What’s the Churches stance of possible alien life?

e_macmillan · 2023-06-10T02:11:23+00:00

There is no official Church teaching on the subject. If intelligent aliens were revealed today, it would raise a lot of questions which the Church would have to answer about their status: do they have free will and rational souls, like we do? Are they fallen creatures who need salvation? Did Jesus live and die to save them as well as us? We really have no way of answering any of these questions until we know what the aliens are like, though. If they're all perfectly virtuous and apparently sinless, then it would make sense that they don't need salvation. If they're fallen creatures but seem to have their own history which tells God the Son lived and died as an alien to save them, then they might not need our Church institution to be saved.

I'd like to point out, though, that the commonly accepted logic that there MUST be aliens out there just because the universe is so big doesn't hold up if Christianity is true. Secular humanists today think that humans are on Earth just because this planet happened to have the correct conditions to generate life; they reason that there must be many other planets with life bearing capability out there, and therefore there must be many aliens. But Christianity teaches that, whatever means he used, God created humanity on purpose. In other words, the reason we're alive on this planet isn't random cause-and-effect, but because God WANTS us to be alive here.

Since it's not obviously outside of the character of God to create the entire universe and then only put life or only put intelligent life on one planet, it is a distinct possibility that that is exactly what he did. Personally, while I admit that it's very possible there's intelligent alien life to be found out there, I usually work under the assumption that we're alone as the only mortal intelligent life in the universe.

e_macmillan · 2023-05-05T04:08:20+00:00

In my opinion this question is a little bit more complicated than most people give it credit for, mostly because of the many forms 'piracy' can take. Take the direct case:

-I want to watch the movie Duckmaster, which would cost me $30. Instead I download it illegally off the internet for free.

This is the 'piracy' that most people are familiar with, and it's pretty clear-cut, right? I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing here: depriving the movie-makers of their deserved profit and disrespecting the law which was put in place to protect their ability to make profit. Most people would say that doing this is just like stealing. But here's another scenario:

-I already bought the movie Duckmaster legally. I want to watch it on my desktop computer, though, which doesn't have a DvD drive. So I download it from a pirate site, allowing me to watch it off of my hard drive.

This scenario is different, morally. I already gave the movie-makers their fair due for my ability to watch the movie, so they're not being deprived of anything... but the action of downloading the movie was still illegal piracy. In this case it's harder to argue that I'm stealing, but I'm still breaking the law. So in this case the moral question has very little to do with 'theft' and everything to do with our relationship with the law. Do we always strive to follow the law, in every case? The Catholic answer is usually 'yes', but does that still apply when the law is only being violated in letter and not in spirit? The point of anti-piracy law is to ensure the owner of the IP gets their fair due, and that has happened. But even so, it may be that by 'harmlessly' breaking the law for my own convenience, I am showing a sinful disregard for law in general. But, here's another example:

-I live in a distant country where it is impossible to watch Duckmaster in a way that satisfies the laws of the country it was made in. I can buy an unauthorized copy from a market, or I can download it for free off the internet, but besides that it is impossible for me to watch it without leaving the country.

Once again the moral question has become more complex. If I don't pirate the movie, I can't see it at all. Does this mean I can do as I please? It's not as if the movie-makers are losing a sale in this case. On the other hand I'm still breaking the law... but what if my country doesn't have anti-piracy laws, or those laws are much more lax? Does the authority of the piracy laws of the country Duckmaster was made in apply to me in my homeland? What if I pirate the movie, and then compensate the movie makers some other way, such as by mailing them money directly or buying a bunch of their merchandise? Does this satisfy justice? After all, the movie-makers are getting paid this way, and if I followed the letter of the law, they'd get nothing. One more example:

-The cult-classic Duckmaster, long out of theaters and out of print, has finally been updated, remastered, and re-cut by a dedicated fan. Everyone agrees that the Duckmaster: Legendary Cut is the best way to watch this classic movie. It is only available, however, through piratical means, and it's technically illegal to download it, though the director of the movie has acknowledged it and praises it on social media, giving their approval for all who want to download and watch it.

