Studying Thousands of Worlds; Defending Life and Conscience on Ours

As a Catholic, I'm expected to take an active part in public life, and contribute to the good of society. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1915, 2239)

Being 'so heavenly-minded that I'm no earthly good' isn't an option. (November 11, 2012; November 9, 2012)

I think it's also important to stop once in a while, look around, and learn a little more about this creation:

"...the things of the world
and the things of faith
derive from the same God..."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 159)

"...The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will."
(Catechism, 341)

"...Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits."
(Catechism, 2293)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft."
(Psalms 19:2)

As I've said before, worshiping God and refusing to learn about the Almighty's creation doesn't make sense. Not to me.

This week I took a look at what scientists expect from the Kepler Space Telescope next year; a reusable rocket's test flight; and efforts to defend freedom of religion:

1. Looking for Earth's Twin
   • Vast, Ancient, and Filled With Wonders
   • Neighbors?
2. 'One Short Hop for a Grasshopper...'
   Flight Test of a Reusable Rocket
3. Hobby Lobby, Domino's Pizza, and an Archbishop
   • Supporting Health Care
   • Finish the Race, Keep the Faith
   • Pizza and Principles

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America: Freedom, Opportunity, and Slow Progress

The United States isn't perfect, but my native land has offered Americans a remarkable combination of freedom and opportunity for more that two centuries.

That freedom and opportunity hasn't been equitably distributed, but I think we're improving. I also think it's well to remember that America is more than the national government:

• "Supporting Freedom, and Other Subversive Activity"
  (June 22, 2012)
• " 'The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum' and
  'America - Love It or Leave It' "
  (February 29, 2012)
• "Dred Scott, the Slavery Compromise, and Who to Trust"
  (February 2, 2009)

Today's America isn't run by the pale men who were 'the establishment' in my youth, and that's another topic:

• "What's With 'the Establishment' in this Blog?"
  (September 15, 2011)

Good News, Bad News, and Challenging the System

We've finally cleaned up some of the legal and social mess left by ethically-dubious decisions of the 18th and 19th centuries. That's the good news.

The bad news is that it's been legal to kill innocent people for decades, as long as the victim is too young, or too sick, to flee or fight. Recently, Americans who have qualms about killing the innocent are being forced to pay for this 'health care.'

Quite a few Americans have decided to challenge the national government's lethal health care mandate. They have help:

• The Becket Fund For Religious Liberty
  (www.becketfund.org)
  • "Our Mission"
  • "Our History"
• Thomas More Law Center (www.thomasmore.org)
  • "About the Thomas More Law Center"

---

1. Looking for Earth's Twin

"First 'Alien Earth' Will Be Found in 2013, Experts Say"
Mike Wall, SPACE.com (December 27, 2012)

"The first truly Earth-like alien planet is likely to be spotted next year, an epic discovery that would cause humanity to reassess its place in the universe.

"While astronomers have found a number of exoplanets over the last few years that share one or two key traits with our own world - such as size or inferred surface temperature - they have yet to bag a bona fide 'alien Earth.' But that should change in 2013, scientists say.

" 'I'm very positive that the first Earth twin will be discovered next year,' said Abel Mendez, who runs the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo....

In February of 2010, astronomers had found 429 planets circling other stars.So far, only "100 or so" planets have been confirmed from the 2,300-plus 'possibles' flagged by the Kepler Space Telescope. Based on Kepler's reliability to this point, scientists think around 80% of the remaining planet sightings will turn out to be real worlds. (Space.com)

It's possible that before this time next year, Kepler may have spotted another planet that's about the same size as Earth, nearly the same temperature, and in a stable orbit around a star that's a bit like our own.

If that happens, it will be quite exciting. Particularly since astronomers are searching only a tiny fraction of this galaxy's volume:


(Space.com, used w/o permission)
"Astronomers have discovered more than 700 alien planets beyond the solar system, and the count is rising all the time. Some are large and hot, and others are smaller and cooler, but scientists are still on the lookout for an Earth twin.

"They just got closer, with the announcement Dec. 5 of a planet found by NASA's Kepler space telescope to lie in the habitable zone around its star where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist...." (Space.com)

Vast, Ancient, and Filled With Wonders

Such a discovery might be a shock to folks who seem to be uncomfortable with the idea that God created a vast, immensely ancient, universe. Folks being upset about new ideas is - nothing new.

For example, when some scholars said that other worlds might exist, others decided that there couldn't be any worlds other than the one we're standing on. The 'one world' argument seems to have been that Aristotle said there weren't other worlds: so there weren't. I'm over-simplifying the situation, of course.

The Catholic Church stepped into the debate: and ever since, Catholics have been forbidden to claim that there cannot be other worlds. That was over seven centuries ago, in 1277. (January 29, 2012)

Even if we don't discover 'another Earth' next year, I'm looking forward to what we do learn about this astonishing universe.

Neighbors?

It's even remotely possible that we may soon learn that we have neighbors, who are as aware as we are, whose home is another planet: and who are not human. I often use the term "space alien" when referring to these possible neighbors, but agree with Brother Guy Consolmagno:

"...Frankly, if you think about it, any creatures on other planets, subject to the same laws of chemistry and physics as us, made of the same kinds of atoms, with an awareness and a will recognizably like ours would be at the very least our cousins in the cosmos. They would be so similar to us in all the essentials that I don't think you'd even have the right to call them aliens."
(Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? "Brother Astronomer," Brother Guy Consolmagno (2000))

I think it's quite possible that "creatures on other planets ... with an awareness and a will recognizably like ours" exist. That emphatically does not mean that I 'believe in flying saucers.' For one thing, this creation is huge:

"...That vast expanse of time, and the physical size of the universe, is part of why I think we may 'not be alone.' Over the last 1,000,000 years, we've gone from burning our fingers on campfires to plugging leaks in reactors. That's 1/13,030 of the age of the universe, and 1/4,000 the age of Earth. Over the last 100 years, we've gone from having some interesting math that said interplanetary travel might be possible, to robot explorers mapping the outer Solar system.

"If there is life somewhere else in the universe, if it's 'close' on a cosmic scale, and if that life includes someone with the sort of itchy curiosity some of us have - - - That's a lot of 'ifs.'..."
(April 17, 2012)

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2. 'One Short Hop for a Grasshopper...' Flight Test of a Reusable Rocket

"Experimental Private Rocket Makes Highest Test Hop Yet"
Miriam Kramer, SPACE.com (December 26, 2012)

"A privately built rocket prototype that could lead to a completely reusable spaceflight system has passed its biggest test yet - a 12-story hop and smooth landing.

