UFO religion

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the examination of theological issues as they pertain to extraterrestrial intelligence, see Exotheology.

UFOs and ufology
Flying saucer from the National Archives and Records Administration
Notable sightings and hoaxes
Conspiracy theories
Religions
Lists of organizations, sightings, studies, etc.

A UFO religion is any

UFO sightings and alien abduction stories. Historians have considered the Aetherius Society
, founded by George King, to be the first UFO religion.

Summary

Some adherents of UFO religions believe that the arrival or rediscovery of alien civilizations, technologies, and spirituality will enable humans to overcome current ecological, spiritual, and social problems. Issues such as hatred, war, bigotry, poverty and so on are said to be resolvable through the use of superior alien technology and spiritual abilities. Such belief systems are also described as millenarian in their outlook.[1][2]

UFO religions developed first in such countries as the

flying saucers" and the popular notion of the UFO originated in 1947.[3] The study of UFO religions among sociologists, historians, theologians, scholars of religious studies and new religious movements began during the 1950s.[4]

Notable UFO religions

Main article: List of UFO religions
St. Germain
is pictured above the mantle.

UFO religions generally deal with belief in communication with extraterrestrial beings.[6][7] Stephen Hunt writes in Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction, "One form of quasi-religion that perhaps borders on a more orthodox form of religiosity is that of the flying saucer cults".[6] In these groups, individuals believe that communication between aliens and humans can take the form of physical contact, telepathy, and astral projection.[6] Typically the groups believe that humanity will be saved by these aliens when humans are educated as to a better way to live life.[6] Some of the groups believe that aliens will come to take those that believe to a more positive location.[6] Often the extraterrestrial beings are seen to plead with humanity to improve itself and to move away from a society of greed and violence.[6] UFO religions place an emphasis on spiritual growth and the evolution of humanity.[6] A UFO religion can be formed before or after an individual claims to have experienced an alien abduction and been taken aboard a spacecraft.[8]

Christopher Hugh Partridge writes in UFO Religions that

Spiritual Hierarchy, and he also draws parallels to New Age thought.[10] He notes that within the thought processes of UFO religions after 1947, many of these groups maintained beliefs that extraterrestrial beings were "heralds of a new era".[10]

Hunt describes the

Unarius as among the "oldest and most studied" of the flying saucer cults.[14] They describe groups Heaven's Gate and Order of the Solar Temple as the "most controversial groups combining UFO belief with variations of contactee assertions".[14] Gregory L. Reece classes Scientology as a "UFO group" in his book UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture, and discusses elements of the Xenu cosmogony and Space opera in Scientology doctrine.[15] He compares Scientology to the Aetherius Society and to Ashtar Command, writing: "While it bears strong similarities to the Ashtar Command or the Aetherius Society, its emphasis upon the Xenu event as the central message of the group seems to place them within the ancient astronaut tradition. Either way, Scientology is perhaps most different from other UFO groups in their attempt to keep all of the space opera stuff under wraps."[15] A similar comparison is made in New Religions: A Guide, which describes the Xenu mythology as "a basic ancient astronaut myth".[16] Author Victoria Nelson writes in The Secret Life of Puppets that "[t]he most prominent current UFO religion is probably the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology".[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ (Partridge 2003, p. 274)
  2. ISSN 1612-2941
    . Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. ^ (Partridge 2003, pp. 7f)
  4. S2CID 234904304
    .
  5. ^ a b Partridge 2003, p. 7.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Hunt 2003, p. 226.
  7. ^ Partridge 2005, pp. 444–445.
  8. ^ Hexham 2002, p. 11.
  9. ^ Partridge 2003, p. 8.
  10. ^ a b c d Partridge 2003, p. 36.
  11. ^ Partridge 2003, p. 6.
  12. ^ Lewis 1995, p. xiii.
  13. ^ Hunt 2003, p. 227.
  14. ^ a b Swatos 1998, pp. 531–532.
  15. ^ a b Reece 2007, pp. 182–186.
  16. ^ Partridge 2004, p. 374.
  17. ^ Nelson 2002, pp. 178–179.

Bibliography

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