Alien Abduction and Contactees: A new religion?

The vast majority of humans are fantasy prone, otherwise they would not believe in God, angels, spirits, immortality, devils, ESP, Bigfoot, etc. A person can function "normally" in a million and one ways and hold the most irrational beliefs imaginable, as long as the irrational beliefs are culturally accepted delusions. Little effort is put forth to try to find out why people believe the religious stories they believe, for example, but when someone holds a view outside of the culture's accepted range of delusional phenomena, there seems to be a need to "explain" their beliefs.
skepdic.com...

Let me start of by saying that i have started this thread to offer another view( i hope it is a fresh take on AAE or contactee phenomena here on ATS, but probably not) to the Alien Abduction Experience or contactee(AAEC). As there are many, many people at ATS sharing their own personal experiences. This is not a personal attack, other threads i have posted on have discussed the mental state of AAEC, which is valid and relevant but also a narrow explanation that accounts for arguably only a small number of people claiming to be AAEC. People sharing their experiences often state that they are here to learn more and/or help others and i aim to offer other sources of information as insight rather that simply saying "yeah, that has happened to me too" or "ok...but you don't have any proof...blah blah", which i admit i have done in the past.
I believe that AAEC, on its own, has more in common with the culture of religion and supernatural mysticism and so is just an extension thereof. I aim to constructively offer this view as a possible explanation to this growing phenomena, a phenomena we love debating here on ATS.

www.virtuallystrange.net...
For those who believe that UFOs are under the control of extra-terrestrials, abduction experiences suggest both a rationale for surreptitious UFO activity and an opportunity to learn about the purpose underlying such activity. In essence, the abduction experience is seen as an answer to the proverbial question, "Why don't they land on the White House lawn?

It can't be that simple can it?....no.

I hope to show you that AAEC could be just a new take on an age old cultural phenomena, a new progression of religious ideology that matches our cultural times, that has steadily grown to be accepted as being possible by the mainstream as our knowledge and perception of space and the universe has grown. One just has to look at how much Alien and UFO stuff is thrown around the mainstream as acceptable and plausible entertainment, even only as that, it is out there in the public conscience...so to speak, and far from taboo or even fringe. We can observe similar levels of exposure in the mainstream for other more traditional or older themes and beliefs...i.e. the supernatural, christian, psychic or spiritual mysticism etc. One need only turn on a TV, radio, go to the Movies, or log on to the net to find examples of this. Which leads me to this......

books.google.com...
From Angels to Aliens....By Lynn Schofield Clark.
A few years ago, in an effort to encourage young people to read their daily newspaper, the Star tribune of Minneapolis began a write-in program called MindWorks. Each month, the newspaper posted a question and invited responses from young people aged six to eighteen. When they asked for a short statement in response to the question "What do aliens think of us?", nearly five thousand wrote in.........By ratio of two to one in this revealing yet unscientific exploration, young people said they believed in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. They cited a variety of evidence for their views, including television programs or films such as Unsolved Mysteries, Contact, independence Day and the X-files. They mentioned docudramas on alien autopsies, alien abductions, and area 51.

So, historically we tend to hold irrational beliefs...add to this a growing mainstream acceptance of Alien life as a possibility......now we need an experience. Here are examples of the most common AAEC.....very familiar to the threads on ATS.......This from the Roper survey..

.skepdic.com...
--Waking up paralysed with a sense of a strange person or presence or something else in the room. --Experiencing a period of time of an hour or more, in which you were apparently lost, but you could not remember why, or where you had been.--Seeing unusual lights or balls of light in a room without knowing what was causing them, or where they came from.--Finding puzzling scars on your body and neither you nor anyone else remembering how you received them or where you got them.

this from a more academic view
.....instruct1.cit.cornell.edu...&French.pdf

. Missing time related to recall of unidentified lights, objects , or apparently nonhuman entities.
. Unusually realistic and emotionally intense dreams or dream-like experiences of UFOs or
apparently nonhuman entities.
--Feeling that you were actually flying through the air although you didn't know why or how.
. be subjected to an examination ,
. engage incommunication (verbal or telepathic) ,
. or both.

here are some other great AAE links for experience related references and info.....www.ufoabduction.com...
www.abduct.com...
www.maar.us...

Here is an interesting view on the traits contactees experience from The Gods Have Landed:New Religions from Other Worlds by James R. Lewis

In other words, the contactee experiences a religious growth and acquires a status or prestige that surpasses that of other humans, who have not been fortunate enough to have been approached by aliens. The contactee becomes a person set apart........and on occasion, attracts a following. moreover, contactees can acquire a sense of duty, destiny, and mission, which further sets them apart and in typical prophetic expression, usually evokes ridicule and/or persecution.