"The experimental reusable rocket, called the Grasshopper, made its highest and longest flight yet on Dec. 17, marking the prototype's third successful test by the private spaceflight company SpaceX.

"In the latest test at SpaceX's proving grounds in MacGregor, Texas, the Grasshopper rocket flew for 29 seconds and reached a height of more than 130 feet (40 meters). A video of the Grasshopper test flight shows the rocket soaring up into the Texas sky, then smoothly descending to land on four spindly legs...."

SpaceX and other companies are working at removing a major obstacle to commercial service to low Earth orbit and beyond: replacement costs for launch vehicles.

Even the Space Shuttle used single-use, throwaway fuel tanks and booster rockets. That's been good enough for very limited, government-funded, applications like the International Space Station.

But if people are going to travel to orbiting facilities on a more regular basis, we need something like an airline: with vehicles that are good for more than one flight.

Think about it: how long would an airline last, if the company had to throw away much of each airliner after one trip?

SpaceX isn't alone. Other companies are working on their own reusable transportation systems, and at least one is focusing on the real estate angle:

• Transportation
  • "The Dragon Flies: SpaceX Photo, and Some Drawings"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (May 25, 2012)
  • "Skylon Spaceplane's New Engine Test; Old Video; Passenger Module"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (April 30, 2012)
  • "Blue Origin: Another Company Building Spaceships"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 27, 2010)
• Orbital 'real estate'
  • "Bigelow Aerospace: Space to Rent or Lease, in Orbit"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (January 20, 2010)
  • "Taxi to the Stars, No: To Earth Orbit, Soon"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 5, 2010)

These are exciting times.

---

3. Hobby Lobby, Domino's Pizza, and an Archbishop

"Hobby Lobby turns to Supreme Court for mandate relief"
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (December 20, 2012)

"Arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby will appeal to the nation’s highest court after an appeals court ruled the federal contraception mandate does not impose a “substantial burden” on the owners’ religious freedom.

" 'The Green family is disappointed with this ruling,' said Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is handling the case.

"He explained that the Christian family that owns and operates Hobby Lobby must now 'seek relief from the United States Supreme Court.'

" 'The Greens will continue to make their case on appeal that this unconstitutional mandate infringes their right to earn a living while remaining true to their faith,' Duncan said....

As I've said before, "freedom" doesn't mean forcing other people to agree with me: or having a national government telling citizens what they're allowed to believe, and what they're not.

The Catholic Church places a high value on each individual's freedom to believe, or not believe:

• Religious freedom is vital
  (Catechism, 2104-2109)
  • For everybody
    (Catechism, 2106)

I've posted about this before, fairly often:

• "Freedom for 'People of Any Faith or No Faith At All'"
  (November 9, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Freedom, Citizenship, and All That
  • "Rooted in the Dignity of Every Human Person"

Supporting Health Care

Health care is a good idea. Catholic bishops have supported some form of universal health care since 1919. (March 16, 2012)

What the Catholic Church doesn't allow 'health care' that deliberately kills an innocent person.

The Catholic Church also insists that all human beings are people, and that ethics exist. That creates an awkward situation for Catholics in today's America:

• Some actions are always wrong
  (Catechism, 1789)
  • Even if the President says it's okay
    (Catechism, 2242)
• Human life
  • Is sacred
    (Catechism, 2258)
  • Begins at conception
  (Catechism, 2270, 2274)
• Murder is wrong
  (Catechism, 2259-2262, 2268-2269)
  • Even when
    • It's legal
    • Called something else
    (Catechism, 2270-2275, 2276-2279)

The good news is that a remarkable number of Americans take God seriously, and are willing to defy the nation's chief executive. The amazing news is that America's judicial system isn't rubber stamping the President's 'health care' policies.

Finish the Race, Keep the Faith

"Bishops urged to imitate St. Thomas More in mandate fight"
CNA/EWTN News (December 20, 2012)

"Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia has held up the 16th century's Saint Thomas More as a model of courage for bishops in the face of the federal contraception mandate.

" 'America's Catholic bishops cannot simply grumble and shrug, and go along with the mandate now, without implicating themselves in cowardice,' he wrote in a Dec. 19 column for The Witherspoon Institute.

" 'Their current resolve risks unraveling unless they reaffirm their opposition to the mandate forcefully and as a united body. The past can be a useful teacher. One of its lessons is this: The passage of time can invite confusion and doubt - and both work against courage.'

"St. Thomas More, a leading politician of his day, lived at the time of the Anglican schism, when King Henry VIII made himself head of the Church in England. English bishops protested the move at first, but with time all but one, Saint John Fisher, acquiesced to the move....

I think it's easier to see the wisdom of persistence after the fact:

"⁴ I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith."
(2 Timothy 4:7)

What has impressed me so far is that Catholic bishops in America have been unanimous in defying government efforts to make Americans violate our conscience. It is good to have leaders who act like leaders.

Pizza and Principles

"Domino's founder sues over contraception mandate"
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (December 17, 2012)

"Tom Monaghan, the founder and former owner of Domino's Pizza, is suing the federal government over a controversial mandate that requires him to violate his Catholic faith in his business decisions.

"The lawsuit described the contraception mandate as 'an unprecedented despoiling of religious rights' that both 'attacks and desecrates a foremost tenet of the Catholic Church.'

"It pointed to Thomas Jefferson's statement that 'No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.'

"Filed Dec. 14 by Thomas More Law Center, the lawsuit challenges a federal mandate requiring employers to offer health insurance covering contraception, sterilization and early abortion drugs, even if doing so violates their firmly-held religious beliefs....

The amoral business owner has been a mainstay of recent fiction, much as the cruel slave owner and lecherous landlord drove the plot in an earlier day. ("A George Jean Nathan Reader;" George Jean Nathan, George Jean Nathan, Arnold Leslie Lazarus; 332, via Google Books (1990))

I'm quite sure that some business owners are ethically challenged. But I think it's fairly clear that some aren't: even if they aren't on the same page as their nation's leadership.

