RECONCILIATION - The UFO Phenomenon and My Personal Beliefs
Steve Bass
July 25, 2008
I was once told an interesting story. A nameless man was walking along a path one sunny day. Beside the path grew some beautiful yellow flowers. Not being a flower scholar, he had no idea what they were called, but that didnīt stop him from wanting to admire them. So he stepped to the side of the path and leaned over to smell them and look closer at their beauty. As he pulled one particular flower by the stem so that he might study one particular blossom, a lone curious ant was climbing up along the stem. As his hand was in the antīs path, the ant continued onto the manīs finger. The man felt something crawling on his finger and noticed the ant. He gently put the ant back down again and walked on, preparing mentally for his busy day with not another thought about the ant.
After the antīs business with the flower was complete, it met up with other ants from its home in the ground. With limitless wonder, the ant relayed the story of what had just happened to it. What do you think it would say? How would it describe the creature that had held the antīs very existence on the tip of its finger?
People strive to find meaning out of life, and some will look to the most unexpected venues. They, in turn, will fashion, and sometimes re-fashion, their entire lives around it. Some believe that there is life out there among the stars. They see unidentified flying objects and ponder on the incredible technology required, and if the aliens fly around in better ships than the people of Earth, they must have a deeper understanding of life, religion, and God than us. That doesnīt make sense, analogous to a man that drives a Cadillac Escalade being more in the know of life and God than the man driving the early model Chevy Cavalier or riding a bicycle to work.
I am a born again Christian and that is where my knowledge lies. As such, I will speak only what I know about the Christian faith. Christians believe that God created life. God created Man the same way that He created everything else, including the ant. Just because the ant cannot fathom Manīs existence, does that necessarily change the facts of our creation? Does Man then replace God on the Eternal Throne?
Christians also believe that God left immense amounts of mystery in His universe for His children. Who is to say that God relegated all life to this Earth? Should that necessarily change how I feel about God?
If God created the universe, and He is our God, shouldnīt He be the God of aliens, as well? And what if He is not? What if ETīs are atheists? Should I be, as well? Like my mother used to say, "If your best friend jumped off a building, are you going to also?"
Goodly portions of Mankind do not believe in the same God I believe in. Throughout the centuries, Mankind has believed in Ah Puch, Baal, and Zeus. Today we believe in Buddha, Vishnu, and Mohammed, among others. According to the Biblical book of Exodus, the Israelites of the Old Testament built many pagan gods throughout their exodus through the wilderness. Should any of this change my beliefs? If I met up with a Muslim, should I immediately change my beliefs then? If not, why should my belief be affected by an eventual acknowledgement of extraterrestrial life?
During Jesusī time on earth, He spoke of other flocks, of which you know not. Why would Jesus make reference to other people, of which you know not? Is not it a given that any one person does not know every other person in the world? There is always greater meaning in what Jesus said. So what if we substitute the word flock for race? He knew He had limited time on earth to accomplish everything the Father sent him to do. Why would He waste time and breath speaking of other people of whom they knew not, unless it was a profound statement? And what would be more profound than speaking of other races, i.e.-alien races.
The Bible states that Jesus died for all of our sins. Could that also include the other flocks/races that the Father created? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints teaches that our souls were in Heaven before our birth here on earth. Who is to say that there were not enough souls to also populate other races as well?
So if aliens do exist, why study them? It would be easy just to proclaim off-hand that alienīs do or do not exist. For those that try to apply Biblical standards to their lives, one must note that in Genesis mankind was told by God to master His creation. Referring to Genesis 1:28 from the King James Version, "And God blessed them, and God said unto then, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (emphasis added).
How do we apply this to the study of aliens and the UFO phenomenon as a whole? God commanded Mankind to subdue the earth and have dominion over every living thing that moved upon the earth. This is not instructing us to dominate with a crushing fist, but to investigate and learn about our environment, and use it to raise the quality of our lives. Unidentified orbs, solid structured craft, and appearances of alien beings outside and inside of these craft are definitely a component of our environment, just as much as trees and birds are.
Despite the nature of UFOīs, a lot can be learned from their study. UFOīs method of propulsion is obviously beyond the current state of the art. UFOīs have been observed moving from a stand still to unbelievable speeds in an instant, and to make incredible ninety degree turns at high speed. The ability to transport people from an American city to a European city at that speed would most definitely be a benefit.
God also instructs Mankind in the same verse in Genesis to be good stewards of the environment. The greater knowledge and increased technology derived from the study of alien technology and the UFO phenomenon can certainly allow us to renew our food supply to the point that we might extinguish famine. It can provide better alternatives to the current fuels, allowing Mankind to reduce pollution and improving their livelihoods.
