reply to post by dr treg
One of the foundations of modern world-religions (those being the religions practiced in multiple countries) is definitely the promise of immortality,
or, sublimation.
Being God's Chosen People gives the Jews a feeling of calm, and content, that their God—who is the
only God—has a special reward for them
once they have endured the trials and hardships of this life. Once their contract has been restored with the Lord God, Yahweh, they will once again be
welcomed back into the Garden of Eden, Paradise.
Likewise, a large portion of Jesus' teachings centered around the mechanics of the next life, and the method for inheriting this Kingdom with God, as
Christ's bride. This is clearly a promise of everlasting life, experienced through a subtle, infinite, spirit body which is different from the finite
physical one, and it is distinguished as such numerous times throughout the New Testament.
Even Islam has a paradise where eternal oneness can be attained with Allah (The One). The Arabic language, as utilized by Islam, teaches this. The
first man: Adam, is spelled with the letters Alif, Dal, Mim. The Alif stands tall, and alone, representing Allah, The One and Only. The Dal is
kneeling, representing man in his study, knowledge, and prayer to The One. Finally, the Mem prostrates itself before The One, signifying total
submission and envelopment into Allah, The One: eternity recognized by merging with the godhead.
The Wheel of Samsara in the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist teachings is clearly a developed schematic of eternal life, to be experienced through continuous
reincarnation. This birth-life-decay-death-rebirth blue-print allows any individual to live for an eternity, by rising from the lowest Hell to the
highest Heaven, over the course of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of life-spans. The infinite experienced through the finite.
In Buddhism alone, the ultimate goal of attaining Buddha-nature is to sublimate into pure energy-being, called Nirvana. At this state of
existence—if it can be called such—time, and space, and form, and thought, and consciousness all have been stripped away. The goal of the Noble
Eight-fold Path, and the Four Noble Truths is to recognize the impermanence of conscious living, and the permanence of Buddha-hood. Once this
realization is achieved what remains is an eternal, unchanging, constant self; which is immortal.
Religions obviously have a diverse interplay with a variety of other topics as well. They're not one-trick ponies only bent on promising eternal
life. However, somewhere within almost every religion is that promise: believe, have faith, practice, and you will be rewarded with continuous
existence by My Godly grace.
UFOlogy I think comes at the same topic from a different angle. UFOs stand as scare-tactics, and alternative avenues for those disillusioned with
contemporary human spirituality and religious mysticism. The UFO, and abduction by occupants, culminating in a tour of some far-away planet is not a
promise of eternal life in and of itself. Quite the opposite. It is a call to arms letting us know that our gods, our religions, our spiritual
practices are not complete, or valid yet, because they don't take into account these extraterrestrial beings and their own spiritual and religious
discourses.
Any in-depth study of UFOlogy and UFO lore will reinforce that these visitors definitely have religious and spiritual messages for us. Most often
about opening up to universal spirituality, in stead of human spirituality, and usually in opposition to current religious and spiritual
institutions.
The extraterrestrial and its UFO are a force-conversion to a new way of thinking, believing, and praying. However, that doesn't mean Raelians, and
other UFO cults are right either. All their talk of "Love and Light," and "Galactic Families," and "Universal Oneness" is really no different
then our current religion's discussions of immortality.
Instead of God, we now have aliens.
~ Wandering Scribe