Vatican says aliens could exist

Originally posted by PinkFloyd
I just know some people who think animals have souls}

they no people, they are the aliens they are talking about😛

Originally posted by Conrau K
They are still free of original sin, according to Catholic doctrine.

Then why are they cursed to go on their belly?

Originally posted by Conrau K
Apart from mankind, all animals are free from original sin.

If that is the case, why do they die? According to some on the site, if it were not for original sin we would live forever.

Originally posted by twhitehead
They had their legs taken away so that they would be forced to crawl on their bellies, in addition all animals were punished with the guarantee of death. However, since the snake never actually took a bite of the apple, God stopped there and decided not to put conditions on its entry into the afterlife.

Well what happened to that one fossil? it still had it's legs - was it the one before the one that had it's legs taken away, d'ya'think?

Originally posted by patauro
Are you trying to make baby Jesus cry?

just saying it like the man says....

did he have his lolly taken away?

Originally posted by Conrau K
Apart from mankind, all animals are free from original sin.

That quite clearly puts the aliens into the animal class.

What if they are quite smart? I take it mankind is the *special* odd one out? I mean ok if they turn out like alien v's predator, but what if they are quite nice, and friendly?

Originally posted by snowinscotland
That quite clearly puts the aliens into the animal class.

What if they are quite smart? I take it mankind is the *special* odd one out? I mean ok if they turn out like alien v's predator, but what if they are quite nice, and friendly?

if theres life on mars, its nothing special, just a wierd little thingy, they aint smart, or they built all thier stuff underground, they dont need sun, or much water,

hmm then again, does smart mean u gotta built stuff? not really.
They would have an instinct tho, not a brain like ours, so animals therefor, but then again more like bacteries, i need to see one, to be sure what it is, any1 got a picture? oh no, they didnt find yet, chruch is talking about stuff we cant prove again, useless, that religion🙂

Originally posted by snowinscotland
That quite clearly puts the aliens into the animal class.

What if they are quite smart? I take it mankind is the *special* odd one out? I mean ok if they turn out like alien v's predator, but what if they are quite nice, and friendly?

Humans are in the animal class.

Originally posted by kirksey957
If that is the case, why do they die? According to some on the site, if it were not for original sin we would live forever.

As I understand, only mankind had immortality before the fall. Animals must have died before then, otherwise, how could Adam eat them?

Originally posted by PinkFloyd
Is that Catholic doctrine? {I'm just curious--this isn't meant to start an argument--I just know some people who think animals have souls}

Yes. In Catholic doctrine, we contract original sin from our parents, who in turn gained it from their parents. Unless Adam engendered all the animal-races through bestiality, animals do not have original sin. From the Catechism:

404 How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all his descendants? The whole human race is in Adam "as one body of one man".By this "unity of the human race" all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state. It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. And that is why original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Then why are they cursed to go on their belly?

Most people consider the snake as an allegorical figure of Satan. The Catholic Church has no dogmatic definition of the meaning; Catholics are free to question whether God cursed all snakes, or Satan and those of his ilk.

Originally posted by Conrau K
Humans are in the animal class.

so why? are they *special* - why is mankind singled out to be *original sinned*?

Originally posted by Conrau K
Yes. In Catholic doctrine, we contract original sin from our parents, who in turn gained it from their parents. Unless Adam engendered all the animal-races through bestiality, animals do not have original sin. From the Catechism:

404 How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all his descendants? The whole human race is in Adam "as one body of one ...[text shortened]... ense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act.

That catechism does not exist, you only have to look around on the internet to see it crop up...

"error 404, page not found"

...

...

Ok... a cheap and somewhat lame joke ...

Originally posted by snowinscotland
so why? are they *special* - why is mankind singled out to be *original sinned*?

Man has the rational soul and free will which distinguishes him as special. As I explained before, the original sin passes generationally, and so no non-human could possible contract original sin.

Originally posted by Conrau K
Man has the rational soul and free will which distinguishes him as special. As I explained before, the original sin passes generationally, and so no non-human could possible contract original sin.

Do you think we could evolve out of what we were when we sinned originally? I mean, there have been a few changes in the genes probably since Adam, so we are not really the same already...