The Church has a plan for extraterrestrials?

[a_priori]

Being a convert to Catholicism, there is a fair amount I don’t understand. While I was researching a book entitled A Case of Conscience, I came across an entry on Wikipedia (I know, grain of salt, etc., etc).

Here is an excerpt:

"The story is unusual in several respects. Few science fiction stories of the time attempted religious themes, and still fewer did this with Catholicism. Some of the first part is taken up with the Jesuit’s attempt to solve a puzzle, a long description of scandalous intrigue between various pseudonymous characters. As he is about to leave for Earth, he realizes the puzzle is soluble. The puzzle is contained within the pages of Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce.

Many reacted negatively to the story, but surprisingly few educated Catholics were among them. One even sent James Blish a copy of the actual Church guidelines for dealing with extraterrestrials. These are not detailed, but merely suggest overall strategy based on whether the beings have souls or not, and if they have them, whether they are fallen like humans, or exist in a state of grace."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Case_of_Conscience

I feel a little awkward asking this, but is anyone aware of an official position on the part of the Catholic Church regarding extraterrestrials? Is this excerpt correct? (I’ve gotta get out more…)

 

[brotherhrolf]

Having read science fiction since the 50s, we are a “fallen” species. What if an ET Adam and Eve did not succumb to temptation? I’m not aware of any novels with this theme but there are any nuber of short stories including one about discovering Our Lord redeeming another planet.

My faith will not be shaken when we discover that we are not alone in the universe.

 

[Eucharisted]

actual Church guidelines for dealing with extraterrestrials

Not true.

 

[a_priori]

Having read science fiction since the 50s, we are a “fallen” species. What if an ET Adam and Eve did not succumb to temptation? I’m not aware of any novels with this theme but there are any nuber of short stories including one about discovering Our Lord redeeming another planet.

I just finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It is about a Priest’s personal philosophical journey as his group makes contact with life on another planet. It has edges and is not for everyone but I was very moved.

My faith will not be shaken when we discover that we are not alone in the universe.

My mind is wide open on this subject. Nothing would surprise me.

 

[EasterJoy]

If you look at statements made by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, they make the following clear:

a) It would place an inappropriate limit on God’s creative perogative to suppose that life can only exist on earth or that God could not have created life elsewhere that is as intelligent or more intelligent than we are. God has not revealed such a thing to us.

b) As all creation, this created life would have been created inherently good, even if it posed some danger to us (like grizzly bears do, for instance).

d) It is also true, however, that the Incarnation, Death, and Ressurection of Jesus Christ was a unique event in the history of the universe. Neither is there any other god or any other similar work done by one of the other Persons of the Trinity.

Therefore, it seems to me that we can be certain that any creature made by God is either not in need of redemption (as innocent animals are), was redeemed by the one and unique Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (as we are), or else for some just reason is beyond redemption (as the demons are).

Remember that it is not inherently necessary for intelligent life to be endowed with free will. Chimpanzees are very intelligent, but innocent and not endowed with a morally culpable free will. It is also not necessary for a creature endowed with free will to fall; the angels, for instance, did not fall. Therefore, an alien could concievably be more intelligent than we are, yet either innocent or not fallen. They could even be extremely dangerous, but not fallen. All of these would be theoretically possible, and not in conflict with the necessary tenets of our faith.

This all reminds me of a comment in CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, in which one of the characters (I’m not sure it was Aslan) tells Lucy that it is not for humans to know what sort of sins a star can commit. Now, admittedly that series of stories violates the basic truth that Redemption happened as a single unique act within the created universe (since Aslan dies a sacrificial death in Narnia and turns out to be the Lord after the worlds end), but the basic idea is worth considering: not everything in the universe is our personal business. There are things that are not for us to know.

 

[CB_Catholic]

If you look at statements made by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, they make the following clear:

a) It would place an inappropriate limit on God’s creative perogative to suppose that life can only exist on earth or that God could not have created life elsewhere that is as intelligent or more intelligent than we are. God has not revealed such a thing to us.

b) As all creation, this created life would have been created inherently good, even if it posed some danger to us (like grizzly bears do, for instance).

d) It is also true, however, that the Incarnation, Death, and Ressurection of Jesus Christ was a unique event in the history of the universe. Neither is there any other god or any other similar work done by one of the other Persons of the Trinity.

