Vatican astronomer asks: could you baptise ET?

[emad]

A pocket-sized book published by CTS this week addresses Catholic attitudes to extra-terrestrial life.

With increasing numbers of people believing not only in the possibility of intelligent life on other planets, but even claiming encounters with aliens, it is not surprising that the Catholic Church is beginning to explore what effect the discovery of sentient ETs might have on Christian theology.

In: Intelligent Life in the Universe? Catholic belief and the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life, author Guy Consolmagno SJ, asks:

Would humans recognise intelligent life if we saw it?
Could we communicate with it? Should we even try?
Is Original Sin something that affects all intelligent beings?
Is Jesus Christ's redemption valid for intelligent beings throughout the universe?
or would other worlds have their own version of Jesus?
Would the Church send missionaries to ET planets?

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/et.html

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. As if they didn't have ENOUGH

to worry about!

[arwalden]

11. Exactly!!

[FSogol]

2. Yup, poverty and hunger are solved, time to

worry about converting ETs.

[chelsea0011]

3. Only if ET still lives in the Dark Ages, like the Vatican

[true_notes]

4. Maybe the Ravenous Reptilians

Will destroy the Vatican first, and do the world a favor.

[phantom power]

5. What if they turn out to be Muslims?

Or Hindus? Or Zoroastrians? Or Branch Davidians?

What if they succeed in converting us to their faith?

How many ET angles can dance on the head of a pin?

[emad]

6. What if they turn out to be descendants of Isis and sue the Vatican

for defamation, libel, slander and millenia of theo-humbuggery?

[MountainLaurel]

10. Hahahaha

Oh yeah, and crimes against humanity!

[Ready4Change]

7. Hmmm. Actually, some good questions.

Would humans recognise intelligent life if we saw it?

It's not a given. A vastly sophisticated life form might not even recognize us, nor be involved with anything we would look at as lifelike activities.

Could we communicate with it? Should we even try?

If we can recognize it as intelligent then it's likely we could attempt communication. And I suspect, whether or not we should try, that we would anyway.

Is Original Sin something that affects all intelligent beings?
Is Jesus Christ's redemption valid for intelligent beings throughout the universe?
or would other worlds have their own version of Jesus?

I group all these questions together for one reason. If God created the universe then it follows that he would at least be ABLE to make his presence and desires known on other worlds as well as our own. So, have other species on other planets become aware of Gods presence? Do their stories mirror our own? If so, WHICH of our own? (Christian? Muslim? Buddhist? Mayan? etc.)

Would the Church send missionaries to ET planets?

No doubt it would as soon as it became possible. Form you own opinions about whether that is a good idea or not.

[emad]

8. Reminds me of a satirical sketch on UK TV when John Cleese was

doing a spoof on the Vatican's launch of their new deep-space observatory..."Intelligent life in OUTER space?...How about intelligent life on planet earth?"...

[Zenlitened]

9. "Vatican astronomer." *giggle*