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Feedback 2010
Avatar Aspirations
Sci fi helps create an alternate belief system
Published: 26 June 2010(GMT+10)
This week’s feedback comes from Pat K. who objected to positions raised in
Dr Carl Wieland’s
review of the science fiction movie Avatar, which at the time of
writing has become the highest-grossing movie of all time. CMI’s resident
UFOlogist (and CMI–US’s CEO), Gary
Bates, responds.
I would like to begin, by saying that this was a good review of the movie. Obviously
a lot of thought and research went into it. I really enjoy when someone does something
well, don’t you?
Indeed. Carl Wieland has been involved in the origins issue for most of his adult
life. As such, it has given him a great perspective of the underlying human condition
and how it relates to such an issue. In short, he has a great grasp of popular culture.
However, I wonder whether you realized your own inconsistency right off the bat
with regard to what follows in your letter. On the one hand, you compliment something
that you seem to think was well researched and thought out. But then you go on to
ridicule same simply because it did not agree with your own (as I hope to show,
and with no disrespect intended) ill–conceived belief system. I hope to show
that, unlike the article you commented on, your own views had little of the in-depth
research that the article demonstrated.
I would also like to address the comments streaming in that touch on how ridiculous
the notion of ‘life on other planets’ is, or the idea that nature creates
as opposed to God being the only being capable of such feats.
For many years, I have researched the area of UFOlogy and the question of life on
other planets, and met with people who hold strongly to these beliefs. I have come
to understand why many would feel disappointed and even depressed at the idea of
there being no intelligent, sentient life elsewhere in the universe. Sociologists
like Gerald Eberlein have shown what underpins such wishful notions.
“ … research has shown that people who are not affiliated with any
church, but who claim they are religious are particularly susceptible to the possible
existence of extraterrestrials. For them, UFOlogy [the study of UFOs] is a substitute
religion.”1
UFOlogy can actually act as a complete replacement theology for Christianity, and
indeed, any major religion.
As you demonstrate later in your letter, you actually display this same religious
belief in your desire for aliens to be true—and with no observable scientific
basis for same. UFOlogy can actually act as a complete replacement theology for
Christianity, and indeed, any major religion. As I showed in my book
Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection, such beliefs
replace God with aliens as mankind’s
creators; have various messiah-like connotations of older, wiser and benevolent
aliens coming to save/rescuemankind from itself, and even ‘raptures’
of various groups of humans by aliens in their technologically advanced spaceships,
taking us away to some utopian-type planet somewhere (eschatology).
I personally find it discouraging—and a bit depressing—when I notice
the unequal treatment afforded by the media (and people in general) to UFO believers
on the one hand, and on the other, to those who believe in an invisible supreme
being who inhabits the sky.
I would respectfully disagree with this assessment. Today,
the media are actually much more sympathetic to the idea of such UFO beliefs
than to the traditional concept of an all-powerful creator God. The ‘hurt’
you display is typical for someone who feels their beliefs are being marginalized.
If you were to say that “two plus two equals four” and I replied that
it equals five, you would likely feel less hurt, because you could easily demonstrate
from mathematics that I was wrong. In short, my position would be less worrisome
because the facts would be on your side. However, in this area of origins and even
religion neither one of us can ‘prove’ our beliefs, and this is likely
why you profess hurt. You are suggesting that the idea that benevolent aliens have
evolved has equal validity with belief in a Creator God (which was a traditional
view for many years). Skeptics and atheists try to imply that ‘science’
(as in their belief in evolution) is demonstrably true and therefore people who
believe in a divine creator are wrong based on the facts of science. However, you
should read It’s not science.
Especially as the latter belief applies to the whole Jesus-Messiah-Son-of-God belief.
You may have noticed that, in the media, UFO believers are usually referred to as
buffs, a term used to diminish and marginalize them by relegating them to the ranks
of hobbyists and mere enthusiasts. They are made to seem like kooks and quaint dingbats
who have the nerve to believe that, in an observable universe of trillions upon
trillions of stars, and most likely many hundreds of billions of potentially inhabitable
planets, some of those planets may have produced life-forms capable of doing things
we can’t do.
Actually, ‘buff’ is quite a charitable term. It can refer to an expert
or an aficionado. If I were called a UFO buff (and I have been) I would not be offended.