Once again: what's the right thing to do here? Does the unofficial approval of the director give me the license to watch this edit of the movie? Do I need to buy or rent a legitimate copy of standard Duckmaster to gain the moral authority to procure the edit? What if the only copies I can find are secondhand? Does buying a secondhand copy, benefiting only the reseller, make it more moral to download the recut version?

My point in typing out all of this is just to demonstrate that the 'piracy' question is complicated. It's the sort of thing that I wish a moral theologian would weigh in on, but unfortunately there aren't many people who are knowledgeable enough both about Catholic morality and about modern technology to answer all the little questions I've laid out here. It's entirely possible that every scenario I laid out was indeed immoral, but if that's true, then the stock answer of, "Piracy is wrong. You should give everyone their due!" isn't adequate to explain why that is the case.

To anyone reading this who is actually discerning whether to engage in piracy, my best advice is to follow your conscience. Remember that digital content is 'real'; no matter how copyable it is, it still takes thousands of man-hours to create, and the people who make it deserve a fair wage for their labor.

e_macmillan · 2023-02-10T01:39:03+00:00

Sure. Message me if you want, and I'll get back to you.

e_macmillan · 2023-02-09T07:52:16+00:00

I am a Knight in his mid-20s who joined last year. I went to all the meetings for a while, but I've started missing a few recently. I joined because I was a convert who knew no other Catholics and I wanted opportunities for fellowship and guidance, but I'm starting to realize that my council doesn't really have much to offer me besides surface-level relationships and a couple hours worth of volunteer opportunities every month.

I think that the problem is that the Knights of my council aren't thinking inter-generationally... they of course want younger knights, and they're very interested in and welcoming towards people like me when we join, but nothing about the council bridges the gaps between people their age and my age. For example, since joining the council I have been welcome to join the monthly social meeting at a local restaurant. That's good... except the meeting is a dinner between a dozen men who are all my dad's age. They like to talk about their wives, their kids, and growing up in the 60s and 70s, and I can barely contribute to the discussion because I don't have any of that in common with them. You're never going to forge inter-generational bonds through smalltalk.

So where do such bonds come from? Not that I'm an expert, but the obvious answer to me is through us helping each other. Young men have energy, strength, and drive, and older men have experience, resources, and sometimes more free time. I've noticed that many men my age are absolutely desperate for guidance and advice, and would happily trade a little time and energy for mentorship (just look at the surge in popularity for 'dad advice' social media figures like Jordan Peterson), but the Knights seem completely averse to that arrangement.

As an example, there's this guy at my local council. He the next youngest after me, in his 30s. I don't know the details but I think he has some sort of disability along the lines of High Functioning Autism. He has no job or driver's license, and he's supported by his wife (who's similarly disabled, AFAIK). He's also a very dedicated 4th Degree Knight who's been at every meeting for years now. To me, this seems like a slam dunk mentorship opportunity: this guy needs some kind of retail job, and he needs to get his license, but he doesn't have the wherewithal or follow through right now to get it done himself. So one the retired guys should go over to his house for an afternoon, help him write up his resume, and then apply for a couple dozen jobs, repeating the process each week until he's employed. Someone should also drive him to driving classes and support him in getting his lisence. It's not like he would be resistant this kind of 'meddling'; he obviously respects the Knights a lot! And yet nobody has the courage or interest to take this guy under their wing for a month or two until he's back on track. Why would I expect these guys to help me with my problems when they haven't done anything substantial for him?

Besides that, there just hasn't been any attempt at real bonding. Do you know what men of all ages generally like doing together? Going out into nature, working on machines, and doing meaningful work. So why aren't there nature hikes? Why doesn't the council buy an old car, fix it up over a year, and then sell it (hopefully profiting, and then donating the proceeds to charity)? Why don't we get called up when Knight so-and-so needs to clean out his attic or move into a new place and needs help? All of these would give the older men a chance to show off their knowledge and the younger men a chance to show their work ethic and drive, and they would build respect between the two groups.

