Ufology - A Religion?

reply to post by polomontana


I don't really know who that post was directed at, but as a whole it is fairly truthful.

It is harder to prove something does not exist than proving it does. There is plenty of 'evidence' (testimony, photographs etc) on UFO's, but you can't exactly have 'evidence' of the non-existence of something.

Skeptics are a good thing for UFOlogy, they weed out the hoaxes and misidentifications that hardliner believers take as real on face value. It is when skeptics begin using blanket explanations for EVERY event that it gets to be a problem e.g. the swamp gas, ball lightning and weather balloon labels.

Originally posted by fooffstarr
Skeptics are a good thing for UFOlogy, they weed out the hoaxes and misidentifications that hardliner believers take as real on face value. It is when skeptics begin using blanket explanations for EVERY event that it gets to be a problem e.g. the swamp gas, ball lightning and weather balloon labels.

Excellent post. So long as the sceptics are pointing out valid concerns, I see no problem with it. I mean, how can UFOlogy be a science unless you have it submitted to peer-review, which is basically having a whole bunch of sceptics pick apart the flaws in your argument. Mind you, valid flaws.

Originally posted by Kacen
I don't see it as religion in of itself, it is not structured enough, unless you count Raelians.

It is the same as any scientific study, to find out the unknown.

There are clearly UFOs, what they are is not quite known, so we can't form a belief structure simply on them alone...yet.

Hey Kacen,
Technically the sole purpose of both science and religion are to explore the unknown. It is the tools which we use to explore it that distinguishes between the two. And don't forget, there are countless cults that have sprung up focused on the ufo phenomena. They do classify as being of a religious nature.

Foofstar,
Fantastic thread. I've long been interested in this subject and I'm seriously thinking of writing about it. Kudos!

[edit on 19/10/07 by WickedStar]

Originally posted by polomontana
The skeptic has zero evidence just their opinion. It turns logic and reason on it's head when you give more weight to your opinion than the actual evidence,

"Remarkable claims require remarkable proof". Carl Sagan

So when you claim that shape shifting talking lizards abduct you, take your organs and put them back in, then drop you outside your house at 3 o'clock in the morning, don't expect people to blindly believe you if you have no proof.

I would say myself UFOlogy is analogous to a religion- there is the belief in unsubstantiated supernatual beings with greate powers (both good and evil) and the various humans to prevent the greater masses from getting the truth. I don't think UFOlogy is as harmful as religion, it simple extends from that human need of being parter of something bigger than oneself, in that sense it is perfectly natural.

I hope as time goes on astornomy, physics etc will become more accesible to everyone, and we shall see greys consigned back to the folkore from whence they came.