Christianity, Aliens & UFOs - Understanding Belief in ETs

posted in Spirituality, Forteana by tim at 5:16 pm on Saturday, December 16, 2006
I - Why Such Belief Has Arisen

Belief in ETs has come from the proliferation of phenomena, and science fiction. From H.G. Wells’ “The War of The Worlds”, through the comic books of the 1930s and 1940s, to the whole gamut of television series and cinema blockbusters of recent years, science fiction has become a huge industry. Since 1947, inexplicable phenomena such as UFOs have become widespread, (13) and with the advent of claimed abductions by aliens, channelled messages, crop circles and conspiracy theories, the issue that Earth may be being visited by ETs has become more prevalent. (14) There are numerous deeper reasons why such belief has become so popular, which the paper now considers. The following points are not intended to imply that there is no objective reality to associated phenomena.

Rationalisation of the Supernatural

A person living in Longdendale in the Peak District, noted for its extensive history of unusual phenomena, remarked, “Today there is all this talk about flying saucers but people were seeing these lights…way back in my grandfather’s day…Only back then, it was put down to the Devil or witchcraft. Today it’s all aliens and UFOs.” (15) Max Weber noted the rationalisation of the supernatural by including it in scientific terms. In an age dominated by scientific and rational education, claims that spirits are in fact aliens can be seen as a way of allowing that belief to survive, being transformed into a technologically appropriate expression. (16) Indeed, some have remarked that what were seen as creatures of folklore (elves, vampires, demons, fairies etc.) were in fact aliens. (17) Some scholars place UFOs firmly within folklore, and note tales of superior beings who guard us and offer us salvation, which fit many UFOs encounters very well. (18)

In keeping with the concept of ETs as heralds of salvation, they may be perceived as totems. Sociologist Campolo documents the development of the concept of deity in a culture. (19) The culture adopts a symbol (usually an animal in tribal cultures) which represents their collective features, and eventually comes to be an object of worship (hence the totem poles seen in American Indian cultures). Similarly, within Christianity, depictions of Christ are affected by one’s ethnicity, social class and denomination. (20) Until very recently, scepticism about a spiritual world was dominant, and the scientific leaders for the past 100 years or so have denounced the possibility of that which cannot be empirically tested. (21) For ‘Alien Believers’, science and technology supersede the supernatural as sources likely to yield salvation. (22) Aliens symbolise otherness, that there is more than is readily discernible by the senses, (23) and their advanced technology elevates them as the ‘New Gods’. Deity has become rationalised.

The Apparent Failure of Science and Religion

Belief in ETs has been helped by the failure of Christian groups, and science, who have pointed to an imminent utopian ‘millennial kingdom’. Despite dogmatic assertions of its arrival, it has consistently failed to appear. Predictions have not come true, as the Sunday Times notes in 1993 “The apocalypse forecast for today by a journalist-turned-goddess has, like so many in the past, been postponed.” (24) The ecstatic confidence of science at the end of the 19th century has been shattered by two World Wars and innumerable atrocities. In the collective psyche, it has been necessary to develop a concept of salvation, a notion of deliverance from the troubles of this world, not of earthly science or religion, but by ETs; thus “Interest in UFOs is a sign that people are rejecting a false faith in modern science.” (25) Prophecies of ETs coming to Earth to change the dreadful situation can be viewed as a reinterpretation of apocalyptic belief.

Existence in a Hostile Universe

Collisions between objects in space and our planet present an insurmountable threat to life on Earth, giving a sense that God, and science, cannot control everything. It is held that the extinction of the dinosaurs was due to the impact of a comet on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Christians may retort that since humanity is God’s highest creation on Earth, God would not allow such an event to happen now. The fact remains that geological records indicate periodic extinctions. In addition, on 13 June 1908, a huge explosion occurred over the unpopulated Tunguska region of Siberia, destroying the forest for many miles around. (26) It was believed to be part of a comet. Should that have happened over a major population centre, it would have been disastrous. More recently, on 9 December 1997, evidence suggests that an object of considerable size impacted southern Greenland. (27) Interstellar impacts happen.

Furthermore, the theory of stellar evolution indicates that the sun will die, in perhaps five billion years’ time. Unless humanity has gone to other planets, every trace of humanity will perish. The life cycles of other stars are readily observable by astronomers, and the death of stars has been documented. The sun is a star like any other. As often depicted in Star Trek, only super-advanced technology can avert possible extinctions, either by moving or destroying the threatening object, or by interplanetary resettlement. For many people, the only ones capable of such a salvific act would be ETs.