I have nothing against stereotypes, as long as they don't become a substitute for thinking: and that's another topic. (January 15, 2012; March 8, 2011)

Related posts:

• Science
  • "Freedom, Joy, and Tau Ceti's Planets"
    (December 21, 2012)
    Particularly
    • More Worlds: Planets Orbiting Tau Ceti
  • "Alpha Centauri, Freedom, and Me"
    (October 19, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Alpha Centauri, Planets, and Life
  • "Science isn't a Four-Letter Word "
    (January 29, 2012)
    Particularly
    • 1277 and All That
  • "Life on Other Worlds, and the Catholic Church"
    (January 11, 2011)
  • "Astrobiology, the Vatican, and the Meaning of Our Existence"
    (November 12, 2009)
• Technology
  • "Solidarity and Silly Ideas"
    (December 17, 2012)
  • "Truth, Justice, and Texting With My Son"
    (August 12, 2012)
  • " 'Inevitable Progress;' 'We're All Gonna Die;' and Getting a Grip"
    (January 16, 2012)
  • "Horses, Gothic Cathedrals, and a Faith That Matters"
    (July 9, 2011)
  • "Modernism, Luddites, Catholicism, and Godzilla"
    (April 7, 2011)
• Ethics
  • "Eugenics, Compassion, and Cooperating with Evil"
    (November 5, 2012)
  • " 'Religion...has Social Implications' "
    (August 5, 2012)
  • "'Legal' isn't Necessarily Right: My Take on Supreme Court Rulings"
    (June 29, 2012)
  • "Freedom to Act Like God Matters"
    (June 23, 2012)
  • "Obedience, Yes: Blind Obedience, No"
    (March 12, 2012)
• The universe
  
  • "Ancient Style and Today's Discussions at the 'Vatican Science Academy' "
    (October 2, 2011)
    Particularly
    • Footnote 7
  • "Planets Found Circling Other Stars: 429 So Far"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 15, 2010)
  • "Evolution, Space Aliens, and Two Millennia of Dealing With People"
    (July 5, 2011)
    Particularly
    • Space Aliens
    • Flying Saucers?
    • The Catholic Church
  • "Beware Warmonger Imperialist Space Aliens!?"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (January 11, 2011)
    Particularly
    • Suppositions/Assumptions: Big Ones
    • 'Now That We Know All There is to Know'
    • E.T., Klaatu, and Cthulhu
  • "God's Creation: He Seems to Think Big"
    (September 23, 2010)

More:

• Kepler
  A Search for Habitable Planets
  (kepler.nasa.gov)
• "Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Participants in the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences"
  Benedict XVI (October 28, 2010 )
• Pontifical Academy of Sciences
  Vatican.va
  • "Plenary Session on The Scientific Legacy of the 20th Century" (.pdf)
    (28 October - 1 November 2010)
    (Archived, also available at www.casinapioiv.va/content/dam/accademia/pdf/es36.pdf)
  • "Scientific Insights into the Evolution of the Universe and of Life" (.pdf)
    Plenary Session (October 31 - November 4, 2008)
    Acta 20 Vatican City, 2009 pp. LXVIII-622 ISBN 978-88-7761-097-3
    (Archived, also available at www.casinapioiv.va/content/dam/accademia/pdf/acta20.pdf)

Freedom, Joy, and Tau Ceti's Planets

"Freedom" shouldn't mean "free to agree with me." As a Catholic, I wouldn't be allowed to force others to believe as I do - even if I could. We're told to take freedom very seriously. Citizenship, too:

• "Freedom for 'People of Any Faith or No Faith At All'"
  (November 9, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Freedom, Citizenship, and All That
  • "Rooted in the Dignity of Every Human Person"

This week I found good news for folks who value freedom, and life; and exciting news from a team of astronomers:

1. Good News: Two Religious Colleges
   Exempt from Lethal Health Care
   • America's Rulers and Religious Freedom
   • The Little Sisters of the Poor and Washington
2. More Worlds: Planets Orbiting Tau Ceti
   • "They are everywhere..."
   • Alone?
3. Suffering and Joy During Advent
   • "Nothing Remotely Naïve"
   • "...Something to do With Free Will..."
   • "God is Good ...We Human Beings are Free..."
   • "...Love is Stronger than Death..."
4. Satawa's Nativity Scene is Back!
   • Well-Wishers, Carolers, and a Priest
   • City Hall, Persistence, and Freedom

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Freedom

I'm an American. I was born during the Truman administration, spent my youth in the '60s, remember the trailing edge of McCarthyism, and the heyday of political correctness. I like freedom, and am convinced that freedom is not being forced to go along with what a government wants.

If you follow this blog (thank you!) you've probably seen this before:

• Religious freedom is vital
  (Catechism, 2104-2109)
  • For everybody
    (Catechism, 2106)
• Some actions are always wrong
  (Catechism, 1789)
  • Even if the President says it's okay
    (Catechism, 2242)
• Human life
  • Is sacred
    (Catechism, 2258)
  • Begins at conception
  (Catechism, 2270, 2274)
• Murder is wrong
  (Catechism, 2259-2262, 2268-2269)
  • Even when
    • It's legal
    • Called something else
    (Catechism, 2270-2275, 2276-2279)

Enough background. Here's my take on the week's news:

---

1. Good News: Two Religious Colleges
Exempt from Lethal Health Care

"Religious schools claim 'major victory' after ruling on contraception mandate"
FoxNews.com (December 19, 2012)

"Two religious-affiliated colleges claimed a 'major victory' Tuesday after a federal appeals court ordered the Obama administration to verify that it is revising the so-called contraception mandate in ObamaCare.

"The decision out of the D.C. Court of Appeals effectively reinstated a challenge that had been dismissed by lower courts. Wheaton College and Belmont Abbey College were arguing against the federal health care overhaul rule that requires employers to provide access to contraceptive care.

"The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has represented several plaintiffs challenging the rule, hailed the court decision....

The Becket Fund "protects the free expression of all faiths." ("Our Mission," www.becketfund.org) The outfit is named after Thomas a Becket, an appointee of Henry II.

You've probably heard what happened. There was a conflict of interest, during which the English king apparently said "will no-one rid me of this troublesome priest?" (History Learning Site) Maybe it was "turbulent priest." (Spartacus Educational) Either way, Thomas a Becket was a troublemaker.

He's known as Saint Thomas a Becket now. Cleaning the blood off Canterbury's cathedral floor was probably rather easy. Cleaning Henry II's reputation wasn't, and that's another topic. I've mentioned St. Thomas a Becket before. (September 6, 2011)

Wheaton and Belmont Abbey colleges probably won't be the last organizations to need help, so here's where to find the Becket Fund:

• The Becket Fund For Religious Liberty
  (www.becketfund.org)
  • "Our Mission"
  • "Our History"

America's Rulers and Religious Freedom

"...'The D.C. Circuit has now made it clear that government promises and press conferences are not enough to protect religious freedom,' Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund, said in a statement. 'The court is not going to let the government slide by on non-binding promises to fix the problem down the road.'