It would imply that I have done my research even though my own conclusions would
differ from the majority of other UFO buffs. But once again you are displaying an
ill-informed view of what the majority of the media and indeed the populace would
generally believe, which is there is life on other planets. This, however,
is not science, because it is an extrapolation of a foundational belief or presupposition
that life evolved on Earth. Such a belief is then extrapolated to the rest of the
universe. The size of the universe is irrelevant. If life cannot and does not evolve
by chance then it cannot and will not evolve anywhere else. Therefore the idea of
life evolving on other worlds is purely in the realm of belief.
On the other hand those who believe in an eternal, all-powerful being, a being who
demands to be loved and adored unconditionally and who punishes and rewards according
to his whims are thought to be worthy, upright, credible people.
It’s always a shame when people take the time to write an email to our website,
seeming to engage in meaningful discussion, but then end up hurling invectives at
straw men of their own making. The Bible’s big picture explains, and you would
have to agree, that you are a sinner. That is, you have the propensity to do wrong
things. The problem with having this sin nature is who it is you sin against. You
might think that, for example, that any malicious thoughts of ill-will to your fellow
man you harbour (and your letter is not without them) are minor by comparison to,
say, killing another human being. But whose standards are you using to judge same?
If it is your own then that is a subjective manmade standard. If the majority of
people determine what’s wrong or right, can that determine truth for us? What
if the majority decided that UFO-believers should all be put in prison? You would
not agree and therefore conclude that the majority is wrong. It all gets terribly
subjective. The problem is that we all sin against the One who has the ultimate
authority to determine what is right or wrong—the very One who determined
the laws of physics that govern our universe. If your sin causes you to fall outside
of the standards set by the Creator then it immediately separates you from Him and
His plans for His Creation. If God is Creator then He has a right to say what happens
with it and also establish the rules. You might not like that, but it is your choice
to accept this or not. Moreover, God did not leave us alone without information
about Him so there is no need to concoct all sorts of elaborate fantasies to avoid
the true history of the universe as described in the Bible.
- His Creation speaks of design—that there is an ultimate Creator (Romans 1:20). Unfortunately, a very contrived philosophy (evolution)
seeks to replace God as the Creator. This belief system aptly fulfills what the
Bible actually spoke about in Genesis when referring to man’s sin nature.
That is, mankind seeks to be only accountable to itself (“You shall be as
Gods” = humanism). Ridiculously, a subset of this evolutionism is that aliens
might be our Creators. One cannot have it both ways, however. Ironically, the ‘alien
creators’ view actually acknowledges that there is design in biological systems,
but mankind’s pride refuses to acknowledge the rightful Creator, instead attributing
design to non-observable, non-testable ‘alien’ forces.
- Sin, death and disease indicate to us that there is something wrong with this Creation.
The Bible explains it as the Fall of man and the subsequent curse that fell on the
whole creation. In other words, mankind is living with the universal consequences
of its sin, and therefore the bad things that happen to us should serve as a reminder
that all is not well with our world. Evolution seeks to explain this away as a survival
of the fittest ordeal to account for death, suffering and bad things in general.
Moreover, if aliens are our Creators and they used evolutionary processes to create
biological organisms, this would not make them very benevolent creators towards
us. It would be a very inefficient, wasteful and cruel process to use.
- There can be no higher calling or purpose to our existence than to find out who
one’s creator is and why we exist in the first place. Jesus came to Earth
to demonstrate God’s love and compassion for us, because we were condemned
and suffering the effects of our own sin. This is a love story of cosmic proportions:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died
for the ungodly. … But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:6,8.
Hebrews 1:3 explains that:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the
exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After
he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
in heaven.”
In other words, when you look at Jesus you will see and understand the very nature
of God (as if He were in the flesh). And what did Jesus do? He healed the sick and
fed the hungry. He advocated love, forgiveness and acceptance. Why would anyone
not accept this message? The Bible explains why: “Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18.
The bad news is that you will die one day and there will be nothing you can do to
prevent that. What can you do to save yourself? Obviously, the answer is nothing
(unless you have some hope that aliens you’ve never met will come and take
you away because you chose to believe in them). Yet, now through death, because
of what God has done through Jesus, you have a way to escape an eternal death, receive
eternal life and be reconciled back to your creator. So, I can’t help but
wonder what problem do you actually have with Jesus who sacrificed himself so you
could partake in this gift?. Why would you speak about such a benevolent gesture
in such a disparaging way? After all, believing in unseen aliens is fraught with
risk, unlike believing in Jesus as the Saviour. After all, only the Genesis Creator
of the universe can have the power to save you anyway.
