Alien Visitation?

[ivory]

Does the Church acknowledge so called alien visitations or visions?

My girlfriend has recently told me that she believes she was visited by Martians whose visit to Earth are imminent. She tells me she lost most to all of her senses during this vision. She solidly believes in this and is frightened out of her mind. Her reasoning for this is that not too long ago, contact was lost with a rover on Mars. She thinks that this vision is a response to this.

I have a couple of guesses as to how this happened. It could be an actual visit, but I guessed it could also be a case of sleep paralysis, which is how most “visions” occur. I also considered the possibility that it could also be a visit from Satan to her. She is a confirmed Catholic who has recently returned to church after about two or three months. I thought this was coincidence enough.

What do you people think? Thanks for your help. This is driving me nuts.

 

[Muzhik]

Does the Church acknowledge so called alien visitations or visions?

My girlfriend has recently told me that she believes she was visited by Martians whose visit to Earth are imminent.
… snip …
What do you people think? Thanks for your help. This is driving me nuts.

I would have to agree with you that this is a case of sleep paralysis. If she had been thinking about the Mars rover recently, then that would also account for the “Martians” being responsible for this.

If this is the only time she has experienced this, then there should be no problem. If it happens again, then she may want to talk to her doctor or see a sleep disorder specialist.

As for her fear she should discuss this with a priest. There are some Protestant groups that believe that “alien encounters” and experiences such as your girlfriends are part of a demonic plan; i.e., aliens appear with greatly expanded consciousnesses, offering humans a more enlightened way, etc. etc., all as part of an end-times scenario. They would view your girlfriend’s experience as just one more step in preparing humanity for this scenario.

NOTE: I am **NOT **saying your girlfriend’s experience was *caused *by demons; I’m just saying it would not be above a demon to take adavantage of your girlfriend’s experience to plant the “alien invasion” idea in her mind. You can help her by getting some holy water and helping her to bless her bedroom and the rest of her house.

<><

 

[RubyT]

I would have to know the exact scenario of the vision she experienced. I had a vision and talked to my priest about it. He validated is as coming from the Holy Spirit to send me a message. But without knowing more I can’t surmise if it a true spiritual vision or sleep paralysis or something else. How did she feel during the supposed vision was she englufed with a profound power and love? Was she frightened? What was the actual vision?

Best wishes and God Bless. I would definately suggest she talks to a priest about this as they are the best resource for Spiritual occurances. Even if it is not a spiritual occurance the priest could ease her mind about it.

If you would like to talk privately send me a message.

God bless you.

 

[LSK]

She might also want to talk with a mental health professional…perhaps a Catholic Therapist. I do not mean to imply that she is crazy, but it may help soothe her fears. The reality is this: if there are other people on other planets, they are God’s creatures and nothing happens in God’s Universe in error.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

It is an interesting question, all joking aside. What is The Church’s position re the potential for intelligent allien life other than human in the universe? Its a big place
My personal position having never wondered re The Church’s stance, is that I will believe in ghosts when I see one and believe in aliens when I see one; meanwhile, I reserve my decision on the matter as neither this nor that.

Barb

 

[MarieVeronica]

I reserve my decision on the matter as neither this nor that.

I agree with Barb. It’s kind of like the Churches advice on approved visions… we are not required to believe or disbelieve.

I too, think it would be helpful for her to speak with a priest… just to ease her mind. She might try using a little holy water before bedtime (never in a superstitious way… but just to sign herself with the Cross). And above all, encourage her to place all of her faith in Our Lord, Jesus Christ. He will help her with her fears.

God bless.

 

[beckycmarie]

It is an interesting question, all joking aside. What is The Church’s position re the potential for intelligent allien life other than human in the universe?

Hi Barb,

I don’t have an official document from the Church handy, but this topic was in the news recently. Here’s one article from USA Today:

Vatican: Alien belief doesn’t contradict faith

 

[JimR-OCDS]

ivory;

Does the Church acknowledge so called alien visitations or visions?

The Church doesn’t acknowledge them, but doesn’t deny the possibility either.

My girlfriend has recently told me that she believes she was visited by Martians whose visit to Earth are imminent. She tells me she lost most to all of her senses during this vision. She solidly believes in this and is frightened out of her mind. Her reasoning for this is that not too long ago, contact was lost with a rover on Mars. She thinks that this vision is a response to this.

Pick up this months copy of the National Geographic Magazine. There’s an entire article about the Mars Rover, and plenty of pictures of Mars. No Martians though.

I have a couple of guesses as to how this happened. It could be an actual visit, but I guessed it could also be a case of sleep paralysis, which is how most “visions” occur. I also considered the possibility that it could also be a visit from Satan to her. She is a confirmed Catholic who has recently returned to church after about two or three months. I thought this was coincidence enough.

Could be a moment of schizophrenia. My aunt had it and had visions of Jesus, Mary and just about every saint. Her behavior confirmed that the visions were not real.

What do you people think? Thanks for your help. This is driving me nuts.

