Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens
By ARIEL DAVID – 1 day ago

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."

In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

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Roma Poltergeist

Roma Poltergeist
by Rebecca Ridge

In October, 2006, my fiancé, two brothers-in-law and I were renting a nice little house in Roma, Queensland, Australia. The first night I was there, it was just Joey and I; the other two were yet to move in. As Joey worked at night, I set about unpacking and doing the usual. I felt really uneasy while doing this. Although being home alone in a new place can make you feel uneasy, I had the distinct feeling that I wasn't alone and that I was being watched.

About two weeks later, after we were all in and unpacked, we had our first experience. The blinds behind the computer lifted up then slammed back down. Our cat, Strey, went over and had a look. She instantly put up her hackles and started to screech like a banshee and then, as if she had been hit, took off. We tried to vain to come up with a valid reason, but nothing made sense.

The next experience was when only Phil and I were home, as everyone else had gone to work. We were in the kitchen making dinner when we heard footsteps coming up the hallway. We both checked and nothing was there. We heard footsteps going up and down the hallway for about half an hour, then silence. The next was when my godson was going to sleep in Danny's bed. We were having a couple of drinks out side while my goddaughter slept in her pram and my godson was in the bedroom. He came out of the bedroom to tell us that someone was shaking the bed and he was scared. We went to go check it out, and as we all piled inside, Jaya's pram flew across the room with Jaya in it. She was unharmed, but it scared as half to death.

The next night we all felt the bed shaking. We were hanging out in Danny's room watching him play on the XBox 360 when the bed began to shake violently. After a moment it stopped as suddenly as it started. Needless to say, we were all silently freaking out. After that the bed never rocked so hard, but would still shake often.

Another night, Danny went to make something to eat and the broken CD player that wasn't plugged in began making the most horrifying noises. It sounded like a demonic voice. Another time, Joey, my fiancé, was in the shower. He had just turned the water off when he felt something grab his ankle, then let go. He quickly got out and started to dress. As he looked up into the mirror, he saw what he said was a man disappear behind him.

By now it was normal to hear footsteps going up and down the hallway, but even though it was normal we still felt unsettled. One night I was lying in bed with Strey lying on my belly. All of a sudden, she shot up and was staring beside me. I then heard a little girl giggle in my ear. At this, Strey took off out of the bedroom. I was too frightened to move.

Also, I forgot to mention that every child that came into that house was terrified of Danny's built-in wardrobe. Even we adults felt uneasy about it. Then, over Christmas, Joey and I went to Bundaberg and Phil went to Wondai while Danny stayed in Roma. On the first night he was alone, something was hitting all the windows and the CD player again began to make noises. Every time he entered a room, something would hit the window from the inside. As he tried to sleep, he kept hearing the hitting and then what sounded like a scream. He packed a bag and took off to a friend's house for the rest of the week.

On our return, things had been moved and the place was a bit of a mess, although after that night the place went quiet for about two weeks. Then it came back.

Once it came back, we started to hear footsteps behind us and following us around the house. This continued until about a month later when it stepped up another notch. We were in the lounge room while Joey was near the computer. All of a sudden, Johnny Cash's "I Won't Back Down" started to play backward through the computer speakers. Nothing was open on the computer and I don't think this song was even on the computer at the time. It stared to get louder and louder. It was louder than what the speakers could actually do. Joey turned the speakers off and it continued to play, then halfway through the song it stopped. We were all a little shaken over it, but tried to not freak out.

We had two cats by that time and they kept getting outside, although the house was closed tight. But when a window was open in this house, the blinds would be sucked up against the window. I noticed this next to the computer just after the music stopped. I thought I'd found out how our kitties had been getting out, but when I went to move the blinds to shut the window, the blinds suddenly released and started to shake, then stopped... the window wasn't open. We heard footsteps going up and down the hallway and we all went to the bedroom, but walking through the hall we felt and heard someone jump on the floor behind us.

