What if Aliens Landed Today and Other Questions

  I just had a very interesting interaction with a young lady on Facebook and thought that this would make a good blog post. Here is the original post:

To which I answered:

Which elicited this answer from her.

Because religion teaches that man is special, that the earth is the center of creation. Life on other planets would disprove this. What if aliens on another planet say Jesus is not god? What if they say God doesn't exist and that they have proof of how the universe was created and can present it? The bible says God created man and angels, and animals/plants of course. Catholics say Christ is lord of the universe. HOw is this possible? Was he born elsewhere and died elsewhere on the cross? Did he pick disciples there? So far, I think only the Mormons believe Christ traveled to other planets to preach.

What follows was my answer to her questions and the main body of this blog post.
Enjoy!

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   Hi Yesi, First let me commend you on taking time to think about these things. It is my experience that the majority of people never give a second thought to these things. It is refreshing to see someone so young wrestling with these sort of questions.

You said: "Because religion teaches that man is special, that the earth is the center of creation."

First, your use of the term "religion" is too general. There might be some religions who teach what you say but there are others that most certainly don't (Like the Catholic Church, the "CC" from now on). So, for the sake of argument, I will assume you refer to "Christianity" when you use that term. In addition, since I'm a Catholic I will give you the CC version. I make no claims about other "flavors" of Christianity.
  Having said this, lets break this first statement down into parts: "Because religion teaches that man is special" The CC teaches that man has "a special dignity" (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1700). The issue of "Is man the ONLY creature in the whole of Creation with this dignity?" is still an open question.
  "The earth is the center of creation" The most I can say here without a long discussion is this: when Catholics say this they mean "center" as a "central event". Think about it this way: about 10.4 billion years ago all the energy concentrated in the Big Bang singularity was directed towards resulting on our planet being born and the development of intelligent life. Again, the issue of other planets being born and other intelligent life being developed is still an open question. The CC makes no claims about this. So as you can see, the Catholic position in its essence is the same as the science position: "Wait and see".

You said:  "Life on other planets would disprove this."

By my answers above it is easy to see that the discovery of life, even if it is intelligent does not disprove the Catholic point. The most it would do is force us to reinterpret the central event in the history of our planet (i.e. the birth life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ) and what does this mean to all these new "islands" of intelligent life scattered around the universe. (More on this later in my answers)

You said:  "What if aliens on another planet say Jesus is not god?".

OK so... what if? Your question seems to imply that because these "aliens" are more advanced than us technologically, WE have nothing to teach THEM. Just look at human history. How many times have we as a civilization lamented the loss of some special knowledge from this or that tribe, or group of people that we have conquered or absorbed? This is an indication that less technological advanced groups can still teach something to more advanced beings. One would hope that the "aliens" have grown enough in their philosophical development to be open to what we have to teach them.

You said:  "What if they say God doesn't exist and that they have proof of how the universe was created and can present it?"

Your questions ring more as speculations than as questions. What if it is the other way around? What if they come and say "We have been looking all over the universe for the planet in which the Creator of the universe entered history...and you guys are it". As I see it, the most we can say is that there is a 50-50 chance for either of these two to happen. So again... what if?  What if they have been looking for us because of the Christ event?  Would this change your mind?  That is the problem with speculative questions.
    Now lets apply the same answer to my previous question to this one. On the event that your speculation is true... Just because they are more technologically advanced doesn't mean they have everything figured out! I would think that we would take their evidence and place it under the light of our divine revelation and see what it all really means. However we would do this without fear because Catholics believe that truth is universal and that truth is not a concept but a person: Jesus. I am certain (In fact I'm excited about this possibility!)  that any "alien's" proof would end up shedding light on His person and it would help us understand Him and ourselves better.

You said: "The bible says God created man and angels, and animals/plants of course. Catholics say Christ is lord of the universe. How is this possible?".

Christ is the Lord of the universe; we can only speak for what we know in our little corner of this universe and what God has revealed in our own history. Why does it seem so far fetched to think that, outside of planet Earth, God has revealed himself to other creatures? Look at the Christmas story (as it is presented in the first few chapters of the Gospel of Mathew), God revealed to "Magi from the East" that he was going to enter history in the womb of a young Jewish girl and then he led them to a back-water town of northern Judea. Why is it so far fetched to think that he has not revealed himself to other intelligent beings? And that he is leading them to a back-water planet in an unremarkable galaxy to meet Him personally?