Well, I believe in the possibility of life in other solar systems. I never saw a UFO much less aliens from another planet, but my reading an interest about space and the solar systems, lead me to believe that God didn’t create it all, just for us here on earth.

Also, should aliens from another world make it here to earth? They’ll be so far superior to us, that it will be beyond belief.

That being said, in the book, “War of the Worlds,” by H. G. Wells, he ends it with the aliens being defeated through disease which they contacted through us. He states something to the effect that, God created diseases that that we would become immune from, as a means of protecting us from alien invasions.

So, tell you girlfriend to get the movie or the book, the War of the Worlds, and pay close attention to how it ends.

Jim

 

[thistle]

Does the Church acknowledge so called alien visitations or visions?

My girlfriend has recently told me that she believes she was visited by Martians whose visit to Earth are imminent. She tells me she lost most to all of her senses during this vision. She solidly believes in this and is frightened out of her mind. Her reasoning for this is that not too long ago, contact was lost with a rover on Mars. She thinks that this vision is a response to this.

I have a couple of guesses as to how this happened. It could be an actual visit, but I guessed it could also be a case of sleep paralysis, which is how most “visions” occur. I also considered the possibility that it could also be a visit from Satan to her. She is a confirmed Catholic who has recently returned to church after about two or three months. I thought this was coincidence enough.

What do you people think? Thanks for your help. This is driving me nuts.

Whether there is life elsewhere in the universe we don’t know.
However, what is sure is that we have NOT been visited by aliens!

 

[Muzhik]

Whether there is life elsewhere in the universe we don’t know.
However, what is sure is that we have NOT been visited by aliens!

I was more than a little surprised to see this topic under discussion here. On another board I frequent, I had a rather long and involved discussion with an Evangelical Protestant over the news article about the Vatican saying intelligent life possible “out there”. She (and pretty much everyone else) assumed that this meant the Pope had made this statement, when in fact it was the director of the Vatican Observatory making a non-specific statement. This, of course, was proof that the Vatican/Catholic Church would be led by a great delusion, welcoming them when the demons came in the guise of aliens.

My long discussion (this is the shortened form, folks) pointed out that the Church has been preparing for an encounter with an alien race for about 500 years! When the New World was discovered by the Europeans it was a shock – not only where there new plants and new animals, but there were humanoid creatures! All these new things, and none of them mentioned in scripture! Immediately the debate broke out: were these creatures that looked human or were they people? If they were animals that looked like people, then there was no moral problem with forcing them to work. If, on the other hand, they were humans with human souls, that was an entirely different matter. For one thing, there were rules (mostly observed in theory only) about the treatment of human slaves; for another, if these were humans, they needed to receive G_D’s word and be baptized. And once you have these people being baptized, then you have the situation of one Christian owning another Christian. Most history books don’t cover the battles – political and diplomatic as well as military – that took place between the Church and any number of these kingdoms looking to build their empires on the backs of these New World slaves.

So Catholic theology has an entire branch dedicated to “alien encounters,” one that has been growing the past few decades. One thing that’d generally agreed upon: IF an alien race should contact us, they would be a fallen race – one that has sinned against G_D. IOW, we would need to be cautious with them. Especially if they show up during a time of great stress; even more so if they offer to cure us of of genetic illnesses or promise new philosophies that will bring peace to humanity. As H.G. Wells once said (or was it G.K. Chesterton – I can never remember), “If a race of beings should come down from the stars and say that they only with to serve Man, we should ask them if they wish to serve us baked or boiled.”

<><

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Thank you for the link to the article, Beckymarie…

usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-05-13-vatican-astronomer-aliens_N.htm

In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion “doesn’t contradict our faith” because aliens would still be God’s creatures.
The interview was headlined “The extraterrestrial is my brother.” Funes said that ruling out the existence of aliens would be like “putting limits” on God’s creative freedom.

The above is pretty much what I thought that the universe to our knowledge is limitless and that it would be the height our arrogance since in relative to that limitless we really know and have explored a mere drop in an ocean…anyway it would be absolute arrogance to claim that we were for sure beyond doubt the only intelligent life. Be that as it may, when I meet an alien or have some experience of one, I will believe in intelligent life and until then I reserve my decision to nether this nor that.

Barb

 

[saieditor]

Does the Church acknowledge so called alien visitations or visions?

The business of the Church is to lead you to the love of God.

My girlfriend has recently told me that she believes she was visited by Martians whose visit to Earth are imminent.

I’d say that this is intuition gone beserk.

Her reasoning for this is that not too long ago, contact was lost with a rover on Mars. She thinks that this vision is a response to this.

Uhuh. Tell her to read St Ignatius of Loyola on discernment of spirits and to get a hold of her mind using the techniques St Ignatius prescribes.

. It could be an actual visit

Go and have a look at the photos of Mars. The landscape is barren, there is nothing there.

What do you people think? Thanks for your help. This is driving me nuts.

Why would it be driving you nuts?
It’s her problem, her mind, and she has to manage it.

'nuff said.