# Vatican says aliens could exist



## ericfromcowtown (May 13, 2008)

No I didn't read the headline above while purusing the latest copy of the National Enquirer, it's from the BBC.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Vatican says aliens could exist

My "favourite" parts of the article are when Father Gabriel Funes speculates that some "aliens could even be free from original sin" or when the author mentions that the Vatican is "organising a conference next year to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author of the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin." How very progressive of them.


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## Poimen (May 13, 2008)

Is it just me or does the Vatican try to preempt any scientific discovery or doctrine by claiming they hold to it in order to justify their 'authority' or 'infallibility'? 

Maybe its that bad taste left in their mouth from that Galileo mouthwash.


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## Barnpreacher (May 13, 2008)

My guess is that this is just the Vatican's way of plugging the new Indiana Jones movie that comes out next week.


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## Zenas (May 13, 2008)

They are making sure their spot in bed will be kept warm right next to atheistic secular science.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (May 13, 2008)

Barnpreacher said:


> My guess is that this is just the Vatican's way of plugging the new Indiana Jones movie that comes out next week.


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## blhowes (May 13, 2008)

> Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. *And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates*.


If there are aliens, intelligent beings in outer space totally separate from the human race, how would any of them be tainted by original sin? I wonder how they'd decide which are and which aren't.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (May 13, 2008)

John Dick, a respectable 19th century Scottish Presbyterian theologian, allows for the possibility of extraterrestial beings in _Lectures on Theology_, Vol. 1.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (May 13, 2008)

http://www.puritanboard.com/f24/intelligent-life-elswhere-7578/


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (May 13, 2008)

Ole John Dick was probably referring to "Wales" and "England".


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## Thomas2007 (May 13, 2008)

I think their called "Mormons!" Each one gets their own planet, or something like that.


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## danmpem (May 13, 2008)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> Ole John Dick was probably referring to "Wales" and "England".


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## VictorBravo (May 13, 2008)

blhowes said:


> > Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. *And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates*.
> 
> 
> If there are aliens, intelligent beings in outer space totally separate from the human race, how would any of them be tainted by original sin? I wonder how they'd decide which are and which aren't.



Sounds like the Space Triology by C.S. Lewis.


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## Presbyterian Deacon (May 13, 2008)

--Most illogical!


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## No Longer A Libertine (May 13, 2008)

Barnpreacher said:


> My guess is that this is just the Vatican's way of plugging the new Indiana Jones movie that comes out next week.


Every major player is either Jewish or Buddhist so not likely.


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## historyb (May 13, 2008)

ericfromcowtown said:


> My "favourite" parts of the article are when Father Gabriel Funes speculates that some "aliens could even be free from original sin"



Well that could very well be, I for one think they may exist.  If they did who's to say what happened there


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## Mushroom (May 13, 2008)

Beam... me... up... Scotty? ....?


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## danmpem (May 14, 2008)

No Longer A Libertine said:


> Every major player is either Jewish or Buddhist so not likely.



Hmm?


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## Hippo (May 14, 2008)

This is a funny one, I guess we have to say that if the sovereign will of God decided that there should be aliens then way not. Of course they would think that we are the aliens.

However if they were aliens and had not fallen into original sin think how cool it would be if they turned out to be prebyterians!


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## danmpem (May 14, 2008)

Hippo said:


> This is a funny one, I guess we have to say that if the sovereign will of God decided that there should be aliens then way not. Of course they would think that we are the aliens.
> 
> However if they were aliens and had not fallen into original sin think how cool it would be if they turned out to be prebyterians!


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## blhowes (May 14, 2008)

Hippo said:


> However if they were aliens and had not fallen into original sin think how cool it would be if they turned out to be prebyterians!


I've actually met some Presbyterians that I thought were ali...no, never mind, I won't go there.


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## SueS (May 14, 2008)

The comment about the possibility of aliens being untainted by original sin puts it directly in line with the popular thought that aliens are "superior races" compared to humans. 

There is something inside of me that simply cannot even begin to think of races of beings scattered throughout the universe, all needing salvation. Images come to mind of our Savior planet hopping to shed His blood time and time again when Scripture says He died once for all. Maybe I'm too provincial, but the thought is grotesque.


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## BobVigneault (May 14, 2008)

I used to believe that is was likely that there was extraterrestrial life. I thought there was a lot of wasted space if there wasn't and that God had revealed, in Scripture, only what needed to be known to redeem earthlings.

