When the sun begins to run out of fuel and expands out into the solar system the earth will be incinerated. It's as simple as that. I find it amazing that intelligent life, which is nothing but a product of nature always wants to have the power to destroy that, which created it. Nature has instilled all of life with the ultimate goal of survival and this will never be overcome by the vivid imaginations of its smaller products that were put here to fulfill nature's goals in the first place.
Surly humanity has been around long enough and gathered enough information to see a little pattern recognition in nature by now. Everything that has ever lived in this universe follows a pattern of birth, growth and reproduction, with a little adaptation and diversification mixed in the process. It should be common sense by now to look for our role in the cosmos within this simple understanding.
The earth much like any simple plant has spent 4.5 billion years putting down roots growing stems, branches and leaves all in the name of being able to sustain its final objective of reproduction. Doesn't it make more sense that intelligent life and its habitat (which can be viewed on any road map) is not some kind of scar forming on the earths crust but rather a naturally occurring biological pattern that can serve some propose for nature?
Consider for a moment the capabilities that intelligent life has that could help life escape the confines of the thin atmosphere around this planet freeing it to spread to other places in the cosmos. That biological pattern we can see from on high is sort of like a neural network capable of understanding the rules of biology, physics and all other things necessary to do just that. It might also be seen as an immune system for the plant capable of obverting any more catastrophes like incoming meteors, super volcanoes or world pandemics.
I think we are long over due in dispelling the foolish notions of some scientist that nature is a fumbling series of accidents. Accidents can't breed this kind of success in a mere 15 billion years. And the religious thoughts that they have some exclusive rights to divinity and total understanding without observation or scientific method are equally foolish. Invariably if you find yourself leaning left or right you are missing the real truth, which is always standing straight up.
I believe that religion has had a vital role in life or it wouldn't have existed in nature. But I view it as a temporary pacifier for the human mind until further knowledge and understanding could be achieved. By the same token to try and totally dispel it as all nonsense is bias in the other direction. When taken metaphorically our religious text contain way to many hints of greater understanding (one world government, cashless system, other intelligence in the cosmos, social order and conduct…ect.. ect) to be ignored. There is truth in them that cannot be denied just as our powers of observation cannot be discounted.