Things stayed weird like that from then on. The day I found out I was pregnant, everything stopped. We no longer heard, felt or saw anything. One month later, we moved. Everyone that went to that house has a story and no one felt comfortable or alone there. No tenant has lasted more than six months either.

Source: About.com's Paranormal Phenomenon

Ghostly Voices Tell Woman of Brain Cancer: Miracle or Madness?

Here’s a story recounted by consultant psychiatrist Dr. Ikechukwu Azuonye:

The story begins in 1984 when a married woman in her 40s was referred to him, apparently suffering from a psychiatric illness. Her ‘symptoms’ appeared when she was at home in London quietly reading a book, and a distinct voice appeared in her head.

‘Please don’t be afraid,’ the voice said in a firm but soothing tone. ‘I know it must be shocking for you to hear me speaking to you like this, but this is the easiest way I could think of. My friend and I used to work at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, and we would like to help you.’

She was understandably shocked and was initially determined to dismiss the voice as a bizarre daydream. But it refused to go away and claimed that she was physically ill and would soon need help. […]

‘The voices told her to go in and ask to have a brain scan,’ says Dr Azuonye. ‘This was apparently for two reasons. She had a tumour in hebrain and her brain stem was inflamed.

Because the voices had told her things in the past that had turned out to be true, she believed them when they said that she had a tumour. I requested a brain scan.’

It turned out the diagnosis made by the voices was correct. Interestingly, says Dr Azuonye, there were no clinical signs that would have alerted anyone — including the patient — to the tumour.

The surgeon suggested an immediate operation to remove the tumour, a decision the voices agreed with. ‘They said they would have preferred the operation to be done at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London, because they specialised in neurological diseases. But because she was already at the Royal Free Hospital, they told her to have the procedure done there because it was urgent,’ Dr Azuonye says.

After the operation, and when the woman had recovered consciousness, the voices returned one last time, to bid her farewell. ‘We are pleased to have helped you,’ they said, before bidding her goodbye. ‘It is a miracle,’ says Dr Azuonye. ‘The patient regards herself as being helped by a guardian angel.’

Was it miracle or madness? Link - More over at Cabinet of Wonders

Source: Neatorama's Ghostly Voices Tell Woman of Brain Cancer: Miracle or Madness?

The Astrologer's April Fool's

The extraordinary Astrologer Isaac Bickerstaff

Source: Neatorama

Libraries and The Occult

Libraries and The Occult

Source: Boing Boing, Weird Blogs, The Presurfer.

The stories behind four exorcisms

Teenager at the Vatican

Pope John Paul II reportedly performed an exorcism on a 19-year-old girl at the Vatican in 2000. Father Gabriele Amorth, the official exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, had attempted to exorcise the girl the day before and failed. Her parents brought her to Pope John Paul II’s Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square in hopes that a Papal blessing would do her some good, but apparently it just incensed her even more. Italian newspapers wrote that the girl started screaming insults at the Pope in a “cavernous voice” and struggled with guards with superhuman strength. The Pope was informed about her and spent 30 minutes with her. When the Pope left, the girl said (in a voice apparently not belonging to her), “Not even the head of the church can send me away.”

Source: Neatorama's The stories behind four exorcisms

Lee Hadwin, the "Sleeping Artist"

By day, Lee Hadwin is a nurse from north Wales, UK and by night he is an artist. That’s not so unusual, but here’s where Lee is different:

… but when he wakes up, he says he has no memory of having created them.

Hadwin has been walking in his sleep since he was four, but it was only when he stayed over at a friend’s house, aged 16, that he first began to draw in his sleep. "The next morning, my friend’s mother found drawings all over the walls in the kitchen," he says. "But we had been drinking that night, so we put it down to that." (Source)

Gallery of Lee’s sleep-walking art. Video of Lee sleepin’ and drawin’ at Cabinet of Wonders.

Source: Neatorama's Lee Hadwin, the "Sleeping Artist"