Download or read book Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith written by Paul Thigpen and published by Tan Books. This book was released on 2022-06-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than half a century, the question of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) has been widely dismissed in our culture. That wasn't always the case. Some of the best minds of the last twenty-five centuries in Western civilization have grappled with this mystery. In Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith, best-selling author Paul Thigpen begins with a fascinating historical survey of the public conversation about ETI, tracing the thought of prominent Catholics and others. Well-known figures such as Plato, Saint John Chrysostom, René Descartes, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, and C. S. Lewis all speculated about the possibilities of life beyond our planet. Even Catholic saints and blesseds spoke of ETI, such as Pope Saint. John Paul II, Saint (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina, and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. In light of this history, readers will discover answers to these questions: How do Scripture and Catholic teaching shed light on this topic? Are alleged encounters with ETI simply a form of demonic deception? Is belief in ETI compatible with the Catholic Church's teaching? What might be the spiritual and moral status of ETI, and what relationship might they have to Jesus Christ? Would the confirmed existence of ETI undermine the Christian faith, as some have claimed? How can thinking about ETI deepen our faith and enhance our understanding of the Church's teaching about God and His creation, Jesus Christ and salvation, and God's ultimate intention for His creatures? Still more, a concluding appendix addresses the related issue of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and the speculation surrounding them. Recent developments in astrophysics, technology, and UFO-related disclosures by the Pentagon have reawakened the public discussion about ETI. Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith is a thorough guide to navigating the conversation from a faithful Catholic perspective.
Download or read book Christianity and Extraterrestrials written by Marie George and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2005 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does ETI existence spell the death of Christianity? The increasingly popular answer is "yes". Marie George argues, to the contrary, that Christian belief is compatible with ETI existence, by examining Roman Catholic teaching and Scripture. She then makes a case that while Christian belief does not exclude ETI existence, it does render it improbable. George goes on to expose the faulty reasoning behind the common opinion that science indicates that the universe surely contains other intelligent life forms. She closes with speculations on what the Catholic Church might eventually say about ETIs. Central to her analysis is the cosmic role of Christ. "I appreciate arguments like those in Christianity and Extraterrestrials?, laid out carefully and investigated thoroughly. If more writers proceeded with Dr. George's care and courtesy, there would be new hope for peace in the world." John L. Barger, Ph.D. Publisher, Sophia Institute Press "Although some of Dr. George's claims are controversial, she is clearly an author seeking the truth and open to opposing arguments. Moreover, she has sought out the best sources and used them wisely-in short, an admirable scholarly presentation." Michael J. Crowe Cavanaugh Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame and author of The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900
Download or read book Exotheology written by Joel L. Parkyn and published by Lutterworth Press. This book was released on 2023-08-31 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since antiquity, theology has frequently gone hand in hand with the study of the heavens. Speculation regarding the plurality of worlds, and the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth, has posed questions for, and been stimulated by, Christian theology. Advancements in astronomy and astrophysics now reveal a vast universe containing trillions of galaxies. Each new exoplanet discovered brings with it a new context in which to consider the place of humanity, and the role of divinity in relation to creatures. In particular, the Christian doctrines of the incarnation and redemption must be understood afresh in light of the likelihood of extraterrestrial life. In Exotheology, Joel L. Parkyn examines the twin historic developments in scientific and theological thought on extraterrestrials from antiquity to the twenty-first century. In doing so he demonstrates a consistent pattern of theological formulations that allow for a distinct relation between Christianity and extraterrestrial life, but this has so far been without sufficient resolution. Applying concepts from anthropology, psychology and sociology to putative extraterrestrials, he explores in new depth the implications of contact, and argues for a 'divine pedagogy' of potential modalities of supernatural presence and action with extraterrestrial intelligences.
Download or read book Extraterrestrials in the Catholic Imagination written by Jennifer Rosato and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2021-02-10 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do scientists know about the possibility of life outside our solar system? How does Catholic science fiction imagine such worlds? What are the implications for Catholic thought? This collection brings together leading scientists, philosophers, theologians, and science fiction authors in the Catholic tradition to examine these issues. In the first section, Christian scientists detail the latest scientific findings regarding the possibility of life on exoplanets. The second part brings together leading Catholic science fiction authors who describe how “alien” life forms have been prevalent in the Catholic imagination from the Middle Ages right up to the present day. In the final section, Catholic philosophers and theologians examine the implications of discovering intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Rather than worrying that the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrials might threaten the dignity of humans or their existence, the contributors here maintain that such creatures should be welcomed as fellow creatures of God and potential subjects of divine salvation.
