Aliens & UFO Cults

In our last discussion we considered the existence of aliens and UFOs, and that lead also into the discussion of cults. Many people in the group felt that aliens didn’t exist, though some did, though nobody had seen a UFO. UFO sightings had been common in the US and even more common in Europe, but recently have started to rise in China. Why are there so many fake-looking UFO sightings and even alien autopsies?

Many TV shows, particularly X-Files and movies have burned an image of what aliens might look like in the minds of the population to the point that people expect aliens to resemble us- head, arms, legs, body- standing upright. In addition, popular representation shows these aliens can breathe our air. In fact, if life exists on other planets in other solar systems, that life may not resemble anything we ever imagined. It may not even be carbon-based life as we are. But it seems that with the number of stars, and the number of solar systems, the possibility of life on other planets is more than a possibility, but more of a probability. Many astronomers have been searching for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe for years through a number of projects, including the SETI project and others glorified in the movie Contact with Jodi Foster and Matthew McConaughey. A recent project, called the Allen Array was initiated with the help of Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder to search the universe for radio transmissions. You can participate in the search for intelligent life by downloading a screensaver that will process radio telescope data.

In the US and Europe many cults are connected to UFOs and aliens. These cults have members who have been brainwashed to believe that their spirits will be transported to a spacecraft and taken to another place upon death. In 1997, 38 members of Heaven’s Gate- a UFO cult in California, committed mass-suicide believing a UFO was hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp. Other cults are founded by leaders who claim they are being given messages telepathically by aliens.

One of the most well-known cult religions is Scientology, founded by the science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Many Hollywood stars are members of this interesting and strange group, including Tom Cruise.