Another Earth?

SPACE.com reports that circling a nearby star (or, more precisely, a three star system) is a planet with potentially earth-like conditions, particularly that it might have water. Its orbit is right in the area which would allow water to be liquid, rather than burn off (if too close to a star) or freeze (if too far away). Apparently there are at least two other so-called 'Super Earths' which have also been detected.

That these are exciting discoveries cannot be disputed. But where I have an issue about them is in the interpretation over how finding other life in the galaxy would shake our core beliefs here on our own good Earth. It has been said that we would have to completely rethink our philosophies, and even our religion.

Why? Would not the same God have created them too? Why would they not be as subject to sin and failure, the whole universe being imperfect, as we are? Further, why should we presume that the challenges they face aren't any different from ours? Getting food and shelter, worrying about how the kids are growing up; why should alien daily life of necessity (as the science fiction authors seem to believe) be so much different than ours?

The best guess is that they would still have personal, political, and social struggles akin to ours. Granted, they may be superior or inferior to us in myriad ways and forms, but there is simply no reason to think that the cultures of another world would be, at their core, any different from ours.

So while finding Earth-like planets is certainly exciting, it should not change our outlook on the relationship between God and Man. It only means that He has seen fit to share Himself more generally than some may have thought. There would still be conservative and liberal viewpoints vying for attention, and their conservatives would still be as right as our liberals are wrong.

In short, the discovery cannot really been seen as, uh, earth shattering. Interesting, even fascinating, but not a blow to any rational view of life, the universe, and everything. Kept in that context, it's simply good science at work. To interpret any more than that from the new finding would, however, require a foolish leap of faith.