"The court ruling did not overturn the contraception mandate. Rather, it effectively put the court case on hold while requiring the Obama administration to follow through on its pledge to revise the mandate as it pertains to religious-affiliated groups.

" 'We take that as a binding commitment,' the court said in its ruling Tuesday. The court ordered the administration to file status reports every 60 days on its progress toward issuing a new policy in the first quarter of 2013.

"The contraception rule does include an exemption for religious organizations -- but that exemption does not cover many religious-affiliated organizations like schools and charities...."
(FoxNews.com)

The "exemption for religious organizations" is a joke.

"...The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain 'religious employers.' That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to 'Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,' or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served...."
("USCCB Responds To Inaccurate Statement Of Fact On HHS Mandate Made During Vice Presidential Debate," USCCB Media News Release (October 12, 2012))

It seems to me that hospitals run by folks with ethical standards are in a Catch-22 situation. If they refuse to serve people outside their faith, they'd probably be guilty of discrimination on the basis of religion. If they are willing to help anybody, they have to offer lethal "womens' health services," or be fined out of existence.

It looks like a well-crafted scheme to edge 'religious people' out of health care. I can, in a way, admire the craftiness: but I don't approve. At all.

The Little Sisters of the Poor and Washington

"...Meanwhile, other groups have expressed concern about what the mandate will mean for their own survival. One group, The Little Sisters of the Poor, told The Daily Caller that the mandate could be a 'serious threat' to the group's U.S. mission of 300 nuns.

"The organization, as a Catholic group, opposes contraception, and the concern is that the fine that could be imposed for violating the rule would impose financial hardship. 'We have no extra funding that would cover these fines,' Sister Constance Carolyn Veit, spokeswoman for the organization, told the Caller...."
(FoxNews.com)

Reality check here. American news media, FoxNews.com included, tends to focus on the word "contraceptive" in these health care issues.

What the Department of Health and Human Services wants really is "contraception," as the word is used in my dialect of English. Messing with human reproduction on the physical, psychological, and philosophical levels, is a problem for practicing Catholics.

I hope a great many more folks would also be concerned about "contraception" that involves killing someone who has already been conceived.

Sure, humans aren't very pretty for the first few months. But we're still human, even if we can't speak for ourselves: or run away.

"...The Department of Health and Human Services mandate requires employers to provide coverage for 'preventive health.' It defines this coverage to include sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs. The Obama administration's proposed compromise would mandate that insurance companies, not employers, provide this coverage.

"The mandate's religious exemption applies only to employers who primarily serve and employ their coreligionists and have the inculcation of religious values as their primary purpose...."
(CNA (March 8, 2012))

In the end, I'm confident that outfits like Little Sisters of the Poor will once again be free to help the poor and the helpless.

What concerns me is the process which will sort out today's lethal government policies. I hope that Americans will correct this problem though peaceful means: preferably by swapping out the lot we've got running our country in the next few elections.

---

2. More Worlds: Planets Orbiting Tau Ceti

"Potentially Habitable Planet Detected Around Nearby Star"
Mike Wall, SPACE.com (December 19, 2012)

"A sun-like star in our solar system's backyard may host five planets, including one perhaps capable of supporting life as we know it, a new study reports.

"Astronomers have detected five possible alien planets circling the star Tau Ceti, which is less than 12 light-years from Earth - a mere stone's throw in the cosmic scheme of things. One of the newfound worlds appears to orbit in Tau Ceti's habitable zone, a range of distances from a star where liquid water can exist on a planet's surface.

"With a minimum mass just 4.3 times that of Earth, this potential planet would be the smallest yet found in the habitable zone of a sun-like star if it's confirmed, researchers said...."

A key word there is "perhaps." We don't know much about Tau Ceti's planetary system. These astronomers found the planets by sifting through information about the star's motion. My guess is that someone's going to challenge their conclusions soon.

However, Steve Vogt, of the University of California, Santa Cruz; and University of Hertfordshire's Mikko Tuomi; aren't crackpots. I think it's quite likely that they're right.

"They are everywhere..."

"...'This discovery is in keeping with our emerging view that virtually every star has planets, and that the galaxy must have many such potentially habitable Earth-sized planets,' study co-author Steve Vogt, of the University of California, Santa Cruz, said in a statement. 'They are everywhere, even right next door.' [Gallery: 7 Potentially Habitable Exoplanets]

"The five planet candidates are all relatively small, with minimum masses ranging from 2 to 6.6 times that of Earth. The possibly habitable world, which completes one lap around Tau Ceti every 168 days, is unlikely to be a rocky planet like Earth, researchers said.

" 'It is impossible to tell the composition, but I do not consider this particular planet to be very likely to have a rocky surface,' lead author Mikko Tuomi, of the University of Hertfordshire in England, told SPACE.com via email. 'It might be a "water world," but at the moment it's anybody's guess.'..."
(Mike Wall SPACE.com)

The Space.com article doesn't explain Mikko Tuomi's "water world" comment. He's almost certainly talking about a planet that's mostly water: not just partly covered by water, like Earth. (Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 23, 2011)

What's exciting about Tau Ceti's planetary system, assuming that the study's conclusions hold up, is that they're very, very, close to being as massive as Earth. It's getting hard to keep up with the growing list of known and 'possible' planets circling other stars: including a few that might, maybe, be the right temperature and right size to support life.

Alone?

I don't 'believe in flying saucers.' But I don't believe that we're alone in the universe, either. I simply don't know whether we share this vast creation with other living creatures, or not.

However, as a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to say that there can't be other worlds like ours. That's been a rule since 1277.

---

3. Suffering and Joy During Advent

I think it's important to not that Archbishop Chaput wasn't speaking, or writing, directly to folks in Newtown, Connecticut. The post cited by CNA was on The Catholic Standard and Times' website. The ink-on-paper publication is gone, and that's another topic. ("About Us," CatholicPhilly.com)

I recommend reading Archbishop Chaput's column:

• "Advent, suffering and the promise of joy"
  Archbishop Chaput, Weekly column, Catholic Philly (December 19, 2012)

"Nothing Remotely Naïve"

"Archbishop Chaput: Advent's message relevant in wake of tragedy"
CNA/EWTN News (December 18, 2012)

"The message of Advent is applicable in today's world, especially in light of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia said in his Dec. 17 column.