I have seen many post here on ATS that sound very similar in theme and discription and one need only to read about christian missionaries believing to be on missions from God who faced persecution for their beliefs......early christians, mormons....

.we can find many forms of belief that in their early stages experienced similar experiences. Are we, inspired or influenced, by cultural shifts replacing more traditional gods with Aliens. I think we are.

As always we can also look to science to offer an alternative explaination for AAE. What is interesting is that you can apply these explanations to the older or more traditional belief that i believe AAEC is just another form of.

Sleep Paralysis, False Memories, psychopathology, Abnormal Activity in temporal Lobes. there is alot to look at in relation to theseand you can read it here....instruct1.cit.cornell.edu...&French.pdf......its something to consider. And can applied to the parallels drawn here.....

Aliens have begun to fill the role previously reserved for supernatural beings. Experiences once explained by benevolent or malevolent spirits, then later through angels and devils, now have good and bad aliens as possible explanations. A good example of this would be sleep paralysis: today some have claimed that episodes of sleep paralysis are really incidents of alien abduction, but their reports are eerily similar to much older reports of people being seduced by demons.

Here is psychopathological view on religion.....www.practicalpsychiatry.com...;jsessionid=HtNPRktQq2pQjJ12mcPQfrCJBhLmtNkWCGp GWn9yYnk98d7bxmqx!923867264!181195629!8091!-1

When beliefs are shared by others, the idiosyncratic can become normalized. Therefore, recognition of social dynamics and the possibility of entire delusional subcultures is necessary in the assessment of group beliefs. Religious beliefs and delusions alike can arise from neurologic lesions and anomalous experiences, suggesting that at least some religious beliefs can be pathological. Religious beliefs exist outside of the scientific domain; therefore they can be easily labeled delusional from a rational perspective. However, a religious belief's dimensional characteristics, its cultural influences, and its impact on functioning may be more important considerations.

What AAEC researches say....www.ufoabduction.com...

The majority of evidence for the alien abduction phenomenon is from human memory derived from hypnosis administered by amateurs. It is difficult to imagine a weaker form of evidence. But it is evidence and we have a great deal of it. Still, readers must be skeptical of what I say and of what all others say in this tangled arena of alien abductions, hypnosis, popular culture, and memory. Abduction researchers are mainly amateurs doing their best to get to the truth knowing that objective reality may elude them.

Are we now at a new stage in the constantly evolving life of religion within our society. Has our rapid expansion in knowledge in science and technology over the last century been intergrated into our cultures and traditional views creating a hybrid of science and tradional aspects of religion. We start to believe and accept from science that Alien life and contact is possible and combine that belief with unexplainable personal spiritual experiences.....thus explaining and attributing a source for that experience. What i find exciting though is this....with the exponational growth of knowledge and science, its cultural influence, which i believe includes the growing belief in Aliens, abductions and contacts, may end the war of Religion( in which i'll include AAEC) vs the rationality of science.....Could the AAEC phenomena as a new emerging religious belief be a sign that religion is slowly incorporating science....and thus its rationality.
Alot of what i have read while researching for my thread show that AAEC has many striking similarities to other religious or spiritual beliefs when we look at individuals sharing their experiences and the beliefs derived from them. But it boils down to the same thing......"news from the heavens always carries a fascination of its own, unrivaled among discoveries we can make on our own. The urge to imagine someone or something greater than oneself never dies". It is only that as culture changes and evolves so too does the form and nature of our fascination.

.......not alot of interest in this line of thought. Well maybe that answers some of my own questions in relation to this matter.

I don't think abductees relate to this thread that is why no response I think. Abductees know what they know.

reply to post by spaceweaver


If the don't relate thats perfectly cool and Ok, but it would be nice to get those reasons as to why.

I get what your saying, but that makes it even more religious does'nt it.....a personal experience interpreted as such due to Culture, enviroment etc.

Thanks for providing me with your link I rarely move out of skunk works now as its ascension that interests me now not aliens.

What a great thread though you have linked the two perfectly and I hope people see what a very important thread this is.

I have been abducted and contacted by aliens... please don't all rush for evidence I have none and I think this is one of the reaons I moved out of Aliens and UFO's. I know they exist and Ive moved on from the round and round debates you all get into demanding photos and parts of craft.

These aliens took over my every day thoughts " Who are they, why me, what do they want, will they come back, whats this high pitch ringing in my ears, is it a message, why am I constantly feeling they gave me a message and I must act on it" bla bla bla. Yes bla bla bla because it comes to a point when you stop looking into the skies for "their craft" and searching the internet for who they were because an answer as important as this will never be given to you over the internet. The answer is within you.