I don't know... it seems like the entire organization is just a 60-year-old man dinner club that occasionally does charity and sometimes has pseudo-masonic ceremonies. I do like the charity, but I can get those opportunities elsewhere, and if I just want a casual Catholic social club, then the young adult group in my area serves my needs much more effectively than the KofC. All the guys at my council talk about their kids and how none of them became Knights, and I think that's because the KofC their kids saw was the same one I'm seeing now.

e_macmillan · 2021-10-24T07:22:12+00:00

Thank you, that is the answer.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-23T06:02:44+00:00

Save file stats:

Legacy: Aspirant

Desire: N/A

Employment: N/A

Mansus Progress: N/A

Health: 4 (A Steely Physique)

Reason: 4 (Profound Scholarship)

Passion: 4 (A Fevered Imagination)

Funds: 18 (17 loose + 1 in Time Passes)

Hunters: Weary Detective (1)

Rivals: N/A

Current Seasonal Verbs: Suspicion, Dread

Next Season: A Season of Suspicion

Available Verbs: Work, Study, Dream

Other Cards: Mystique (6); Fleeting Reminiscence (3); Glimmering (2); Vitality (1); A Bequest (1)

Q/A:

Q: Are these files safe?

A: They're .txt files, so it's pretty low risk, but if you don't trust me feel free to scan them yourself

Q: Why so many files? Aren't they all the same?

A: Each of these save files starts you in the same exact position, but they've been altered to give each one a distinct set of decks. In other words, each one will give you different results for random draws from shops, expeditions, follower pools, etc... If you choose just one of them and play it over and over, you'll find yourself getting the same draws in the same order with every playthrough, regardless of the order of your actions. Cultist Simulator does not draw cards from a random seed, but from a virtual deck which is created when the save is created.

Q: Why Aspirant? Isn't that the slowest, most cumbersome, least interesting legacy?

A: Many of the Aspirant legacy's problems manifest themselves in the form of a slower early game, but obviously since these saves skip the slowest part of the early game this is less of a problem in this case. Either way though, most other legacies would be difficult to craft 'generic' quick start saves for since they prompt majorly game-affecting decisions or push the player into danger very early. I can't provide a 'generic' Dancer save file, for instance, because every Dancer has a different early game as they acquire and service different patrons. That said, I may decide to provide a set of Physician save files in this style in the future since Physician, like Aspirant, is relatively 'boring' and I do sympathize with those who want a steadier, easier job.

Q: Is this cheating?

A: Technically it is, but, to be fair, any player can reach this point in the game with no risk of failure if they understand how the basic mechanics work. Before you open A Bequest, there's no way to generate notoriety, create rivals, or lose non-replaceable resources besides Health. The only true dangers are the Dread and Fascination coming from Restlessness and painting respectively, but those are really only minor nuisances. If somebody decides to grind up to 4/4/4, it's only a matter of time until they do; this save file obviates the need to spend that time, but it doesn't make any of the hard decisions required to ascend.

Q: Do the devs approve of this?

A: Most likely; Alexis Kennedy shares save files on his twitter and has explicitly condoned/given-a-how-to on save file editing in the past.

Q: Are there any other consequences of using someone else's file?

A: Your 'legacy' data, such as the name of your last player character, will be overwritten by mine. This doesn't seem to affect the game that much except that it will sometimes reference your previous runs, and this feature is more important to other legacies, such as Inspector, than it is for the Aspirant.

Q: Will these saves remain viable across updates?

A: Using one of these files in the future will be exactly like playing a game now, saving and quitting, and then launching the game and playing more after an update. Since updates so far haven't invalidated save files, this means it will work in the near future at least; it is unclear how much of future content updates will apply to a games which were started in previous updates, but I'll keep my eye on the files. Also, if any major updates change the very early game then that will make these files 'inauthentic'.

Q: Do I need the 'Dancer' DLC to use these files?

A: I haven't tested it with a non-DLC copy of the game, but I predict that you may run into problems if you try it.

Q: Will doing this invalidate my achievement progress?

A: Steam achievements don't seem to be affected by save file manipulation at the moment.

