Why is this board full of non-believers?

Catch me late at night after I've had a few scoops and I'll readily admit to believing in ghosts, aliens,UFOs, Bigfoot, Psychic powers and so on, but in the cold light of day while sobre I'm going to protect my skeptical status. Don't get the word skeptic mixed up with debunker! I realise there has to be life out there in the universe, that some UFOs may be alien, that somewhere in the back of beyond there may be all manner of unknowns- but until someone comes forward with proof then I'm going to remain on the fence! I've been sitting on the fence for that long now I'm developing piles. . !

Originally posted by NephraTari
I think you will find there are far more blind believers here than blind skeptics.
[edit on 15-9-2008 by NephraTari]

I agree completely with the above and everything else NephraTari has said in this thread. I my opinion ATS would be worthless without the sceptics. A calm and rational discussion between believers and sceptics, a discussion where both parts bring relevant data and information to the table, is the best way to search for the truth. And the truth is what matters, isn't it?

Personally I have learnt a great deal from some of the sceptics. ArMaP, for instance, is one of my heroes. I consider him a friend, even though we don't agree about everything.

[edit on 15-9-2008 by ziggystar60]

man your getting the ATS lesson today

take it from me, Infared man, Nephratari, Ziggystar, know what they'er talking about.

im sure in the near future (or by searching) you can find some comic relief threads which discuss what items you would take if aliens wanted you to travel with them, or which family members you would take, or which alien species you would rather have intimate encounters with etc.

but you will also find that this Alien and UFO forum has more than just skeptics and believers.

namely,

there are believers, skeptical-believers, you'll find experiencers, UFO witnesses, hard core skeptics, debunkers, hoaxers, trolls, skeptics, indifference (rare), theosophers, and of course new comers!

so take the time to read and respond with Dignity and respect as i have learned to do, and enjoy ATS to its upmost, its truely a great place with some of the greatest minds on the net.

one thing to keep in mind is that most of us have read all of the egotistical comments and threads thus far. so try not to post a thread in which you think your saying something for the first time. it will ususally end up in argument. just my two cents.

and again WELCOME

lordthumbs



[edit on 9/15/2008 by LordThumbs]

Originally posted by The_Alarmist2012
3. people who would like to see real evidence, but are often disappointed by hoaxes, photo-shopped images, fake videos and outright fabrications.

Oh yes... but on the other hand while they 'claim' to want to see the real stuff... they totally ignore the evidence presented and only threads with tabloid headlines and 'fuzzy' pictures bring in the crowds... a test I just did recently proved that... two sensational headlines created 17 page threads with many stars and flags while the serious headline with proper research "Fossil evidence on Mars" though it got THREE applauses only made it to page 1 in the same time frame

So while skeptics scream they want to see better reporting... when its done they are no where to be seen...

Why is that? Is it maybe because the GOOD evidence is not debunkable?

Like the Project Looking Glass document from LANL, the Nuclear reactor on the Moon from NASA and the Fusion Rocket 1992 from University of Wisconsin? All three of those got dumped into Skunkworks and hardly a person even looked at them

Makes me ponder on the worth of my time spent here

So 'fuzzy' pictures of moon rocks and ufos and 'tabloid' headlines it is... at least they get attention...

I mean after all who cares about the OTHER tether that flew a month after STS75 that was up there for two years and they fired lasers at it to test the power transmission from ground to satellite? Of course that is not a NASA project, but the OTHER space program ... so I can see why no interest

Silly Lemmings... no one here wants the truth... they all just go through the motions..

The reality is at the top of every page these days.. enjoy

Save a very small percentage...and you know who you are so this rant doesn't apply to you

Originally posted by NephraTari
I think you will find there are far more blind believers here than blind skeptics.
[edit on 15-9-2008 by NephraTari]

I agree with NephraTari also...There are far more posts that say "why can't you just believe" without giving any proof than there are posts that simply say "ET-controlled UFOs don't exist" without evidence to back-up that statement.

I'm not saying there isn't the occasional "Blind Skeptic" post, but in my humble opinion, the "Blind Believers" outnumber them.

Originally posted by The_Alarmist2012
How about...

3. people who would like to see real evidence, but are often disappointed by hoaxes, photo-shopped images, fake videos and outright fabrications.

you forgot #4: UFO-nutters who mistake Venus for the Niberian Mothership Federation and swear to you its real and if you don't believe them, you must be a UFO debunker undercover CIA guy skeptic

I dont think being a bit "sceptical" is bad, you almost have to have some of it in your bones to survive.

It's like this, do you buy from every salesman/woman who comes knocking on your door, call you up by phone?
Some of the things they offer, almost sounds too good to be true, right?
And they usually are.

It's the same within this Aliens Ufo forum, 99% of the threads created has no real basis for a good discussion.

However, the countless sightings around the world doesn't make me doubt that something is going on, what it is though, i do not know, Do you?

If someone wish to post their experiences at this forum, they are welcome to do so, but they better be prepared for a good bashing of their story, and screams for pictures from the inccident isn't unheard of either.
But as long as there are no pictures existing from most sightings many sceptical people you usually see this "if there are no pictures, it didn't happen" -
And when there are pictures, they are birds, planes, rockets, swamp gas, insects....

pheew, thank you now i feel a bit lighter.

Why is this board full of non-believers?

Because the aliens didn't land on August 14th.

Now don't get me wrong,
There's nothing wrong with healthy skepticism, but there are people on this forum who seem to deliberately try and discredit almost everything they see....


Consider this.

"Hoxers", is a word that comes up often on this forum and most would agree there are hoxers who post knowingly fake ideas and pictures or fake proof just for their own motives....