" 'In these final days of Advent, the Church urges us to lift up our hearts and prepare to rejoice,' he said. 'There's nothing remotely naïve in this call to joy; the Church knows the harshness of the world far too well for empty pieties.'

"Even in the face of tragedy, such as the recent elementary school shooting in which a lone gunman killed his mother and 26 students and faculty at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Archbishop Chaput said that God is present...."

CNA/EWTN News apparently got a pre-publication release of Archbishop Chaput's column, which is dated December 19, 2012: which has nothing to do with what the archbishop said.

I think it's important to remember that there's more to Christmas than cheerful sentiments and 'presents under the tree.' As Archbishop Chaput said, "...'There's nothing remotely naïve in this call to joy....' "

I've posted about Christmas before:

• ""...A Savior has been Born for You Who is Messiah and Lord...""
  (December 25, 2011)
• "Christmas: Mything the Point"
  (December 18, 2011)
• "My Take on the News: Jingle Bells, Jangled Nerves, and Good Advice"
  (December 16, 2011)

"...Something to do With Free Will..."

"...When trying to comprehend the violence and evil that took place that day, people will ask how God could allow such suffering to exist in the world, the archbishop noted.

"Although these questions 'sound reasonable,' he said, they are 'all evasions,'

" 'We might as well ask, "Why does God allow us to be free?" '

"Archbishop Chaput recalled that humanity has the blessing of being loved unconditionally by its Creator. And although God seeks our love, 'we will never be coerced by the One who loves us.'..."
(CNA/EWTN News)

Free will is an awkward gift. We've got enormous power over our lives: and personal responsibility for our decisions.

I haven't run into very many good, brief, discussions of free will. Archbishop Chaput's is one; another was in, oddly enough, a Monty Python movie. (May 23, 2012) Some of my take on free will:

• "The Power to Hurt: Or Help"
  (June 27, 2012)
• "Sin, Freedom, and Toy Monkeys"
  (May 23, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Evil: Hard to Ignore; Difficult to Explain
  • Evil, Grace, and Getting a Grip

Archbishop Chaput had more to say about free will.

"God is Good ...We Human Beings are Free..."

"...'God is good, but we human beings are free, and being free, we help fashion the nature of our world with the choices we make,' he said.

"That means that while 'evil is frightening,' it is unfortunately 'not incomprehensible,' he wrote. 'We know it from intimate experience.'

" 'What we never quite expect is for our private sins, multiplied and fermented by millions of lives with the same or similar "little" sins, to somehow feed the kind evil that walks into a Connecticut school and guns down 26 innocent lives, 20 of them children,' he said...."
(CNA/EWTN News)

Archbishop Chaput isn't, I'm quite sure, telling us that we should writhe in anguish or stand petrified in fear at the wretched vileness of our bad habits. I've mentioned Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" before. Fairly often. (December 14, 2012; December 16, 2011; December 5, 2011)

"...Love is Stronger than Death..."

"... In the Old Testament, God revels that 'love is as strong as death,' Archbishop Chaput said. In God's redeeming plan, 'love is stronger than death.'

" 'The surprise is the persistence of God's fidelity and mercy. The surprise is that, despite our sins, we still long to be the people God intended us to be.'

"He said that 'the only effective antidote' to evil in the world is for each person 'to live differently from this moment forward.'

"'We make the future beginning now,' he added...."
(CNA/EWTN News)

He also suggested that we should pray for the grieving families in Newtown. That sounds like a good idea.

---

4. Satawa's Nativity Scene is Back!

"Long-time Michigan roadside nativity resurrected"
Carl Bunderson, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (December 18, 2012 )

"A 67-year-old tradition of placing a nativity scene on a public median in Warren, Mich. has been re-established after a four-year legal battle involving the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

" 'John Satawa was persistent enough to follow through,' CNA was told Dec. 17 by Richard Thompson, president of Thomas More Law Center, which represented Satawa, the crèche's caretaker...."

I've mentioned the Thomas More Law Center before. (August 20, 2012) They're one of many outfits trying to preserve freedom in America:

• Thomas More Law Center (www.thomasmore.org)
  • "About the Thomas More Law Center"

I think that's a good thing, even if today's establishment doesn't. I learned that the government isn't always right during my teens, and haven't forgotten 'the good old days:'

• "Remembering the '60s; Praying for America"
  (November 6, 2012)
  Particularly
  • 'The Good Old Days' - Weren't
• "HHS Mandate, Catholic Bishops, and Foster Auditorium"
  (February 12, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Reality, Nostalgia, and the Establishment
• "Oh, For the 'Good Old Days?' "
  (November 28, 2010)

And that's another topic or two.

Well-Wishers, Carolers, and a Priest

"...Satawa is 'an individual citizen who was not going to disappear silently into the night, but was going to fight the decision of the road commission to maintain this tradition that had been going on since 1945,' Thompson said.

"The crèche was erected again Dec. 15 by Satawa, his family and friends, and local Boy Scouts, after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decided in his favor on Aug. 1.

"While the nativity scene was being erected, Warren police controlled traffic as well-wishers gathered, carolers sang Christmas songs, a priest from nearby St. Anne's Catholic Church blessed the display and passing motorists sounded their horns in approval...."
(Carl Bunderson, CNA)

It looks like at least some of Satawa's neighbors are happy about the crèche being back. Others may be appalled, disgusted, or insulted.

I wonder if anybody's looked into the possible harmful effects of pink plastic flamingos on the public's 'mental health.' And that's definitely another topic.

City Hall, Persistence, and Freedom

"...In 2008 the Macomb County Road Commission received a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation objecting to a private citizen placing a nativity scene on a 60-foot-wide median.

"They claimed the crèche violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment, and the county immediately ordered the display removed.

"Satawa had gotten permission for the crèche several times, and in 1995 the local police department finally gave him a blanket permission to erect it in the future, so that he would not feel it necessary to ask again.

"On March 9, 2009, after receiving the Freedom from Religion Foundation's letter, a highway engineer for Macomb County, Robert Hoepfner, wrote to Satawa denying him a permit to resurrect the manger scene and only citing reasons related to the establishment clause for the denial.

"Satawa then sued the Macomb County Road Commission for violating his rights under the establishment and free speech clauses of the First Amendment, and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment...."
(Carl Bunderson, CNA)

Sometimes 'you can't fight city hall.' When Sauk Centre widened the street I live on, we lost three elms from the front yard. I was going to protest, but decided not to after seeing them used as an example of safety hazards. As it turns out, one of them had a hollow core: and would probably have fallen in the next big storm.

