RubySoho
Winston
Blessed Art Thou, Space Alien Jesus
July 8th 2008 22:15
Man, I really meant to get to this one a few weeks back, but it just didn't come to pass and I forgot all about it. Fortunately something jogged my memory and now I stand ready to spread the Good Galactic News of Space Alien Jesus!
What Good News, you ask? Well brothers and sisters, brace yourselves: the Vatican has OK'd belief in aliens! That's right, the Rev. Jose Funes, the director of the Vatican Observatory, stated in L'Osservatore Romano (the Vatican newspaper) that it was not against Catholic doctrine to believe in extraterrestrial life.
This raises some questions, and it points out some of the BIG differences between Catholicism and Protestantism (particularly fundamental, evangelical Protestantism). To highlight the difference, a little backstory might be in order. One of the more scientifically-minded groups in Christendom is the Jesuits. The Jesuits are a religious order within the Catholic Church (in fact, the largest order). Without going into the history of the Jesuits, as it is not pertinent to this discussion, it suffices to say that their primary mission and most noteworthy accomplishments have been in the field of education. The Jesuits have been teachers and educators for quite a long time, and run a number of well-regarded universities. While they are passionate in their devotion to God, they are also committed to science and knowledge (yes, there are some contradictions inherent in that viewpoint that baffle me, but that's for another day). Rev. Funes is, not surprisingly, a Jesuit priest. Jesuits (and most modern Catholic theologians) have a surprisingly sympathetic view of science. There is none of the mental gymnastics necessary in claiming a 6000-year-old Earth. There is no terror at the mention of the word 'evolution' (yes, they favor a sort of first cause Intelligent Design idea, a theory I abhor, but they do so in the same breath that they acknowledge evolutionary theory to be valid and correct). And, yes, Vatican cosmologists are now evidently comfortable postulating the likelihood of life elsewhere in the vastness of space. In short, in many regards Catholicism is not hostile to science (although the base assumption that God is responsible for it all does somewhat undermine any pure rationalism), and is in fact quite an ardent supporter of natural observation. Therefore, it really isn't a major surprise at this point in time that the Catholic Church has taken this stance on alien life.
Contrast this with the ever-growing evangelical fundamentalist sector, and you'll likely find a markedly different perception of this idea. To a fundamentalist, the idea of alien life is antithetical and heretical. A literal interpretation of the Bible (the book often described as the inerrant Word of God) leaves little room for life outside the sphere of the Earth. Then again, a literal interpretation of the Bible also gives the impression that the Earth is not, in fact, a sphere. Young-earth creationists in particular have a difficult task in reconciling chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis with the idea of alien life. Here's some of the troublesome passages, when considered from a literal perspective;
"16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness." -- The first problem is the fact that it is not recognized that the first "great light", the Sun, IS a star and that the earth is a planet which revolves around it. The second problem is that no other planets are mentioned. Seeing as Genesis doesn't mention God actually making any other planets, where would aliens live?
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" -- This can be taken to mean 'image' in a spiritual sense, conveying the idea that we are imbued with the same capacity for emotion and love as God. Or, it can go the literal way and really be taken as humans being created in the physical image of God. In a literal interpretation, does that necessitate that intelligent aliens would have to look like God and therefore like us?
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."
(and skipping ahead a bit.....)
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden -- Original sin. For many Christians of the fundamentalist variety, the Fall of Man is as real an event as the burning of Rome (probably more so). It sets the stage for the coming of Jesus and for mankinds' redemption. It literally defines the whole reason for Christianity and, by extension, the whole reason of existence. So, if God made intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, did he make them perfect? If not perfect....... if, in fact, aliens be as fallible and frail as humanity, then they would surely have a Fall of their own. In that case, did they get an alien Jesus to die for their sins as well?? Surely God wouldn't create multiple peoples on multiple planets, and then fail to tend to the salvation of all but one world! Thus, if God created intelligent life on other planets (and unless those beings were created perfect and without sin) we are forced to assume that alien Jesus' have populated the cosmos! Oh no, humanity is but one of many ant farms sitting on God's bedroom shelf! Life is no longer worth living, as we are robbed of our illusions about our place in the universe! Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth ensue............hold on, hold on. Wait....maybe the Bible can save us from this heavy chain of reasoning. Since a) the Bible doesn't mention any other Saviors anywhere, but does make several points that highlight the uniqueness of mankind and point to our special place in creation, and since b) the Bible is the literal, inerrant Word of God, we can safely conclude that aliens don't exist, but that donkeys can talk (Numbers, Chapter 22). Hooray!
