When the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory starts saying that its okay to believe in aliens and that the big bang theory is the only logical explanation for the earth's creation, we need to start looking towards the sky and preparing ourselves for the ultimate vacation.
Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens
By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer Tue May 13, 4:07 PM ET
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.
Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.
The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang Theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter. But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."
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. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."
Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."
The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.
The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
This has me worried!
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2 comments:
I'm kinda confused. A lot of this looks like it was taken out of context. Are they saying the Vatican is saying there ARE aliens or that they don't dispute the possibility of other intelligent life and when they say it is "reasonable" to believe in the big bang theory is that to be taken at face value or are they just saying that just because it is reasonable doesn't make it true. That's where I wonder about context. Then again I could just be tired LOL.
Well, belief in the Big Bang theory by definition is a direct contradiction to what our faith and the teachings of the Bible tell us. The basic premise of the Big Bang theory is that all of this (the moon, the sun, the stars, earth, our atmosphere, etc.) was just one big accident. So, for the Catholic Church, who consider themselves the complete authority on Christianity (eyes rolling), to say something like this goes against everything that Christianity has taught us, that God is the creator of all things, that everything he has created has a purpose and is created for his own glory.
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