I agree that they have become the new "gods" if you like but only because they are linked to a far greater agenda and all they are trying to do is tell us.

We are all so closely linked that they are just as much a part of this experience as we are . I have been given a calling and I must now act upon it, what exactly it is I still am not 100% but its to do with us progressing as a race spiritually not technologically. The world is changing, people are awakening it may have nothing at all to do with 2012 but its happenning. I feel it all around me.

What has my aliens contacts have to do with this? This is a very complicated matter and I do not have the answer only theories. I was abducted by "bad" aliens who pushed and pulled me about, they were rough and caused bruising and I think they gave me an implant that goes off at times as a high pitch frequency in my right ear. Then 6 months later I met a very different alien a Green alien who was the most understanding entity I have ever come across.It is this alien that has put me on the spiritual path.

Sorry its a bit "non Aliens and UFO" but I feel we must move on from the nuts and bolts of what they are and move on to more why they are here.

reply to post by Mr Green


Thanks for your reply Mr Green, a very honest and open response from you, and its personel testimonies like these that are another important reference that also has parallels th other personal stories from the older and more traditional religions ie people wha have visions of Christ, Mary, Mystics and astral projection or psychics and mediums who channel or are visited, contacted etc
I guess what i am trying to connect is the form of our spiritual guidance(in your case AAEC) in context to our cultural trends and influences(the exponational growth of technology and science) that i believe has brought the alien phenomena into the mainstream so much so that we see it manifesting itself in our age old traditions of religion and spirituality. Once again thank you.

reply to post by atlasastro


I guess what i am trying to connect is the form of our spiritual guidance(in your case AAEC) in context to our cultural trends and influences(the exponational growth of technology and science) that i believe has brought the alien phenomena into the mainstream so much so that we see it manifesting itself in our age old traditions of religion and spirituality.

Yes you have it there exactly as I would have put it. My AAEC has driven me to seek out a new form of spiritual guidance. I know I have been given a message as many other hundreds of people on Skunk works also has, we just needed to talk to each other to work out what the hell was going on within us. Thankfully sites like ATS has allowed this to happen.

Call it ascension, call it awakening or spiritual enlightenment THIS is what the aliens want us to do not blow the hell out of each other in countless wars.

The Greys are a difficult problem in all this, I have spoken to many and most seem to think they are bad but I have recently found my main source of this information to be very corrupt and I now question his thinking on them. The jury for me is out on this race as it is with the reptiles. Like I say I really don't know but I feel the Greys are trying to control me with this device in my ear and all a I need to do is learn how to listen to it properly. I have learnt it is an aid for astral projection but is this a good thing?? Last time I did this I ended up on some alien ship and I do feel a spirit guide is essential when trying AP. I have not become aware of any spirit guide so I'll stay away from AP.

Again I wouldn't call it a new religion as this word causes so many divisions and halts discussions, Id call it a new path to spirituality.

[edit on 29-3-2008 by Mr Green]

Thanks again
i know what you mean by saying perhaps its more spiritual than religious, but that will only last as a discription as long as it does'nt become organised or centralised.....and we can see evidence of organised religion (although you will see alot of cult referencing here) based on alien contact, Scientology, aterius, Urantia, Heavens Gate( i know a cult that kiled themselves....but so did the branch davidians, jones town etc if you want comparisons to other religious cults),raelism,Unarius...look here for more info on these groups....en.wikipedia.org...
here is some more interesting insight into how i believe is is religious in nature while incorporating the cultural emergence and influence of science and technology.....
www.anthroufo.info...

perhaps owing to their derivation from Theosophy and its offspring (see Melton 1995), place aliens in intermediary positions between humans and the divine. Raëlians and Unarians see their respective aliens bringing a golden age of galactic interconnectedness to Earth. While it was still in operation, the group known as Heaven's Gate divided the popular category of "aliens" into representatives of The Evolutionary Level Above Human and "Luciferians"--roughly, angels and devils. The leader of Chen Tao/God's Salvation Church insisted in his writings that God the Heavenly Father was not an alien, though he looked forward to a trans-dimensional rapture in "God's space aircrafts." But an alien messiah-intermediary is still an awesome figure, especially when it saves us from the end of the old world or ushers in the next.

and

The effects of "modernity" and "post-modernity" on religious creativity--the search for a credible symbol-set. I believe UFO religions embody and try to work through society-wide tensions caused by technological development and dependency, by technocracy, by displacements due to technology. In order to build credible religions in an age dominated by high technology and Big Science, one must - UFO religions suggest - configure the divine and transcendent in technological terms.