This, in spite of the large numbers of believers who are clearly close-minded fanatics.
To my way of thinking, there is every bit as much evidence for the existence of
UFOs as there is for the existence of God. Probably far more. At least in the case
of UFOs there have been countless taped and filmed–and, by the way, unexplained–sightings
from all over the world, along with documented radar evidence seen by experienced
military and civilian radar operators.
Sorry to be blunt, but this is wishful thinking. There is not a shred of indisputable
evidence for you to state such a thing. It demonstrates that you have a belief system
in play that interprets such sightings as being alien craft. What we see are lights,
shapes and other phenomena that when carefully researched do not display the characteristics
of real physical craft. Even the world’s leading secular UFO researchers like
Dr J Allen Hynek (a former US government researcher into UFOs) and Dr Jacques Vallee
have shown how they display supernatural characteristics not in keeping with beings
or craft of a corporeal nature. In addition, there has been over 40 years of official
investigations into the UFO phenomenon under Projects Sign, Grudge, Bluebook
and the later Condon Report. All showed that there is no evidence
to support the notion that the phenomenon is extraterrestrial in nature. However,
I suspect that you would not even accept this due to the nature of your comments
in this letter, and that is, that everyone seems to be against the truth as believed
by the ‘true’ UFO-believers like yourself.
In addition, the testimonies of those who claim to have had alien encounters, abduction
experiences and so on, mention the terror and trauma of their experiences. Psychologists
have shown they often suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. So much for being
the highly evolved, benevolent aliens that they claim to be.
This does not even begin to include the widespread testimony of not only highly
trained, experienced military and civilian pilots who are selected for their jobs,
in part, for their above-average eyesight and mental stability, but also of equally
well trained, experienced law-enforcement officers. Such pilots and law-enforcement
people are known to be serious, sober individuals who would have quite a bit to
lose were they to be associated with anything resembling kooky, outlandish beliefs.
Nonetheless, they have taken the risk of revealing their experiences because they
are convinced they have seen something objectively real that they consider important.
I am able to verify that nothing in the intervening years since the initial publication
has caused me to alter my views on what is actually occurring.
Agreed, but the sightings are not physical evidence of extraterrestrial beings.
Please
see our response to astronaut Ed Mitchell’s claim about such things.
The reason most of this phenomenon is interpreted as spacecraft from other planets
is due to the dominant cultural overlays that impact our thinking. For instance,
science fiction is the most popular entertainment genre and it mostly depicts these
benevolent alien themes. This coupled with, and emerging out of,
a belief in evolution occurring all over the universe, causes people to
believe in such things. The UFO
phenomenon is indeed increasing but this can also be attributed to the expectation
and acceptance of such things—like
opening a doorway to potential deception. If they are not really highly
evolved aliens from other planets, then what are they you may ask? If you are serious
about obtaining an informed view with all the facts available—and not just
the ones that seemingly fit the alien view, then I seriously recommend you obtain
a copy of Alien Intrusion:
UFOs and the Evolution Connection. The latest edition is the fifth
printing. In the modified foreward I wrote:
“In the 2005 original printing, this book was the sum of my thoughts and research
into the phenomenon after many years of investigation. Since that time, and because
of this book, that research has widened and intensified due to the many people who
contacted me after reading it. It has also increased the opportunity to rub shoulders
and compare notes with other concerned UFOlogists. As a consequence, it has provided
an excellent first-hand ‘test bed’ of research—a proving ground,
if you like, upon which the conclusions in this book can be tested. I am able to
verify that nothing in the intervening years since the initial publication has caused
me to alter my views on what is actually occurring.”
If you do read it you will see how the real-world hard evidence of experiencers
fits a deceptive supernatural explanation of these phenomena, in keeping with the
Bible’s account of such things.
All of these accounts are ignored by the media.
I’m sorry but you are not correct in this assumption. I regularly write articles
in response to such media claims. The Ed Mitchell one just mentioned case in point.
Also see my review of the movie The Fourth Kind,
which was a serious attempt by the media to support the idea of alien visitations
and alien abductions.
