The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

Ps. 19: 1-4

1. In the movie, what is the relationship between science and faith?
2. Can religion be reasonable, or is it always only based on faith? Is there any faith involved in science?
3. What was Palmer's response to Ellie's suggestion that faith in God is delusional? What would your response be?
4. Do you think Ellie's experiences will make her more or less receptive to Palmer's religion?
5. Do you agree with Ellie's critique of Palmer's book: "Do you really mean that science hasn't answered any of life's questions?"
6. Do you think E.T.s exist? Is this a valid argument: "If we're alone in the universe, that's an awful lot of wasted space"?
7. If we knew of aliens' existence, how would that impact Christianity? What if they were more advanced than us, yet said, "In all our searching, all we have found is each other" (as they do in the movie)?

Bonus questions (non-theological):

1. What two evidences were there that Ellie really visited aliens (besides her testimony)?
2. Describe the life-saving "miracle"? Why did Sagan include it in the story?
3. Is basic science research really like the invention of the airplane, as Ellie argues to the people at Haddon?
4. What motivated the head NSA official (Fipps?) to "debunk" Ellie's experience?

Nit-pick:

1. Occam's Razor is a philosophical principle, not a "scientific" one, though scientists do use it. William of Occam lived circa 1392, before the rise of modern science.
2. Any other "picky" problems you noticed?

Links to other "Contact" sites:

"Contact" / a review from Christian Spotlight on the Movies

Have You Made Contact?

Joel Cannon's review of "Contact"

The discussion continues at http://www.contact-themovie.com/

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