What if we find intelligent life on another planet?

[Erich]

What does it do to our Catholic faith if and when scientists find intelligent life on another planet?

More and more, I wonder if we’ll find intelligent life on this planet.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

How specifically is the “secularist” movement basing itself on a “culture of death”?

If by secularism we mean the philosophy that teaches there is no God nor a soul in each of us, that definition of secularism teaches the ultimate reality and finality of death.

It requires very little movement from that position to justify any other type of killing (including suicide) on the grounds that if you can get away with it, there will be no retribution.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

If by secularism we mean the philosophy that teaches there is no God nor a soul in each of us, that definition of secularism teaches the ultimate reality and finality of death.

It requires very little movement from that position to justify any other type of killing (including suicide) on the grounds that if you can get away with it, there will be no retribution.

There is, of course, another culture of death, but that is in the Mid East. To the extent that it is fanatical, it is so-called theistic. But I’m not convinced that the jihadists in that part of the world are really theistic. I suspect they are secular and have hijacked Islam as a justification for their wild and irrational dreams of world conquest, much as Hitler professed that God was on his side while he was killing Jews and Catholics by the millions.

But then, what has any of this to do with life on other planets?

 

[abucs]

I think different people will probably react in different ways.

I remember a Simpson’s episode where a flying saucer comes to Springfield. It hovers over the Church and the local pub.

All of the parishioners, including the pastor rush into the pub to start drinking.

And all of the pub regulars rush into the church to start praying. Very funny, but maybe true to a degree also.

I personally think it will be evidence for life not occurring as an accident and I would be praying more.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

But…that is not what “secularism” means. Not at all. It *isn’t *a philosophy that teaches there is no God or soul in each of us.
I just checked six different dictionaries and encyclopedias.

What definitions are you getting?

Are any of your definitions referencing a religious thrust behind secularism?

 

[Paleocon]

What does it do to our Catholic faith if and when scientists find intelligent life on another planet? Recent discoveries suggest thousands, even millions of planets exist which may be capable of harboring life, and it would be extremely naieve to think we’re the only intelligent beings in our universe. They say it’s only a matter of time before we discover such life using extremely powerful telescopic lens currently being made.

I ask this, because the current secularist movement may hit critical mass when we do discover other life. After all, what else would negate and belittle our little earthly Jesus if we find thousands of other civilizations whom may or may not worship other deities.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. I believe it’s very likely we’ll discover intelligent life in my lifetime, and I’m wondering, and concerned, that it’ll be the proverbial straw which breaks the camels back in favor of the secularist movement.

Thanks

The same thing we do if they discover that the Apostles faked the account of the Resurrection. Namely we don’t worry about it because it can never happen because alien intelligent life does not exist. Indeed, such an idea is the heresy of antipodeanism.

Speculations are not evidence.

 

[tabycat]

As Rush Limbaugh once joked “Why do most UFO sightings happen in places like Montana? Why aren’t they ever seen hovering over DC or at the UN?”

There was a major UFO flap over Washington DC about fifty years ago.

 

[tabycat]

If we discover ETs, I don’t think it will harm the Catholic Faith. It might harm some fundamentalists who preach that ETs are demons, and might cause those crazies to do something crazy.

But for the Catholic Faith, we will see it as more evidence for God’s existence and the Holy Father, the Bishops and priests will keep preaching the Gospel.

 

[tabycat]

More and more, I wonder if we’ll find intelligent life on this planet.

I agree!

 

[KathleenGee]

Erich, REALLY like your response about intelligent life on this planet…

My father worked for Boeing years ago. When there was all this talk about flying saucers…he would perk up. After the project was done, he said Boeing was working on some flying thing…

And I always look at the people who are seeing aliens and flying objects…they are different than let’s say what Pope Francis said the other day, that he believes in angels and to listen to them.

I would take angels’existence over flying saucers and ET aliens any day.

We have enough here of the supernatural to deal with any way.

 

[Jerurussia]

The Fallen Angels cast down to Earth is a “WOE!” moment in John’s Apocalypse. They may be skirting around the edges with the various ET phenomena of implants, lying, probes, lying, incubus, lying, cattle mutilation, abduction and lying; and these may constitute the “false miracles” that will trick the non-elect, who cannot be tricked by these tricksters, as the Native Americans call them. EVERYBODY has a jinn, trickster, demon, and in the Middle Ages these ET’s said they were from the “Queen of the Faeries” because the saps back then had that construct, while our modern saps buy the “visitor from another planet” story. In the Middle Ages, the “witch cult” thrived on this UFO stuff, and adherents made a point to not get baptized. Medieval cattle mutilation, called “cattle blasting” undoubtedly led to the persecution of witches, friends, not just religious zeal. OK the “flying ointments” with baby fat as an ingredient didn’t help…

Today, a Christian UFO researcher found the only abductions were of the non-baptized, with the one known exception being an American Catholic woman abducted in front of her family after they asked her permission, to which she assented. **Just say “No!” **
Read John Keel’s THE MOTHMAN PROPHECY (don’t watch the bogus movie) as a diary of demonic events preceding a tragic bridge collapse, including the dark winged demons people reported seeing congregating around the scene, probably to take lost souls to Hell. Padre Pio’s burden was seeing these fiends, and commented on this while watching demons pestering a line of people waiting to go to confession. Get prayed up and paid up.

