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Vatican Astronomer Comments On Extraterrestrials
An anonymous reader writes "There's an Astrobiology.net interview up with a Vatican astronomer, Guy Consolmagno, who also curates one of the world's largest meteorite collections. On the possibility of a non-terrestrial lifeform, he says initially 'I don't know', followed by three scenarios. First, he argues: 'We find an intelligent civilization and there's no way in creation we can communicate with them because they're so alien to us. We can't talk to dolphins now. In which case, we'll never know.' Secondly, he suggests: 'We find the intelligent civilization. We can communicate.' As agents of free-will, the aliens are self-aware of good and evil, thus convertible to some terrestrial religion. Thirdly: 'We find a dozen civilizations out there, and a bunch of Jehovah's witnesses go up and convert them all.' The question of whether an alien civilization might convert Earth to their religion, or become a religion unto themselves, is left unconsidered. This compares to the many reasons people give for hosting a SETI@home client, including that ET contact would unite humanity, challenge religion, or all of the above."
and so no longer need primitive belief systems.
They may even know why we're here and what comes next
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
The discovery of extra-terrestrials will be the biggest event after the discovery of fire...and the only thing the Vatican can think about it is how to convert the extra-terrestrials to christianity ?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha...they are insane!
I would really like it if extra-terrestrials existed, only to make churches go crazy!
"Aithiests would have an absolute fit, when they translated the alien pledge of aliegence."
asshole.
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They will blow us to itty bitty peices.
Religion is the most destructive force in the galaxy.
Thats funny, all the dude can comment about is who gets to convert the new race of aliens.
Great, its not enough that the Catholic Church spread their garbage to the New World and into Asia and Africa, now they want to convert aliens. The idea that a human is inherenly bad and the only way out is to feel really really guilty because some middle eastern philosopher let himself be killed by the Romans 2000 years ago is one of the worst ideas to be spread across this planet. Hopefully aliens won't be as gullible as American Indians and won't allow thier cultures to be subverted by the Church's lies.