Am I taking some liberties with Christian theology? Sure, but nothing too extreme in the context of fundamentalism. Fundamentalist Christianity cannot tolerate the notion of life beyond our planet. It just doesn't fit. In order for it to work, you have to be willing to accept some portions of the Bible as metaphor (a skill at which the Catholics excel, while retaining hard interpretations of other portions), and you have to accept that cosmology and evolutionary theory are credible. Now, I don't want it to sound like all Catholics are fine with belief in aliens and all Protestants are not. That would be wildly untrue. I'm sure that strictly Orthodox Catholics (the type who reject Vatican Council II) may not take as liberal a view of the matter as Rev. Funes. And there are plenty of non-fundamentalist Protestant denominations that are more than open-minded enough to consider alien life. As with most things, we're talking about shades of grey with black and white consigned to the outer margins.
Still, it is interesting to consider how news of extraterrestrial life would impact the religions of the world. Even finding bacteria elsewhere would be an earth-shaking event. But complex life? That could well redefine religion for a great number of people, as they contemplated the consequences of such a revelation. Should we ever find an advanced society on a world other than ours, will we discover a people governed by science and reason, or a race worshiping gods and saviors of their own? And if we find tales of virgin births and resurrections, is that indicative of a shared experience of salvation, or of a shared natural tendency to create myth? We'll most likely never have to face such a situation. To be safe, though, when you say your prayers tonight, toss an extra one in to Galactic Overlord Alien Jesus. Just in case.
*Alien Jesus .jpg taken from leagueofavatars.com
What Good News, you ask? Well brothers and sisters, brace yourselves: the Vatican has OK'd belief in aliens! That's right, the Rev. Jose Funes, the director of the Vatican Observatory, stated in L'Osservatore Romano (the Vatican newspaper) that it was not against Catholic doctrine to believe in extraterrestrial life.
This raises some questions, and it points out some of the BIG differences between Catholicism and Protestantism (particularly fundamental, evangelical Protestantism). To highlight the difference, a little backstory might be in order. One of the more scientifically-minded groups in Christendom is the Jesuits. The Jesuits are a religious order within the Catholic Church (in fact, the largest order). Without going into the history of the Jesuits, as it is not pertinent to this discussion, it suffices to say that their primary mission and most noteworthy accomplishments have been in the field of education. The Jesuits have been teachers and educators for quite a long time, and run a number of well-regarded universities. While they are passionate in their devotion to God, they are also committed to science and knowledge (yes, there are some contradictions inherent in that viewpoint that baffle me, but that's for another day). Rev. Funes is, not surprisingly, a Jesuit priest. Jesuits (and most modern Catholic theologians) have a surprisingly sympathetic view of science. There is none of the mental gymnastics necessary in claiming a 6000-year-old Earth. There is no terror at the mention of the word 'evolution' (yes, they favor a sort of first cause Intelligent Design idea, a theory I abhor, but they do so in the same breath that they acknowledge evolutionary theory to be valid and correct). And, yes, Vatican cosmologists are now evidently comfortable postulating the likelihood of life elsewhere in the vastness of space. In short, in many regards Catholicism is not hostile to science (although the base assumption that God is responsible for it all does somewhat undermine any pure rationalism), and is in fact quite an ardent supporter of natural observation. Therefore, it really isn't a major surprise at this point in time that the Catholic Church has taken this stance on alien life.
Contrast this with the ever-growing evangelical fundamentalist sector, and you'll likely find a markedly different perception of this idea. To a fundamentalist, the idea of alien life is antithetical and heretical. A literal interpretation of the Bible (the book often described as the inerrant Word of God) leaves little room for life outside the sphere of the Earth. Then again, a literal interpretation of the Bible also gives the impression that the Earth is not, in fact, a sphere. Young-earth creationists in particular have a difficult task in reconciling chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis with the idea of alien life. Here's some of the troublesome passages, when considered from a literal perspective;
"16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness." -- The first problem is the fact that it is not recognized that the first "great light", the Sun, IS a star and that the earth is a planet which revolves around it. The second problem is that no other planets are mentioned. Seeing as Genesis doesn't mention God actually making any other planets, where would aliens live?
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" -- This can be taken to mean 'image' in a spiritual sense, conveying the idea that we are imbued with the same capacity for emotion and love as God. Or, it can go the literal way and really be taken as humans being created in the physical image of God. In a literal interpretation, does that necessitate that intelligent aliens would have to look like God and therefore like us?
