Aliens and Religion: Catholic Edition Thread 🧵
Taylor Marshall (note: he is in impaired communion with the Church) claims UFOs and aliens are demons. But what does Catholicism teach?
youtube.com/live/hxy9iYrT1…
#CatholicTwitter #catholic #ufotwitter #uaptwitter
here are divisions within each faith and sub-groups of faith, but there are growing voices in more conservative branches of Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism that believe UFOs are demons.
The trend is an outgrowth of John Keel's thesis from Operation Trojan Horse, which pointed out that encounters with aliens match stories of historical tales of demons and other supernatural creatures. They come across as either outright evil or liars. amzn.to/3KjLqkK
This theory was boosted by the Orthodox Saint Seraphim Rose. Rose compared UFO stories to manifestations of demons, stories that exist in abundance in Orthodox saint tales. archive.org/details/fr.-se…
This demon theory is strongest in areas most consider traditional Catholicism, but is it really traditional or even Catholic?
First, the Catholic Church's view is the following: there is no set belief. One can be a faithful Catholic and believe in aliens, believe there is no life on other planets, think aliens are demons in disguise, or many other things. catholic.com/qa/whats-the-c…
Some may cite saints against the possibility of life on other worlds, but it is important to remember that saints' teachings are not automatic requirements of the faith or true.
For example, Saint Augustine thought there couldn't be life in the antipodes.
newadvent.org/cathen/01581a.…
The great book Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe with God and the Angels? by @TANBooks demonstrates the debate was a low priority in the Church but an on-going one.
amzn.to/3IvGvvN
@TANBooks Much of the debate revolved whether or not Jesus had a saving role on other worlds? Did The Fall impact other races? Richard Middleton summed up the open to life camp with (paraphrased) God can do whatever He wants, don't worry about it.
In 1891, Pope Leo XII opened up the Vatican Observatory, stating truth could not contradict truth. Jesuit priests have long run the observatory, open to all possibilities for the Greater Glory of God.
Saint Padre Pio (Saint Pius of Pietrelcina) is quoted as being open to alien life. stcatherinercc.org/single-post/20…
In 2008, Father Jose Gabriel Funes, head of the Vatican Observatory and an astronomer, said there was no contradiction in believing in God and aliens. reuters.com/article/us-pop…
Pope Francis himself quipped that he would baptize an alien if it(?) asked. independent.co.uk/news/world/eur…
Interestingly enough, a survey of Catholic priests online reveals a united front on the possibility of aliens being truly life on other worlds, not demons. This three hour podcast sums up a lot of finer points.
I was unable to find a priest who would say aliens and UFOs must be demons. The demon theory appears to be entirely lay (not cleric) led. I could not find even an impaired (SSPX) or schismatic (SSPV, CMRI) priest saying aliens must be demons.
What are your thoughts? What did I miss? What religion should I cover next?
Also, if you like some religious questions in your alien discussions, check out my novel Fallen. A veteran with PTSD is assigned to liaison with an alien race visiting Earth. amzn.to/3Ie9mTS
Be sure to check out the other threads: Orthodox and Aliens
Aliens and Religion: Oriental Orthodox, Protestants, and Other Jesus-Inspired Groups
Aliens and Religion: Islam
Aliens and Religion: Judaism
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