The recent and frightening re-emergence of the hard religious right as a political faction will have an impact on all of us. Whether or not such "Jesus-driven" candidates as Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Christine O'Donnell and Jan Brewer actually win elections to "govern by God," their fanatically held political and social beliefs will have repercussions for all of us who promote the study of things ET.
The words and actions of this frightening faction show that they oppose the Alien. They would never want extraterrestrial contact as they reject so many things that are "different" from them. They have repeatedly demonstrated their difficulty with inclusion of those who are not the same. And nothing could be more "different" that ET. Their near-racist opposition to Muslims and immigrants demonstrates their likely fear and loathing of extraterrestrial Visitors. As both history and current events reveal, extreme evangelical Christians even believe that ET are "demons."
GOING BACK TO PAT: "STONE THE ET BELIEVERS WITH ROCKS"
In July of 1997 religious right extremist Pat Robertson (of the "700 Club") issued a public statement on aliens and UFOs. He planned his proclamation to coincide with the news of the July 4th Mars Pathfinder landing that year. In a rambling diatribe, Robertson said that aliens and ET are in reality "demons" that are attempting to steer people away from Christ. So grave is the offense to study ET, Robertson maintains, that it is "God's word" that such people should be put to death!
Robertson says, "The Bible says the Earth belongs to man, but the heavens belong to the Lord. He has given us the Earth." Robertson warned of ET, "these things are at best lifeless nothings, intelligent and demonic. They are not a host of heaven, they are fallen angels."
Robertson, who still retains millions of followers to this day, continues, "Can a demon appear as a slanted-eyed, funny-looking creature? Of course he can, or it can. Of course they can deceive people. They can lead people away from the true God." Quoting Deuteronomy, Robertson instructs us what to do with those who study saucers: "stone to death that man or woman with stones." Note Robertson's racist and ignorant words to describe others not like us: "Slanted-eyed and funny-looking creature."
Deceased ultra-right wing conservative Christian (and founder of the "Moral Majority") Reverend Jerry Falwell echoed Robertson's sentiments that when "playing with ET, you are playing with the devil." Both Robertson and Falwell had a major impact on the political thinking and positioning of rightist Republicans and extreme conservative politics that continues to reverberate to this day.
CHRISTIAN SYMPOSIUM 2009: "ALIENS ARE DEVILS!"
A Christian outreach ministry led by Roswell resident Guy Malone preaches a strange mix of counter-cult evangelism, Biblical perspective on UFOs and what Malone describes as "Alien Resistance." During the annual Roswell UFO Festival last year, Malone organized an "all Christian speaker symposium" which included pastors, ordained ministers and pastoral counselors who came from around the nation to deliver papers. From the Best Western Ballroom, these men of the cloth lit the torch of ignorance. They explained to the exceptionally gullible that we are in "spiritual warfare" with these unwanted Visitors. Some they say, are demon abductors. The ET utter false New Age gospel and the messages to contactees are from Satan.
Presentations from the conference included such topics as: "Communication with Non-Terrestrial Beings: Biblical Warnings" and "Why an ET God Appeals to Today's Culture." as well as "ET's Message to Humanity: A False Gospel." Speakers included those from such places as Creation Ministries International and Evangelical Ministries. Such topics would be humorous if they were not so dangerous.
Such thinking of course is exclusionary in the extreme. Not only do these extreme rightists believe that they have the gift to "discern demons" - they believe that those who believe that ET is another species from another planet are anathema, and that to think that is dangerous and immoral.
A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR AND ET
Former Governor, Minister and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee apparently has also weighed in on the ET issue. When the late TV journalist Tim Russert asked Huckabee about UFOs while moderating a 2008 presidential debate, Huckabee spelled out his reply. He said that he preferred "G-O-D" over "U-F-O" to audience applause. A volunteer for the Huckabee campaign, John Jones Nichols, was quoted at the time that "UFOs are really demons disguised as spaceships." Nichols added that he was "sure that the Governor agreed with the bibical experts" on this.
DEMONS AS ALIENS IN 2010
Over the centuries, many things have been ignorantly viewed as demonic. Things that change the way we live -and that give us a wider expanse of knowledge and viewpoint- are always first feared. People believed for centuries that physical disease could be caused by demon possession. They did not know of the world of microbial life. It was at one time considered sacrilegious to consider that the Earth is not the center of the Universe.
But what is so profoundly disturbing is that these notions of demonic ETs is so prevalent today in 2010, well into the new millennium. A Google search using key words "Alien" + "Demons" yields over 1,500,000 matches. Countless websites warn of the connection between UFOs and Satan. Aliens, they proclaim that ETs are "Fallen Angels."
