Well you don't have any evidence for angels either Nathan, why isn't SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] looking for them?... Why is it okay for Atheists to look for aliens based on no evidence, yet Atheists are forbidden from looking into 'God' based on no evidence. It sounds like simple hypocrisy to me.
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Because aliens, unevidenced physical creatures that may or may not exist, supposedly come from planets that actually physically exist.
Angels, unevidenced metaphysical creatures that may or may not exist, supposedly come from an alternate dimensions that may or may not exist, and doesn't exist physically according to most sources.
Both entities might exist, but aliens are the only ones that we might be able to observe if they do.
Nobody ever suggested God couldn't answer. SETI would be privileged to recieve a message from God. Why doncha get on that? Pray to your God to sent SETI a message. We don't even need to hear it, we'll know it happened as when Seti researchers quit, put on the cross and talk shit
My question is; why do "good Christians" like [edit] Ken Ham, for example, waste millions on a "Creation Museum" instead of investing in a project similar to SETI but exclusively for the search of angels and demons?
a) Either they know they won't find anything.
b) Or they don't think that can be done.
c) Or they just don't care.
In any case "The Serpent", why would you expect Atheists to waste their money to look for something that they already have concluded to be nonexistent? Why won't your pope have an observatory built instead of adding another level to his palace?
Another Anonymous said: "Why won't your pope have an observatory built instead of adding another level to his palace?"
Actually, the Vatican Observatory's offices are on the top floor of the pope's residence at Castel Gandolfo (their telescopes are in Arizona). So the Catholic Church is actively, if modestly, involved in SETI.
If they find angels rather than aliens, that would be just as cool a result.
I'm sure scientists would be more than willing to listen out for messages from angels.
What frequency should they listen on and how will the signal likely be encoded? Please show the scientific reasoning behind your answers.
We're not forbidden from looking for anything.
Mostly we're atheists because we gave God at least a conceptual whirl, came up with squat, and moved on. But if he'd like to turn up and talk to us, that's cool too, although he'd better be prepared for a lot of questions.
Actually, the Vatican Observatory's offices are on the top floor of the pope's residence at Castel Gandolfo (their telescopes are in Arizona). So the Catholic Church is actively, if modestly, involved in SETI.
I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. I wonder, though, what good is an intellectual device without any intellectual honesty to complement it.
>>I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. I wonder, though, what good is an intellectual device without any intellectual honesty to complement it. <<
I'm not sure what you mean by this. I've met some of the astronomers on staff at the Vatican Observatory. They are very good and honest scientists, and also very sincere Catholics.
I'd say that their time is about 50% spent on doing astronomical research, 25% spent on explaining the Holy See's position on scientific research (basically, that there is no conflict between science and religion) to non-Christian groups, and 25% spent on explaining the same to Christian groups - with a natural focus on Catholics. They've been particularly active in condemning young-Earth creationism.
I refer you to the books written by Guy Consolmagno, one of the observatory staff.
Well, would you count angels as extraterrestrial intelligence? Presumably angels are not from earth and are intelligent by your standards. Having not found any extraterrestrial intelligence of any sort (but we are able to do calculations -- calucalations of debatable accuracy mind you, since the numbers plugged into those calculations include a lot of speculation -- about the possibilities of alien life existing, I don't think the same could be said for aliens. We know for certain life exists at least on one planet in this universe. We don't have anything similar when it comes to angels.) Nothing precludes SETI from picking up signals from angels, if angels chose to send them in a way that SETI could detect them.
That being said, if SETI picked up signals from angels, I'm sure they'd be delighted. SETI has not picked up any signals from angels, however that hardly means they do not exist. On the other hand, if extra-terrestrial life exists, i can think of a number of good reasons why we would fail to pick up any signals. No one is claiming that if aliens exist that they are all-knowing and all-powerful and want to convince as many human beings of their existence as possible. However, a good number of people make all of those claims about God.
Also, atheists aren't forbidden from "looking into God" because there is no good evidence. The only reason we think there is no good evidence is because most of us have looked at the claims of those who think they have evidence that God exists and found those claims to be unsubstantiated. Who would forbid us from looking into the concept of God anyway? It's not as if we all follow the word of *insert=the-name-of-any=famous-atheist* in blind faith or something. There isn't an atheist Bible or an atheist Pope or anyone or anything of the kind to forbid us from looking into something.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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