Reflections on the UFO phenomenon

INTRODUZIONE: UFOLOGY AND DISC GROUPS

In English UFO is the acronym for Unidentified Flying Object, i.e. Unidentified flying object (UFO, abbreviation to be preferred in the neo-Latin languages).

The study of flying saucers has distant roots: clipeology and clipe history study the literature and historical chronicles of antiquity to see primitive extraterrestrial visits. Space archeology connects the birth of ancient and now disappeared civilizations (for example Atlantis) with the belief in UFOs; in Italy the journalist and writer Peter Kolosimo (+1988) he was an enthusiastic popularizer of this genre.

THE BIRTH OF MODERN UFOOLOGY

Fifty years ago, UFOs came out of the narrow confines of minority literature and became a topic of the news. The newspapers talk about UFOs; in a few years the rich literary trend of science fiction and cinema is already consolidated, fascinated by the subject, produces numerous and spectacular films. Thus begins ufology, ie the collection and census of UFO sightings, their study and the formulation of hypotheses. They arise a little’ circles of ufologists everywhere (in Italy the CUN, National UFO Center) and the first genre magazines appear (like The Journal of Mysteries).

It all begins in 1947, in the United States, when Kenneth Arnold spots a formation of flying objects in the skies above Rainer. The “temperature” of UFOs thus begins e, for fifty years, he knew how to bind a large number of aficionados around him, as evidenced by the great popularity of recent television series such as The X-Files or journalistic events, as the “Roswell case”.

FROM UFOOLOGY TO BELIEF IN EXTRATERRESTRIALS

THE DISK

While ufology pursues scientific assessment purposes, contactism or dischism is the attitude of those who believe in the existence of extraterrestrials, the alien, “older brothers” to which to attribute expectations of salvation for the destiny of humanity. Based on this type of belief, in the course of time numerous dischist groups have arisen, where religious or quasi-religious forms of belonging are organized. Scholars surveyed about twenty groups; they are generally quite small, but some of them have reached some consistency and a certain notoriety.

DISKISM IN ITALY

The Sicilian Eugenio Siragusa (1919) is the founder of the Cosmic Brotherhood Study Center, which also inherits a magazine: "We are not alone". The group brings together some people who share the faith in extraterrestrials, met by Siragusa, for the first time, in 1962, at the foot of Etna. Like the leaders of other sects, Siragusa also operates a completely personal and artificial reading of the Bible, and there he sees evidence of the existence of aliens and their contact with humans. The historical evolution of this Italian movement led to the meeting between Siragusa and the Bongiovanni brothers of Porto Sant’Elpidio (Ascoli Piceno), with the mixture of discist beliefs and the themes of a Marian apparitionism with apocalyptic tones.

In Italy the Rael movement is also present and quite active, founded by a French journalist, tale Claude Vorilhon, than in 1973 has a particular encounter: alien beings, the Elohim, they make contact with him and reveal to him that they are the creators of man and that they have guided his evolution. They entrust him with a task: Rael – this is the new name given to him by the extraterrestrials – must reveal to men the “vera” history of the world and warn them of the risk of a global scale massacre, since it would be imminent, according to the aliens. In Italy the movement has several hundred members, whose activity is coordinated by Valentino Mancini. They frequently organize meetings and seminars for their members.

THE WORSHIP OF UFOs: I RAELIANI

According to the claims of the Raelians, “the 13 December 1973, the French journalist Claude Vorilhon (Rael) he was contacted by a visitor from another planet, who told him to establish an embassy to welcome extraterrestrials back to Earth”.

The Raelians call these extraterrestrials Elohim – Hebrew term “loaned” from the Bible, where it refers exclusively to the trinity of God (for an in-depth study click here).
These “Elohim” they would tell Rael that it was they who created life on Earth, and that therefore there is no God, nor the soul. After death, according to the Raelians, those who deserve it will be recreated by aliens on their planet.

