“Astronomers, in their investigation of the solar system, perceive that the larger planets lying beyond our own are less dense, and to a certain degree, self-luminous, and they inquire, “Is it Possible for life to exist upon these worlds?” Such a question can be answered only by logical deduction. The best intellects will say, “If we have to consider these things at all, we must search for the most logical hypotheses, and there, wait until evidences multiply to assure us of their correctness or incorrectness. In the absence of inspiration, if men cannot trust their reason, there is nothing that they can trust; therefore, very little is accepted as fact in regard to the systems of the universe. In order to reach conclusions by means of the reason, we must first examine facts upon our own planet, and from these facts, draw inferences as to what exists, upon other worlds.
Turning our attention to our own world and traversing the extreme north among icebergs and perpetual snows, we find there the Eskimos and many forms of animal life; going to the hottest part of our globe, we find that inhabited; in fact, we find no place too hot, no place too cold, no place too barren; in short, no conditions existing on our globe which make life impossible.
Furthermore, the geologist has been able to turn a few pages of Nature’s past history, and he has discovered the remains of weird and strange creatures. Indeed, it is impossible to picture the great diversity of vegetable and animal life which has been found to exist on this globe, life which it would be unable to support under the present terrestrial conditions. He has been able to turn pages that extend over millions of years; but he has found no period that does not give evidence of life.
Finally, it has been proved that the earth itself is a body of life, its very substance is life. Some time we shall know that there is no such thing as dead matter, that all is mind, spirit, or soul-substance. We believe that the majority of those who have studied our system and the universe in general, agree with the astronomer Proctor in “Other Worlds Than Ours”, when he says, concerning the habitability of planets and systems of worlds:
“I have already spoken of the conclusions to be drawn from the existence of the same materials in the substance of the sun that exist around us on this earth. I have shown that we are compelled to regard this general resemblance of structure as sufficient to prove that the other planets resemble the earth, since we have no reason to believe that our earth bears an exceptionally close resemblance to the sun, as respects the elements of which she is composed.
“Since, then, we have reason to believe that all the planets which circle around the sun are constituted of the same materials which exist in his substance, though these materials are not necessarily nor probably combined in the same proportions throughout the solar system, we have every reason which analogy can give us for believing that the planets circling around Betelgeux or Aldebaran are constituted of the same materials which exist in the substance of their central luminary. Thus, we are led to a number of interesting conclusions, even respecting orbs, which no telescope that man can construct, is likely to reveal to his scrutiny.
“The existence of such elements as sodium or calcium in those other worlds suggests the probable existence of the familiar compounds of these metals, soda, salt, lime, and so on. Again, the existence of iron and other metals of the same class carries our minds to the various useful purposes which these metals are made to subserve on the earth. We are at once invited to recognize that the orbs circling around those distant suns are not meant merely to be the abode of life, but that intelligent creatures, capable of applying these metals to useful purposes, must exist in those worlds.
“We need not conclude, indeed, that at the present moment every one of those worlds is peopled with intelligent beings, because we have good reason for believing that throughout an enormous proportion of the time, during which our earth has existed as a world, no intelligent use has been made of the supplies of metal existing in her substance. But that at some time or other, those worlds have been, or will be the abode of intelligent creatures, seems to be a conclusion very fairly deducible from what we now know of their probable structure.
“Thus the fact, that the stars send forth heat to the worlds which circle around them, suggests at once the thought that on those worlds there must exist vegetable and animal forms of life; that natural phenomena, such as we are familiar with as due to the solar heat, must be produced in those worlds by the heat of their central sun; and that works such as those which man undertakes on earthworks, in which intelligent creatures use Nature’s powers to master Nature to their purposes, must go on in the worlds which circle around Aldebaran and Betelgeux, around Vega, Capella, and the blazing Sirius.”
Professor Proctor’s reasoning here is good so far as it goes, and we believe meets with general approval. His reasoning, that the fact that these instrumentalities of use exist is in itself an evidence that there are intelligences to use them, is good, because all who have given thought to Nature’s methods see that use determines all qualities, whether good or evil, and that nothing exists in this world that has not a use; and if there is an intelligent Creator, it certainly would impeach his intelligence – it even impeaches the intelligence of a man – to be constantly producing useless things; only an idiot would sit and work continuously when no object or use could be accomplished.
When an intelligent man is employed in work he seeks to serve a use. Is God less intelligent than man? Has he created millions, untold millions of worlds and systems of worlds that have no use? Can we imagine that these untold millions of worlds exist only to beautify our little grain of sand? Such thoughts are unworthy of intelligent beings.”
Hiram Butler
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 