“Imagine if a Martian showed up, all big ears and big nose like a child’s drawing, and he asked to be baptized. How would you react?”
– Pope Francis, May, 2014 Pope Francis posed that question – without insisting on an answer! – to provoke deeper reflection about inclusiveness and diversity in the Church. But it's not the first time that question has been asked.
Brother Guy Consolmagno and Father Paul Mueller hear questions like that all the time. They’re scientists at the Vatican Observatory, the official astronomical research institute of the Catholic Church. In Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? they explore a variety of questions at the crossroads of faith and reason: How do you reconcile the The Big Bang with Genesis? Was the Star of Bethlehem just a pious religious story or an actual description of astronomical events? What really went down between Galileo and the Catholic Church – and why do the effects of that confrontation still reverberate to this day? Will the Universe come to an end? And… could you really baptize an extraterrestrial?
With humor, Brother Guy and Father Paul explore these questions and more over the course of six days of dialogue. Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?: . . . and Other Questions from the Astronomers In-box at the Vatican Observatory
Rereading for an upcoming book club. And loving it just as much the second time around.
========
This book is structured around a half dozen particular questions we've been asked time and again—questions that are interesting in themselves but that tend also to presuppose a conflict of some sort between religion and science.This intent leads to rich, interesting dialogues. I use the word dialogues intentionally because the book is structured as a conversation between the two authors who are astronomers for the Vatican. Each is a highly accredited scientist and a Jesuit. The broad topics they discuss:
Biblical Genesis or the Big Bang?
(how science and religion can have different but complementary ways of viewing the same subject)
What Happened to Poor Pluto?
(how scientific theories and ideas change over time)
What Really Happened to Galileo?
(how religion can or should respond when science changes)
What Was the Star of Bethlehem?
(how can God be active in a universe governed by scientific laws)
What's Going to Happen When the World Ends?
(How can humans be important to God in a universe that will come to an end)
Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?
(what could the message of Christ mean in an endless univers with countless planets and possibly countless other intelligent races)
The list above doesn't properly convey the riches contained within. Each chapter careens from science to faith to history and then back again. It is really like following an actual conversation where you can never tell exactly what sorts of ideas will flow from the give-and-take.
Also, each chapter asks you to image a different setting which helps to illustrate the points they are making. One is in the Chicago Art Institute, another at Antarctica, yet another at the Restaurant at the End of the World. If that last one makes you think of Douglas Adams books you are correct. These fellows have lively senses of humor and a love of science fiction to boot.
As an example, the Star of Bethlehem chapter was set in the Papal Summer Palace with the Vatican Observatory telescopes. It went something like this:
-Scientific possibilities for unusual events in the sky around the time Jesus was born, including conjunctions of planets
-Possible interpretations of scripture (Matthew) about the event including how standards in interpretation have shifted over the ages
-Who were the Magi, why did they come from the East and what part could astrology play
-Ancient cosmology of the spheres
-Comets
-God's actions in human history and the true nature of a miracle
-Old versus new ways of thinking about the physical world
-What is a mystery: scientific versus religious mysteries
-How do men of science and faith see this event as opportunities for encounters with the divine
Every chapter was like a roller coaster ride of new ideas, melding of concepts, and considerations of different opinions ... exactly like following a lively conversation with a couple of friends.
The authors are really good at talking about both science and faith in ways that are eminently reasonable and understandable. I was wary of the dialogue format but wound up enjoying it a lot because they could use it to show a variety of points of view, including the points where they disagreed with each other. I think this would be an excellent book to share with all sorts of folks, whether Catholic or not.
This seems like the perfect book for someone who is interested in both faith and science. And if you are interested in one and wary of the other, I think it could be very fruitful if for no other reason than to understand how the other side thinks. If you keep an open mind, you may be surprised at how well faith and science go together. Like a couple of folded hands, in fact.
Very highly recommended. Hardcover Clever, funny, creative, original, necessary work. The two authors explore a variety of questions at the crossroads of faith and reason.
The dialogue format makes the book extremely readable and fast.
