My apologies for the long lapse in posting. No, my blog wasn’t frozen by the NSA for my previous post, though my wife is convinced I’m on a number of “lists." Kinda’ makes me proud.Let’s go “tabloid” for a post, shall we? The topic? Aliens and UFOs.
I have always been entertained by the idea of aliens from outer space visiting our planet or making contact with us in some way. You have been, too. Admit it. Even if you’re fairly certain, as I am, that it can’t and won’t happen, it still gets the imagination going.
Interestingly, sightings of unidentified flying objects have been on the rise, or so it seems with increased media attention over the past few years. While you can find dubious footage on YouTube and other user-fed sites, more compelling stories, such as last year’s UFO sighting at O’Hare airport and the recent video of UFOs taken by the Mexican Air Force, have also been making the news.
Roswell UFO crash stories have become embedded in popular culture, but stories of people seeing strange flying objects they couldn’t explain have gone back centuries. Chances are fairly good that someone you know has seen a UFO. So what’s the truth about these phenomena?
Technically speaking, we’ve probably all seen an Unidentified Flying Object. Ever been hit by a piece of candy or who-knows-what at a movie theatre? That was a UFO. The vast majority of UFOs are later classified as Identified Flying Objects (i.e. experimental planes, weather balloons, ball lightning, JuJu Fruits, etc.), but what about those that are never identified?
Hugh Ross, an astronomer and evangelical Christian, has published a book called Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials (if you know me, I've probably recommended this book before). In it, he looks at the research available on UFOs and is able to explain away the vast majority of them as objects that were later identified, hoaxes or the product of mental illness in the witness. There is, however, a remaining small percentage, roughly 5% if I recall correctly, which appear to be credible accounts with no earthly explanation. He refers to these as Residual UFOs (RUFOs).
I won't get into all the science, but Ross looks at the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the universe (very unlikely, according to him) and the possibility of that life getting to Earth (extremely unlikely/impossible). From this, he hypothesizes that the RUFOs are actually extra-dimensional, or demonic, in nature with the goal of inciting fear, confusion, false beliefs, etc. in the witnesses. Very interesting...
So what are your thoughts? Ever seen a UFO? Do you believe life exists elsewhere in the universe? Would the existence or non-existence of extraterrestrials have any impact on your faith? Inquiring minds want to know.
3 comments:
My brain is too small to get around the science of it all, but I found the book fascinating. It makes sense that some of this could be demonic, since there is often an occult or New Age-y connection involved.
However, as to just seeing them like they did at O'Hare? Hm. Not sure what to make of it, as these people seemed to be for real. I'm guessing there must a lot of military stuff that goes on that we don't know about.
But as an insane X-Files fan, I'd give anything to go to Roswell. A pilgrimage, of sorts.
A pilgrimage to Roswell would be brilliant! (Don't forget the hazmat suit and spy camera.)
I agree that there is lots of military stuff we're probably not aware of, and I suspect that may increase with the trend toward total surveillance with unmanned drones and the like.
Not sure about the O'Hare thing, either, but I've often wondered about the impact of "alien life" on people's faith. How would it impact people if tomorrow there is found to be evidence of microbial life on Mars? Would it automatically confirm the something-from-nothing Darwinianism that is popular these days?
What of the arrival of beings more intelligent than us? What if they were liars/deceivers but people just readily bought into their beliefs because of their apparent intelligence, superior technology and more "evolved" state?
Satan deceives the modern world by staying unseen and manifesting in only subtle ways, because he prefers us to believe there is no supernatural. But what if he chose to manifest as "alien from outer space" to deceive us in another direction?
Interesting things to ponder, for sure.
I'm not sure that the discovery of microbial life on another planet would affect to many people's faith, other than to say that life can exist elsewhere. However, the discovery of intelligent life might have a bigger impact. Sure, Satan can use this to his advantage, and may even manifest this way, but God can also use this.
Since God is the creator of the universe, then it stands to reason that He would have created the other life forms as well (Microbial or intelligent). Thus, assuming that they have fallen as well, then God would have a salvation plan for them. Think of Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia.
The theory is that if we are intelligent enough to look for them, then if there is intelligent life, then they may be looking for us. Of course, God is a very creative God, so intelligence on another planet may be defined completely differently, but God would still be God because He cannot change who He is.
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