In November 2009, the Vatican called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church. “The questions of life’s origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration,” said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer, and director of the Vatican Observatory.

Many priests today openly endorse scientific ideas like the Big Bang Theory as an explanation for the creation of the universe. Last year, the Vatican sponsored a conference on evolution to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species. The event did not invite proponents of alternative theories, like Creationism and Intelligent Design, which see a higher being behind the evolution of species rather than the undirected process of natural selection.

Recent popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, have been working to overcome the accusation that the church was hostile to science. However, the process has developed into the growing acceptance of ideas that are contrary to scripture. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth,” and everyone who believes in the scriptures has the duty to uphold this! In the end, this compromise is evidence that the Catholic Church, in an effort to appear more “scientific,” is turning further away from the Bible. What possible implication would exist if alien life is found? God clearly gave us His revelation with the command to “Fear God” (Ecclesiastes 12:14; 1 Peter 2:17). Finding out more about the unknown will not change that fact (Deuteronomy 29:29)!

Kyle Campbell