA being the deliberate construction of an intelligent Designer, Crick mused about ideas like directed panspermia. Crick later re-affirmed his commitment to the evolution of life on earth from purely natural mechanisms, though with significant questions left unanswered. Today, the Bible answers our questions about how life on earth originated and developed.

understand

No evidence exists for directed panspermia, a theory that suggests life was intentionally seeded on Earth from another planet .
The Bible teaches that God created life on Earth from nothing.
Directed panspermia contradicts both the biblical creation account and naturalistic theories like abiogenesis.

reflect

How does understanding that life was created by God from nothing affect your view of the universe and its origin?
How can the scientific community's preference for naturalistic explanations impact your faith in the Creator?
How do you reconcile the idea of creation with scientific theories?

engage

How do we address conflicts between scientific theories of life's origin and the biblical creation account?
What are the implications of understanding life’s origins?
How can you engage with those who support naturalistic explanations for life’s origins while maintaining your belief in God as the Creator?