 

[boomerang]

The Fallen Angels cast down to Earth is a “WOE!” moment in John’s Apocalypse. They may be skirting around the edges with the various ET phenomena of implants, lying, probes, lying, incubus, lying, cattle mutilation, abduction and lying; and these may constitute the “false miracles” that will trick the non-elect, who cannot be tricked by these tricksters, as the Native Americans call them. EVERYBODY has a jinn, trickster, demon, and in the Middle Ages these ET’s said they were from the “Queen of the Faeries” because the saps back then had that construct, while our modern saps buy the “visitor from another planet” story. In the Middle Ages, the “witch cult” thrived on this UFO stuff, and adherents made a point to not get baptized. Medieval cattle mutilation, called “cattle blasting” undoubtedly led to the persecution of witches, friends, not just religious zeal. OK the “flying ointments” with baby fat as an ingredient didn’t help…

Today, a Christian UFO researcher found the only abductions were of the non-baptized, with the one known exception being an American Catholic woman abducted in front of her family after they asked her permission, to which she assented. **Just say “No!” **
Read John Keel’s THE MOTHMAN PROPHECY (don’t watch the bogus movie) as a diary of demonic events preceding a tragic bridge collapse, including the dark winged demons people reported seeing congregating around the scene, probably to take lost souls to Hell. Padre Pio’s burden was seeing these fiends, and commented on this while watching demons pestering a line of people waiting to go to confession. Get prayed up and paid up.

Interesting topics!

 

[mikekle]

Same here. I totally think it would be a devastating blow for Christianity, and even all religions. If this telescope reveals intelligent life and civilizations elsewhere, it could very well be the death blow the atheist seculars want.

The real problems would start if the mainstream media and other groups try to start the rumor that these ‘aliens’ actually created life on earth long ago…Ive always thought this would be perfect fit for what God says will be the grand deception, that will come upon the earth at some point, this would likely cause alot of people to believe the aliens did create us, probably cause alot of devout catholics to question as well, only the truly faithful would be able to see thru these lies.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

What does it do to our Catholic faith if and when scientists find intelligent life on another planet? Recent discoveries suggest thousands, even millions of planets exist which may be capable of harboring life, and it would be extremely naieve to think we’re the only intelligent beings in our universe. They say it’s only a matter of time before we discover such life using extremely powerful telescopic lens currently being made. …

Thanks

CS Lewis dealt with this in his essay “Religion and Rocketry” in the book “Fernseed and Elephants”.

An extract -

1. If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen? This is the point non-Christians always seem to forget. They seem to think the Incarnation implies some sort of particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician. Christ died for men precisely because men are* not* worth dying for; to make them worth it. Notice what waves of utterly unwarranted hypothesis these critics of Christianity want us to swim through. We are now supposing the fall of hypothetically rational creatures whose mere existence is hypothetical!

… We know what our race does to strangers. Man destroys or enslaves every species he can. Civilised man murders, enslaves, cheats and corrupts savage man. Even inanimate nature he turns into dust bowls and slag heaps. There are individuals who don’t. But they are not the sort who are likely to be our pioneers in space. Our ambassadors to new worlds will be the needy and greedy adventurer or the ruthless technical expert. They will do as their kind has always done. What that will be if they meet things weaker than themselves, the black man and the red man can tell. If they meet things stronger, they will be, very properly, destroyed.

It is interesting to wonder how things would go if they met an unfallen race. At first, to be sure, they’d have a grand time jeering at, duping, and exploiting its innocence; but I doubt if our half-animal cunning would long be a match for godlike wisdom, selfless valour, and perfect unanimity…

If I remember rightly, St. Augustine raised a question about the theological position of satyrs, monopodes, and other semi-human creatures. He decided it would wait till we knew there were any. So can this…

 

[phil19034]

The same thing we do if they discover that the Apostles faked the account of the Resurrection. Namely we don’t worry about it because it can never happen because alien intelligent life does not exist. Indeed, such an idea is the heresy of antipodeanism.

Speculations are not evidence.

The idea of alien intelligent life is NOT the heresy of antipodeanism. Antipodeanism is the idea that some HUMAN life didn’t originate with Adam and Eve.

It DOES NOT deal with non-Human life. The Church as no official teaching regarding aliens. The only heresy would be the existence of aliens negating the Bible, which it doesn’t.

One thing is for sure, if aliens exist and if they can warp space, control wormholes, etc, then we better all start praying to make sure it doesn’t lead to a war of the worlds. Even if they are good aliens, our “crazies” could start a war thinking that they are the devil’s demons or by trying to steal technology.

 

[runwaymodel]

CS Lewis dealt with this in his essay “Religion and Rocketry” in the book “Fernseed and Elephants”.
3. If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen? This is the point non-Christians always seem to forget. They seem to think the Incarnation implies some sort of particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician. Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it. Notice what waves of utterly unwarranted hypothesis these critics of Christianity want us to swim through. We are now supposing the fall of hypothetically rational creatures whose mere existence is hypothetical!-

That is exactly how I always thought. If anything it would just prove how far God’s creation really extends. These ‘aliens’ wouldn’t be of humankind so perhaps that race of creatures never needed redeeming like mankind did.
It would absolutely not shake my faith. The beauty and mysteries of God are truly amazing. He really created a complicated masterpiece but I don’t think we will ever come close to understanding it’s complexities in the life.

 

[Paleocon]

The idea of alien intelligent life is NOT the heresy of antipodeanism. Antipodeanism is the idea that some HUMAN life didn’t originate with Adam and Eve.

It DOES NOT deal with non-Human life. The Church as no official teaching regarding aliens. The only heresy would be the existence of aliens negating the Bible, which it doesn’t.

One thing is for sure, if aliens exist and if they can warp space, control wormholes, etc, then we better all start praying to make sure it doesn’t lead to a war of the worlds. Even if they are good aliens, our “crazies” could start a war thinking that they are the devil’s demons or by trying to steal technology.

And what distinguishes humans from non-humans?

Correct. It is possible for animal or plant life to exist elsewhere.

I have no intention of worrying about nonsense.