You said: "Was he born elsewhere and died elsewhere on the cross? Did he pick disciples there?".

This, we can answer with certainty. No. If we look at human history it seems the Christ event was unique to us.  Why? Because way before the birth of the Christ, civilizations without any knowledge of Judaism prefigured this coming of a "savior". We we just have to extend this fact to the rest of the universe and I feel we have a better that 50-50 chance to say that this was a one time vent within the history of creation. Now this is a big topic. I would recommend the Roy Abraham Varghese excellent book, "The Christ Connection: How the World Religions Prepared the Way for the Phenomenon of Jesus". If you ever get to read it, we can talk about this in more detail.

I hope my answers give you a different perspective. I would also like to recommend two other books: Jesuit brother Guy Consolmagno's "Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?" So you can get a more extensive exposition of what the Catholic Church teaches about these issues. I would also like to recommend the C.S. Louis "Perelandra" trilogy in which he explores what I have been saying in my post, but as a work of Science Fiction. Lastly, I hope you don't mind but since this answer was so long, I posted it as an article in my blog (at www.DeaconHarbey.com) If you would like to continue our discussion I would ask you do it there since the interface of a blog comment box is more suited to deal with long posts than the Facebook interface.

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Epiphany of the Lord

   If we were to list all the characters in the Christmas story, I think the list would go something like this: First You got Baby Jesus at the center, then Mary and Joseph, then the angles, then the shepherds, then King Herod, then The Magi and lastly the Star of Bethlehem. However there is one character which is hardly ever noticed, although it is a fundamental part of the action in this story. And not I’m not talking about sheep or the cow or the donkey. The character I think I have in mind was there when Jesus was born, stood next to the Magi while they tried to figure the meaning of the strange signs they were witnessing in the heavens. This character stood with the shepherds as they tended their flocks at night and accompanied them to visit the new born King. It stood next to the choirs of angels as they praised God while wishing peace to all people of good will and was responsible for the brightness of the guiding star. We can even see the influence it had in King Herod’s heart as he plotted the murder of innocent children; And. If by now you have not guessed whom this crucial member of the cast is let me tell you it’s name… Its name is Darkness.
   If we were to re-read all the stories which compose the story of Christmas, from the annunciation to the visit of the Magi, you will notice that the closer we get to the point in which we are today the more darkness plays an ever increasing role in the plot. From the night dreams St Joseph had as he struggled to decide if he should expose the pregnancy of Mary, to the Holy couple seeking for a place to spend the night and deliver their baby, to the dark corners of a cold a dirty stable, to the shepherds herding their sheep in the night, to the choirs of angels singing in the night, to the magi following a star; without the shadows of the night, the Christmas story would be incomplete.
    I do not think this happened by accident, in fact this is one of the main points of the incarnation, God in the flesh illuminating a world in darkness with his divine presence.
    The interesting thing is that although human beings and animals have a natural fear of darkness, in this story darkness although a constant companion in itself it is not scary. It is only when we are confronted with the darkness residing in the heart of King Herod that we are repulsed by it. What can be in the heart of a human being who chooses to murder innocent children than the plain unadulterated darkness of evil? It would be nice if we could say “thanks be to God we do not live in a world with that kind of darkness in the hearts of men!” But sadly we do, we see examples of this every day! From the children murdered in Sandy Hook just a few days before Christmas, last year. To the stories of the Islamist terrorists in, butchering children just because they would not deny their faith in Christ, to the sad reality that since abortion has been legal in our country 52 million babies, have been aborted by an industry which exploits the fears and confusion of poor women. The darkness of evil is a clear presence in the hearts of many men today.
   This is why we needed a savior, someone like us but not one of us. Someone who can show us the way in the same way the start guided the Magi, not destroying the darkness but illuminating it with its brightness, and marking a path for us to follow; because darkness cannot be destroyed or eradicated but it could be made disappear by the light of something as simple as a baby wrapped on swaddling clothes resting peacefully in a manger.

   The three wise men visited the baby Jesus because he was light in the darkness; they followed a star because it guided them to the source of all light. They set an example for us, who exist in the darkness of our modern world.
   The other day Nancy and I were walking from the parking lot and met a gentleman, one of our parishioners. We started talking and in his words we could hear how much he had been affected by the things that are currently happening on the world. He asked me “Why are all these horrible things happening?” I gave him The best answer I could, I said “Evil exists because of sin, as long as we live in this side of heaven we will have evil. But we will also have the light of the spirit which guides us, protects us and consoles us”.
    This is the light which today shines from the manger, the light the magi followed and the Shepherds marveled about in wonder. The light which shines into the darkness of world, Jesus Christ the Son of God, who became flesh dwell among us and is still gently guiding us into heaven.  
    In this Epiphany Sunday, as we finish the Christmas season, my prayer is for the light which guided the Magi, to brings you peace and joy today. Amen

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Epiphany of Our Lord

     The other day I was reading an on-line article which described a condition affecting many people this time of the year. Experts call it “The Post-Christmas let-down”.  It is defined as the felling we get when after all the preparations, all the efforts, all the anticipation for “Christmas Day”, we find ourselves asking “That was it??  Is this what Christmas is all about?”  The cause for this problem is the way our culture raises the expectations for Christmas day. For weeks we are encouraged to expect the perfect present under the Christmas tree, we are encouraged to dream of a “White Christmas”, and we are promised that in this day will be as much fun as “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh” “laughing all the way”. For many people however, the reality of this day is very different.  Most likely we did not get what we were hoping, or didn’t do all the things we wanted to do, and some us even, spent our Christmas wishing we could be with someone else or in some other place.
   In a culture which encourages and celebrates “Instant Gratification” we run the danger of putting all of our effort on making every second of Christmas day perfect, forgetting what we are really celebrating. So when the day is over we are left with toys to put away, presents to be return, kitchens full of dishes,  living room full of wrapping paper and empty boxes, and Christmas ornaments which need to be stored back to be used next year… Do this sound familiar??
   The reality is that for us Catholics December 25 is just the beginning of the Christmas season, a season which last 12 whole days and ends today with the feast of the Epiphany. A feast that, it seems to me provides an antidote to this dreaded Post Christmas Let Down.
   So my brothers and sisters, if you have been suffering from this Post Christmas Let Down, let me give you three simple steps to salvage what is left of the Christmas season:   Number One: take some time to reflect on what we were truly celebrating: Images of the sweet baby in the manger are nice,  but also remember that by taking human form, by appropriating for himself the flesh of the Blessed Virgin, and molding a human body from her, the creator of the universe has taken the whole of the human race and lift it up to a dignity greater than anything else in creation including the angels! Because of the incarnation we have been given the opportunity to one day be as close to God as Mary was when God Himself was in her womb, feeding of her and sharing of her own life! That is the mystery of the incarnation.
  Number two: spend some time looking at what you have received; look at each present as a token of love from God himself. What is God telling me through each present I have received? It does not matter if we are talking about a toaster or a video game; how does God want me to be happy with what I have received? What part of my life has been blessed by each gift received?
  Number Three, and this is the most important step, think about how am I going to use this present to give back to God in thanks? How can I give of myself to the person who gave me each gift?
   The beauty of the Christian celebration of Christmas is that we have twelve days to do this, and on the last day, today, the feast of the Epiphany we are given the Three Wise Men to show us how they were the very first people who celebrated Christmas with these three steps.
Let me show you; First they used science of their times and listened to the ancient prophesies, to realize that an amazing event was about to occur: the creator of the universe, loving His creation to the extreme, decided to enter into our history and become one of us.
   Second, they looked at their own resources, the gifts they had received from God as wise kings and scientists of their time, and understood that they were given these as a blessing; so that they could witness, be part of such a momentous event. So without delay they undertook the long trip to a far away land, a trip that would put them face to face with the living God, Emanuel, God in the flesh.
   Third, when they finally arrived to the house were the babe and His mother were, returned to him what they themselves had received, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, symbols of kinship, divinity and a life given for others out of love.
The Gospel reading tells us that the Three Wise Men were overjoyed when the saw the star stop at the house were Jesus and Mary were, the end of their long ordeal. Overjoyed, that is the felling we get when we celebrate Christmas the right way.
   The reason why we suffer of the dreaded Post Christmas Let Down is because in our mind Christmas ends on December 26. But for those who live their lives with the realization of the incredible gift God the Father has given us in Jesus, the realization that everything we have is a reflection of this blessing, which awakes on us a desire to return this blessing to Him by blessing others…for those who follow the example of the Three Wise Men, Christmas never ends, Christmas is a way of life. The one sure antidote against the Post Christmas Let Down is living our lives as if Christmas happens every day of the year.

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