Recently, the Vatican convened experts in science and theology to delve into the implications of the possible existence of extraterrestrial life.
Fundamentalists have long argued against the existence such life, stating that since God "created man in His image," and because God "gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" to die for our sins, that we humans on this pale blue dot must necessarily be the only form of life in the universe.
The largest Christian denomination begs to disagree: according to Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory,
"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said in that interview.
"Just as there is a multitude of creatures on Earth, there could be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. This does not contradict our faith, because we cannot put limits on God's creative freedom."
Funes maintained that if intelligent beings were discovered, they would also be considered "part of creation."
"Just as there is a multitude of creatures on Earth, there could be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. This does not contradict our faith, because we cannot put limits on God's creative freedom."
Funes maintained that if intelligent beings were discovered, they would also be considered "part of creation."
The importance of astronomy in science education cannot be underestimated. Indeed, during the infamous 1999 Kansas EvoWar I, creationists on the Kansas State Board of Education removed three key concepts from the standards: evolution, the 4.6-billion-year-old earth, and the history of the universe. Although much of the headlines went to the removal of evolution, cutting out cosmological concepts was just as damaging.
"It was astronomical observations that let us understand that Earth (and man) don't have a privileged position or role in the universe," he said. "I ask myself what tools will we use in the next 400 years, and I ask what revolutions of understanding they'll bring about, like resolving the mystery of our apparent cosmic solitude." - Tommaso Maccacaro, president of Italy's national institute of astrophysics
Just another reminder that science education battles aren't issues of science v. religion. Nope, they're strictly sectarian squabbles between competing sects. And the residents of Northern Ireland and Iran can tell us how productive those disputes are.
posted by Cheryl Shepherd-Adams