Sometimes a person can resist the powers that be, and win. Being right helps, I think.

Related posts:

• Freedom
  • "Good News (Not in the News); Assumptions; December 21 and the Mayan Calendar"
    (December 14, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Cardinal Dolan and News: But Not the Establishment Kind
  • "Conscience in the News; a Radar Map of Titan; Exploring Mars"
    (December 14, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Illinois Against Pharmacists: Sometimes Conscience Wins
  • "Freedom, Fear, Mayan 'Doomsday,' and a Solar Super-Flare (Maybe)"
    (November 30, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Conscience and American Courts: A Little Good News
  • "Recovering from a Hurricane; Defending Freedom; Studying the Cosmos"
    (November 22, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Religious Liberty, the Constitution, and a Step in the Right Direction
  • "Defending Religious Liberty; and Living in a World of Wonder"
    (November 16, 2012)
    Particularly
    • "Prayerfully Resolute"
• Science
  • "Conscience in the News; a Radar Map of Titan; Exploring Mars"
    (December 14, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Titan's Longest Known River, So Far
    • Another Picture from Mars
  • "Defending Religious Liberty; and Living in a World of Wonder"
    (November 16, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Mars, Microbes, and a World of Wonder
    • Step Back, and Look
  • "Alpha Centauri, Freedom, and Me"
    (October 19, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Science, Religion, and a Hairball
    • Alpha Centauri, Planets, and Life
  • "An Ancient Brain, Politics, and Searching for Life on Mars"
    (October 12, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Simple Critter with a Complex Brain, a Half-Billion Years Ago
    • A Scoopful of Mars
  • "Science isn't a Four-Letter Word"
    (January 29, 2012)
    Particularly
    • 1277 and All That
• "They are everywhere..."
  • "GJ 667Cc: Heavier than Earth, Maybe About as Warm"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 6, 2012)
  • "GJ 1214b: Water in the Atmosphere; Close; and No Vacation Destination"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 23, 2011)
  • "Life on Other Worlds, and the Catholic Church"
    (January 11, 2011)
  • "God's Creation: He Seems to Think Big"
    (September 23, 2010)
  • "Planets Found Circling Other Stars: 429 So Far"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 15, 2010)
• Speculating
  • "Alien Life will Most Likely be - Alien"
    Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (April 12, 2010)
    Particularly
    • 'Life as We Know It,' Class M Planets and All That
  • "Gods, Demons, and Used Spaceship Dealers"
    Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (February 13, 2010)
  • "Beautiful Space Princesses, Almost Certainly Not: Flying Whales, Maybe"
    Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 8, 2009)
  • " 'All We Want is Peace and Quiet' - Another Look at the Mind of the Alien"
    Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 9, 2009)
  • Earth May Not Be a 'Class M' Planet"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 5, 2009)
    Particularly
    • Doesn't Everybody Dream of Flying?

Good News (Not in the News); Assumptions; December 21 and the Mayan Calendar

Earlier today I shared some good news from Illinois, and part of what we're learning about Mars and Titan. Then I read about a mass murder in Connecticut:

• "Conscience in the News; a Radar Map of Titan; Exploring Mars"
  (December 14, 2012)
• "Connecticut School: Mass Murder and Prayer"
  (December 14, 2012)

As I said before, about killings in Connecticut, no pressure: but prayer couldn't hurt.

More News: Good; Drearily Familiar; and Garbled

This post starts with good news from New York State.

The other two items are the usual establishment stuff, what I think of it; and another look at how folks react to the Mayan calendar.

About December 21, 2012: If you're counting on the world ending next Friday: I'd change your plans. The start of a new cycle in the Mayan calendar has about as much cosmic significance as Guy Lombardo's orchestra had each New Year's Eve at the Waldorf Astoria.

1. Cardinal Dolan and News: But Not the Establishment Kind
   • "...Still a Long Way to Go..."
2. 'News:' The Establishment Kind
   • Assumptions
   • "A Catholic Church (AKA Whore House)"
   • Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
   • "God Hates Fags," "Pray for More Dead Soldiers,"
     and ABC News
   • Three Important Points
3. Maya, oh Maya
   • Hostility, Ignorance, and Getting a Grip
   • Happy New Year, Mayan Style
   • Doomsday Predictions, Prophecies,
     and Scaring People Silly

---

'The Establishment?'

In my teens, 'the establishment' was a sort of gentlemen's club. Although "Irish Need Not Apply" signs had disappeared by then, upward mobility was easier for a man who either was WASP, or could fake it. Women with ambition had the option of marrying a WASP.


(Non Sequitur, Wiley Miller (December 14, 2012) used w/o permission)
"...so in leading the way back to traditional America, one of us here is now a janitor and another one goes to the secretarial pool."

As I've said before, I do not want a return to the 'good old days.' My memory's too good.

Today's establishment, the folks in America with wealth, influence, and political power, look different; have different preferences; but still act like 'the establishment.' (September 15, 2011; June 24, 2011)

---

1. Cardinal Dolan and News: But Not the Establishment Kind

"HHS Mandate Decision"
Cardinal Dolan, The Gospel In the Digital Age, Archdiocese of New York (December 12, 2012)

"Did you hear about the decision last week by U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in the lawsuit brought by the Archdiocese of New York, ArchCare, (the agency coordinating our Catholic healthcare in the archdiocese) and three plaintiffs from the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, against the administration for the unconstitutional HHS mandate?

You probably did not, as there seems to have been virtually no mention of the decision - in favor of the archdiocese, by the way - in any local newspaper or on television. As far as I can tell, and I've looked rather carefully, there hasn't even been a story in the New York Times, which couldn't wait to publish an editorial this past October, admonishing the bishops, when a federal judge in Missouri found for the administration and dismissed a similar case brought by a private, for-profit, mining company. (The Times also didn't have much to say last week, when the appeals court temporarily blocked the bad Missouri decision the Times had gushed over.)...

I'm not surprised that The New York Times once again followed its 'all the news we feel like printing' policy. I've discussed the 'Gray Lady' before, in another blog.

America's presumed newspaper of record is, I think, a hometown newspaper, run by a relatively small number of folks, who have well-defined ideas about the outside world:

• "The New York Times, Insularity, and Assumptions"
  (October 21, 2008)
• "New York Times Prints Ersatz Letter, or All the News That's Fit to Fake"
  (December 22, 2008)

"...Still a Long Way to Go..."