I loved the analogy with a pointillist painting: if you look at reality only through the lense of science, you might as well look at the painting as a collection of dots. If you look at it through the lense of religion, you can see the meaning of the painting and the bigger picture. Both views can be true without contradicting each other, like science and faith. If one is true, it doesn't mean the other one is false. Hardcover Very interesting - and stimulating reading for the openminded and intelligent reader. Certainly belongs to a very small but desperately needed genre, sophisticated religious books by practising scientists. What is outstanding in the topics covered is the exploration of the Galileo affair, sorely needed myth busting and important historical context is provided. The Best treatment of Galileo I have read. Challenges the pernicious growth of 'scientism' and also challenges the curious historical amnesia of many of the aggressive secularists and atheists. Hardcover First of all, Jesuit Vatican Astronomers. Yes, that's a real thing. Second, I appreciate the attempt to ease the antagonism between faith and science. It doesn't work that well, but it's the thought that counts.
Six questions are discussed by the two religious scientists. They're topics that kind of have one foot in the rational world and one in the ineffable. Big Bang vs. Genesis; Pluto's demotion (this one was a major stretch); The Galileo affair; The Star of Bethlehem; The end of the universe; and finally the issue of baptizing aliens. The guys did their best to present both sides, and I applaud the effort. They just didn't pull it off, though. For example, in the Galileo chapter, they never once presented coherently the theological basis for rejection of heliocentrism. Perhaps they knew it would sound idiotic? I don't know, maybe my expectations were too high. I had bought this book for Grandma, and she seemed to like it. I, however, was disappointed. Don't expect in-depth theological analysis or scientific description. Just appreciate the concept. Hardcover For more than 10 years I reflect on the interaction between science and religion. I learn a lot with this book and this is the best review I can make. If you want to expand your horizons, read it too. Hardcover
Guy Consolmagno ✓ 4 Free read
I am not now nor have I ever been a scientist. This book is written by two Jesuit scientists, an astronomer and a physicist. They address some of the typical questions that are raised to foment discussion on faith and science: the Big Bang vs. Genesis, the Galileo affair, the end of the world, and, yes, intelligent life in the universe. Most of the science the authors' present is difficult but understandable if you take your time with it; I followed most of what was being discussed. The method used for these discussions is a dialog between Guy and Paul. For the most part this is effective and some of their humor is right on target. (Some humor is just silly and causes groans)
Yes, if you want to engage in a discussion on faith and science this would be a great book to use. You might supplement the Galileo chapter with the Bertolt Brecht play Galileo or Dava Sobel's work, Galileo's Daughter. For the chapter on extraterrestrials, you couldn't go wrong reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. The chapter on the end of the universe is filled with references to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The use of art from the Art Institute of Chicago in the chapter on creation is well done.
Every so often I need to challenge myself with a hard book and this book was that title currently. While I enjoy my brain candy of mysteries, I do need to stretch myself into areas in which I am not completely familiar. I'm glad I picked this book up. Hardcover The book is well written and delves into 5 questions: The Big Bang and the Genesis, The fate of Pluto, What happened to Galileo, What was the star of Bethlehem and What's going to happen when the World ends. Ah, I almost forgot, in the last few pages it handles, not with the best solution in my opinion, the question of the what-if Baptism of the extraterrestrial.
I got this book because I was writing a What-if collection, that may one day become something larger and the title of the book mislead and somehow disappointed me. Nonetheless the book is good, written in form of a dialogue between two Jesuits that work at the observatory of the Vatican. Hardcover As someone who is not religious, but respects religion, I thought this book was pretty interesting. Hearing devoutly religious scientists discuss common religion vs. science questions allowed me to see things from a wider perspective. It hasn't exactly changed my mind about anything, but it's still neat to know the line of thinking of those I disagree with.
Hardcover One of the best books I've read all year. Made me wish I was Catholic.
Set as a dialogue between two friends around 6 different questions, this book made me say, I wish all Christians thought this way. Each question expands to cover a wider topic. For example, What was the Star of Bethlehem? starts with various astrological possibilities, before become a discussion of miracles, and even Biblical interpretation. Hardcover A real interesting look at the false faith versus science debate. Laid out as a series of conversations around the world to a fictional Douglas Adam's restaurant. Well done. Hardcover