Right-wing Christian blogger Jefferson Scott said recently on his website: "I believe UFOs, aliens, abductions and animal mutilations are all real and that the American Government maintains relations with these beings." But then Scott alarmingly adds: "But I believe that the whole thing is demonic."
Scott is recycling a decades-old meme. It is a theme of extreme conservative Christians that maintains that Earth is "number one," that the Earth was gifted to humans by God- and that ET that come here are not of God. They are not welcomed. They are undesired intruders who are of the devil himself. The demons are disguised as aliens. But Scott also reflects a paranoia and distrust of "Government" that has reached irrational proportions in the recent political climate.
These "fundamentalists against flying saucers" extend this extreme mistrust of anything in government to the point of believing that some of those in Military and Intel really cavort with ET devils!
FINAL EVENTS
Author Nick Redfern's new book "Final Events" discusses this potential infiltration of elements of US military and intelligence by extreme Christian fundamentalists. This fundamentalist faction believes that extraterrestrials are demonic in nature. Redfern describes a specific group within US military and Intel that has even named itself: The Collins Elite.
Some of these demon-fearing government groups have apparently been operating since the late 1940s. Some have even dreamt up scenarios where even the Roswell "memory metal" is seen as a "plant" by demonic forces. The material was created through "demonic alchemy" and placed in the desert by these evil entities as a devil's Trojan horse" for man to open doors best remained closed. That such religious fantasies may be held by those entrusted to protect our country is a frightening thought.
Though I have yet to delve into "Final Events" I do know that "evangelical infiltration" of our US Military and Intel has occurred. One only has to visit the Christian Embassy website to see how the corridors of power are infested by religious rightists who believe their mission is divinely inspired. The organization gives new meaning to the admonition: "Onward, Christian Soldiers!"
OBAMA AS ALIEN: FEAR AND PREJUDICE AGAINST CHANGE
Such reactionary, divisive and rightist thinking is troublesome, even creepy. I cannot help but make this analogy:
Many of these misguided are the very same types that believe that President Obama is not really who he says that he is. They believe that he is not an American. They scream that he is not a U.S. citizen. In veiled terms they hint that he is "not like us." They lie about his religion. One yelled out during a McCain speech that Obama was "an Arab." Others rant that he is in fact the Anti-Christ.
Obama is "Alien" to these groups.
And the "fear of change" would be profound if such reactionary religious conservatives had to accept the visiting extraterrestrial. The perceived threat to their "order of things" would be too great for the bigoted and narrow-minded. Such people wish to restrict the immigration of Muslims and the construction of mosques in this country. The Christian Conservatives would rally strenuously against the construction of an alien's place of worship. They would no doubt take up the Palin call to violence: "Don't Retreat, Reload."
Rather than recognize that extra-solar planets likely teem with sentient life, they say that such things are Demons from Hell. They do not see that ET represents the splendor of God's diverse creation made evident throughout the universe. Like the delusional Florida pastor who called out to burn the Koran, they would no doubt burn ET's bibles. And just as they treated the "witches" of yore, such fanatics would falsely accuse ET and seek to destroy them.
7 comments:
Recall that AJB said, on the Iconoclasts blog, that as a non-US resident I was "hardly in a position to comment".
So presumably he would argue that only US residents should comment on his bringing politics-into-ET ideas. Another piece of dottiness on his part.
He raises some valid points. It'd be stupid to think the whole piece is hokum.
Obama is a secret furry.
:-P
I guess living in the South skews Tony's view a bit. I don't spend much time thinking about those folks, but the ones I've met, not the media blabbermouths, have been very nice . . . . even the hard core ones who don't celebrate Halloween. :O)
Frank-
The area of Florida that I reside is hardly "the South." It is populated by mostly folks from the Northeast. And I was born in NY and spent most of my adult life in Boston...
AJB
Heh. A nice scare story....and absolutely false. Spoken like a person who has absolutely no real experience with Christians or understanding of Christianity, but who nonetheless holds animus for each.
And how telling that he speaks with approval of Obama, who is indeed a nominal Christian at best, and who poses the single greatest threat to liberty in the US since its founding.
You wanna see oppression? Fascism? A government in our bedrooms? Involved in all, aspects of our lives? Then let Obama and his believers gain the control they want. They'd have concentration camps for Christians in a heartbeat, and would ban any expression of religious faith.
Which is what this article is all about.
You sound worse than the people you are tearing down. Using the racist/bigot claim is another refuge of scoundrels. Move to a conspiracy site.
Post a Comment