As Cardinal Dolan says, "...there is still a long way to go before these cases are final...." I am, however, confident that America will eventually decide that forcing citizens to violate our conscience is a bad idea: even if editors with The New York Times believe otherwise.

(A tip of the hat to David Huber , on Google+, for the heads-up on Cardinal Dolan's post.)

---

2. 'News:' The Establishment Kind

"ABC uses video of hateful Westboro Baptist Church to illustrate opposition to gay marriage"
Scott Whitlock, FoxNews.com (December 11, 2012)

"Apparently, ABC News can't tell the difference between opponents of gay marriage and hateful, anti-American bigots. As 'World News' reporter Terry Moran highlighted the Supreme Court's decision Friday to consider the legality of same-sex marriage, video of Westboro Baptist Church picketers appeared on screen to visually represent 'opponents.'...

(ABC News, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

Assumptions

Fred Phelps and his merry hecklers from the Westboro Baptist Church are against same-sex marriage, among other things.

But not all people who oppose recognizing same-sex marriage are part of Fred Phelps' little group.

For example, the Catholic Church does not recognize sexual relations between two men or two women as "marriage." Our attitude toward the folks who get called "fags" by Fred Phelps is radically different:

"...They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided...."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2358)

If you haven't read that in the news, I'm not surprised. Journalists don't seem to understand the Catholic Church, or Christianity. (April 27, 2012; March 6, 2010)

Assuming that a few angry people carrying signs are typical of a huge and diverse group isn't prudent, but it's nothing new. I think Fulton Sheen is right:

"There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church - which is, of course, quite a different thing."
(Bishop Fulton Sheen, Foreword to Radio Replies Vol. 1, (1938) page ix, via Wikiquote)

I think America's cultural history contributes to the idea that religion and hate go together.

Burning crosses didn't help Christianity's image. Neither, I suspect, did rants against rock music, commies, Catholicism, and other 'un-American' influences. And that's another topic or two.


(from H.E. Fowler, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"Crowley, Jeremiah J. (1913) 'The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue,' p. 430"


(Pillar of Fire Church, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"From ''Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'', 1926. Published by the Pillar of Fire Church in Zarephath, NJ...."


(From Thomas Nast Portfolio, Ohio State University, used w/o permission.)
"The American River Ganges, a cartoon by Thomas Nast showing bishops attacking public schools, with connivance of Boss Tweed. Harper's Weekly, September 30, 1871." (Wikipedia)

No, I certainly don't yearn for a return to 'the good old days.'

"A Catholic Church (AKA Whore House)"

Fred Phelps' outfit has an all-too-familiar opinion of the Catholic Church:

"...We will say every time we come to a catholic church (aka whore house) we will remind you that Priests Rape Children...."
("Westboro Baptist Church Picket Schedule," godhatesfags.com, (from Google cache November 8, 2010))

I've heard about the pedophile priests, and think they're as typical of Catholicism as Fred Phelps and company are of, say, Protestants. Moving on.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God?

"...Members of the small and extreme Westboro Baptist Church have disrupted the funerals of American military personal who were killed defending this country. According to Westboro Pastor Fred Phelps, U.S. soldiers are dying because of America's support for homosexuality. On June 13, 2005, the AP quoted him as saying, 'Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime.'..."
(Scott Whitlock)

Thinking that "the Lord is punishing this evil nation" may have a (small) kernel of truth to it. I've talked about natural law before.

Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" was very effective in 1741. That may partly explain why so many American preachers are radio ranters seem intent on scaring people silly.

I think that God cares about what people do, and I think that actions have consequences.

But I do not believe that God killed:

• 21st-century Haitians
  • As payback for a centuries-old alleged act
• Japanese
  • Because of Pearl Harbor
• Americans
  • Because the Orange Riots were unforgivable

And I certainly don't agree with Fred Phelps and his ilk. I've been over this sort of thing before:

• "God, Storms, Earthquakes, and Assumptions"
  (December 12, 2012)

Folks who take their cue from "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" notwithstanding, I really don't think the Almighty has anger management issues.

"God Hates Fags," "Pray for More Dead Soldiers," and ABC News

ABC News does not, as far as I know, agree with slogans like "God hates fags," or "pray for more dead soldiers."

But putting statements in a particular order can give a false impression:

"...Yet, Moran announced, 'For opponents of gay marriage, the very fabric of our society is at stake.' During this voiceover, video showed Westboro protesters with signs reading 'God hates America.' (Other signs that the group is known for include 'God hates fags' and 'Pray for more dead soldiers.') After that footage rolled, Moran's piece immediately cut to a Family Research Council (FRC) representative.

"Providing the only opposition in the segment, Peter Sprigg, a FRC fellow, asserted, 'The fundamental reason why marriage is treated as a public institution, rather than a purely private relationship, is because it serves the interest of society and serves the interest of children.'

"Having Sprigg immediately follow video of Westboro members undercuts the calm, reasoned argument he made...."
(Scott Whitlock)

I've told how rabid radio preachers led me to an appreciation of rock music: and, eventually, to a faith that made sense. ("Why I Became a Catholic")

I still cringe when I hear the latest 'End Times Bible Prophecy,' and that's almost another topic.

Three Important Points

In my considered opinion, it's important to:

• Not live down to expectations
• Study the news, not just
  • Read it
  • Watch it

---

3. Maya, oh Maya

"Vatican: World Not Ending, Despite Maya Prediction"
Associated Press, via ABC News (December 11, 2012)

"The Vatican's top astronomer has some assurances to offer: The world won't be ending in about two weeks, despite predictions to the contrary.

"The Rev. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, wrote in Wednesday's Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that 'it's not even worth discussing' doomsday scenarios based on the Mayan calendar that are flooding the Internet ahead of the purported Dec. 21 apocalypse...."

To begin with, Jose Funes is a priest in the S. J., Society of Jesus (Jesuits), so "the Rev.," although nice-sounding, is not what I'd call him. Oh, well: Associated Press has a record for not understanding Catholicism, the Catholic Church, or Christianity in general. (March 6, 2010)

Professor Funes is part of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, but that organization's head is called a "president" in my language. These are some of the folks who currently run the Academy, according to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences:

• President
  • Werner Arber
• Chancellor
  • Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo
• Councillors
  • Paul Crutzen
  • Theodor Hänsch
  • Nicole Le Douarin
  • Jürgen Mittelstraß
  • Veerabhadran Ramanathan
  • Martin Rees
  • Rafael Vicuña
  (Source: Pontifical Academy of Sciences (English))

Here's José G. Funes' profile, with the name spelled correctly:

"José G. Funes, S.J."
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences

"...José Funes specialises in extragalactic astronomy. His field of research includes the kinematics and dynamics of disk galaxies and star formation in nearby galaxies...."