An Uncertain Future

Gillian Anderson explains the reasons she sees for the success of the science-fiction series, “The X-Files”, which has a dominant ET theme, and in which she is a principal character:

“…as the millennium approaches, people are honestly
looking for an answer of some sort. The end of the
millennium also touches the issue of the end of the world…
everybody is looking for answers. They haven’t found the
answers they’re looking for in religion, and so they’re
moving more readily now towards something which is not so
much God-worldly as alien-worldly.” (28)

At this time in the history of humanity, for much of the world, a significant point is soon to be reached: the next millennium, having ramifications of anxiety and excitement. (29) Messages from ETs may be seen as one way of coping with such a period of transition. Porter quotes from a historian commenting on the growth of spiritualism. Communication with non-earthly entities is “One way in which the generations whose social patterns were most shaken by the changes wrought by science and technology reanchored themselves; at the same time, [spiritualism] made the very real miracles of science and technology less incredible.” (30)

The effect of a date posing existential questions can be seen in how we are more conscious of our age on our birthdays and on New Year’s Eve, (31) and also with triskaidekaphobics, those afraid of the number 13, and Friday 13th. (32) Given that the present time is generating much angst over where the world may be going, as well as the individual’s future, one may concur that “as Sigmund Freud said in 1900, the only thing we know about the new century is that we shall die in it”. (33) The messages of hope received through claimed ET contact can be seen as an articulation of such fears, and a remedy for them, (34) as noted by ufologist, Vallee. (35)

Belief in ETs helps to brighten up the mundane nature of life, (36) and provides meaning by being self-validating. To the one holding the belief, it shows that humanity is of worth to beings who have travelled millions of miles to Earth. Therefore “…belief in UFOs is a reaffirmation of the human need for order and hope”. (37) Harold Bloom comments that, “…angels, telepathic and prophetic dreams, alien abductions and ‘near-death experiences’ all…testify to an expectation of release from the burdens of a society that is weary…”. (38) Such a view of encounters meeting deep emotional needs is held by several scholars. (39)

People are desperate to encounter the supernatural, whether that be visions of the Virgin Mary, (40) a message from Allah, proclaiming ‘there is only one God’ through a tomato (41), lactating statues of the elephant-headed Hindu deity, Ganesha, in early 1996 (42), or aspects of the “Toronto Blessing”. (43) Visitation by and encounters with ETs may be seen as one more expression of an innate emotional need that can only be met by an encounter with something the experiencer may regard as divine. Such a role for ETs is a matter on which Christians have varied opinions.

13 - It must be noted that such events are not confined to the past century. There are many accounts of non-angelic, strange objects in the sky displaying some kind of intelligence from the time of Alexander the Great (and maybe before), to the third, twelth and nineteenth centuries AD. With further research, more accounts could be found.

14 - J.R. Lewis, ed., The Gods Have Landed: New Religions from Other Worlds (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995), 209.

15 - D. Clarke, “The Haunted Valley.” FT, February 1998, 42. Concerning FT, though presented in popular format, it seeks to be critical in its approach. “…some readers wonder why we appear to be questioning phenomena instead of promoting belief in it. The answer is simple: it is only by questioning that we can improve the standard of evidence. As forteans we reserve a right to express our curiosity by questioning everything.” Editorial, FT, February 1998, 6.

16 - M. Weber, “Science as a Vocation”, in H.H. Gerth & C.W. Mills, eds. >From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1952), quoted in J.E. Porter, “Spiritualists, Aliens and UFOs: Extraterrestrials as Spirit Guides.” Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 11.3, 1996: 340-1.

17 - Duin, 47.

18 - H. Evans, “UFOs as Social and Cultural Phenomena.” In H. Evans and J. Spencer, ed. UFOs, 1947-1987: The 40-Year Search for an Explanation (London: Fortean Press, 1987), 359-363; T.E. Bullard, “Folklore Scholarship and UFO Reality.” International UFO Reporter, July/August 1988: 9-13; T.E. Bullard, “UFO Abduction Reports: The Supernatural Kidnap Narrative Returns in Technological Guise.” Journal of American Folkore 102:147-70; V.A.P. Lowe, “A Brief Look at Some UFO Legends.” Indiana Folklore 12:67-79; P.M. Rojcewicz, “The Extraordinary Encounter Continuum Hypothesis and Its Implications for the Study of Belief Materials.” Folklore Forum 19:131-152; L. Degh, “UFOs and How Folklorists Should Look at Them.” Fabula 18:242-48. All quoted in Lewis, 214, 216-217.

