Aliens with souls?

[NextElement]

I think if God created aliens in his image (souls: free will, able to know it from wrong, etc) he probably would have the mercy to give them laws much like our Ten Commandments, and perhaps even a Savior as well?..

Either way, it’s kind of an absurd idea right now. We have bigger issues on planet Earth to deal with… Worry about alien souls when the time comes

 

[GEddie]

If aliens exists as material being created by God then they sure have a soul.
I think that the main difference between animal soul and human soul is immortality and this points to the relationship with God. I do not think that the intellectual level is essential because there are saints who had a very humble intellect in their human life.
Also, the snake in Genesis, was the smartest animal.
If aliens have immortal soul like we have, I think they should also already have a relationship with God, without our intercession.
Is it possible for a human who genetically modifies himself with animal genes, to die meaning his soul leaves the body, and then an animal soul takes place and then that individual lives like a zombie?

A human being’s soul will not leave his/her body without being dead, no matter what he or she does to their bodily genes.

The soul is the life, although in the human body, it will also generate the intellect if not interfered with.

ICXC NIKA

 

[opusAquinas]

A human being’s soul will not leave his/her body without being dead, no matter what he or she does to their bodily genes.

The soul is the life, although in the human body, it will also generate the intellect if not interfered with.

ICXC NIKA

The question is if they have souls are they fallen or not?

 

[GEddie]

The question is if they have souls are they fallen or not?

No way of knowing until we see them.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Ion]

I think if God created aliens in his image (souls: free will, able to know it from wrong, etc) he probably would have the mercy to give them laws much like our Ten Commandments, and perhaps even a Savior as well?..

Either way, it’s kind of an absurd idea right now. We have bigger issues on planet Earth to deal with… Worry about alien souls when the time comes

Maybe “God created man in his own image” points to the incarnation of Christ, we were created to be alike with Him.

 

[wmw]

I think if God created aliens in his image (souls: free will, able to know it from wrong, etc) he probably would have the mercy to give them laws much like our Ten Commandments, and perhaps even a Savior as well?..

Either way, it’s kind of an absurd idea right now. We have bigger issues on planet Earth to deal with… Worry about alien souls when the time comes

I agree that they would likely be taken care of by God, but how can we be sure we are not the provision God has provided to enhance their faith?

I agree barring a hugh thirst for our views on God that we have little in our tool box to determine the soul type of an alien race. Any external measures could give a rather positive case for an immortal soul indication if they are obviously very spiritually, culturally, and linguistically advanced, but boarder line cases and the possibility of having to access very different forms of culture and intelligence would be fraught with difficulties.

Atheists have plenty of time to tell tales that alien cultures or any life on other planets equates to religion is wrong. I think this topic is well worth discussing to counter the propaganda that a life filled universe could somehow count against a God that is Love.

 

[3DOCTORS]

I agree that they would likely be taken care of by God, but how can we be sure we are not the provision God has provided to enhance their faith?

I agree barring a hugh thirst for our views on God that we have little in our tool box to determine the soul type of an alien race. Any external measures could give a rather positive case for an immortal soul indication if they are obviously very spiritually, culturally, and linguistically advanced, but boarder line cases and the possibility of having to access very different forms of culture and intelligence would be fraught with difficulties.

Atheists have plenty of time to tell tales that alien cultures or any life on other planets equates to religion is wrong. I think this topic is well worth discussing to counter the propaganda that a life filled universe could somehow count against a God that is Love.

If they can travel to us, or even manage to signal us, they’re advanced in those ways at least to the point we are or beyond. If communication is so difficult that we can’t determine if they have a spirituality, that might be a “borderline case” as you suggest.

Atheists and agnostics, maybe also extremely “progressive” religions (the kind of people who like to have the comfort but are “dogmaphobic”) do tend to think that First Contact could shatter our religions. I prefer to remain optimistic - it would take some working out, time and patience, but if God did create other beings with souls, somehow they “fit in” just as we do and the angels do. Heady stuff, though, I’ll admit!

 

[wmw]

If they can travel to us, or even manage to signal us, they’re advanced in those ways at least to the point we are or beyond. If communication is so difficult that we can’t determine if they have a spirituality, that might be a “borderline case” as you suggest.

Atheists and agnostics, maybe also extremely “progressive” religions (the kind of people who like to have the comfort but are “dogmaphobic”) do tend to think that First Contact could shatter our religions. I prefer to remain optimistic - it would take some working out, time and patience, but if God did create other beings with souls, somehow they “fit in” just as we do and the angels do. Heady stuff, though, I’ll admit!