It took me maybe five minutes to get those names, Funes' profile, and drop the data into this post: but Sauk Centre, Minnesota, does have pretty good Internet service. Besides, I knew about the Academy, and use Google quite often.

Hostility, Ignorance, and Getting a Grip

Sometimes daft reporting of "religious" news may reflect hostility toward religion. Often, I suspect that we're looking at the result of profound ignorance.

"...If establishment news covered the Super Bowl the way they cover religious news, we'd see expert discussions of the quality of this year's home runs compared to number of women employed by the NFL, and speculation about why the jockeys weren't wearing feed bags....."
(June 15, 2012)

Happily, we no longer depend on The New York Times, broadcast news, and a few studio executives, for information.

Folks need to exercise good judgment when reading blogs like this one, websites, or connecting with others in social media services like Twitter or Google+. Not everyone is careful about checking their facts, or distinguishing between what they know to be true, and what they'd like to be true.

But old-school journalism requires scrutiny too. Happily, now the rest of us can do our own research.

Happy New Year, Mayan Style

I see Funes' point, that "...'it's not even worth discussing' doomsday scenarios based on the Mayan calendar...." As a professional scientist, José Funes, S. J., is mostly interested in the realities of this universe: not a popular doomsday claim.

I'm fascinated by science, but I'm also fascinated by culture, calendars, and psychological quirks: among other things.

I don't take the Mayan calendar's starting a new cycle as terribly significant. On the other hand, I like to watch celebrations of another new cycle each New Year's Eve.

A bit more seriously, I know that some folks are troubled by my native culture's perennial doomsday predictions and prophecies. More about that after pushing some of my other blogs.

I started discussing the Mayan calendar in other blogs, along with goofy ideas:

• "The Neutrinos are Coming! 2012 and Hollywood Science"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 16, 2009)
  Particularly
  • 2012, the Mayan Calendar, and Y2K
• "Commie Plots, Cholesterol, Frank Burns, Hugo Chavez, and 2012"
  Another War-0n-Terror Blog (November 15, 2009)
  Particularly
  • The Mayan "Long Count," and 2012; and 7138; and 12263; and 17388; and ---

Doomsday Predictions, Prophecies, and Scaring People Silly

Fear is a powerful motivator. Advertising for everything from life insurance to acne cream often appeals to fear: of being buried in a cardboard box; having a zit on Saturday night; whatever.

By itself there's nothing wrong with fear: or any other emotion. What matters is what we decide to do with our feelings. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1767-1768)

Fear's power may help explain why some frightfully religious folks in America come up with a new 'Biblical End Times' prophecy at fairly regular intervals. Their secular equivalents warn us of impending natural disasters, including:

• The once-popular coming ice age
• Global warming
• Today's cautiously non-committal "climate change"

I take 'end of the world' warnings, secular and religious, with the proverbial grain of salt. Sometimes with the whole container.

Like I said, there's nothing wrong with fear, by itself. Sometimes it makes sense to be afraid. But that doesn't mean that scaring folks silly is a good idea. The key word there is "silly."

I've posted about fear, wisdom, and why emotions and reason don't play well together, before:

• "My Take on the News: Jingle Bells, Jangled Nerves, and Good Advice"
  (December 16, 2011)
  Particularly
  • Fear and Wisdom
• "Freedom, Fear, Mayan 'Doomsday,' and a Solar Super-Flare (Maybe)"
  (November 30, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Doomsday Declarations: What's the Harm?
• "Oh, Rapture! Here Come the End Times - Again"
  (May 20, 2011)
• "Emotions, the Frontal Cortex, The War on Terror, Anarchists, and the Illuminati"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (December 23, 2008)

Other related posts:

• Religion
  
  • "Catholics aren't Calvinists"
    (May 7, 2012)
  • " 'Nazi Pope,' Urban Legends, Academic Standards, and the News"
    (April 17, 2012)
  • "First Amendment Suspended for 9/11 Memorial Service: Wrong, but Understandable"
    (September 10, 2011)
    Particularly
    • Religious People: 'Everybody Knows' What They're Like
    • Reality Check: Not All Christians are Dolts
  • "Separation of Church and State, Assumptions, and Fear"
    (September 2, 2011)
  • "Mind's Made Up About Catholicism? Don't Read This"
    (November 8, 2010)
    Particularly
    • Malignant Virtue
• News and culture
  • "Bishops, Nuns, the News, and Being Catholic"
    (June 15, 2012)
    Particularly
    • 'Religious' News Coverage - or - Home Runs at the Super Bowl
  • "Vatileaks: Organized? Maybe, Maybe Not"
    (June 7, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Values, Assumptions, and Deadlines
  • "'Nazi Pope,' Urban Legends, Academic Standards, and the News"
    (April 17, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Assumptions aren't Facts
    • Harvard, Chick Publications, and the Pillar of Fire Church
  • "Fulton Sheen, Bias, and the Catholic Church"
    (March 28, 2012)
  • "Lie and Hype for a Good Cause?!"
    (November 28, 2011)
    Particularly
    • Sticks, Stones, and Hurt
    • Setting the Record Straight
• 'Doomsday' predictions
  • "Freedom, Fear, Mayan 'Doomsday,' and a Solar Super-Flare (Maybe)"
    (November 30, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Mayan Apocalypse, December 21, 2012 (or not)
  • "Mayan Apocalypse Transition: Book a Galactic Cruise; or Take the Cosmic Bike Tour"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 3, 2012)
  • "Oh, Rapture! Here Come the End Times - Again"
    (May 20, 2011)
  • "Zombie Apocalypse: CDC's Tongue-in-Cheek Disaster Preparedness Advice Post"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (May 19, 2011)
  • "Lemming Tracks: Blasphemy! Or, 'We're All Gonna Die' Predictions That Fizzled"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 30, 2010)
• The establishment
  • "Supporting Freedom, and Other Subversive Activity"
    (June 22, 2012)
  • "Coney Island School, 'Offensive' Song, and 'Foreigners' "
    (June 10, 2012)
  • "My Way, or the Highway: Academic 'Freedom' at Iowa's Top Law School"
    (April 6, 2012)
  • "What's With 'the Establishment' in this Blog?"
    (September 15, 2011)
  • "Oh, For the Days of Yore?"
    (March 22, 2011)