Download or read book Religions and Extraterrestrial Life written by David A. Weintraub and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-16 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the twenty-first century, the debate about life on other worlds is quickly changing from the realm of speculation to the domain of hard science. Within a few years, as a consequence of the rapid discovery by astronomers of planets around other stars, astronomers very likely will have discovered clear evidence of life beyond the Earth. Such a discovery of extraterrestrial life will change everything. Knowing the answer as to whether humanity has company in the universe will trigger one of the greatest intellectual revolutions in history, not the least of which will be a challenge for at least some terrestrial religions. Which religions will handle the discovery of extraterrestrial life with ease and which will struggle to assimilate this new knowledge about our place in the universe? Some religions as currently practiced appear to only be viable on Earth. Other religions could be practiced on distant worlds but nevertheless identify both Earth as a place and humankind as a species of singular spiritual religious importance, while some religions could be practiced equally well anywhere in the universe by any sentient beings. Weintraub guides readers on an invigorating tour of the world’s most widely practiced religions. It reveals what, if anything, each religion has to say about the possibility that extraterrestrial life exists and how, or if, a particular religion would work on other planets in distant parts of the universe.
Download or read book Vast Universe written by Thomas F. O'Meara and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If we have learned anything from recent advances in cosmology and astronomy, it is that we have only barely begun to comprehend the vastness of our universe and all that it contains. For Christians, this raises some fascinating questions: If there are intelligent beings out there, what would be their relationship to what Christianity claims is a special history on Earth of life with God? Would the fact of persons on other planets banish or modify our understanding of God? Would it reduce the importance of Jesus? What role might goodness and evil play in extraterrestrial civilizations? Might God have incarnated himself among other races of creatures, as he became incarnate as Jesus among us? Respectful of the sciences that disclose the reality of the universe, Thomas O'Meara wonders about good and evil, intelligence and freedom, revelation and life as they might exist in other galaxies. In this book, one possible aspect of the universe we live in meets the perspective of Christian revelation.
Download or read book Intelligent Life in the Universe written by Guy Consolmagno and published by . This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is there life on other planets?
Download or read book Extraterrestrials in the Catholic Imagination written by Jennifer Rosato and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2021-04 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do scientists know about the possibility of life outside our solar system? How does Catholic science ï¬ ction imagine such worlds? What are the implications for Catholic thought? This collection brings together leading scientists, philosophers, theologians, and science fiction authors in the Catholic tradition to examine these issues. In the first section, Christian scientists detail the latest scientific findings regarding the possibility of life on exoplanets. The second part brings together leading Catholic science fiction authors who describe how â oealienâ life forms have been prevalent in the Catholic imagination from the Middle Ages right up to the present day. In the final section, Catholic philosophers and theologians examine the implications of discovering intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Rather than worrying that the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrials might threaten the dignity of humans or their existence, the contributors here maintain that such creatures should be welcomed as fellow creatures of God and potential subjects of divine salvation.
Download or read book Science Religion and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence written by David Wilkinson and published by . This book was released on 2013-08 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, taking seriously the current scientific arguments and its implications for religion.
Download or read book Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial written by Guy Consolmagno, SJ and published by Image. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Witty and thought provoking, two Vatican astronomers shed provocative light on some of the strange places where religion and science meet. “Imagine if a Martian showed up, all big ears and big nose like a child’s drawing, and he asked to be baptized. How would you react?” —Pope Francis, May, 2014 Pope Francis posed that question—without insisting on an answer!—to provoke deeper reflection about inclusiveness and diversity in the Church. But it's not the first time that question has been asked. Brother Guy Consolmagno and Father Paul Mueller hear questions like that all the time. They’re scientists at the Vatican Observatory, the official astronomical research institute of the Catholic Church. In Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? they explore a variety of questions at the crossroads of faith and reason: How do you reconcile the The Big Bang with Genesis? Was the Star of Bethlehem just a pious religious story or an actual description of astronomical events? What really went down between Galileo and the Catholic Church—and why do the effects of that confrontation still reverberate to this day? Will the Universe come to an end? And… could you really baptize an extraterrestrial? With disarming humor, Brother Guy and Father Paul explore these questions and more over the course of six days of dialogue. Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial will make you laugh, make you think, and make you reflect more deeply on science, faith, and the nature of the universe.
Download or read book American Cosmic written by D.W. Pasulka and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-18 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than half of American adults and more than seventy-five percent of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life. This level of belief rivals that of belief in God. American Cosmic examines the mechanisms at work behind the thriving belief system in extraterrestrial life, a system that is changing and even supplanting traditional religions. Over the course of a six-year ethnographic study, D.W. Pasulka interviewed successful and influential scientists, professionals, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, thereby disproving the common misconception that only fringe members of society believe in UFOs. She argues that widespread belief in aliens is due to a number of factors including their ubiquity in modern media like The X-Files, which can influence memory, and the believability lent to that media by the search for planets that might support life. American Cosmic explores the intriguing question of how people interpret unexplainable experiences, and argues that the media is replacing religion as a cultural authority that offers believers answers about non-human intelligent life.