I prefer to open the subject now and preach the truth that a life filled universe is just as friendly to our religion as being a unique planet of life. Being passively optimistic makes no sense when so much misinformation is present. I pray this passive optimisim is not what you had in mind, but instead an evanglastic optimisim with regard to our own population. A patient exchange with the alien culture I agree would be necessary, but if it were possible a clandestine observation and investigation might be prudent.

I had not presumed who traveled or communicated to whom. I’ve been leaving that open and as currently unknown. It’s answer would all be a part of the information at hand at the time.

 

[3DOCTORS]

I prefer to open the subject now and preach the truth that a life filled universe is just as friendly to our religion as being a unique planet of life. Being passively optimistic makes no sense when so much misinformation is present. I pray this passive optimisim is not what you had in mind, but instead an evanglastic optimisim with regard to our own population. A patient exchange with the alien culture I agree would be necessary, but if it were possible a clandestine observation and investigation might be prudent.

I had not presumed who traveled or communicated to whom. I’ve been leaving that open and as currently unknown. It’s answer would all be a part of the information at hand at the time.

It sounds as if our approaches and opinions on the matter are actually pretty similar, if not identical. :yup: I enjoy your thoughtful, reasoned posts!

If you’re interested, I also have a CA Social Group, Exoplanets and Astrobiology from a Catholic Perspective, that you are welcome to join: forums.catholic-questions.org/group.php?groupid=1809 It’s just starting but hopefully we’ll get more members and more discussions as time goes on.

 

[wmw]

I will now take up the case of a sinless society of aliens. I find the situation of sharing the decaying universe with an eternally living material being very unlikely. Maybe you don’t conceive of the fall of nature that accompanied the fall of man as I do.

Let me elaborate:
The Big Bang theory also predicts a heat death of the universe to eventually occur. Though the universe is young; likely only 1/1000ths of its time from the Big Bang has past it does look to be limited. Therefore, I tend to think Eden could not exist in the universe that we know today nor could there be another Eden within our universe. It may seem an easy exit from this problem to say Eden is a mental construct for the sake of telling a story containing the essential truths God wanted us to learn, but even the minimal required Catholic theology demands that since Adam did have a real choice that he would have stayed some place to live forever with God given that he never sinned. We conclude then that a place of Eden was possible and could have continued, but it is not in our current decaying universe. Therefore, I don’t think sinless spiritual creatures really could ever be possible in our universe.

So if there is another alien society it is likely in need of salvation; yet, the form of their salvation is not a parallel incarnation scenario. Therefore, with whatever we find away from our planet we will continue to be the unique sinners that Christ died to redeem and rose to new life. A unique alien society would also need a unique form of salvation, but we hardly can think what it/they could need. Thank God He has known if such a society is at all.

We should predict that if we find any such life beyond Earth that it is likely only sinless if it is not cognizant of sin like our animals or if it does have sin and an eternal soul it must have been provided by God a completely different way of salvation. Not our way of truth and light, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

 

[Bradski]

We should predict that if we find any such life beyond Earth that it is likely only sinless if it is not cognizant of sin like our animals or if it does have sin and an eternal soul it must have been provided by God a completely different way of salvation. Not our way of truth and light, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Well, His Holiness thinks that they should be baptised if they want to:

Vatican City: Pope Francis has declared everyone has the right to be baptised, even aliens should they come knocking on the church’s door.

Read more: smh.com.au/world/pope-says-baptism-for-all–even-martians-20140513-zraqo.html#ixzz31XiHwAhR

 

[wmw]

Exellent, to be backed up by the Pope, I’ll take it as quite an honor. Thank you for your bringing this to my attention!

Though the part of my statements you quote says that we should expect them to have a different means of salvation, I’ve also stated and still defend that our understandings of salvation and faith practices should be available and shared with them for we do believe in our religion and don’t know for sure that it would not be efficacious for them. Surly God would honor such a love that an alien would cross over to an alien culture and religion if he/she found it more true and/or loving.

 

[3DOCTORS]

Exellent, to be backed up by the Pope, I’ll take it as quite an honor. Thank you for your bringing this to my attention!

Though the part of my statements you quote says that we should expect them to have a different means of salvation, I’ve also stated and still defend that our understandings of salvation and faith practices should be available and shared with them for we do believe in our religion and don’t know for sure that it would not be efficacious for them. Surly God would honor such a love that an alien would cross over to an alien culture and religion if he/she found it more true and/or loving.

pushes “Like” button

 

[Baxman]

Here is a thought to bring this thread a little “life”…

God created the universe and created our planet earth as well as several million other planets that could have life on them. He then made a plan that there would be a “chosen people” that being the Jews. The Jews would develop into the Christians who would then take on the responsibility of being the “chosen people”. The Christians mission is to evangelize. We are to bring the truth of the faith to the corners of the earth. To the Jews the idea of evangelizing to the gentiles was there but not stressed as necessary. In the temple they did have the court of the gentiles so that they could come and pray to the one true God but you never hear of them going around converting gentiles to Judaism. It did happen, of course, but the rules (namely circumcision) to become a Jew probably scared a few off. As Christians that is our mission. So, in the end, He will have separated the “sheep from the goats” and those of us that are in friendship with God will live on forever with Him in the “new heaven and the new earth”. Our wills will be fixed with God just as the angels.