The Raelian cult promotes maximum sexual freedom according to one's tastes and tendencies, the refusal of marriage as a useless contract, and follows techniques of “sensual meditation” that would have been taught to Rael by extraterrestrials. The effect of these techniques would be that of “decondizionarsi, disinibirsi… enjoying every sensation with maximum pleasure… without the paralysis of guilt” (cf.. e-digest of the official site). Between “techniques” appear “masturbation, common orgasm, sexual freedom and pleasure” (Reuters News Service, 6 August 1997).

By their “awakening seminars”, and the “sensual meditation”, the Raelians believe they are freeing themselves from “programming” of their subconscious, from the fears and feelings of guilt they believe are generated “from Judeo-Christian morality”.
The Raelians also believe that “each person is monitored by a computer which takes note of his actions and will draw up the sums at the end of his life, but people who are aware of Rael's messages will be recreated by the cells…” (Sun-Sentinel, p. E1).
Those who deserve “scientific reincarnation will live forever on the planet of the Elohim where food will be brought to them without having to make the slightest effort and where wonderfully beautiful and scientifically created male and female partners for this purpose, they will be there only to satisfy their pleasures, and they will live there eternally, wanting to do only what they want” (Sun-Sentinel, p. E1). Practically, one version “scientific” of the paradise of Islamic martyrs.

Biblical doctrines on life after death and God are not the only ones to have been reinvented by the Raelians, who have reworked and upset teachings, science fiction Bible facts and characters to match their teachings.

In scientific matters, then, according to the Raelian movement, extraterrestrials would have taught that men, as their creation, they must not limit the possibilities of science.
Many exponents and adherents of the Raelian cult have in fact repeatedly declared that they are close to success in human cloning experiments. The cost of a cloning would be around 200.000 dollars.

No less controversial are the political ideas and claims of the movement, which promotes the so-called “geniocracy” (the government should only consist of individuals with significantly higher IQs, calculated on the basis of particular tests).
Or the symbology officially adopted by the movement, which consisted of a Star of David with a swastika inside. In 1991, Rael saw fit to replace the swastika symbol with that of a galaxy, in order to be able to convince the Israelis more easily and have access to Jerusalem to be able to build an embassy there for “welcome aliens”.

Realizing the climate of controversies and polemics it had sparked, in 1992 the cult founded by Rael decided to associate with other similar cults, founding the International Federation of Religious and Philosophical Minorities (abbreviated with “Firephim” in French), whose purpose would be to “fight religious persecution”, while in reality it only protects the interests of its members.

Among the participants in the movement there are, in addition to the Raelians, other controversial groups, among which we mention the Satanists, Moon's Unification Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the “church” of Scientology, the powerful organization founded by L. Ron Hubbard – a science fiction writer known for his book Dianetics (Dianetics). Practicing Satanist in Secret, Hubbard defined himself “great good friend” at Aleister Crowley, the father of modern Satanism (he was a member of his sect, reworked the satanic teachings in a pseudo-scientific key to create those that are the basis of Scientology, and adopted the occult symbol for his own “cross of Scientology”; Hubbard's son went so far as to declare that “black magic is the very heart of Scientology” – cf.. Corydon and Hubbard, Jr., 256).

Further evidence of the link between Scientology and the Raelians came from the participation of Raelians in the demonstrations organized by the Church of Scientology; Rael specifically ordered that at least 500 Raelians participated in it.

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE EXISTENCE OF ALIENS

For enlightened contemporaries, the UFO theme is synonymous with little seriousness and rationality. In fact, a vortex of fantasies and speculations moves around this theme, of intentional and unintentional illusions, even cheating. Nonetheless, it is not possible to dismiss such concomitant phenomena as irrelevant (because they do not exist). A vast series of UFO sightings is now known.

Only in the United States, There are 15 millions of Americans who claim to have seen UFOs. A high percentage of these cases can be explained by natural phenomena, however a good number of sightings and news remain (experts calculate a 20-30%) which argue in favor of the real existence of these phenomena.

The great French physicist Jacques Vallèe spoke of UFOs as material vehicles supported by spiritual entities. Together with another great researcher, Allen Hynek, he wrote: “If UFOs are truly the result of “work with screws and nails” someone's, that is, they were built, it always remains to be explained how it is possible that such a concrete object can change its appearance or mysteriously materialize before our eyes, without anyone, in the neighborhood and surrounding towns, spotted it previously. We have to ask ourselves where yes “hide” UFOs when they are not shown to the human eye”.

