Thursday, May 15, 2008
Vatican: It’s OK to Believe in Aliens
(AP) -- Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.
The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.
"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."
In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.
The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life. Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates.
Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.
The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.
But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."
Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."
In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.
"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."
Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."
The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best. To strengthen its scientific credentials, the Vatican is organising a conference next year to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author of the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin.
The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.
© 2008 The Associated Press
Monday, May 12, 2008
Robin Williams on "Who's Line Is It Anyway?": A Laughingly Deadly Combination
Whose Line Is It Anyway? #1 - Scenes From A Hat
Design Toscano: The Reply
In July of 2007, I posted an item about a website called Design Toscano. They sell lawn sculptures, computer accessories, art, and so many other things that revolve around a Medeival/Gothic theme (although I have seen some religion-themed items). The works are incredibly beautiful, hand crafted, and very reasonably priced.
Recently, Liam from Design Toscano contacted me. For those who missed it, I'm re-posting it here:
Hey Luke,
Thanks for the call-out. We here at Toscano love yer blog. I am a big fan of Toscano too and I even sculpt some of the products. Check it out
http://www.designtoscano.com/product/dragon+and+gargoyle/gargoyle+garden+statues/gaston%2C+the+gothic+climber+sculpture+-+medium+-+ng832115.do
Cheers!
Liam Manchester
Actually, on the Design Toscano site itself, type "Liam Manchester" in the search engine at the top of the page and you'll see all of Liam's work. He sculpted an awesome dragon's skull (top) and I've never seen anything like it. It's made for the garden, but if I had the cash I'd gladly put it in the middle of my living room!
Even if you're not looking to buy anything, you can still take a look at the wonderful stuff at www.designtoscano.com .
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