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."
(and skipping ahead a bit.....)
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden -- Original sin. For many Christians of the fundamentalist variety, the Fall of Man is as real an event as the burning of Rome (probably more so). It sets the stage for the coming of Jesus and for mankinds' redemption. It literally defines the whole reason for Christianity and, by extension, the whole reason of existence. So, if God made intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, did he make them perfect? If not perfect....... if, in fact, aliens be as fallible and frail as humanity, then they would surely have a Fall of their own. In that case, did they get an alien Jesus to die for their sins as well?? Surely God wouldn't create multiple peoples on multiple planets, and then fail to tend to the salvation of all but one world! Thus, if God created intelligent life on other planets (and unless those beings were created perfect and without sin) we are forced to assume that alien Jesus' have populated the cosmos! Oh no, humanity is but one of many ant farms sitting on God's bedroom shelf! Life is no longer worth living, as we are robbed of our illusions about our place in the universe! Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth ensue............hold on, hold on. Wait....maybe the Bible can save us from this heavy chain of reasoning. Since a) the Bible doesn't mention any other Saviors anywhere, but does make several points that highlight the uniqueness of mankind and point to our special place in creation, and since b) the Bible is the literal, inerrant Word of God, we can safely conclude that aliens don't exist, but that donkeys can talk (Numbers, Chapter 22). Hooray!
Am I taking some liberties with Christian theology? Sure, but nothing too extreme in the context of fundamentalism. Fundamentalist Christianity cannot tolerate the notion of life beyond our planet. It just doesn't fit. In order for it to work, you have to be willing to accept some portions of the Bible as metaphor (a skill at which the Catholics excel, while retaining hard interpretations of other portions), and you have to accept that cosmology and evolutionary theory are credible. Now, I don't want it to sound like all Catholics are fine with belief in aliens and all Protestants are not. That would be wildly untrue. I'm sure that strictly Orthodox Catholics (the type who reject Vatican Council II) may not take as liberal a view of the matter as Rev. Funes. And there are plenty of non-fundamentalist Protestant denominations that are more than open-minded enough to consider alien life. As with most things, we're talking about shades of grey with black and white consigned to the outer margins.
Still, it is interesting to consider how news of extraterrestrial life would impact the religions of the world. Even finding bacteria elsewhere would be an earth-shaking event. But complex life? That could well redefine religion for a great number of people, as they contemplated the consequences of such a revelation. Should we ever find an advanced society on a world other than ours, will we discover a people governed by science and reason, or a race worshiping gods and saviors of their own? And if we find tales of virgin births and resurrections, is that indicative of a shared experience of salvation, or of a shared natural tendency to create myth? We'll most likely never have to face such a situation. To be safe, though, when you say your prayers tonight, toss an extra one in to Galactic Overlord Alien Jesus. Just in case.
*Alien Jesus .jpg taken from leagueofavatars.com
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Comment by Ken Korczak
strangecorridor.com
As it happens, I was once hired as a consultant to create a new world religion, and I almost -- almost -- suspect aliens were involved. The story is here:
Really Long Link
Nice post-- Wishing you Alien Jesus Blessings!
Comment by Jeff Musall
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Winston, I dare say it would not. They would still think up some excuse to explain it without giving up their fundamentalist beliefs. Most likely they will say the aliens were sent by God to test our faith or else they were yet another of Satan's many ploys designed to take down as many of us humans as he can.
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Thanks for the comment, and the peace of Galactic Overlord Jesus be upon you.
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Jeff, wouldn't that be just our luck? Mankind finally discovers intelligent life beyond our own, and as we finally gather together in unity to marvel at such a wondrous development, space cruisers land and force us at ray-gun point to convert to the worship of Grixlaz the Benevolent or face vaporization. I can only hope the irony does not escape the extremist fundamentalists at that point.
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Only Space Invader Jesus knows for sure.
Comment by Mountain Fog
This brings up the question of...why are they so interested, and what has got their attention. I might post something on that, when I have some time, it is fascinating, and parts of it contnetious and scary frankly.
However, Ruby, of course the Bible belters can argue, God created everything, including aliens!
Also, there are those that believe that we have had contact before, some say co-evolution and existance, but, it cannot be denied, there is alot of reference to 'god like' beings in ancient cultures, many of whm never met each other, yet had simialr stories of the masters from the satrs.
Anyhoo, Darwin was right about much of what he said, then there is the "missing link". Maybe, aliens are the mssing link, much of the Bible would actually make a lot more sense when you think about it.