UFOs are, in reality, manifestations of the spiritual world. Scholars John Ankerberg and John Weldon write:

“…few objective researchers can logically deny that UFO experiences are occult in nature. If we catalog the basic characteristics of the occult and compare them with the UFO phenomenon, we discover an impressive similarity…

After 20 years of research, we believe that the demonic theory is the explanation of the totality of UFO phenomena… Indeed, we do not know of people who have come into contact with UFOs and who have not carried out essentially mediumistic activities. Furthermore, hundreds of articles from the oldest and most renowned UFO magazine, l’inglese Flying Saucer Review, they indicate in the UFO psychic and / or non-extraterrestrial aspects that are probably of demonic origin.

The UFO phenomenon is not simply about extraterrestrial visitors. It actually fits a given culture in order to be accepted… the goal seems to be psychological and social manipulation”.

Ankerberg and Weldon conclude: “UFOs are a spiritualistic phenomenon (demonic)”. Are these, indeed, the entities that present themselves as the mysterious and elusive “extraterrestrials” with which man desperately searches, and dangerously, to establish contact, to receive from them “love”, “wisdom” and teachings. Sightings, crop circles, contact experiences, telepathic messages, are some of the manifestations of these entities.

Also famous people like the TV presenter Marco Columbro – devoted to the most disparate forms of pagan spirituality (Buddhism, yoga, new age), esotericism and ufology – they point out that spaceships are not needed to contact extraterrestrials: meditation is enough to get in touch with them, after clearing one's mind of any revealed truth (that of God)… to accept theirs – which then is that of the new age: We are God, the “extraterrestrials” that will come will guide us towards peace and well-being. The Dalai Lama himself would be in constant contact with these entities through meditation.

Nothing new under the sun: this only confirms that these are demonic phenomena re-proposed in a modern guise to make new followers among the people by exploiting their credulity, the thirst for knowledge and novelty in the spiritual field. In this way, people welcome anti-Christian teachings, believing they were “illuminati”.

It's not just UFO sightings that spread the message of the “extraterrestrials”, this message is installed in the minds especially of children and young people, at almost all levels of communication. If Satan manages to pass himself off as the great savior and helper who comes from the stars, human beings will be ready to accept it as such. In fact, the Bible warns that, for a short period, Satan, in the guise of a new, false Christ (the antichrist), he will hold dominion over the planet and will gain the worship of men. Before that moment, the world will have been prepared to accept his deception.
The Bible warns, Furthermore:

“The coming of the lawless one will be, per the effective action of Satan, with all sorts of miracles, and signs and lying wonders, with all kinds of deceptions and of iniquity to the detriment of those who perish because they did not open their hearts to the love of truth in order to be saved.
Therefore God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; so that all those who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, they are judged.”
(2 Tessalonicesi 2:9-12)

“In fact, the time will come when they will no longer endure sound doctrine, but, for itching to hear, they will look for teachers in large numbers according to their desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn to fairy tales.”
(2 Timoteo 4:3,4)

The fascination of UFOs can be the first step towards further and dangerous occult experiences. We can only warn against the belief in UFOs and from cultivating an interest in them and the cults associated with them.

Note: There are numerous examples that could be cited to demonstrate the close links between ufology and occultism. We will limit ourselves to mentioning that several sects have settled in Italy and abroad as “power-zones of contact with Extradimensional Bodies [spirits] symbolically defined as Extraterrestrials”; that organizations such as the World Confederation of UFO Centers are part of the initiatory organisms belonging to one of the occultist Crowley's sects; and that others go even further, such as the Cosmic Brotherhood Study Center that, “claiming direct contact with the Intergalactic Confederate Empire, proposed a series of themes drawn from occultism and neo-paganism that he presented in a context marked by sexual magic of Crowleyan origin and an anti-Christian titanism that adopted figures and symbols that were sometimes close to Satanism”.