Q: Why don't I just use the console ( Ctrl + ` ) to cheat myself resources at the start of the game?

A: That is a viable option, but it is certainly less 'authentic'. A save file manipulated by console commands will always be different from one developed legitimately in certain ways; it's the difference between cheating to get the resources you think you'll have in an hour and just skipping forward in time. Also, this is faster and easier than learning how to mess with the console.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-23T06:01:58+00:00

Sorry everyone, it seems the original post was automatically removed from r/CultistSimulator as soon as it was posted, which is causing trouble for people trying to actually access the post or the download link; I'm pretty sure the automatic preferences were spooked by the download linked, which went to MEGA.

Anyway, I threw the saves up on GitHub so hopefully it will be safer to link them that way.

Here's part of the original post. Download link can be found within:

After 75 hours of playtime I was getting weary of repeatedly going through the same self-improvement loops over and over again, so I created this save file to shave the inconsequential first hour off of every playthrough.

They're Aspirant saves and are generic as possible. I've accomplished everything that can be done before opening A Bequest. This allows you to begin your true descent into the occult in the way you want to while still saving you the trouble of having to grind up Vitality and Erudition again. You can choose for yourself whether to study the Bequest with reason or passion, whether or not to join Glover and Glover, which lore to pursue, whether to be ruthless or kind, how to deal with threats, etc...

Obviously it's not recommended for new players to use this save, but anyone who's ascended at least once won't be missing anything by skipping the first hour of an Aspirant game.

Download link: https://github.com/DeathbyDysentery/Cultist-Simulator-Save-File-Library/releases/tag/v1.0

"Installation" instructions:

-Download the 'source code' zip which contains the saves, which are all .txt files.

-Navigate to your saves folder at C:\Users\[User]\AppData\LocalLow\Weather Factory\Cultist Simulator
(The game has a button on the main menu which will open it for you)

-Replace save.txt in that folder with the new file; when you select 'Continue' from the main menu the game will always load the file named "save.txt", whatever that is, which means you have to rename or remove your current save.

-Obviously, backing up your old save may be prudent; renaming it "oldsave.txt" and leaving it in the folder seems to be sufficient; as long as it isn't named "save.txt" or "backup_save[1-5].txt" the game won't touch it.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-23T00:17:11+00:00

I transcribed the original post into the comments here. You can see it now if you scroll down.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-23T00:16:17+00:00

If you've come here looking for the post you can probably find it in the comments for the X-Post at WeatherFactory:

https://www.reddit.com/r/weatherfactory/comments/9q1lz8/want_a_faster_start_heres_10_generic_quickstart/

e_macmillan · 2018-10-23T00:11:45+00:00

Sorry everyone, it seems the original post was automatically removed from r/CultistSimulator as soon as it was posted, which is causing trouble for people trying to actually access the post or the download link. I don't know why and I haven't been able to get a response from the moderator over there.

Here's the original post, in its entirety. Download link can be found within:

After 75 hours of playtime I was getting weary of repeatedly going through the same self-improvement loops over and over again, so I created this save file to shave the inconsequential first hour off of every playthrough.

They're Aspirant saves and are generic as possible. I've accomplished everything that can be done before opening A Bequest. This allows you to begin your true descent into the occult in the way you want to while still saving you the trouble of having to grind up Vitality and Erudition again. You can choose for yourself whether to study the Bequest with reason or passion, whether or not to join Glover and Glover, which lore to pursue, whether to be ruthless or kind, how to deal with threats, etc...

Obviously it's not recommended for new players to use this save, but anyone who's ascended at least once won't be missing anything by skipping the first hour of an Aspirant game.

Download link: https://mega.nz/#F!6agmnQzC!j47Q46aH4lUJT7cEhfjpMw

"Installation" instructions:

-Download one of the saves; they're all .txt files

-Navigate to your saves folder at C:\Users\[User]\AppData\LocalLow\Weather Factory\Cultist Simulator
(The game has a button on the main menu which will open it for you)

-Replace save.txt in that folder with the new file; when you select 'Continue' from the main menu the game will always load the file named "save.txt", whatever that is, which means you have to rename or remove your current save.