I think this site is worth a look, its important to note that some of the info here distances UFOlogy from AAEC.....i think that here on ATS this is also an impotant view we could think about.

As having more recently remembered what appears to be repressed memories of an abductee for most of my life, it would seem that from what I gather from it all and from documentaries; is that our ancient history and alien involvement has most likely been the case all along.

Maybe it's always been our misinterpretation of historical records especially in regards to religion. Still, this doesn't mean that there isn't watchers or fallen angels etc. of some sort. Reevaluating the interpretations of cryptic writings, especially with prophecy of eventual return starts to make more sense from a visiting ET perspective.

Maybe the internet forums such as this are as close as many want to get to this NEW religion. Maybe this is our UFO disease/religion for many of us who just want to hear the truth? Others may refer to this as another cult following. It may be that many of our visitors are basically just spiritual beings and that some believe the raptire isn't physical either. In other words, they still want our souls?

Maybe the internet forums such as this are as close as many want to get to this NEW religion. Maybe this is our UFO disease/religion for many of us who just want to hear the truth? Others may refer to this as another cult following. It may be that many of our visitors are basically just spiritual beings and that some believe the raptire isn't physical either. In other words, they still want our souls?

The search for inner spirituality only turns into a cult when you allow it to change from a personal path to a group path. Anyone that claims to have the answer to aliens/god/ascension and that their way is the only way then becomes a cult. As long as you remain true to yourself and let this path be a personal one NO alien will get your soul This very subject is covered on many threads in skunk works and I think the conclusion is that no living entity can steal your soul BUT they may be after your spirit so watch out

I have had my spirit "borrowed" lately and it will never happen again. There are many strange things out there on different planes and dimensions its not all about an ET landing on the White House lawn in his shinny saucer.

Be careful who you hold up as your "leader" in your persuit of aliens and their agenda they may not have your spirits best interest at heart

thanks for your reply aleon and sharing your experience.

Originally posted by aleon1018

Maybe it's always been our misinterpretation of historical records especially in regards to religion. Still, this doesn't mean that there isn't watchers or fallen angels etc. of some sort. Reevaluating the interpretations of cryptic writings, especially with prophecy of eventual return starts to make more sense from a visiting ET perspective.

You make an excellent point in by asking if our interpreting of historical religious origins and continuing religious development has been influence(possibly originated) by aliens. That still categorises it as a religious movement does it not....maybe even more so than my original post. Re-evaluating religion in general (cryptic writings etc.)...to fit in with an ET perspective is what i have been saying in my thread, this does not explain the phenomena as i believe it could be a new, more culturally up-to date version to explain AAEC experiences for our times. I guess then it comes down to what you believe....which is another religious conundrum. It can also be equally construed that:......did man create and accept the possibility of aliens through the expansion of science and technology, its proliferation and acceptance is than transposed on existing ideology and then incorporated and thus an updated religion for a new generations.

Maybe the internet forums such as this are as close as many want to get to this NEW religion. Maybe this is our UFO disease/religion for many of us who just want to hear the truth?

That is perfectly understandable. I too want to hear the truth, but, for me personally sometimes i (as well as others) have to be mindful of weather we are seeking Truths to support my beliefs, or finding the Truth and then believing......But that is where we can discuss and learn from one another i hope.

I think also that because AAEC is such a personal experience maybe the focus on the alien presence should take on less importance(the why, where how etc) and in its place we should focus on what the individual recieves from this experience, what importance does this have for us, how can we incorporate it into the fabric of our society.....the way we have with other religions. Thanks again.

reply to post by Mr Green


thanks again Mr Green for your input, i know you are speaking from personal experience which is both great and invaluable to topics such as these.

reply to post by atlasastro


I agree with a lot of what you posted.

I particularly like the experiment that the newpaper did with children and teens. While it is easy to understand why they would say the things they did, ( I thought the movie aliens was so real it gave me nightmares until I was 10) as children we have very overactive imaginations. What I don't know or understand is why some leading scholars in history have written about UFO's and ET's, Herodotus even mentions them in the History's. With all the thousands of years of human documentation of UFO's and ET's are we still in the frame of mind to completly disbelieve? Or are our ancestors simply suffering from overactive imaginations as well. I believe there is life other than ours, although I am hard pressed to believe that they have helped our planet in ancient times seeing as they have no presence of helping technology now.

reply to post by Stumpy1


Thanks Stumpy
You make some great points. Especially in relation to UFO and history. Thats why i believe we may have to separate UFO and AAEC. Although that may be impossible. The interpretation of historical writings/symbology/artwork in context to popular culture and ideology of today i believe only adds anecdotal evidences and more personal testimony. While it is relevant, it is only so as a form of presentation of an experience, a trend that has not changed or evolved.....but our interpretation of those experiences have and i believe it is this change that we are witnessing with the emergence of more AAEC as an explanation for these experiences.

