Posted on 11/10/2009 5:12:50 PM PST by Alex Murphy
VATICAN CITY — E.T. phone Rome. Four hundred years after it locked up Galileo for challenging the view that the Earth was the center of the universe, the Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.
"The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.
Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.
Funes said the possibility of alien life raises "many philosophical and theological implications" but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the issue.
Chris Impey, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said it was appropriate that the Vatican would host such a meeting.
"Both science and religion posit life as a special outcome of a vast and mostly inhospitable universe," he told a news conference Tuesday. "There is a rich middle ground for dialogue between the practitioners of astrobiology and those who seek to understand the meaning of our existence in a biological universe."
Thirty scientists, including non-Catholics, from the U.S., France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy and Chile attended the conference, called to explore among other issues "whether sentient life forms exist on other worlds."
Funes set the stage for the conference a year ago when he discussed the possibility of alien life in an interview given prominence in the Vatican's daily newspaper.
The Church of Rome's views have shifted radically
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
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Why would anyone trust the AP’s understanding of ANYTHING?
Thanks for the advice Mr. Gobechev . . . any words of wisdom on how to keep your country from imploding and ceasing to exist?
Well, at least we will have thought about it and we won’t embrace the human-looking reptile “visitors” as they seek to eat humanity.
That wasn't the reason... but don't let historical inaccuracies ruin a perfectly good article.
?
I accidentally posted that comment here . . . it was supposed to go somewhere else. :(
“Thanks for the advice Mr. Gobechev...”
That was about as good a comeback as I’ve seen... on this thread.
:)
LOL! Done that a time or two … ;-)
“I accidentally posted that comment here . . . it was supposed to go somewhere else. :(”
Friends don’t let friends drink and post!
LOL, I seem to remember google promising some tool/process that would prohibit a user from sending “drunk emails” . . . perhaps such a technology could be implemented by Free Republic.
“Thanks for the advice, Gorby”...I thought you were talking about that thingy on his forehead. /s
Understatement of the Millenium (all of the last one and this one so far).
Today's top clergy endorse ideas like the Big Bang theory? Do they endorse the Big Bang theory?
They should stop looking to the Heavens are start looking to GOD; He gave His Word directly to them, and we don’t need to “search space” for any answers to life!
LOL! You know that for a fact? Or is this something you choose to believe, hope, imagine?
Find out for yourself if you dare.
But a lot of times, it takes learning about creation that HELPS leads us to the CREATOR.
Learning about creation isn’t the same as seeking ET, who’s very existence would be in contradiction to the Bible, IMO.
Christ would have to die 1+Million times on many different worlds if true; however I have my own theories about ET (backed up by research of others who have written about it from both a Christian and Secular POV): That “Aliens” are really demonic forces!~ beware.
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