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DurhamDawg · Sliver STAR Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 225

"Little green men might shock the secular public. But the Catholic Church would welcome them as brothers.

That's what Vatican chief astronomer and papal science adviser Gabriel Funes explained in a recent article in L'Osservatore Romano, the newsletter of the Vatican Observatory (translated here). His conclusion might surprise nonbelievers. After all, isn't this the same church that imprisoned Galileo for saying that the Earth revolves around the sun? Doesn't the Bible say that God created man -- not little green men -- in his image?

Indeed, many observers assert that aliens would be bad for believers. Jill Tarter, director of the Center for SETI Research, once wrote that finding intelligent other-worldly life "will be inconsistent with the existence of God or at least organized religions." But such predictions tend to come from outside Christianity. From within, theologians have debated the implications of alien contact for centuries. And if one already believes in angels, no great leap of faith is required to accept the possibility of other extraterrestrial intelligences...

The central conundrum posed to Christianity by alien contact would involve the Incarnation -- the arrival of Jesus Christ as God's representative on Earth, his crucifixion and the absolution of humanity's sins through his forgiveness.

"It would still be true -- but if there are other races and intelligences, then what is the meaning of this visit to our race at that time?" asked Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno, who in 2005 penned the booklet Intelligent Life in the Universe?

Some propose that the Earthly incarnation of Jesus some 2,000 years ago redeemed all intelligent creatures, in all places and -- since a space-faring race is likely older than us -- in all times. Others have suggested that Jesus could take multiple forms.

"Just as Jesus is human like you and I, you would find an alien-specific Jesus," said Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary professor Ted Peters. "

link: http://www.wired.com/science/spac...8/06/alien_religion?currentPage=2

Just think of the possibilities.... for instance, instead of washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus could wash their antennae, or their tentacles....
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"Faith is believing what you know ain't so." - Mark Twain

Qubilai · super star constellation Joined: 17 Feb 2007 Posts: 54

When I was a Christian, the thought of other intelligent civilizations bothered me. Now, of course, I don't care. I suspect that there isn't any other intelligent civilizations in the visible universe because it seems like so many lucky things have to take place in order for an intelligent species to make it to the level of civilization...... nonetheless, I was reading on a Christian message board about this article and I was surprised that nobody seemed to care or worry about it.

What if we discover ET and they are smarter than us and they are all hardcore atheists? What if we discover several advanced alien civilizations that are all smarter than us and they are all atheists?

Wouldn't that bother religionists? Wouldn't they start thinking "wow, all these other intelligent civilizations who are far more advanced than us, and they are all atheist... hmm"....

DurhamDawg · Sliver STAR Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 225

As the article suggests, the Christians would probably just try to convert them....
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"Faith is believing what you know ain't so." - Mark Twain

ReasoningFilly · Bronze Star Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 178

I'd smudge them!