I have a simple perspective to the UFO phenomenon. Although circumstantial, there is surprisingly strong evidence that UFOīs exist, but not a lot of firm speculation on what UFOīs are and what it represents to the people of Earth. If there are other races, which I do believe, then we must seek them out, learn from them, and if they do not know the Word of God, then we must teach them. Sometimes the wisest person we know is that person riding a bike to work.
After the antīs business with the flower was complete, it met up with other ants from its home in the ground. With limitless wonder, the ant relayed the story of what had just happened to it. What do you think it would say? How would it describe the creature that had held the antīs very existence on the tip of its finger?
People strive to find meaning out of life, and some will look to the most unexpected venues. They, in turn, will fashion, and sometimes re-fashion, their entire lives around it. Some believe that there is life out there among the stars. They see unidentified flying objects and ponder on the incredible technology required, and if the aliens fly around in better ships than the people of Earth, they must have a deeper understanding of life, religion, and God than us. That doesnīt make sense, analogous to a man that drives a Cadillac Escalade being more in the know of life and God than the man driving the early model Chevy Cavalier or riding a bicycle to work.
I am a born again Christian and that is where my knowledge lies. As such, I will speak only what I know about the Christian faith. Christians believe that God created life. God created Man the same way that He created everything else, including the ant. Just because the ant cannot fathom Manīs existence, does that necessarily change the facts of our creation? Does Man then replace God on the Eternal Throne?
Christians also believe that God left immense amounts of mystery in His universe for His children. Who is to say that God relegated all life to this Earth? Should that necessarily change how I feel about God?
If God created the universe, and He is our God, shouldnīt He be the God of aliens, as well? And what if He is not? What if ETīs are atheists? Should I be, as well? Like my mother used to say, "If your best friend jumped off a building, are you going to also?"
Goodly portions of Mankind do not believe in the same God I believe in. Throughout the centuries, Mankind has believed in Ah Puch, Baal, and Zeus. Today we believe in Buddha, Vishnu, and Mohammed, among others. According to the Biblical book of Exodus, the Israelites of the Old Testament built many pagan gods throughout their exodus through the wilderness. Should any of this change my beliefs? If I met up with a Muslim, should I immediately change my beliefs then? If not, why should my belief be affected by an eventual acknowledgement of extraterrestrial life?
During Jesusī time on earth, He spoke of other flocks, of which you know not. Why would Jesus make reference to other people, of which you know not? Is not it a given that any one person does not know every other person in the world? There is always greater meaning in what Jesus said. So what if we substitute the word flock for race? He knew He had limited time on earth to accomplish everything the Father sent him to do. Why would He waste time and breath speaking of other people of whom they knew not, unless it was a profound statement? And what would be more profound than speaking of other races, i.e.-alien races.
The Bible states that Jesus died for all of our sins. Could that also include the other flocks/races that the Father created? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints teaches that our souls were in Heaven before our birth here on earth. Who is to say that there were not enough souls to also populate other races as well?
So if aliens do exist, why study them? It would be easy just to proclaim off-hand that alienīs do or do not exist. For those that try to apply Biblical standards to their lives, one must note that in Genesis mankind was told by God to master His creation. Referring to Genesis 1:28 from the King James Version, "And God blessed them, and God said unto then, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (emphasis added).
How do we apply this to the study of aliens and the UFO phenomenon as a whole? God commanded Mankind to subdue the earth and have dominion over every living thing that moved upon the earth. This is not instructing us to dominate with a crushing fist, but to investigate and learn about our environment, and use it to raise the quality of our lives. Unidentified orbs, solid structured craft, and appearances of alien beings outside and inside of these craft are definitely a component of our environment, just as much as trees and birds are.
Despite the nature of UFOīs, a lot can be learned from their study. UFOīs method of propulsion is obviously beyond the current state of the art. UFOīs have been observed moving from a stand still to unbelievable speeds in an instant, and to make incredible ninety degree turns at high speed. The ability to transport people from an American city to a European city at that speed would most definitely be a benefit.
God also instructs Mankind in the same verse in Genesis to be good stewards of the environment. The greater knowledge and increased technology derived from the study of alien technology and the UFO phenomenon can certainly allow us to renew our food supply to the point that we might extinguish famine. It can provide better alternatives to the current fuels, allowing Mankind to reduce pollution and improving their livelihoods.
I have a simple perspective to the UFO phenomenon. Although circumstantial, there is surprisingly strong evidence that UFOīs exist, but not a lot of firm speculation on what UFOīs are and what it represents to the people of Earth. If there are other races, which I do believe, then we must seek them out, learn from them, and if they do not know the Word of God, then we must teach them. Sometimes the wisest person we know is that person riding a bike to work.