Well those people who ALWAYS try to discredit any idea or proof/pictures/videos are no better than the hoxers them selves, just the opposite side of the spectrum. Their motivation for discrediting may be different than the hoxers but if you ask me, these two types are of the same breed.

Since the original poster really got his hands full now, with a load of good posts indicating he really didn't think his OP through, I'll answer why I am not a believer.

I came to this board a few years ago, since I was interested in UFO's, cryptozoology and ancient civilization. I've read quite a few books on the subjects, and although not getting too deep into any specific cases, I had a good understanding of several subjects. I wasnt really a believer, but I wouldn't call me non-believer either - Just something in between. (And by this, I mean regarding Aliens, and the more popular crypto subject as Sasquatch and nessie and such)

But ATS has made me a real non-believer due to 2 things:
• Lack of good proof of anything. There has been thousands of photos, witness descriptions, movies, etc, of everything. But nothing this far has actually been better than what I've seen several years ago. Cases from the 80s and before are in many cases *better* than what we see now! All I see is bad CGI, blurry photos and such, and not comparable to amazing UFO pictures from before I was born.
• The zealots. Call me an ignorant, but seeing people in here starting threads upon threads titled "Definitive proof in here!", and posting rambles based on questionable websites and blurry photos doesnt really make my day. Most of the time the threads are destroyed by countless discussion and arguments made by people that are stuck in their beliefs.

Of course, I still like a scientific debate on any of the subjects. Unfortunately, often this isnt achieveable here anymore. (Regarding Aliens that is, and often medical issues too)

[edit on 15/9/08 by Thain Esh Kelch]

reply to post by The Dave

Like I said I didn't mean to attack the skeptics, it's the people who straight out believe that there is nothing out in the universe.

I think you are too new here to make a valid judgement on what people here at ATS think/believe. But welcome and enjoy it here

In fact, I have never really seen anyone here say: "that there is nothing out in the universe".

And NephraTari gave a very well rounded response I also agree that there are more blind-believers who will believe anything and everything just because they want to so badly....then those who dont believe at all.

And many of us are just "hopeful skeptics"...meaning, we hope to finally witness something that so many talk about.....but are skeptical of all the BS that is put out there



[edit on 9/15/2008 by greeneyedleo]

Whooops.

[edit on 9/15/2008 by greeneyedleo]

Whooops again

[edit on 9/15/2008 by greeneyedleo]

I think more people that READ the boards but choose NOT to get involved in discussions believe aliens exist. Just the more vocal ones tend to be naysayers.

ATS is where I come for my higher education,

I am a beleiver, but also I come here because I don't blindly beleive, I listen to others , and it allows me to study and discuss it all in a "sum of all parts" Unbiased manner


and I love it!

without the "non beleivers" and wonderfull skeptics I would be blind and ignorent. and there wouldent be much of a discussion.

Originally posted by Kenan

Why is this board full of non-believers?

Because the aliens didn't land on August 14th.

I've been waiting over 40 years for them to land, and they never do. They're very unreliable that way.

The basic fact of the matter is, I don't believe in aliens because I don't see any reason to. I understand that belief is accepting something as true when you don't have enough evidence to prove it. I also understand that while there are tens of thousands of sightings, experiences, and even photos/videos, so it's impossible to simply dismiss all these things as either hoaxes, misidentifications, or insanity.

But after all this time, I just can't connect the dots between UFOs/aliens and all the activity. That makes me suspect that there might not be a connection, and that way too many people are barking up the wrong tree. Over the years, I've come to view the UFO question as one that has to do with perceptions of reality, not bug-eyed aliens from other planets. I think it has more to do with the very limited way we talking monkeys perceive time and space.

It's not an uncommon shift in attitude. Even previously hardcore nuts-and-bolts ET proponents like abductee interviewer Budd Hopkins has recently shifted his opinion toward a more cognitive approach to the subject. After his many years of study, Jacques Vallee eventually came to a roughly similar notion. Forces or perhaps beings may be at work that might exist outside our normal perceptions.

Not to say that we're right. And stuff like this is practically impossible to prove. But that's how at least some people start thinking after many years. I no longer believe in "aliens," not because they couldn't exist, but because the evidence (including the continuing lack of hard physical evidence or obvious public appearances) suggests that it's just not that simple, and we may not be defining and framing the question correctly. Too many assumptions.

I don't believe in aliens, because think I have a better imagination than that.

[edit on 15-9-2008 by Nohup]

There is just a many non-believers as believers on the board. The "non-believers" for the most part don't deny the possibilty of aliens but demand real concrete evidence. Not blurry photos and contradictory witnesses.

If you are blindly accepting of anything then it becomes like a religion, with ideals based on faith not proper evidence.

For something as world changing as UFOs it demands extraordinary evidence .

This board has ruined my interest in finding anything worth reading about. Every other post is fake, and every other post is a prediction about when the aliens are going to land. Every other post is about an alien theme park on Mars. Every other post is about a moon base.

Every single thread noted above has one thing in common. The OP who posted the thread is basing his/her ridiculous claims on blurry, jpeg'd pictures, third-hand information, no information, "feelings" they get, etc. etc. etc.

When I first came here I had a genuine interest in learning about the possibility of extra terrestrial life visiting this planet. Now I realize it's all a crock of crap and most of the problems originate here.

Originally posted by The DaveI have come to the conclusion that these board members are:

1. aliens that don't want to be found out

or

2. Government people trying to discredit any UFO related stuff that comes up

damn bro.. you have it all figured out don't you?

But given your conclusions, we wouldn't be non believers, now would we?