Therefore, it seems to me that we can be certain that any creature made by God is either not in need of redemption (as innocent animals are), was redeemed by the one and unique Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (as we are), or else for some just reason is beyond redemption (as the demons are).

Remember that it is not inherently necessary for intelligent life to be endowed with free will. Chimpanzees are very intelligent, but innocent and not endowed with a morally culpable free will. It is also not necessary for a creature endowed with free will to fall; the angels, for instance, did not fall. Therefore, an alien could concievably be more intelligent than we are, yet either innocent or not fallen. They could even be extremely dangerous, but not fallen. All of these would be theoretically possible, and not in conflict with the necessary tenets of our faith.

This all reminds me of a comment in CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, in which one of the characters (I’m not sure it was Aslan) tells Lucy that it is not for humans to know what sort of sins a star can commit. Now, admittedly that series of stories violates the basic truth that Redemption happened as a single unique act within the created universe (since Aslan dies a sacrificial death in Narnia and turns out to be the Lord after the worlds end), but the basic idea is worth considering: not everything in the universe is our personal business. There are things that are not for us to know.

Somebody once asked Billy Graham about extaterrestials and salvation and his reply was to the effect (don’t remember the exact words) that if there were extraterrestials, that was none of his business. His business concerned the salvation of souls on earth. I’ve always remembered that when these types of discussions come up.

 

[Benadam]

I find a conflict in theology in regards of the hypostatic union and the theory that fallen extraterrestrials could concievably recieve a saviour who would also be of their species and divine in the same manner as Jesus having two natures.

St Thomas Aquinas teaches that since nature is before person that the Second Divine Person could be joined to another human nature in a hypostatic union.

So, the divine person according to Aquinas could Incarnate again and there would be two persons in the universe who could authentically claim to be the Son of God one in being with the Father and the Spirit.

St Thomas used the term ‘human’ rather than ‘extraterrestrial’. This isn’t an obstacle IMO since intellect is essential for any species to be a self determined moral agent.

My problem is in thinking that it violates the universal characteristic of the hypostatic union if the Second ‘Person’ of the Trinity could be what Jesus could not be.

 

[Cluny]

<<Many reacted negatively to the story, but surprisingly few educated Catholics were among them. One even sent James Blish a copy of the actual Church guidelines for dealing with extraterrestrials. These are not detailed, but merely suggest overall strategy based on whether the beings have souls or not, and if they have them, whether they are fallen like humans, or exist in a state of grace."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Case_of_Conscience>>

Remember that Wikipedia is not always an accurate source for Church teachings or even “guidlines”.

 

[a_priori]

Remember that Wikipedia is not always an accurate source for Church teachings or even “guidlines”.

Hence my initial “grain of salt” comment. The information I came across during an internet search was generally ambiguous on the subject so I brought the question here.

 

[puzzleannie]

Having read science fiction since the 50s, we are a “fallen” species. What if an ET Adam and Eve did not succumb to temptation? I’m not aware of any novels with this theme but there are any nuber of short stories including one about discovering Our Lord redeeming another planet.

My faith will not be shaken when we discover that we are not alone in the universe.

Perelandra the second book in C S Lewis’ space trilogy that begins with Out of the Silent Planet has this theme, with the Adam and Eve of another planet, Venus I think, passing their test.

the third book, This Hideous Strength is so prophetic it is chilling.

 

[brotherhrolf]

Perelandra the second book in C S Lewis’ space trilogy that begins with Out of the Silent Planet has this theme, with the Adam and Eve of another planet, Venus I think, passing their test.

the third book, This Hideous Strength is so prophetic it is chilling.

Annie, I was thinking of some short stories from the 50s. I have not read Lewis. I can remember one where the exploring astronaut comes upon another planet and discovers Our Lord in the process of Redemption. 'Course they don’t write stories like tha anymore.