Posted on 01/09/2002 7:25:21 AM PST by marshmallow
ROME, (Zenit.org).- Scientific studies on the possibility of intelligent life on other planets is not against the Christian faith, says the director of the Vatican Astronomic Observatory.
Speaking in his own name, Father George Coyne told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that such an extraterrestrial possibility "is an exciting prospect, which must be treated with caution."
"For the time being, there is no scientific evidence of life," the priest added in the interview published Monday. "However, we are gathering observations that point to this possibility. The universe is so large that it would be folly to say that we are the exception. The debate is ongoing and complex."
Father Coyne´s suggested as a hypothesis that we imagine that there is life beyond the earth.
"If I were to meet an intelligent being from other worlds who revealed to me a spiritual life and told me that his people have also been saved by God through sending his only Son, he would ask me how it is possible that his only ´Son´ was present in different places. Thoughts of this kind are a great challenge," the priest said.
"Heresies, one after the other, have tried to deny the humanity of God over the centuries," Father Coyne added. "Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Can this true man also appear in another planet? I don´t know; I don´t know whether I should deny or affirm this."
"The possibility of extraterrestrial intelligent and spiritual life poses many questions," the priest said. "Anyway, science does not destroy the believer´s faith, but stimulates it."
Father Coyne also addressed the question of the big-bang theory and its implications for the faith.
In this area, the priest advises caution. "It is true that the cosmology of the big bang is certain today as a scientific model," he said. "But it tells us very little about creation, or rather nothing, because creation as understood in the Bible does not answer the question about the origin of the universe, but why there is something instead of nothing."
"´This is a theological response to a question of faith," Father Coyne said. "Science, however, is concerned with discovering the origin of the matter we know. In other words, sacred Scripture and theology do not refer to the way God created the universe. The two questions are not in conflict and, when this happens, very serious misunderstanding can arise."
The origins of the Vatican Astronomic Observatory go back to the time of Pope Gregory XII. He created a scientific commission responsible for studying the elements necessary for the reform of the liturgical calendar that took place in 1582.
The observatory now has two headquarters. One, in Castel Gandolfo, serves as an archive and library. It is located some 35 kilometers (21 miles) from Rome. The other, the Vatican Observatory Research Group in Tucson, Arizona, is located in one of the most important astronomic centers of the world.
Being smarter they wouldn't have to harm us they could easily defend themselves without harming intelligent life.
There's something in Arabia that many people think is special, but they won't talk about it.
I believe you meant to write face the fact, not fact the fact, right.?
You just shot off top-of-the mind surface "logic". This time think man, because what would you tell Father Coyne and the Vatican; you better have a talk with the Vatican about their being no scientific proof of God then. Think first. Father Coyne surely did.
I think they are so far advanced, millions of years more advanced than Earth's civilization that they are oblivious to any civilization that has not made a presence on the Universe Wide Web. Our primitive civilization posses no trouble whatsoever for them. They are as far removed in awareness of us as we are of Neanderthal man. Neanderthal man would pose no trouble to modern man with modern technology. What would you do? would you kill the Neanderthal man or try to communicate peacefully knowing you could at the very worst, put him in jail to keep from killing you because he didn't know that killing intelligent life was wrong.
I can only offer hypothesis and I don't like you implying that I meant otherwise. Apparently you assume that if intelligent aliens exist they are as stupid as us to have governments that create wars and harm innocent citizens; Waco, Randy Weaver's wife, SWAT agent shooting an innocent 11 year old boy in the back. BTW, are you atheist, agnostic or believe there is a God?
I would tell Father Coyne that there is no sense speculating about something that will NEVER happen. We will NEVER contact aliens from outer space for the simple reason that they DON'T exist.
I imagine that their Web page design would be consistent with their information -- that being peaceful coexistence. Yes, we could learn a great deal from them, even about Wep page design
And Father Coyne may try to convince you to not be ostrich-like hiding your head in the sand., or laugh in your face.
Actually, I'm still waiting for proof of intelligent life ON Earth.
Prosecution Exhibit A: MTV's "Jackass."
Prosecution Exhibit B: 50% of America voted for Al Gore.
The prosecution smugly rests.
Do you suppose there could be a person on Earth that would intentionally hide a piece or three of the puzzle for their own self-serving agenda? I mean, we have certainly witnessed people hiding key pieces of information from people. I could list a thousand, but a finger pointing, "I did not have sex with that woman" comes immediately to mind. And a Senate that held a trial, non-trial to hide pieces of a puzzle to avoid doing their duty to uphold their oath of office to the constitution and the people
I always took "made in Our image" to mean we were created sinless with the potential for eternal life and free will. Other earthly creatures are sinless, but their lives end on earth and they are driven by instinct.
Now, before anyone loses their mind, I love animals (they taste great) but don't think they live forever as we will.
I believe Christ appeared as he did so we could accept Him. This could be why He came when he did, before the common ability or desire to save a likeness of Him, that way everyone could see Him as best to understand and accept Him.
And now to really blow a extreme conservative Christian mind, I believe if females were the dominate sex of our species, He would have appeared as a She. I don't believe God is a male or a female.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Think of the scientific discoveries that are made simultaneously by two or more scientist.
to reassign all the pedophile priests there to sodomize their young!
ROTFL!!!
I suspect that they have advanced far beyond using radio waves for transferring information. I mean, on Earth, the use of smoke signals has become obsolete.
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