Just ponder upon the Dogon tribe, and what they knew about the Sirius star system, that it was binary, and it took 60 years for the suns to orbit each other.
This was notated by French anthropologists, put in thewir book, and forgotten. Then that showman Van Danikan came along, someone happened upon the French research, and so the whole saga of the Dogon tribe began.
Today, the scientists and the other mouthpieces of governemnt all rant about the Dogons being taught by missionaries, and how they obviously learnt about these curious esoteric facts from a monk... an odd thing for a monk to teach them, in the middle of Afric, one would think.
However, the problem was bigger than that. for astronomers didn't know that Sirius was a binary star system, before the Dogons did!!
Another interesting fact, the astronomers then worked out how long the stars took to orbit each other... yes, 60 years...
The Dogons celebrate meeting their friends form the stars every 60 years, and have doen so from ancient times. They have thsi festival every 60 years to homour their contact with the people from the Sirius system, placing a wooden pole in the gorund, as a marker for each festival.
There is a lot of amazing information amongst ancient cultures, and all of them speak of visitors from the stars.
But we all know better than them! They are but silly old indians and the like, who make up fanciful stories and mythologies to entertain themselves...
Tell that to the tens of thousands of Mexicans who watched, and video taped the hundreds of UFo sightings starting in 1990, much of it happening at low level and in broad daylight.
The ancients predicted this was goign to ahppen by the way, it was recorded in stone, but no oen knew what it meant, till it happened.
"The masters of the stars will return, when the Sleeping Soldier awakes."
It wasn't until the initial UFO sightings began, all hovering over a volcano that had started smoldering after an eon of dormancy, that an American researcher found out, the volcano's old name was, Sleeping soldier!
The videos are amazing, and prolific. There are humdreds and hundreds of individual vidoes taken of the UFO flaps from all over the country, some staying still mid air for two hours or so, as happened over one town, and it is clearly visible, low in the sky, a silver disc, ten thousand people witnessed the event.
This should have made headline news around the world, but no, not a word was broadcast by Western media.
The question is, why? What is really going on and why are our governments and media staying silent about it?
However, some are thawing; the French government has released all its UFO files to the public, as has Brazil, who also acknowledged their existence a year or two back.
Maybe, we all will find out soon enough...
cheers
fog
Comment by Josie
Catholics are very good at justifying their faith with science, so I'm not suprised. In some ways they can been seen as almost progressive (if you ignore the whole no women priests and all that other stuff). From a thought perspective, they are very able to accept that things happened or exist, they just usually say it is because God made it that way. 13 years in catholic school taught me that they can be very accomodating. They say thing like the big bang and evolution probably happened, but because God wanted them to.
(Nice choice with the shot if the M16 by the way...one of the best astrophotographic images)
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
i guess we could call that intra-christian diversity?
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Yes, the Vatican has had an observatory for a long time (a fact difficult to reconcile in light of the Church's stance against Galileo so long ago). I have no doubt that they probably do some good science there, as well. The Jesuits are serious scholars. I don't see any deeper meaning in the Jesuits' study of the universe than that they are scientists as much as they are theologians, and the pursuit of knowledge is their calling. I don't have any knowledge of aliens, but I would be utterly fascinated to observe and study the cosmos. Intent interest does not always signal hidden agendas!
Yes, many cultures share common traits within their myths, not just of men from the stars but regarding many different points. However, this does not necessitate that those claims are true. It could just as easily point to a shared heredity of a myth originating with the first human tribes. Elements retained from the earliest tales our ancestors told could be preserved (in alternating forms) throughout history. If you adhere to Occam's Razor then terrestrial, cultural explanations are far more likely than those involving cosmic plots and visitations.
The Dogon tribe story seems to depend on how it's told. If you read this information, it certainly casts things in quite a different (and much more rational) light.
I couldn't really find much info for or against the Sleeping Soldier bit, so I can't comment on that at the moment. However, I do know that in the majority of sensational UFO sighting cases, a natural explanation is found. Like this one: hoax
What it boils down to for me is that, while I do suspect that some form of life exists apart from us somewhere else in the universe, that does not equate with believing that these aliens are either superior to us or visiting our planet circumspectly. I did a post a long time ago which sums up my thoughts on the matter: Aliens?
My intent with this post was not so much to provoke speculation about aliens as it was to ponder the ramifications that the discovery of alien life would have for the world's religions (with an emphasis on Christianity). Still, a complete discussion needs to go the extra mile and address the aliens themselves, so thank for bringing us that direction, Fog.
