Do space aliens have souls? Inquiring minds can check Jesuit's book (I just love Art Bell...)

Catholic News Service ^ | 11-04-05 | Carol Glatz

[emiller]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Galaxy-gazing scientists surely wonder about what kind of impact finding life or intelligent beings on another planet would have on the world.

But what sort of effect would it have on Catholic beliefs? Would Christian theology be rocked to the core if science someday found a distant orb teeming with little green men, women or other intelligent forms of alien life? Would the church send missionaries to spread the Gospel to aliens? Could aliens even be baptized? Or would they have had their own version of Jesus and have already experienced his universal or galactic plan of salvation?

Curious Catholics need not be space buffs to want answers to these questions and others when they pick up a 48-page booklet by a Vatican astronomer.

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.

Titled "Intelligent Life in the Universe? Catholic Belief and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life," the pocket-sized booklet is the latest addition to the society's "Explanations Series," which explores Catholic teaching on current social and ethical issues.

Brother Consolmagno told Catholic News Service that the whole question of how Catholicism would hold up if some form of life were discovered on another planet has piqued people's curiosity "for centuries."

[emiller]

I like Art Bell because he always treats the nuts with respect. Never poo-poo's the loopiest theory.

[ncountylee]

I do too, but his replacement George has a leftist political agenda.

[GSlob]

Old habits of scholasticism die hard. Now, please remind me, how many angels could simultaneously dance on the point of a needle?

[Don Corleone]

Or would they have had their own version of Jesus and have already experienced his universal or galactic plan of salvation?

Why not???

[hispanichoosier]

Several orthodox theologians have considered this subject. I heard one theologian on Catholic radio state that if there are intelligent beings out there that we don't know about, it's quite possible that they do not have a fallen nature. In other words, unlike mankind, they were formed in the image & likeness of God and are sinless creatures.

If the creatures are sinless, we should leave them alone so that we don't inadvertently (or intentionally) tempt them into sin. This is where Roddenberry's Star Trek is most prescient: the Federation's Prime Directive was to leave developing planets to their own development without interference.

[TotusTuus]

Old habits of scholasticism die hard. Now, please remind me, how many angels could simultaneously dance on the point of a needle?

It's a worthy habit. The existence of angels brings the theoretical considerations of this article into perspective.

Angels are purely spiritual created beings not dependent on the physical universe. Some theologians - going back a long time ago - have speculated that there are an indefinite number of angels, each of whose nature shines forth the infinite majesty of God's uncreated Glory and Nature ever more perfectly. Each angel is a whole unique universe unto itself.

In this perspective these philosophers and theologians have been ahead of current empirical scientific trends in terms of looking for life outside our planet.

[GSlob]

"If the creatures are sinless, we should leave them alone so that we don't inadvertently (or intentionally) tempt them..."
Realistically speaking, whatever we could find using our present search techniques would likely be so much more advanced than we are that us tempting them would be out of question - we wouldn't be able to offer them anything they do not have already or might want. In comparison with them we would be like the Neanderthals at best - what is there to tempt with? Our best stone axes and a fresh mammoth steak? The hope would be that THEY leave us alone.

[GSlob]

"It's a worthy habit".
Hmm... Exercises in meaninglessness are indeed sometimes worthy as Zen koans, but I doubt they have much other use. Is Tuesday light yellowish?

[hispanichoosier]

Realistically speaking, whatever we could find using our present search techniques would likely be so much more advanced than we are that us tempting them would be out of question

You are correct when you say this, given the state of our "present search techniques." However, I was thinking more about the future, such as in the year 2500 or so. Given, you and I won't be here, but it's still an interesting theological exercise.