The Vatican talks about the issue of extraterrestrial life:
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican’s chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God.
The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.
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.
But what happens if we find aliens, more advanced aliens at that, who don’t believe in what we consider to be God ?
H/T: Hit&Run
May 13th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I doubt alien life that does not share our religious views will eliminate religion. Reduce it, perhaps, but faith has taken harder hits than that before. I just cannot see religion ever being entirely separated from people.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Religion may wax and wane a bit over the years, but I doubt ANY discovery of science, etc. will ever be a real threat, because religion is not reality based.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:47 am
CR,
For those varieties of Christianity that place humanity at the center of the universe and man as God’s sole creation, I think the discovery of extraterrestrial, intelligent life would, at the very, least require a re-evaluation of doctrine.