Vatican: It's OK to Beleive in Aliens

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

VATICAN CITY - Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? (

) It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

More...

So now I guess the Vatican will have to come up with a version of a tinfoil mitre!

This is the stuff of conspiracy theories, New Age nonsense and borders on occult practices. For all we know, "aliens" could be fallen angels/demons only up leading people away from the Truth and and who will instead fall for this satanic deception. God help us all.

christianmomof3 · May 14, 2008

I saw that article. Interesting.
Here is a quote from that article:

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."
In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.
"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said.

Interesting. How does that fit in with infallibility?

Machachachi · May 14, 2008

The Vatican says a lot of things. Some of it is useful and powerful, some of it makes me ask the question, why does the Church need an "answer" for this? Unfortunately the last decade or so has seen a lot of the latter, or at least from what I can tell. Given I am not a Catholic.

MamaZ · May 14, 2008

Whew... What next. LOL

CaDan · May 14, 2008

The Church has an observatory. That's pretty cool. I doubt you'll see one of those at the local Babbling Brook Family Christian Life Experience Center.

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

MamaZ said:
Whew... What next. LOL

It's getting whackier and whackier! Perhaps someone will say that after much study they have come to the conclusion that Ezekiel's vision was really a UFO?

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

CaDan said:
The Church has an observatory. That's pretty cool. I doubt you'll see one of those at the local Babbling Brook Family Christian Life Experience Center.

I know something about astronomy. I'm far from ignorant on the subject. The Vatican has no business getting involved in the subject of "aliens". None. This is just going to cause more division among the Christian community.

The SETI project scientists have been actively scanning our own galaxy for the last forty years. It's extended out to 40,000 light years from earth. To date, no signal from any extraterrestrial stellar system has ever been detected.

CaDan · May 14, 2008

It was not a doctrinal or dogmatic statement by the Church. A priest does not have the authority to make those.

LittleLambofJesus · May 14, 2008

NoDoubt said:
It's getting whackier and whackier! Perhaps someone will say that after much study they have come to the conclusion that Ezekiel's vision was really a UFO?

I remember reading thru the Bible for the first time in 2003 and after I was thru reading Ezekiel, I exclaimed to me wife "this book almost seems like it was written by some super human aliens".

Ya gotta admit, Ezekiel and Daniel both have some pretty "way out" Visions.

Even the Judeans ask Jesus "who is this Son of the Man"

http://www.scripture4all.org/

Ezekiel 1:26 And above the expanse that was over their heads, as the appearance of a sapphire stone, was the likeness of a throne,--and upon the likeness of a throne, was a likeness as the appearance of a man/0120 'adam upon it above.

Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like-as the Son of Man/0606 'enash came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

John 12:34 The crowd answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ remains into the Age, and how thou say, 'The Son of the Man must be lifted up/exalted/uywqhnai <5312> (5683)'? Who-any is this the Son of the Man?"

("son of man") [Not used one time in all of Paul's epistles. Only in Gospels, Acts 7:56 and Hebrew 2:6, Reve 1:13, Reve 14:14 [one like "son of a man"]
occurs in 193 verses in the KJV

Tonks · May 14, 2008

NoDoubt said:
I know something about astronomy. I'm far from ignorant on the subject. The Vatican has no business getting involved in the subject of "aliens". None. This is just going to cause more division among the Christian community.

I'd say that there is a greater probability of non-Catholics yelling about how the Church is causing division than, well, the Church causing division...particularly due to the fact that some folks like to use adjectives like "whackier and whackier."

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

Tonks said:
I'd say that there is a greater probability of non-Catholics yelling about how the Church is causing division than, well, the Church causing division...particularly due to the fact that some folks like to use adjectives like "whackier and whackier."

That article certainly was!

"Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'?

A jellyfish or an aardvark is not my brother or sister (neither is E.T.). Sorry...God said I am made in His image.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.".

LittleLambofJesus · May 14, 2008

NoDoubt said:
That article certainly was!
A jellyfish or an aardvark is not my brother or sister (neither is E.T.). Sorry...God said I am made in His image.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.".

Did you ever look at Genesis 6 and 7 in the Hebrew.
Notice in chapt 6 male and female are used. However in Chapt 7 man and woman is used. Just thought that was interesting

Genesis 6:18 And I set up covenant of Me with thee, and thou come to the ark, you and sons of you and woman of thee and women of sons of thee with thee.
19 And from all of the living from all flesh, two from all thou shall bring to the Ark to preserve alive with thee, male/02145 zakar and female/05347 n@qebah they shall be.

Gene 7:1 And YHWH is saying to Noah come! thou and all of house-hold of thee to the ark, that thou I see righteous in generation, this.
2 From every of the beast the clean thou shall take to seven seven a man/'iysh and its woman/'ishshah of him, and from the beast not clean, he two man/'iysh and its woman/'ishshah of him.

