Not sure if it belongs in this forum, but I thought it was interesting:

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_aliens

All sounds very fair to me!. I'm not religious but if there was a God, what did he do when the "7 Days" were up and he finished making the earth and mankind.

God hardly signed on the unemployment register and has been sitting around bored ever since. I'm sure if there is a God, he would be busy creating other worlds and other life elsewhere!

John.

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Hello Johnny, My son.

I am amazed that a clergy man would say such a thing, let alone a Jesuit. If they allow other alien (intelligent), life Does this mean? :

Aliens are eligible to populate Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo as well ? (could be yuckky up there)
Did their Adam and Eve undergo the same prohibitions about eating from the tree of knowledge ?
Did they have to have a "Savior" as well
Will they have their own private Hell etc

Kind of makes the whole idea of religion look a little silly and Naive doesn't it. Maybe the question of a supreme intelligence or designer is still open ? Does this mean that the Jesuit has rejected his own training and beliefs.

Do you think a smart man such as the Pope really believes in all the religious voodoo; or does he see it as a job, and Pap for the stupid masses.

What does the Jesuit say about these things?

The catholic church are a very very very conservative lot where things change slooowwwwllly, but they do change.
With the population of the earth now at it's most highly educated status in human history, the Church clerics no longer Lord it over us and have to accept us as their equals or their betters, if the business(£$€) of the Church is to survive.

On the other hand, this particular cleric could end up administering to a bunch of pygmies in deepest Africa, for his candour.

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*** Those who know, don't speak,
those who speak, don't know ***

He'd been burned at the stake a few hundred years ago,

The change is that the "church" doesn't have the power over us as they used to.

:o

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

On the other hand, this particular cleric could end up administering to a bunch of pygmies in deepest Africa, for his candour.

Yep, that's where I'm headed... for the very same reason... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

On the other hand, this particular cleric could end up administering to a bunch of pygmies in deepest Africa, for his candour.

Yep, that's where I'm headed... for the very same reason... ;)

You are going to Africa?

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Reality Internet Personality

LOL

How's it going guys? Glad your well and still typing.

:P

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Aliens are eligible to populate Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo as well ? (could be yuckky up there)
Did their Adam and Eve undergo the same prohibitions about eating from the tree of knowledge ?
Did they have to have a "Savior" as well
Will they have their own private Hell etc

"Out of the Silent Planet" / "Perelandra" / "That Hideous Strength."

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

"Each one of you granted redemption from the Creator - murderers, rapists, molesters - all of you just have to repent, and God takes you into His bosom. In all the worlds in the universe, no other creature can make such a boast, save man. It's not fair." -- Archangel Gabriel in Constantine.

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me@rescam.org

I'm rather a "fallen" Catholic, but I am happy to hear that the church that was so influential in helping me appreciate the need for social justice during my formative years is open to the existence of E.T. The Catholic Church gets a bad rap sometimes, and while horrific things have been done in the church's name, it is not all bad. Taurus, thank you for sharing this information.

In case you don't know, Taurus, Angela is project scientist Eric Korpela's wife and she is, herself, a Ph.D.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Yes to the wife part, no to the Ph.D. Please don't hold either one against me!

Yes to the wife part, no to the Ph.D. Please don't hold either one against me!

Oops. OK, I am trying to remember now what you had said or implied before. You do do research, correct? Not just the funny observations of squirrels.
(Bear with me: I hope to connect this to the topic.)

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

"Pediatric speech pathologist," posted 80 days ago?
I'd say you're no slouch, then.
My point, then, before some go down the tired old road so many of our peers posting in these forums have ... do not assume religion/spirituality is just an opiate for un-educated masses. I would not be surprised to find many that accept that as an axiom to be dealing with it in just an uncritical manner as they like to assume religious/spiritual people are guilty of.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Yes to the wife part, no to the Ph.D. Please don't hold either one against me!

Oops. OK, I am trying to remember now what you had said or implied before. You do do research, correct? Not just the funny observations of squirrels.
(Bear with me: I hope to connect this to the topic.)

Try to keep up, Sarge. It wasn't squirrels...it was raccoons. Take a peek at the avatar....lol

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Air Cold, the blade stops;
from silent stone,
Death is preordained

Calm Chaos Forums : Everyone Welcome

Yes to the wife part, no to the Ph.D. Please don't hold either one against me!

Oops. OK, I am trying to remember now what you had said or implied before. You do do research, correct? Not just the funny observations of squirrels.
(Bear with me: I hope to connect this to the topic.)

Try to keep up, Sarge. It wasn't squirrels...it was raccoons. Take a peek at the avatar....lol

They only look like Raccoons. They were really God fearing Extra Terrestrials trying to make contact and looking for an audience with the Pope.

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Reality Internet Personality

I had posted a while back whilst I was musing on such things......
That I had no problem reconciling my Seti search for intelligent life other than our own with my belief in God.
Because if they do exist, God would have been their creator as well as ours.....so He would not mind my looking for them.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Yes to the wife part, no to the Ph.D. Please don't hold either one against me!

Oops. OK, I am trying to remember now what you had said or implied before. You do do research, correct? Not just the funny observations of squirrels.
(Bear with me: I hope to connect this to the topic.)

Try to keep up, Sarge. It wasn't squirrels...it was raccoons. Take a peek at the avatar....lol

That's what multi-tasking while sick does to a guy.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

do not assume religion/spirituality is just an opiate for un-educated masses.

I've never understood that 'logic' either... Most uneducated people I've met drink smoke and play video games while most educated people I've met carry a bible around and go to church on sundays... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .