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posted by janrinok on Thursday March 20 2014, @02:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the in-a-parallel-Vatican-somewhere-in-the-universe dept.

Papas Fritas writes:

"Megann Gannon reports that nearly 200 scientists are attending a conference, called "The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System: Exoplanets, Biosignature & Instruments," co-hosted by the Vatican Observatory with the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory.

The goal of the conference is to bring together the interdisciplinary community required to address this multi-faceted challenge: experts on exoplanet observations, early and extreme life on Earth, atmospheric biosignatures, and planet-finding telescopes. 'Finding life beyond Earth is one of the great challenges of modern science and we are excited to have the world leaders in this field together in Tucson,' says Daniel Apai. 'But reaching such an ambitious goal takes planning and time. The goal of this meeting is to discuss how we can find life among the stars within the next two decades.'

According to the organizers, the conference will cover the technical challenges of finding and imaging exoplanets and identifying biosignatures in the atmospheres of far-flung worlds. Other presentations will discuss the study of life forms that live in extreme environments on Earth, which could be apt analogs for life on other planets. Scientists will give more than 160 research presentations (PDF) during this week's conference and NASA's Astrobiology Institute will broadcast a live feed of the sessions. Catholic leaders say that alien life can be aligned with the Bible's teachings. 'Just as a multiplicity of creatures exists on Earth, so there could be other beings, also intelligent, created by God,' says Father Jose Funes"

 
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  • (Score: 1) by monster on Thursday March 20 2014, @05:40PM

    by monster (1260) on Thursday March 20 2014, @05:40PM (#18972) Journal

    The same thing that happens to all the people who never had the opportunity to be converted during their lifetime on earth; whatever that is. Being isolated from potential missionaries is hardly unique to being from a different planet.

    Then it's not universal salvation, as they preach. And, since they are the ones arguing about the divinity of Jesus, aren't they who must give answers, at least if they expect to be taken seriously?

    Again, was the new world more or less worthy of salvation simply because Christ wasn't born there? These are not new philosophical questions for the Church, they are very very very old questions that no one has thought about lately.

    Being old doesn't mean they are settled. Also, since that was the moral justification for the conquest of the Americas, it's been already used.

    Anyway, I'm not spending any more time against anyone's religion. Believe what you choose to.