Granted, the world of UFO-belief has its share of kooks, nuts and fringe people,
but have you ever listened to some of these religious true-believers? Have you ever
heard of any extreme, bizarre behavior and outlandish claims associated with religious
zealots? Could any of them be considered kooks, nuts or mentally prone to delusions?
A fair person would have to say yes. But the marginal people in these two groups
don’t matter in this argument.
I particularly agree with your last statement, so why mention what preceded it then?
Overall your comments tend to display the characteristics of victimization and emotional
pleading to try and support your case. At the end of the day you have not offered
any physical evidence to support your view that many UFO sightings are indeed spaceships
from a galaxy far, far away piloted by highly evolved aliens. Why has no one brought
back a towel from the bathroom or any souvenir from a contact or claimed abduction
experience aboard an alleged spaceship? Your reference about extreme views on both
sides is not really relevant to the discussion. Who is focusing on the claims of
kooks, as you put it? Not us! My book and the research of CMI mainly deals with
the views put forward by serious scientists in the realm of the origins discussion.
And it is dealt with by our own well-qualified scientists.
What matters is the prejudice and superstition built into the media coverage of
the two sets of beliefs. One is treated reverently and accepted as received truth,
the other is treated laughingly and dismissed out of hand.
Once again you are resorting to emotional arguments.
A belief in life on other planets is a mainstream view as supported by actual polls.
Also read Hosing down the hype.
Your view is not a minority view despite your claims to same.
As evidence of the above premise, I offer one version of a typical television news
story heard each year on the final Friday of Lent:
“Today is Good Friday, observed by Christians worldwide as a day that commemorates
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose death redeemed the sins of
mankind.”
Here is the way it should be written:
“Today is Good Friday, observed worldwide by Jesus buffs as the day on which
the popular, bearded cultural figure, sometimes referred to as The Messiah, was
allegedly crucified and—according to legend—died for mankind’s
so-called sins. Today kicks off a ‘holy’ weekend that culminates on
Easter Sunday, when, it is widely believed, this dead ‘savior’—who
also, by the way, claimed to be the son of a sky-dwelling, invisible being known
as God—mysteriously ‘rose from the dead.’ According to legend,
by volunteering to be killed and actually going through with it, Jesus saved every
person who has ever lived—and every person who ever will live—from an
eternity of suffering in a fiery region popularly known as hell, providing—so
the story goes—that the person to be ‘saved’ firmly believes this
rather fanciful tale.”
I’m not sure how this is relevant to the discussion except that you seem to
have some personal issue with God, and seem to be playing a tit-for-tat type of
game because you feel that your own UFO beliefs are marginalized. They are not,
so it seems that you want ‘everyone’ to share your own beliefs. I am
not trying to be rude but I have to frankly express that the comments you just made
are very ignorant about who Jesus is and the many other writings that testify to
His existence. If you seriously took the time to review the many articles we have
on this site (which you should have really done before firing off this email to
us) you will see that there is a wealth of historical evidence to support the personhood
of Jesus Christ, his miracles (which can only be performed by a supernatural creator),
and the fact that He rose from the dead—witnessed by hundreds of people. And
please note that there are sources other than the Bible that testify to this. He
is real, and He is who He claimed to be as demonstrated by the power that He showed
while in human form. Our so-called alien benefactors do not openly reveal themselves,
and they brutally terrorize people by stealthily abducting them in the middle of
the night. Oh well, Jesus did say “By their fruit you
will recognize them” Matthew 7:20.
That would be an example of unbiased news reporting.
That’s a remarkably unbiased statement in itself—don’t you think
(not!)?
Don’t wait around for it to happen. The aliens will land first.
Your religious belief is being portrayed for all to see here, which explains why
you display such an antagonism towards ours and anyone else that dares criticize
your beliefs.
We all know that Hollywood will cater to their target audience whether they be young
or old, science fiction fans or no. If you buy a ticket, you are no doubt seeking
entertainment. I believe entertainment is the entire purpose of these films.
But these same films are highly influential and they tend to set popular belief
about such things. Although you criticize them you display the fruits of their influence
with your comments about aliens landing first etc. So I am not sure why you think
your own particular view as a ‘true believer’ is any different to the
popular view. Your belief that aliens inhabit the universe just because it is so
large and evolution is true, is the most popular lay view about extraterrestrials
too.