These days I lean heavily against the presence of ET for three reasons:

1. Gen. 1:14ff tells us why the heavenly lights were created and there is no mention of sustaining life apart from earth. In fact these verses seem to indicate that the heavenly lights are earth centric in their purpose.



> 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.



2. Psalm 115 again seems to speak of man (earthlings) as the center of God's creation.



> Ps. 115:16 The heavens are the Lord's heavens,
> but the earth he has given to the children of man.



3. Finally, it is only the pragmatist that sees the universe as a lot of wasted space. Psalm 19 tells us that it is not wasted at all but the palette on which the Creator displays his infinite weightiness.



> 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
> and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.


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## puritanpilgrim (May 14, 2008)

> If there are aliens, intelligent beings in outer space totally separate from the human race, how would any of them be tainted by original sin? I wonder how they'd decide which are and which aren't.



Unless they are demons. If a UFO every lands on the planet, most of the world would bow in worship. I don't put anything past Satan that the Lord doesn't allow.


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## Barnpreacher (May 14, 2008)

No Longer A Libertine said:


> Barnpreacher said:
> 
> 
> > My guess is that this is just the Vatican's way of plugging the new Indiana Jones movie that comes out next week.
> ...



I was just kidding.


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## Zenas (May 14, 2008)

puritanpilgrim said:


> > If there are aliens, intelligent beings in outer space totally separate from the human race, how would any of them be tainted by original sin? I wonder how they'd decide which are and which aren't.
> 
> 
> 
> Unless they are demons. If a UFO every lands on the planet, most of the world would bow in worship. I don't put anything past Satan that the Lord doesn't allow.





The Scientologists, secular humanists, Darwinists, etc. would all bow their knees and kiss their feet (or whatever they use). 

One would only hope that God had revealed Himself to them as well and they would reject the homage of the Ba'al followers, to their chargrin. 

I think it is unlikely we will ever see any extra-terrestrial organisms. The universe is not millions of years old, but rather a few thousand, and it would, presumably, take alien organisms longer than that to merely travel here, much less develop to the point that they possess the technology to do so. 

We would also have to then assume one of two things; they were created after us and/or they were left out of specific revelation. Both would be possible and perfectly consistent with the plain intent behind the Genesis account, i.e. to convey the manner in which *we* were made. *shrug*

I think that it's highly unlikely. It's possible that God could have created beings on another world and given them different circumstances, thus rendering them comparatively technologically advanced, but then it's possible they're green monkies that talk too. *shrug* Just not all that persuasive to me.


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## KMK (May 14, 2008)

Of course Catholics believe in aliens. Didn't anyone see "Signs"? Mel Gibson can't be wrong, can he?


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## Hippo (May 14, 2008)

I do find the subject interesting as a certain strain in the refusal to accept that there "could" be aliens is based on a human centredness that should be alien to a Reformed perspective.

Saying that there are many other perfectly acceptable reasons to refuse to accept that there could be aliens.

Reactions: Like 1


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## JBaldwin (May 14, 2008)

victorbravo said:


> blhowes said:
> 
> 
> > > Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. *And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates*.
> ...



Those were good books. Did Lewis believe there was a possibility of intelligent life off the earth or were his books complete fiction?


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## Mathetes (May 15, 2008)

The Bible says just as much about aliens as it does about the Pope. Which is to say, pretty much not at all.


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## Grymir (May 15, 2008)

Everything in the universe is tainted by original sin. Jesus is the God/Man, so only Mankind can be redeemed, although the universe will be redone when the second commin' happens. Therefore, the aliens could not be 'saved', nor have souls in the way we think about them. The demon theory is the best hypothesis I've heard so far. There may be plant life, or animal life on other planets, but nothing with a 'soul'. 

P.s. The plants and/or animal life may have come from earth originally. But that's another


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## Zenas (May 16, 2008)

JBaldwin said:


> victorbravo said:
> 
> 
> > blhowes said:
> ...



While I don't know what he actually believed about the subject, I did root around on Wikipedia after being sucked into clicking on one of the 5,000 hyper-links within one of the articles I was reading.

According to Lewis, the character Aslan isn't supposed to be read as an allegory of Christ, but that Aslan is Christ in a different form, if he were to be hypothetically present in the hypotheticaly parallel universes. Two quotes from the Magician's Nephew and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader seem to imply this. 

Now, how does this relate to watching the movie and the 2nd Commandment?


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## JBaldwin (May 16, 2008)

Zenas said:


> JBaldwin said:
> 
> 
> > victorbravo said:
> ...



Hmmmm, interesting. I think I would prefer to think of Aslan as an allegory so I can watch the films.


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