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Yes, the Catholic Church is complex. On the one hand they are among the more rational-thinking and progressive Christian sects, and in other ways they are as dogmatic and monolithic now as 1000 years ago. Tough to wrap your brain around it, even after growing up within the culture. As an atheist and former Catholic, I find some of their positions sort of at odds with each other, but I guess I was able to reconcile the two before I lapsed.....isn't mental compartmentalization great?
Thanks for the compliment re: my posting pic. I think that photo of the so-called 'Pillars of Creation' is beautiful and a testament to the fact that whatever fancies we invent, nature has wonders more awe-inspiring that anything we can conceive of.
Thanks for the feedback!
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Intra-Christian diversity is right! Some of the sects are so diverse, it's hard to believe it's the same overall religion. Compare Pentecostals to Episcopalians or Christian Scientists to Mormons. It's enough to make your head explode. So few elements are in total agreement with each other across the various sects. Space Alien Jesus, should he ever traverse the stars to Earth, could be the most unifying event in Christian history!
Comment by smooth political
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Comment by Anonymous
Ruby, I must repond to this, and the other assertions you have made; (apologies for invading your post topic..)
You tend to ignore all the information that demonstatrates clearly that something is going on!
UFO, by the way, is a term derived for putting a label on air born intelligently controlled craft that do not fit in with any explanation; either natural phenomena, or military and commercial man made flying craft, that demonstrate qualities of flight that defy our present general knowledge required to effect flight, such as; they emit no sound, no heat, no smoke, do not have windows, doors portholes, do not have wings, (usually) but do demonstrate tremendous speed and instantaneous change of direction, that defies the laws of physics that we go by and often the craft emit light from all over their exterior.
So Ruby, sorry, but your blanket generalised statement that nearly all such sightings can, and/or have been explained, is nonsense.
A lot of people I have met would prefer not to know, for whatever reasons, and that is their choice, but please, I am a grown man with a reasonable intellect who has looked into these phenomena for many years, so please do not patronise me!
And far from just 'cranks' believing these craft are not necessarily of Earth origin, and I admit there is plenty of cranks and opportunists in is area of interest, and a lot of government disinformation, there are many sane and highly qualified peole who have ahd first hand experience observing them, such as;
pilots, military, police, scientists (some ex-NASA) etc have all come out publicly to state that something IS going on, and we are not being told the truth.
The existance of thousands of photographs, film, video and now highly detailed digital photography of these craft, from all over the world, since the Second World War onwards, cannot be ignored, and I am talking of the photographic evidence that cannot be rationalised, by way of any other explanation and the images have been proven not to have been manipulated.
One last thing, surprisingly, the serious UFO researchers try their hardest to disprove whatever is brought before them, and what is left, which is around ten per cent or less, gets the classification "UFO", the same way the military used to evaluate them.
I see I will have to do another post on this area of phenomena...(on my blog, not here, in case you were wondering!)
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
fog
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
I hope, if/when it happens, it will be a productive meeting for both planets.
Great post.
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Huh? What? Hmmm. This is one of Winston's posts fog. I'll leave it to him to answer you.
You haven't been reading SL's blog by any chance have you?
Comment by Mountain Fog
My apologies.... I have had a tiring day of it!!
Now the problem is, I can't change it, because of the other mistake of posting under "anonymous"...DUH!!
Forget it all, just delete it...the anonymous crap, maybe I will have another go tomorrow.. maybe not.. I'm going to bed now!!
cheers Winston
fog
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
First of all, it was not my intent to patronize you, so my apologies if that was the impression you got. Still, I'd be lying if I said I took these claims particularly seriously. It isn't as though I just stick my fingers in my ears, shut my eyes tight and go "LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU FOG LA LA LA". I am aware of some of the evidence for UFOs (although I am not as up on it as you are) and I know that some seemingly respectable folks are of the opinion that extraterrestrial visitation is a reality. Heck, my mom loved UFO research and such, and was a big fan of Stanton Friedman's work, and I think she also read some of Erich von Däniken's stuff as well. Of course, von Däniken's "theories" have been shown to be mostly nonsensical tripe, and I'm assuming you're not referring to him when you mention serious research.