Download or read book Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial written by Guy Consolmagno, SJ and published by Image. This book was released on 2018-06-26 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Witty and thought provoking, two Vatican astronomers shed provocative light on some of the strange places where religion and science meet. “Imagine if a Martian showed up, all big ears and big nose like a child’s drawing, and he asked to be baptized. How would you react?” —Pope Francis, May, 2014 Pope Francis posed that question—without insisting on an answer!—to provoke deeper reflection about inclusiveness and diversity in the Church. But it's not the first time that question has been asked. Brother Guy Consolmagno and Father Paul Mueller hear questions like that all the time. They’re scientists at the Vatican Observatory, the official astronomical research institute of the Catholic Church. In Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? they explore a variety of questions at the crossroads of faith and reason: How do you reconcile the The Big Bang with Genesis? Was the Star of Bethlehem just a pious religious story or an actual description of astronomical events? What really went down between Galileo and the Catholic Church—and why do the effects of that confrontation still reverberate to this day? Will the Universe come to an end? And… could you really baptize an extraterrestrial? With disarming humor, Brother Guy and Father Paul explore these questions and more over the course of six days of dialogue. Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? will make you laugh, make you think, and make you reflect more deeply on science, faith, and the nature of the universe.
Download or read book Exotheology written by Joel L. Parkyn and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since antiquity, theology has frequently gone hand in hand with the study of the heavens. Speculation regarding the plurality of worlds, and the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth, has posed questions for, and been stimulated by, Christian theology. Advancements in astronomy and astrophysics now reveal a vast universe containing trillions of galaxies. Each new exoplanet discovered brings with it a new context in which to consider the place of humanity, and the role of divinity in relation to creatures. In particular, the Christian doctrines of the incarnation and redemption must be understood afresh in light of the likelihood of extraterrestrial life. In Exotheology, Joel L. Parkyn examines the twin historic developments in scientific and theological thought on extraterrestrials from antiquity to the twenty-first century. In doing so he demonstrates a consistent pattern of theological formulations that allow for a distinct relation between Christianity and extraterrestrial life, but this has so far been without sufficient resolution. Applying concepts from anthropology, psychology and sociology to putative extraterrestrials, he explores in new depth the implications of contact, and argues for a ‘divine pedagogy’ of potential modalities of supernatural presence and action with extraterrestrial intelligences.
Download or read book Vast Universe written by Thomas O'Meara and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If we have learned anything from recent advances in cosmology and astronomy, it is that we have only barely begun to comprehend the vastness of our universe and all that it contains. For Christians, this raises some fascinating questions: If there are intelligent beings out there, what would be their relationship to what Christianity claims is a special history on Earth of life with God? Would the fact of persons on other planets banish or modify our understanding of God? Would it reduce the importance of Jesus? What role might goodness and evil play in extraterrestrial civilizations? Might God have incarnated himself among other races of creatures, as he became incarnate as Jesus among us? Respectful of the sciences that disclose the reality of the universe, Thomas O'Meara wonders about good and evil, intelligence and freedom, revelation and life as they might exist in other galaxies. In this book, one possible aspect of the universe we live in meets the perspective of Christian revelation.
Download or read book Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Human Imagination written by John Traphagan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-07 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) represents one of the most significant crossroads at which the assumptions and methods of scientific inquiry come into direct contact with—and in many cases conflict with—those of religion. Indeed, at the core of SETI is the same question that motivates many interested in religion: What is the place of humanity in the universe? Both scientists involved with SETI (and in other areas) and those interested in and dedicated to some religious traditions are engaged in contemplating these types of questions, even if their respective approaches and answers differ significantly. This book explores this intersection with a focus on three core points: 1) the relationship between science and religion as it is expressed within the framework of SETI research, 2) the underlying assumptions, many of which are tacitly based upon cultural values common in American society, that have shaped the ways in which SETI researchers have conceptualized the nature of their endeavor and represented ideas about the potential influence contact might have on human civilization, and 3) what sort of empirical evidence we might be able to access as a way of thinking about the social impact that contact with alien intelligence might have for humanity, from both religious and cultural perspectives. The book developed as a result of a course the author teaches at the University of Texas at Austin: Religion, Science, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
Download or read book When SETI Succeeds written by Allen Tough and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Sparrow written by Mary Doria Russell and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2008-05-27 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end. Praise for The Sparrow “A startling, engrossing, and moral work of fiction.”—The New York Times Book Review “Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs, our prejudices, and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them.”—Entertainment Weekly “Powerful . . . The Sparrow tackles a difficult subject with grace and intelligence.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Provocative, challenging . . . recalls both Arthur C. Clarke and H. G. Wells, with a dash of Ray Bradbury for good measure.”—The Dallas Morning News “[Mary Doria] Russell shows herself to be a skillful storyteller who subtly and expertly builds suspense.”—USA Today