They are entertaining, and you are willing to pay money for entertainment. If you
don’t want to pay to see a stripper, don’t go into that bar. And certainly
don’t stand outside of it and encourage others to not enter. You are not God.
And God has not commissioned you to do so.
I’m really not sure what point you are trying to make here—sorry.
If you truly want a peaceful world where people do not fight, let people do what
they are going to do (within reason and within the law) and leave well enough alone.
Live and let die. Them, and you with your crazy ideas.
People often fight because of their sin nature and because they get upset when people
don’t subscribe to their own views (sound familiar?). You want a peace-loving
world yet wish us dead because we don’t agree with your views, which are therefore
massively inconsistent—a trait demonstrated throughout, unfortunately. We
have been commissioned to inform people about an alternative view of origins—one
which most have not ever heard before. Then they are free and able to make an informed
decision about this important issue. No one is forcing that upon them or you; in
the same way, you are free to accept what Jesus has done for you or otherwise. If
you don’t agree, then why admonish us anyway? Perhaps the Bible has something
to say about that as well. Romans 1:21.
Readers’ comments:
Chandrasekaran M., Australia, 26 June 2010
I like your statement, “If life cannot and does not evolve by chance then
it cannot and will not evolve anywhere else. Therefore the idea of life evolving
on other worlds is purely in the realm of belief.” So UFO seems to be yet
another sect of evolution religion like atheism, secularism, humanism.
Your tone of your reply in the article is good.
Do you think UFO is Satan’s attempt to convolute ‘1Th 4:17 Then we who
are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.’?
Gary Bates responds: To adequately answer your question, I recommend
you grab a copy of
Alien Intrusion as it does deal with some of the potential end
times scenarios that come from the deceptive entities themselves (some of these
are being channeled to those who have been taken in by it and are very open to it).
For example, there are many rapture-type scenarios that might fit some Christian’s
eschatological viewpoints and seem to marry with some Bible passages very well.
However, there are also some messages that fit alternate and opposing end times
ideas that exist within the Christian camp. In short, it appears the UFO phenomenon
has something for everyone, hence the nature of deception—as in being conned
or taken in by it.
Paul H., United States, 26 June 2010
The feedbacker’s paragraph (the rewritten version) at the end of the article
that begins with “Today is Good Friday…” is a good example of
what happens to Bible history when it is stripped of Bible chronology. Bible history
hangs on the framework of Bible chronology. Disbelieve the chronology and what you
get is the rewritten view of history given by the feedbacker. Unfortunately it is
the evangelical, conservative, fundamentalist Christians who have bought into this
error thereby leaving the world with what appears to be a powerless Gospel. The
Christian church needs a kick in the pants before any atheists get theirs.
Gary Bates responds: Unfortunately, as I have explained elsewhere,
most would not have much understanding as to the depth in which people are involved
in this phenomenon and the deception that ensues. The church has never really got
to grips with evolution, so attempting to deal with the UFO phenomenon as well is
almost like a step too far.
Stephen J., Australia, 06 August 2010
I always find it interesting how so many people say “don’t you dare
attack me or what I believe”, and then procede to do exactly that to another
person. If such people truly wish for a world of peace, perhaps they need to look
at their part in the whole scheme of things before they try to ‘fix’
other people. (Related note: listening to the Lyrics of Lennons ‘Imagine’,
a paragraph says “(Imagine) Nothing to kill or die for”. Would that
not suggest a world with an absence of love? This is something I always believe
is worth fighting for, and many soldiers still die for).
Danie P., South Africa, 11 August 2010
When I read articles like these I often find myself thinking of the “Four
emotional stages of change”:
- Disbelief and denial
- Anger and blame
- Reluctant acceptance
- Final commitment
I find it worth the while to keep this four stages in mind when I challenge someones
views/beliefs. This UFO believer is currently at stage 2: anger and blame. Unfortunately
many people don’t get pass this stage, but I believe it is God who can soften
the heart, not us. Our work is to sow the seed, God will make it grow. CMI, keep
on sowing! Your work is very important, thanks for stepping up to it!
One of my favorite quotes: “Truth makes you miserable before it sets you free!”
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Related articles
Further reading
Reference
- Erdling Hallo, “Ufologie,” Focus
45:254. Return to text.
| It has been said that “Information is power”. When it comes to creation information we’d have to agree. Keep the ‘powerful’ evidence for God being Creator coming.  | | |
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