The war of the worlds comes down to Earth
Australians (among others) believe in little green men
by Gary Bates, CMI–Australia
8 July 2005
A recent survey of Australians by Readers Digest showed that four out of
five respondents believed that there is alien life in outer space.1
Reader’s Digest chief editor Tom Moore said ‘Australians
may be genetically sceptical about most things, but when it comes to extraterrestrials,
close encounters, and other X-files matters, we really do believe the truth is out
there.’2 Even more startling were results that
showed that over two thirds believed that aliens are likely to be friendly and that
around 6 out of ten surveyed believe that aliens are already monitoring human activities.
But, to adapt a phrase from ufospeak, Australians ‘are not alone’. Similar
polls in America and other countries have highlighted similarly large percentages
of extraterrestrial beliefs.3
The war of the world(view)s
Where do such fantastic ideas come from? As I demonstrated in my
book Alien Intrusion:
UFOs and the Evolution Connection belief in aliens is a logical next
step if one believes that life evolved here on Earth. Today the majority of space
scientists believe that life must also have evolved elsewhere in the universe. NASA’s
and SETI’s searches for ET life have an enormous impact on public perception,
particularly with the incredible amounts of research money being spent (see
SETI—coming in from the cold of space). In addition, millions of ordinary
people are being impressed by a never-ending stream of hugely successful science
fiction movies that clearly imply evolution on other worlds due to the myriad of
strangely evolved creatures portrayed.
This year alone will see several blockbuster movies carrying ‘aliens’
themes, such as Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, The War of the Worlds, The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy. Even the old children’s tale of Chicken Little
is due for an ‘alien makeover’. In Disney’s due-to-be-released
cartoon version, Chicken Little’s cry that ‘the sky is falling’
now comes true as thousands of flying saucers descend upon the earth. Such themes
continue to impact young minds to the extent that if one doesn’t
believe in alien life one is the odd one out. Christians have even been accused
of being out of touch for resisting jumping on the ET ‘bandwagon’ despite
the fact that there has never been a single indisputable case of an alien visitation
or a find of sentient life on other planets. Even Tom Cruise, the star of the latest
blockbuster movie The War of the Worlds, was asked if he believed in aliens.
He said, ‘Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are
alone in this universe?’4 I’m not surprised
that he would say such a thing. I believe this is a no-so-subtle barb aimed at Christianity;
Cruise is a leading spokesman for his own unique brand of religion, namely Scientology,
which, as I demonstrated in my book, has its origins in science-fiction type extraterrestrial
beliefs. We need to help our children understand the evolutionary undertones of
such movie themes—even using them as a teaching tool—to help them understand that the earth is special and that God did not create alien life on other planets.
Don’t forget that it is science ‘fiction’
The media’s influence in shaping our ideas was borne out
in the results of the Readers Digest’s findings. Older respondents
thought that aliens would look like humans but younger people believed that aliens
would look radically different.1 Along with other CMI
speakers, I have discovered that one of the most popular beliefs among young people
today is the idea that older, and therefore more technologically advanced, aliens
may have been responsible for the creation of life on Earth—via evolutionary
processes or by direct special creation. Such ideas already add to the confusion
in the public’s mind on origins issues, especially when many prominent scientists
are now claiming that these older/wiser aliens may have even been mankind’s
creators (see Designed by aliens?). This is directly
opposed to the Bible’s straightforward teaching of God’s creation of
the first man and woman.
The UFO connection
Around the world every day there are about 150 anomalous sightings, but still no
hard proof of a visiting ET. With so many sightings, many claim that something must
be going on, and much confusion reigns on how to ‘fit UFOs and ETs into the
Bible.’ Since the release of
Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection even many Christians
have contacted us to suggest that God may have created intelligent life on other
planets or that God’s angels use real physical spaceships to make their way
around the universe (read the book for answers to these). These beliefs presuppose
that UFO sightings are of real physical craft (as in spaceships). However, research
by UFOlogists shows that no two UFOs have ever appeared alike, meaning that either
aliens are using disposable craft or we are being visited by hundreds of different
alien races every week, and have been, for countless years! Why would our Earth,
which is like a speck in the vastness of the universe, be favoured with so many
visits? And where’s the physical evidence?
A 1996 Gallup poll claimed that over 70 percent of the population believed that
the government knew more about UFOs than it was letting on.5
This was also borne out in the Readers Digest polls, which stated that
over three quarters of respondents thought UFOs were from outer space and that there
has been some type of government cover-up. This is not a weird fringe view of the community. On the rare occasions that youth pastors have surveyed their youth on this subject, they have told me that the overwhelming view of Christian kids today is that UFOs are real craft and that aliens exist. From many years of speaking on this subject I can also confirm from personal experience that many adults in the church would believe similar things, although they might not express them openly. Moreover, Christian leaders would be surprised how many people in their churches have seen something strange or have had experiences they have not be able to explain or have closure on. This demonstrates the extent that popular culture has influenced Christians’ thinking on this subject, mainly because it is an issue that church has not dealt with, or has ever had to deal with before. Such views lead to doubts about the authority of Scripture, because people believe it is silent about such things. It is not. See Did God create alien life on other planets?6
Summary
Peoples’ belief in such conspiracy theories, views on alien life, the big
bang and evolutionary ideas in general, are being shaped more and more by the popular
media. In an age where people are reading less and less, they are getting their
information about scientific ‘facts’ continually embellished in a cloud
of associated ‘entertainment fiction’, such as modern science fiction
(see Evolution and the science of fiction). It’s
important to be aware of the forces influencing our modern culture, undermining
the biblical worldview in many subtle ways. Christians and their families need to
be equipped with solid answers and evidences as never before. The truth really is
‘out there’—though it’s not what most people think!
Related articles
References and notes
- Out there—RD Exclusive poll, <www.rd.com/international/shared/index.jhtml?countryid=au&pageid=article&contentId=9537507>,
4 July 2005. Return to text.
- Australians believe in little green men, <www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,1478,3322337a6009,00.html>,
24 June 2005. Return to text.
- Most Americans Believe Alien Life is Possible, Study Shows, <news.yahoo.com/s/space/mostamericansbelievealienlifeispossiblestudyshows>,
24 June 2005. Return to text.
- We’re not alone in universe, says Tom Cruise, <channels.netscape.com/ns/celebrity/
story.jsp?floc=FF-RTO-roetz&idq=/ff/story/0002%2F20050629%2F1006182638.htm&sc=roetz>,
30 June 2005. Return to text.
- Bates, G., Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection,
Master Books, Green Forest, p. 18. 2005. Return to text.
- Ref. 4, p. 18. Return to text.
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