The vast majority of UFO sitings come from people who are a) lying b) unstable or c) genuinely mistaken. I imagine choice c) is the most common type, with honest, sane folks who simply misidentify something as being a UFO. Popular culture and media exposure helps to shape and contextualize these sightings for some people as well, leading them to conclude they've seen a UFO. Many of the most ardent UFO-ologists already have their conclusion (alien visitations are real) and so they search for the evidence to back it up rather than looking at it objectively. In that regard they're just like Bigfoot hunters, Loch Ness monster seekers, and Intelligent Design proponents who start with a conclusion and then work their way back, rather than allowing that the data in support of their ideas doesn't really exist at present.
Doctors and pilots have seen things they couldn't identify, I don't doubt that in the least. I'm sure they saw something. But what basis is there to claim that that something must be extraterrestrial? It seems to me that before we conclude that UFOs are here from far-off places, we have to examine how likely that possibility is in the first place. We're not in the Middle Ages anymore. We know a thing or two about physics and cosmology, and there is little to suggest in either of those two fields that alien visitations from Sirius or any other neighboring stars are feasible. Until someone comes up with a plausible means of interstellar travel that doesn't require multiple centuries and obscene amounts of energy (or sci-fi staples such as wormholes, etc.) then I don't see much of a compelling reason to explore the next step, i.e. are aliens here? But, even if we allow that advanced technology conquers all the hurdles currently set-up before us, it still doesn't answer the questions of a) why would aliens bother coming here for so long without really doing anything or contacting anyone? b) how on earth could all the governments of the world act in collusion together for decades without ONE compelling piece of evidence (alien technology, a sample of alien tissue, etc.) coming to light? It exceeds all credulity to me to ascribe that level of continued secrecy for this length of time to that many people.
There are some cool photos out there of UFOs for sure. Many of them, even some of the best looking ones, have been shown to be fakes. Not digitally altered, necessarily, but ingeniously achieved using natural effects. Most others are simply natural phenomena or man-made artifacts mistaken for UFOs. The handful that are left may defy explanation currently, but that doesn't mean that they're genuine photos of alien craft. It just means we haven't discovered the keys to unlocking the origins of the images yet.
UFO photos are like casts of Bigfoot's feet. There's tons of them, and they look impressive, but that's all there is. Find me a 7-foot tall hairy corpse, or a den with crude tools or something and then maybe we'll talk. With UFOs, show me a piece of material or technology that can't possibly be terrestrial in origin. Show me alien DNA (or the alien equivalent) from the bodies supposedly recovered from Roswell (and I think also from a crash in Russia?). Show me some solid evidence that all the governments of the world are hiding this secret from the public. Anything but more blurry photos, as we have all of those we need.
I'm not trying to bring you around to my way of thinking, as it's clear you've invested a lot of time and thought into this and my little arguments aren't going to dissuade you. And who knows? There is the possibility that the UFO supporters are correct. I can't say for sure. All I can say is that I don't see any evidence that sways me for now. That doesn't mean I never will, of course. I'm open to the possibility (as I've said, I'd bet money that there is SOME form of life SOMEWHERE else out there), but I require more convincing reasons than the current data can provide.
Fog, must you make me type so much? I don't have your seemingly limitless capacity for long answers, and I'm worn out now
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it!
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Well, you're free to consider that, but I don't believe that anything is universal.
I hope we do discover some other community out there, it would be fun to travel outside earth instead of just within it.
Comment by Mountain Fog
poor boy, sorry for dragging all that out of you, and we will agree to disagree, however, we have some common ground, in that; no there is no direct proof that UFOs are controlled by aliens, except for some people who claim seeing non-humans associated with them.
You are incorrect in assuming all reoprts end up explainable, that is absolutely untrue, and many sightings are not by people in psychosis.
However, craft are observed and filmed, so maybe it means our own military must be using them, who knows?
For the evidence, and eye witness accounts I refer obliquely to, come from some very serious minded sources, even some news cameramen, military pilots etc, and analysis of some film images, which proved the image to be there, and not faked, plus some live to air footage, shown on television.
I won't bore you with details but, I would like to point out that the more we visually explore our galaxy, we continue to prove our previous scientific dictums incorrect or lacking, this leaves room for doubt that we have solved and/or discovered everything there is to know about astrophysics, physics, time, gravity etc etc.
As for keeping a lid on this area, well no they have not, they have cleverly used discrediting (disinformation) ploys which allows much to be kept in the open, but enough of it is faked and so discredits the rest, convincing an already disbelieving public.
Disinformation is an old trick that works well. There has been agreement on keeping things on the low, because of creating public panic.
However, here is a little prediction, over the next three years, the public will start to see a lot more 'things' in the skies!
Stay tuned, and keep your eyes peeled, upwards!
cheers
fog