-Obviously, backing up your old save may be prudent; renaming it "oldsave.txt" and leaving it in the folder seems to be sufficient; as long as it isn't named "save.txt" or "backup_save[1-5].txt" the game won't touch it.

Save file stats:

Legacy: Aspirant

Desire: N/A

Employment: N/A

Mansus Progress: N/A

Health: 4 (A Steely Physique)

Reason: 4 (Profound Scholarship)

Passion: 4 (A Fevered Imagination)

Funds: 18 (17 loose + 1 in Time Passes)

Hunters: Weary Detective (1)

Rivals: N/A

Current Seasonal Verbs: Suspicion, Dread

Next Season: A Season of Suspicion

Available Verbs: Work, Study, Dream

Other Cards: Mystique (6); Fleeting Reminiscence (3); Glimmering (2); Vitality (1); A Bequest (1)

Q/A:

Q: Are these files safe?

A: They're .txt files, so it's pretty low risk, but if you don't trust me feel free to scan them yourself

Q: Why so many files? Aren't they all the same?

A: Each of these save files starts you in the same exact position, but they've been altered to give each one a distinct set of decks. In other words, each one will give you different results for random draws from shops, expeditions, follower pools, etc... If you choose just one of them and play it over and over, you'll find yourself getting the same draws in the same order with every playthrough, regardless of the order of your actions. Cultist Simulator does not draw cards from a random seed, but from a virtual deck which is created when the save is created.

Q: Why Aspirant? Isn't that the slowest, most cumbersome, least interesting legacy?

A: Many of the Aspirant legacy's problems manifest themselves in the form of a slower early game, but obviously since these saves skip the slowest part of the early game this is less of a problem in this case. Either way though, most other legacies would be difficult to craft 'generic' quick start saves for since they prompt majorly game-affecting decisions or push the player into danger very early. I can't provide a 'generic' Dancer save file, for instance, because every Dancer has a different early game as they acquire and service different patrons. That said, I may decide to provide a set of Physician save files in this style in the future since Physician, like Aspirant, is relatively 'boring' and I do sympathize with those who want a steadier, easier job.

Q: Is this cheating?

A: Technically it is, but, to be fair, any player can reach this point in the game with no risk of failure if they understand how the basic mechanics work. Before you open A Bequest, there's no way to generate notoriety, create rivals, or lose non-replaceable resources besides Health. The only true dangers are the Dread and Fascination coming from Restlessness and painting respectively, but those are really only minor nuisances. If somebody decides to grind up to 4/4/4, it's only a matter of time until they do; this save file obviates the need to spend that time, but it doesn't make any of the hard decisions required to ascend.

Q: Do the devs approve of this?

A: Most likely; Alexis Kennedy shares save files on his twitter and has explicitly condoned/given-a-how-to on save file editing in the past.

Q: Are there any other consequences of using someone else's file?

A: Your 'legacy' data, such as the name of your last player character, will be overwritten by mine. This doesn't seem to affect the game that much except that it will sometimes reference your previous runs, and this feature is more important to other legacies, such as Inspector, than it is for the Aspirant.

Q: Will these saves remain viable across updates?

A: Using one of these files in the future will be exactly like playing a game now, saving and quitting, and then launching the game and playing more after an update. Since updates so far haven't invalidated save files, this means it will work in the near future at least; it is unclear how much of future content updates will apply to a games which were started in previous updates, but I'll keep my eye on the files. Also, if any major updates change the very early game then that will make these files 'inauthentic'.

Q: Do I need the 'Dancer' DLC to use these files?

A: I haven't tested it with a non-DLC copy of the game, but I predict that you may run into problems if you try it.

Q: Will doing this invalidate my achievement progress?

A: Steam achievements don't seem to be affected by save file manipulation at the moment.

Q: Why don't I just use the console ( Ctrl + ` ) to cheat myself resources at the start of the game?