19 - T. Campolo, How Sociology can help the Church in its Mission Cassette, CR571. Christian Resources Exhibition, 1995.

20 - It is noted that the following are generalisations. Racially white churches show Christ as white, and black churches have a black Christ; some may believe that Christ’s teachings is in accordance with their political persuasion; and different types of Christian spirituality think of Christ in terms of their own frame of reference. For instance, Pentecostals would think of Christ as a Revivalist ‘Miracle Man’, Catholics see Christ as a thorough Sacramentalist, or Liberals believe Christ to be a social reformer.

21 - A.O. Hudson, “God of All Space: The Glory of the Celestial.” Bible Study Monthly, March/April 1997, 40.

22 - J.E. Porter, “Spiritualists, Aliens and UFOs: Extraterrestrials as Spirit Guides.” Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 11.3, 1996, 346-347.

23 - B. Appleyard, “Why we need the lies about secrets and spies.” The Sunday Times: Culture, 13 October 1996, 4.

24 - M. Campbell, “Hold the front page - this could be our very last edition.” The Sunday Times, 14 November 1993, 1. For exhaustive examination of this topic, see D. Thompson, The End of Time: Faith and Fear in the Shadow of the Millennium (London: Minerva, 1997).

25 - Lewis, 220.

26 - C. Sagan, & A. Druyan, Comet. (London: Michael Joseph Ltd, 1985), 222, 237.

27 - “Heavenly Bombardments: The Greenland Meteorite.” FT, March 1998, 8.p37, 8. Reported in The Independent 16 and 17 December, and The Times and Mail, 17 December. In the concluding week of writing this paper, a topic widely reported in national media was the possibility of a near miss/possible hit by an asteroid in 2028. See all major national newspapers, 13 March 1998, and L. Jaroff, “Whew!”, Time, 23 March 1998, 86-89.

28 - D. Hughes, “Interview with Gillian Anderson.” Sky Magazine, October 1996, 32, 36; D. Wilkinson, “Pre-Millennial Tension.” Third Way, November 1997, 11-13.

29 - Thompson, Introduction.
30 - R.L. Moore, In Search of White Crows: Spiritualism, Parapsychology and American Culture (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), 5, quoted in Porter, 338.

31 - H. Jackson, The Eighteen Nineties (n.p.: Pelican edition, 1939), 16, quoted in Thompson, 120.

32 - P. Harris, “Friday the 13th, times 3, amounts to a year of gloom.” Daily Mail, 27 December 1997, 29. This article gives a catalogue of disasters that have been associated with 13, or Friday 13th. What it fails to do is note how many unfortunate events have occurred with other numbers and calendar dates.

33 - Thompson, 332.

34 - Everyman: The End of The World Produced and directed by B. Fox. 45 Min. BBC1 Television Broadcast, January 1997. Video Recording.

35 - J. Vallee, Revelations - Alien Contact and Human Deception (London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1991), 232-3.

36 - Handy, 74.

37 - Lewis, 228.

38 - H. Bloom, Omens of Millennium (n.p.:n.p., n.d.), quoted in Appleyard, 4.

39 - P. Moore, “Flying Saucers.” In R. Cavendish, ed., Man, Myth, and Magic (New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1970), 1000-1003; C.G. Jung, “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen Flying in the Sky.” In H. Mead, M. Fordham, and G. Adler, eds., The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, vol. 10, (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, n.d.), 307-333; O. Billig, Flying Saucers - Magic in the Sky: Psycho-history (Cambridge, Mass.: Schenkman, 1982). All quoted in Lewis, 227.

40 - Alleged visions of Mary are occurring in quite large numbers, see “Lady Madonna.” FT, September 1997, 18; P. Sievking, “Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer.” The Sunday Telegraph, November 2, 1997, 20; and Thompson, 182.

41 - C. Brooke, “Message from God written in a tomato.” Daily Mail, 12 June 1997, 21.

42 - Though the writer has no documentation of this available, it was widely publicised in the media at the time.

43 - For a critical reflection see S.E. Porter and P.J. Richter, eds. The Toronto Blessing - or is it? (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1995).