Originally posted by atlasastro
reply to post by Stumpy1

 

Thanks Stumpy
You make some great points. Especially in relation to UFO and history. Thats why i believe we may have to separate UFO and AAEC. Although that may be impossible. The interpretation of historical writings/symbology/artwork in context to popular culture and ideology of today i believe only adds anecdotal evidences and more personal testimony. While it is relevant, it is only so as a form of presentation of an experience, a trend that has not changed or evolved.....but our interpretation of those experiences have and i believe it is this change that we are witnessing with the emergence of more AAEC as an explanation for these experiences.

If I may interject and be so bold as to throw a huge cog in the wheel with some information succinctly to the contrary. I really do think that this thread is valuable and tests the courage and bravery of a lot of experiencers and contactees. I almost buy the religious aspect of this phenomenon (with even the computer monitor acting as altar and puja) save for one case. One case that has not only yielded evidence to the contrary, but one case that has yielded evidence to the tune of 30,000 feet of quantified, qualified and verified exposed Super 8 film of craft/s, beings from a broad spectrum of race, and a clear and concise message and purpose. I have created an extensive thread of this case (Dorothy Izatt) here. I too would be almost sure that this phenomenon could be classified as a religious or spiritual movement (heck, many New Age philosophies gladly incorporate it into their opus of beliefs) except Dorothy has been corroborating what the bulk of these abductees have been saying since 1974!

Thoughts?

Cheers on this thread, by the way.


Erik

May I say what a refreshing change it is to have a debate about alien contacts and their impact on us without people jumping in asking for proof. Do you not see how much better the discussion flows when this annoying trait is removed. That said if someone does make outlandish claims I do see the need for proof.

I know for a fact that if a large alien craft landed in a major developed city and beings descended out of it a new religion would develop. People especially with no beliefs at present would without doubt name them as their new Gods. Those who know a little more about aliens would see them for exactly what they were.. aliens.

reply to post by atlasastro


Thought provokeing material.

However I must disagree with the basic premis that religions were always based on irrational or random beliefs.

Watch a few episodes of 'The Naked Archeologist' and you begin to see that instead most religious beliefs are based on real events. Are not UFOs really being seen by thousands of people?

We have always held this wrong belief that ancient people were 'primitive' people, that they were so unintelligent that any little thing out of the ordinary was automaticly worshiped as a god. But get very deep into archeology and you find that in most cases it is WE, 'modern' people who are ignorant. Almost every archeological dig finds artifacts who's exact construction techniques were lost, wether its the templar churches lined up up to with in less than 1 degree, or how the mayans and egyptions knew about presession of the Earths rotation.

What else have we forgotten? I think religions have to be based on real events, but that like everything else, some cheiftan eventualy shows up and claims authority over the 'system' and orginizes the sheeple. I'm betting that if it keeps up we'll see a church of the UFO with clergy and all, a perversion of the truth, but based on real events.

reply to post by atlasastro

Due to my own disability; it's not always easy to read through, comprehend and remember the entire context of a the OP to reply to. As having recalled what appear to be repressed memories as an abductee, the memory of being a contactee was pretty much taken away from me and I was more likely a medium or so called container for them to use when they felt the need to. In some cases it appeared that they were trying to prevent harm or my death such as from threats and even surgeries. In some cases I also recall smashed squad cars and other bizarre events.

Sorry that if this is off topic. But I have to ask about those abductees who usually remain ignorant to much of what is going on with them by memory loss, false memory implants etc. Many abductess seem to be out of contact with their abductors and not so much contactess but just research subjects to study. Is this the manevolent type who do this type of research?

I feel as if my spiritual involvement with them hasn't actually benefited me as much as them as a tool or puppet. Maybe they have something else in store for me after death or whatever? Our limitations of spirituality may actually only be the way they contact us using their technologies like an insect. Am I missing the point here? Do some of these species actually think we belong to them heart body and spirit?

Where and who really are the GOOD GUYS?

The Mayans and Aztecs had their own brand of religion and sacrifices also. So, are we really that different?

While the intent of this thread may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is interesting to some of us. I think this is an area of the subject that receives to little attention, possibly due to the giggle factor. (It is interesting to not that studies of battlefront veterans show that inappropriate :giggles" and humor seems to be a coping mechanism for high levels of fear.)

Interesting read. Good thread. Starred and flagged.