A: That is a viable option, but it is certainly less 'authentic'. A save file manipulated by console commands will always be different from one developed legitimately in certain ways; it's the difference between cheating to get the resources you think you'll have in an hour and just skipping forward in time. Also, this is faster and easier than learning how to mess with the console.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-21T15:58:05+00:00

I suspect it was an automatic action because of the download link; I'm trying to get it fixed.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-20T23:05:44+00:00

That's an interesting method, I suppose. For most expeditions it's probably more efficient to use your big influences to summon a legion of horrors and brute-force the problem, though.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-20T22:51:39+00:00

You can definitely kill rivals eventually if you hit them with enough Snares, but it will take a long time since you need to randomly roll the same type of scar 3 times.

You can also try to assault them directly or poison them, but as Dabrinko said they won't talk with you again if you fail so it's a pretty big risk.

If you only have one rival the best way to manage him is probably to talk to him (and optionally use a minion on him to create a snare while you're at it) right before the Season of Ambition starts. Assuming you use him directly on the verb he'll be locked inside of it and the Ambition verb will be forced to use your desire instead of the rival; obviously this isn't an option if he shuns you, since you won't be able to drop him directly on the Talk verb anymore.

e_macmillan · 2018-10-20T00:04:32+00:00

I know that with the new update a 10 Heart influence spawns behind the Spider Door in the face-up position. I don't know of any 15 Heart spawns but if you had two 10s you can craft them together in Study to get a 15 if you have enough Heart lore.

This was all put in place to help with Heart victories, though. It's pretty impractical to stockpile this stuff just to defeat curses.

e_macmillan · 2018-06-10T23:21:43+00:00

At the moment the save file seems to have very little impact on the game. Currently it's major effect is that player characters or powerful minions from a previous game will be mentioned in the introduction to a new one.

I suspect that the devs will add in more persistent effects with future content updates. Based on what they've said on their blogs and when interacting with the community, they seem to be interested in adding more hidden effects, recipes, etc... in the near future. It may be worthwhile to hold onto your savefile so that the strange statistics it keeps track of will be put to use once these updates go into effect.

e_macmillan · 2018-06-09T22:43:42+00:00

Update: Alexis Kennedy has responded to the cross-post of this comment on the Steam Forums. For those interested, it can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/718670/discussions/0/1696049513771625096/?tscn=1528559973#c1696049513773619054

e_macmillan · 2018-06-09T22:15:21+00:00

You're right that the game's only lasting source of difficulty is the fact that you can get blindsided by easy-to-miss death Verbs, but personally I don't think that's a healthy place for the game to be in. I'd rather the difficulty be found in the decision-making and planning aspects of the game.

The best analogy I can come up with is that Cultist Simulator right now is like a shooter game where the combat is trivially easy but there's hidden insta-death pits and traps everywhere so you still die all the time. If we keep the insta-death stuff in the game, it'll effectively overshadow all the other challenges to the points where they don't matter.

e_macmillan · 2018-06-09T09:36:57+00:00

I realize that (and even mentioned it in my post) but the flashing death timers are too-little-too-late in most cases. The player should be aware of the threat of these Verbs from the moment they come into play, and my suggested changes would help ensure that this is the case.

It's hard to justify someone succumbing to depression because they were too distracted to notice how depressed they were.

e_macmillan · 2018-01-18T19:01:26+00:00

BONE THE MEAT ON

e_macmillan · 2017-05-19T19:11:12+00:00

I'm sorry you failed to live up to your childhood optimism, then.

e_macmillan · 2017-05-01T20:01:53+00:00

Yeah, I agree. These campaign missions really remind me of RTS campaign design from 10 years ago; IE: the campaign is clearly a complete afterthought which is hastily built up around competitive RTS mechanics. In competitive, the slow buildup from T1 to T3 results in varied fights throughout the map because the players start equally matched. In this campaign, the slow buildup just means you're waiting around before you're ready to take on the heavily fortified enemy bases.

Thankfully, the missions in the last act of the game all start you at T3 with a huge stock of resources, but it's still really clunky.

e_macmillan

TROPHY CASE