So, here it is…
What if our job isn’t over at that point. What if it is just beginning… What if we are to remain the “chosen people” and carry the truth of the one true God to other intelligent life throughout the universe?
We will have our glorified bodies. We will be able to pass through solid objects, change our appearance to others, speak and understand tongues, have a fuller understanding of Gods plan, move place to place at the speed of thought, heal the sick and never be able to get sick or die. Wouldn’t that be a great way to evangelize in cultures and civilizations that we can’t even imagine right now?

I know… sounds amazing… but what if?

That being said, I think it may be a real possibility that aliens do have souls. Immortal souls that need to be shown the truth. I think that, much like us, there may be only one life form on each planet that God created with an immortal soul with the animals and plants to serve them just like on our planet. I think that God intentionally placed so much space between these inhabited planets that they would never be able to meet. I think the only way for these separate intelligent species “created in Gods image” to ever meet would be for them to know God and die in friendship with Him so that they too could enjoy eternal life with Him and all the countless other beings in Gods great universe.

That is my thoughts on this one…

Scott

 

[hasantas]

That would be incorrect. The presence of a soul is what distinguishes living matter from dead matter. If a plant had no soul, it would not nor could not, be alive.

Matter does not have life on it’s own, it must have a spiritual force to impart it, and that force is a soul.

Now I will agree with you that plants do not have an immortal soul, one that survives death. That alone is restricted to Rational beings.

Life of plant is a law of God. İf that law had had one kind of matter or substance then it could be called soul. Soul has senses justlike mind and hearing, seeing etc. Soul of human has more advanced senses.

 

[mikekle]

Here is a thought to bring this thread a little “life”…

God created the universe and created our planet earth as well as several million other planets that could have life on them. He then made a plan that there would be a “chosen people” that being the Jews. The Jews would develop into the Christians who would then take on the responsibility of being the “chosen people”. The Christians mission is to evangelize. We are to bring the truth of the faith to the corners of the earth. To the Jews the idea of evangelizing to the gentiles was there but not stressed as necessary. In the temple they did have the court of the gentiles so that they could come and pray to the one true God but you never hear of them going around converting gentiles to Judaism. It did happen, of course, but the rules (namely circumcision) to become a Jew probably scared a few off. As Christians that is our mission. So, in the end, He will have separated the “sheep from the goats” and those of us that are in friendship with God will live on forever with Him in the “new heaven and the new earth”. Our wills will be fixed with God just as the angels.

So, here it is…
What if our job isn’t over at that point. What if it is just beginning… What if we are to remain the “chosen people” and carry the truth of the one true God to other intelligent life throughout the universe?
We will have our glorified bodies. We will be able to pass through solid objects, change our appearance to others, speak and understand tongues, have a fuller understanding of Gods plan, move place to place at the speed of thought, heal the sick and never be able to get sick or die. Wouldn’t that be a great way to evangelize in cultures and civilizations that we can’t even imagine right now?

I know… sounds amazing… but what if?

That being said, I think it may be a real possibility that aliens do have souls. Immortal souls that need to be shown the truth. I think that, much like us, there may be only one life form on each planet that God created with an immortal soul with the animals and plants to serve them just like on our planet. I think that God intentionally placed so much space between these inhabited planets that they would never be able to meet. I think the only way for these separate intelligent species “created in Gods image” to ever meet would be for them to know God and die in friendship with Him so that they too could enjoy eternal life with Him and all the countless other beings in Gods great universe.

That is my thoughts on this one…

Scott

Good theories, but if they are much more advanced than we are, like we assume they are, that would mean they were created long before us, why would God make it our duty to spread the word of the gospel, when there is already a much more capable species to do it?

I hate it when the distance between planets argument is brought up, number one, if they are even a couple hundred yrs ahead of us in technology, they have likely found ‘ways around’ physical distance, number two, we are only assuming they come from what we would call a ‘planet’, the place where they reside may be nothing like ours, maybe inter-dimensional or something we cannot comprehend.

I believe there are MANY MANY different species of intelligent life out there, and I believe God created them all, whether they have souls, in the way we think of the word, is something we cannot know, they may have an entirely different relationship with God than we do. That is the main problem when people start talking about this topic, they all speculate based on HUMAN beliefs, understandings, facts, etc. An intelligent civilization may be completely different from us in every way imaginable.