Posted on 05/13/2014 9:35:11 AM PDT by marthemaria
Pope Francis would absolutely baptize an alien from Mars, if one showed up at the Vatican and asked for it. During his weekly homily on Monday, Franics said that aliens — which he imagines could be "Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them" — should be baptized just like anyone else who asks for it, because it's not up to any human to decide who should receive the Holy Spirit.
In other words: if God prompts some Martians to come to Earth, find the Pope, and say "we want in on this Catholicism thing." The pope would probably say "OK. cool." But probably in Latin.
Francis laid out the hypothetical situation as part of a discussion of the early Church's baptizing of Gentiles. Basically, the earliest Church contained some tension over whether there was any difference between the very early Jewish followers of Christ, and Gentiles who converted from paganism to Christianity, who would be considered "unclean" by the standards of Jewish law. Peter eventually persuades his followers that everyone is open to becoming Christian by saying, "If then God gave them the same gift He gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?"
So here's how Francis tried to illustrate that point on Monday, with a much more modern example:
That was unthinkable. If – for example - tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them came to us, here... Martians, right? Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them... And one says, 'But I want to be baptized!' What would happen?"
What would happen? They'd get baptized, that's what would happen. He goes on:
"When the Lord shows us the way, who are we to say, 'No, Lord, it is not prudent! No, lets do it this way'... Who are we to close doors? In the early Church, even today, there is the ministry of the ostiary [usher]. And what did the ostiary do? He opened the door, received the people, allowed them to pass. But it was never the ministry of the closed door, never."
The Vatican's astronomer — the same one who dismissed 'Intelligent Design' as 'bad theology' — said in 2010 that he'd baptize an alien because "any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has – has a soul." But, again, only if they request it. So glad that's settled. Now all we have to do is wait.
Good for Pope Francis! ( now if he could only figure out how to wean all of Satan’s followers from “ that religion of peace” (sic!!) to a genuine relationship, communion with the one true God).
Will Alex Murphy please pick up the white courtesy phone... Did we just see what we just saw?
What about goats? Baptize them too?
The real question is how to determine whether a sentient being has a soul.
Well, he is, after all, infallible...
Pius XII was the last Pope to speak ex cathedra in 1950 when he defined assumption of Mary.
It’s the coffee. Read through the typos.
is there a gene that will tell us that, like the gay gene?
You do not know what you’re trying to claim. Coco was not only aware enough to carry on conversation, she displayed sadness when he kitty ‘AllBall’ died. Do you realize that soul and spirit are not the same?
So, then, are you claiming others we don’t know about who were also created in God’s image (if they exist) would need only God and Holy Spirit, but not Christ?
If Coco needs to be saved, and confesses Christ, the by all means she should be baptized.
Would you deny her that?
Until you can illustrate what you can use to determine if she has a spirit, not just a soul, I will continue to laugh at your illiteracy. Have you any reference to cite where God breathed a spirit into some ancient ancestor of Coco?
Yep. Christ is fully God and fully man and His geneology, life and purpose of His death and resurrection are very clearly spelled out in His word. If you are not a descendent of Adam, the “gospel” does not apply to you. And baptism is ALL about the gospel - the good news of Christ’s sacrifice and its purpose.
A sentient, intelligent alien could make the decision to join the church.
A goat can not.
True, we baptize infants who don’t make the decision themselves, but it is up to them if they want to cultivate their role in the Church during their lives.
There have been a lot of people on this earth that were/are satisfied with just God.
Was there a prize for “first detection & report”?
part of the delusion
It is indeed absurd. Why would they even need baptism or salvation if they are not descended from Adam & Eve? If you’re not part of the curse, then you don’t need the cure.
“Pius XII was the last Pope to speak ex cathedra in 1950 when he defined assumption of Mary.”
WHOA! No wonder they are loathe to do it again, after that boo boo!
It is indeed absurd. Why would they even need baptism or salvation if they are not descended from Adam & Eve? If you’re not part of the curse, then you don’t need the cure.
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