Do space aliens have souls? Inquiring minds can check Jesuit's book

Catholic News Service ^ | Friday, November 4, 2005 | Carol Glatz

[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and discussion

[hflynn]

Do space aliens have souls? I'm still working on do democrats have souls.

[cripplecreek]

I'm assuming that space aliens would be part of Gods creation so I would have to say yes they do.

[Khepera]

Worms are part of gods creation too, do they have souls?

[willyd]

daschle better hope so

[Momaw Nadon]

Ping!

[SouthernFreebird]

Through the British-based Catholic Truth Society, U.S. Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno has penned his response to what he says are questions he gets from the public "all the time" when he gives talks on his work with the Vatican Observatory.

Where do they find the time to worry over space aliens...?

[thoughtomator]

We know Japanese people have no souls. That's why they can't use the golden PSP to lead the armies of Heaven in the battle of Armageddon.

[NYer]

Brother Consolmagno would make for an interesting guest and rationale discussion on George Noory's Coast to Coast program.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Worms (and other animals) have animative souls. Plants have vegetative souls. These are natural souls. Human beings have rational souls, which are spirits. That is, we have supernatural souls.

I think that in order to find ot whether a given space alien had a rational (spiritual) soul, we would have to find out whether, at any point in his/her/its life cycle, this creature possessed the POTENTIAL for thinking and choosing, which would make the creature inwardly free and morally responsible for its actions.

[Khepera]

Very interesting

[pro610]

Does a peanut butter sandwich have a "Nutatitive Soul"
LOL!

[LibertyGirl77]

I have clearly had too much coffee this morning, since this thread is giving me the giggles and I can't stop, LOL.

[Mrs. Don-o]

You asked, "Does a peanut butter sandwich have a "Nutatitive Soul?"

No, it is a soulless carbohydrate and is going to dieters' hell.

Unless the peanut butter in question is natural and contains no trans-fats, and the bread is whole-grain, in which case it obviously comes under the category of "indulgence"...

;oP ... says a carb-conscious Mrs. Don-o

[Angelas]

ping list

[pro610]

***"No,it is a soulless carbohydrate and is going to dieter,s hell"***

Is there whaling and gnashing of teeth and lots of "peanut butter sandwiches in dieters hell? LOL!

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Is there whaling and gnashing of teeth and lots of "peanut butter sandwiches in dieters hell?

No. Whaling has been banned by the International Law of the Sea. For all intents and porpoises.

[SaltyJoe]

The intellectual product of "intelligent design" will lead to an "extraterrestrial" Antichrist.

What does Hillary have to lean on now that her base is "blown to the moon"? No homosexuals, no abortionists, no liberalized substance abuse, no freeloaders on a welfare system.

Do you know how many Americans are willing to believe in extraterrestial intelligence than in God? How many apparitions are not Vatican approved?

If you pray for a demon hard enough, it will come. I would hazard to guess that Hillary has about a 50% chance of prayer to either the Crucified Jesus for guidance and strength, or to "anything but Jesus" to give her the power she lusts after.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Although we're joking about it, I reckon I must admit that my remarks about the soul derive from Aristotle. For more on the differences between plant, animal, and human (spiritual) souls from an Aristotelian point of view, see:

http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/psyche.htm

Scroll about 2/3 of the way down to "Degrees of Soul."

Aristotle says the soul is the "form" of the living body. By "form" he does not mean "shape," but "that which makes it what it is as a living thing." It approximately means the "shaper" of the body.

Aristotle was a natural philosopher, not a theologian. From a natural point of view, I suppose you could say the closest thing we've seen to a "soul" is the DNA molecule, since it is the "shaper" of the living body. This is not, of course, a distinctively religious view.

[pro610]

The biggest problem with Aristotle was that his philosophy was based on self divination which he undoubtedly learned from his mentor Plato.
His teaching of Universal mind and soul in all living things contradicts Christian biblical teaching about the soul,with its faculties of the mind and will.

Christians must reject Aristotle's philosophy since he is considered to be a Pagan teacher.