Tonks · May 14, 2008

NoDoubt said:
That article certainly was!
A jellyfish or an aardvark is not my brother or sister (neither is E.T.). Sorry...God said I am made in His image.

Does Genesis preclude life on other planets?

MamaZ · May 14, 2008

"Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'?

I wonder when ET phones home I wonder where home is..

LittleLambofJesus · May 14, 2008

Tonks said:
Does Genesis preclude life on other planets?

I myself am on the "fence" concerning it. The Bible is a "Wonder" in itself, but if I was to tell someone I saw a UFO, who would believe me? I would actually have to SEE one to be convinced myself as this guy did. What a story!!!

http://www.awitness.org/bible.html

http://www.awitness.org/story.html

........About three days later my family arrived at Meadow Lake Park in Saskatchewan, Canada, and the object reappeared, and again in Prince Albert National Park. We then returned to my hometown of Melville, Saskatchewan in southern Saskatchewan, and the objects began to appear regularly over the town for the next three months, as well as throughout Southern Saskatchewan. For the first three weeks after we had returned home, I said nothing to anyone about what I had seen, because I was convinced that no one would believe me. But as the objects continued to appear more and more people began to talk about them, and I met people who had also seen strange things in the sky. It was not long before the objects were mentioned in the media. ..........

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

Tonks said:
Does Genesis preclude life on other planets?

No it doesn't and our universe is huge beyond comprehension. What I am saying is: The next thing I'm expecting is for someone to say that we should consider the possibility that UFO's really are aliens. And THAT is a very dangerous thing to say. Very New Age.

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

LittleLambofJesus said:
Did you ever look at Genesis 6 and 7 in the Hebrew.
Notice in chapt 6 male and female are used. However in Chapt 7 man and woman is used. Just thought that was interesting

Genesis 6:18 And I set up covenant of Me with thee, and thou come to the ark, you and sons of you and woman of thee and women of sons of thee with thee.
19 And from all of the living from all flesh, two from all thou shall bring to the Ark to preserve alive with thee, male/02145 zakar and female/05347 n@qebah they shall be.

Gene 7:1 And YHWH is saying to Noah come! thou and all of house-hold of thee to the ark, that thou I see righteous in generation, this.
2 From every of the beast the clean thou shall take to seven seven a man/'iysh and its woman/'ishshah of him, and from the beast not clean, he two man/'iysh and its woman/'ishshah of him.

I just checked my good 'ol Scofield and noticed it also. Do you know why that is? Interesting. Perhaps having to do with 'clean and unclean' or dividing them by sevens, or what is to be eaten??? I have no idea

LittleLambofJesus · May 14, 2008

CaDan said:
The Church has an observatory. That's pretty cool. I doubt you'll see one of those at the local Babbling Brook Family Christian Life Experience Center.

There is no reason YHWH and Science can't co-exist. Science looks at Creation from "Earthly" eyes while Christ-ians in YHWH's Christ, Jesus, looks at it with "Spiritual" eyes. Without the help of non-Christian Scientists and Medicine, what would our civilization be like today?

I found this site interesting for the main reason that it delves into the Hebrew of the Bible of which I am deeply studying. Interesting article on the "flood"

http://www.godandscience.org/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/localflood.html

.........When you read an English translation of the biblical account of the flood, you will undoubtedly notice many words and verses that seem to suggest that the waters covered all of planet earth.3 However, one should note that today we look at everything from a global perspective, whereas the Bible nearly always refers to local geography. You may not be able to determine this fact from our English translations, so we will look at the original Hebrew, which is the word of God. The Hebrew words which are translated as "whole earth"..............

2 kings 6:17: "And 'Eliysha` prayeth, and saith, "YHWH, OPEN, I pray Thee, HIS EYES", and he doth see; and YHWH openeth the eyes of the young man, and he seeth, and lo, the hill is full of horses and chariots of fire, round about 'Eliysha`.

Tyndale:"Lord, open the eyes of the King of England".

LLOJ: Lord, I pray thee open the eyes of the Roman Pontiff!

MamaZ · May 14, 2008

Well man and woman are male and female correct?

NoDoubt · May 14, 2008

LittleLambofJesus said:
Tyndale:"Lord, open the eyes of the King of England".

LLOJ: Lord, I pray thee open the eyes of the Roman Pontiff!

You crack me up...

Anyways...This is interesting. From the same site.

UFO'S AND EXTRATERRESTRIALS: WHY EARTH HAS NEVER BEEN VISITED

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/ufo.html#aliens

Vatican: It's OK to Beleive in Aliens

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