[ WP ] Highly advanced aliens arrive and say 2015 earth years ago , an unusual star appeared in the sky and lead them to this planet . They believe the star was a sign saying God had manifested on earth , and they want to meet Him .

`` This is a huge problem.'' 
 
 `` You're telling me.'' I replied. `` I mean, this is good news for the Christians I suppose but nearly everyone else is in an uproar. And apparently a fair number of the Christians are n't on board; aliens were n't exactly mentioned in the bible.'' 
 
 `` It's worse than that.'' Jenkins had been my aide for a while and I knew from experience that he did n't exaggerate. 
 
 `` Go on.'' I said. 
 
 He gestured behind him, where someone in what appeared to be a cardinal's uniform had been waiting. The man stepped forward. 
 
 `` This is Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York.'' Jenkins introduced. 
 
 Dolan noded. 
 
 `` Have a seat'', I said, gesturing to the other side of the desk. 
 
 Dolan took his time sitting down and then started talking. `` Your aide mentioned that you're already aware of the claims of our... visitors?'' 
 
 I nodded. `` I take it the church has a position on this?'' 
 
 `` Not one we are comfortable sharing openly, I'm afraid.'' he said. `` It's quite a bit more complicated than it would seem.'' 
 
 `` No doubt. I suppose you have access to less... canonical documents that may shed some light on this development?'' 
 
 He shook his head. `` That is not the issue, as it happens. It's the specific claims of the visitors that are problematic.'' 
 
 I gestured for him to continue. 
 
 `` They say that, two thousand and fifteen years previous, they saw a star appear in the sky that, through various other calculations, lead them here. Obviously this was not our star - the bible is rather specific about the sun existing prior to two millennia ago.'' 
 
 `` The lightspeed delay alone would rule out that possibility.'' Jenkins said. `` It was almost certainly another star, one we have n't yet seen because of the distance between Earth and where the visitors claim their guidestar was.'' 
 
 `` Our visitors,'' I added, `` have n't gone into specific details as to how that star led them here.'' 
 
 `` Nor,'' Dolan said, `` do I believe that they will. There is an additional problem with the timing of their claims. How much do you know about the calendar?'' 
 
 I shrugged. `` 365 days a year, 12 months, that sort of thing. You're likely talking about something more involved.'' 
 
 He nodded. `` I speak of the history of the calendar. The year 2015 A.D. represents two-thousand and fifteen years since the birth of Christ.'' 
 
 `` Right,'' I said, `` thus why many Christians believe that the visitors are validating their beliefs; they saw the same star as is said to appear when Christ was born.'' 
 
 `` Though, for the same light-speed reasons we were discussing earlier, it could not be the same star.'' Jenkins added. I already knew much of what he was saying, so in all likelihood this was for the Cardinal's consideration. 
 
 Cardinal Dolan waved away the objection. `` We are discussing a sign placed by an omnipotent being; the speed of light is not necessarily a consideration, it would be trivial for such a signal to appear simultaneously. I do not know your faith, gentlemen, but you need not be believers yourselves. All you need to believe is that many people are, and they will approach the situation with that faith in mind.'' 
 
 `` Notions of'simultaneously' tend to break down over the sort of relativistic distances we're discussing.'' Jenkins said, making it clear where he stood on the topic. `` But I understand your meaning.'' 
 
 The cardinal took this as a signal to continue. `` So there is no theological problem with the idea that other beings saw the same sign as the wise men did, that they are drawn to the birthplace of Christ. None of that is our objection. Our objection is in the timing. The visitors have been very specific: Two thousand fifteen orbits of our Earth around its sun *exactly*.'' 
 
 `` They did n't make a mistake.'' Jenkins added, this apparently for my benefit. `` If they'd miscalculated our orbital period they would n't have been able to intercept the planet the way they did. They would have appeared in an entirely different place.'' 
 
 `` It's not quite Christmas yet'' I said. `` But it's fairly close. I do n't see missing the target by a week as being a huge issue.'' 
 
 Dolan frowned. `` And now we come to the crux of the issue, so to speak. Our organization, as you might imagine, is quite interested all facets of our Lord's time on this earth. Among those, his birth. While there are conflicting reports and no difinitive answers, we are fairly certain that Christ was not born in December.'' 
 
 `` September or October is more likely.'' Jenkins added. Cardinal Dolan nodded; I could only assume they'd spoken to each other to prepare for this meeting. 
 
 `` Okay.'' I said. `` But still, a few months is nothing to get worked up about.'' 
 
 `` Those same errors in history, renumbering of years, various other problems, lead us to the year we have today.'' The cardinal said, returning to the topic of calendars. `` It is not an accurate representation of the time that has passed.'' 
 
 I began to see where he was going with this. `` How much time *has* passed, Cardinal?'' 
 
 `` We can more accurately place the year of birth, due to the timing of eclipses mentioned in the holy text. By our best estimations, Christ was born two thousand and twenty years ago.'' 
 
 `` Five years before the visitors claimed to see the star.'' I said. 
 
 `` Indeed.'' 
 
 `` This is n't common knowledge,'' Jenkins added. `` But it's not exactly hidden, either. A few google searches confirms all of this.'' 
 
 `` It is good to know,'' Dolan said, smiling slightly, `` that one's lifetime of research can be encompassed by a few keyboard strokes.'' 
 
 I knew what Jenkins was saying. `` The aliens spoke our language.'' I said. `` They knew everything about us when they appeared - they did n't need any sort of explanation for anything.'' I paused. `` They had to know about the date thing.'' 
 
 `` And yet,'' Dolan said, `` they appeared near Christmas, the popularly believed anniversary of Christ's birth. They claim 2,015 years has elapsed, the amount of time popularly believed to have elapsed.'' 
 
 `` Why have n't you gone forward with this?'' I asked. 
 
 `` Many of the faithful - not just our particular branch, but this does include a great amount of that number - have found the visitors to be confirmation of their beliefs, vindication that they were right.'' Dolan replied. `` We must consider carefully the ramifications of telling them otherwise.'' 
 
 I'd already come to the conclusion that I suspected my aide and my guest had. `` So these aliens, who know our culture better than possibly we do, appear and claim things that officials know is incorrect, but the populace will believe.'' 
 
 `` There is only one thing we can conclude from this.'' Dolan added. 
 
 I nodded. `` The aliens are lying. And while we do n't know why we do know how. And it does n't mean anything good for us.''
