05/14/2008
Vatican: Belief in God and Aliens Do Not Conflict
Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, a 45-year-old Jesuit priest who is head of the Vatican Observatory and a scientific adviser to Pope Benedict, said in an interview with Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that there is no conflict between a belief in God and a belief in alien life forms.
Said Funes: "In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists. How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere. Certainly, in a universe this big you can't exclude this hypothesis. Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on earth, there can be other beings, even intelligent, created by God. This is not in contrast with our faith because we can't put limits on God's creative freedom. Why can't we speak of a 'brother extraterrestrial'? It would still be part of creation."
The Vatican, however, still appears to view gays as not worthy of 'brother' status.
In related news, the British government released eight files on UFO sightings that had previously been classified as part of 200 that are to be released over the next four years:
"A spokesman for the National Archives said they were now becoming available after several requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, and also because of a 'proactive move by the Ministry of Defence for an open and transparent government'."
The files are readable here.
Meanwhile, statements about God were revealed in a letter written by Albert Einstein to be auctioned this week. Said Einstein: "The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 9:34 AM EST by Andy in News, Religion, Science | Permalink
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Well, I think Mr Einstein summed it up pretty much on my reaction to religion. Don't see the big draw but live and let live. Just don't use a 2,000 year old novel to tell me how to live my life or to deny me the same rights that others enjoy.
Posted by: davefromtampa | May 14, 2008 9:43:49 AM
Fine.
Martians -- Yes.
Same-sex Marriage, Condoms, Birth Control, Planned Parenthood -- No.
Way to go Catholics!
Posted by: Roscoe | May 14, 2008 10:10:50 AM
Rev Funny must be smoking something!! They once thought man the center of universe and now we're not anymore?
Posted by: Shabaka | May 14, 2008 11:27:27 AM
We had this conversation in catholic grammar school in the 70's... of course Catholics believe in aliens...more potential converts...
Posted by: Qjersey | May 14, 2008 11:40:51 AM
He justs wants to be able to sing "Somewhere Out There" in church.
Posted by: anon | May 14, 2008 12:36:39 PM
...not always honorable.
Posted by: David T | May 14, 2008 2:24:27 PM
QJERSEY
LOL
Interesting tid bit. The former head of the Vatican Observatory said that the "The Anunnaki (sumerian for they who from heaven came to earth)were real and coming back"
The sumerian text claim the Anunnaki supposedly came down to earth and mixed the seed of their life with the seed of an proto animal man on earth to create humans as slaves to the gods. They taught their slaves how to be civilized = Sumeria the 1st civilization with reading, writing, architecture, and agriculture. Supposedly a peaceful civil war of sorts broke out amongst them about our fate. Continue using us as slaves or allow us to develope on our own. Anu the great High king and God of heaven brokered the peace that humanity would be left alone for a while to develope. They would then return and judge wether we were fit to live as equals beside them or serve as slaves once again.
Anyway; the point is that the Vatican dude before this guy said "The Anunnaki (sumerian for they who from heaven came to earth)were real and coming back"
:-)
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | May 14, 2008 2:24:47 PM
Hmm... this begs the question: which is more likely to exist, Jesus as the son of god in the biblical sense or a space-traveling alien species?
Posted by: Ryan | May 14, 2008 3:04:37 PM
Of course we believe in aliens! After all, God is an alien. God has always been, even before the earth was created. So, He can't be from "of the earth." Therefore by definition, He is an alien. I don't know if I want to piss God off by calling Him an alien, so I'll probably never say that again. But now I realize I can't say "I don't believe in aliens" anymore.
Posted by: Garst | May 14, 2008 3:24:03 PM
Ryan
The fossil record shows a clear run up through neanderthal and then the jump to humanity. As if something was added to our ape like ancestors (i.e. alien DNA)
:-)
The so called civil war / disagreement as to our fate was between Enki also known as Ea who was supposedly chief architect in mixing the Anunnaki seed of life with the animal man to create humanity. He with his helper Ninmah who was the Goddess of health to the Anunnaki wanted their creation = humanity to live as equals with them.
Enki's half brother Enlil headed up the other faction that wanted us to always be their slaves. Enlil had/ has the benefit of being Anu's legitimate heir, son, and was Anu's governor of earth while Anu ruled over all the other planets that the Anunnaki controled/ control.
Anu brokered the peace and they have left us alone supposedly for a certain amount of time. The sumerian text say the Anunnaki live to be 500,000 yrs old so the past couple thousand years since the fall of the Sumerian civilization and our supposed liberation to see what we would make of ourselves is nothing by their time frame.
Intresting stuff. Cool if real.
The text are even more intresting if one sees the physical differences between Enki and Enlil and the other Anunnaki. Not borhters of the same species but reps of different alien species. Enki was very fish like in apperance. A different species of aliens in a confederation of aliens? Enlil a different species in the confederation and Anu ruling over them all.
Anyway; if nothing else a bunch of fun speculation when smoking pot.
:-)
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | May 14, 2008 4:45:25 PM