{"id":83,"date":"2012-08-11T15:30:31","date_gmt":"2012-08-11T21:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/?p=83"},"modified":"2022-06-25T10:58:43","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T16:58:43","slug":"the-alien-deception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/2012\/08\/11\/the-alien-deception\/","title":{"rendered":"The Alien Deception"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been reading a fascinating book called “Alien Intrusion<\/em><\/strong><\/span>” by creationist Gary Bates, of Creation Ministries International (CMI). \u00a0I have written articles for CMI for years. \u00a0I thought it a bit puzzling several years ago when I heard about a creationist writing a book on UFOs. \u00a0The book was originally published in 2004 and later revised and expanded. \u00a0So I finally got around to reading it on my Kindle. \u00a0I would say this is a great book. \u00a0This book brings a realism and spiritual clarity to an issue that is very muddled and confused in the minds of many Christians. The subtitle is “UFOs and the Evolution Connection<\/em>.” \u00a0I remember when I was a teenager being somewhat interested in stories about UFO sightings, but it was just a curious interest that faded as I learned more about science. \u00a0We live in a world that either denys the supernatural altogether, as atheists do, or which pursues the supernatural in dangerous occultic ways. \u00a0In the minds of many people, the stories common in “science fiction” movies and TV tend to blend the occultic supernatural and fantasy hopes of what science might do in the future. \u00a0Science fiction has built up people’s hopes so that people have unrealistic expectations of what science can do. \u00a0The New Age movement has explored Eastern mystical philosophies and blended them with other ideas, sometimes from science fiction. \u00a0Evolution has often been blended with New Age thinking as well as with any religion (including Christianity). \u00a0The original meaning of the term “UFO” as “Unidentified Flying Object” has almost been forgotten in the modern way of thinking. \u00a0It is almost always assumed to mean a sighting or experience with intelligent alien beings from space. The scientific community has for years been in the awkward position of believing there is life in space on one hand, but yet having to debunk and speak against the claims of people reporting UFO experiences on the other. \u00a0Science promotes the idea of life in space by virtue of its faith in evolution. \u00a0If life evolved on planet Earth, then in billions of years of time in the universe, with many planets orbiting other stars, it seems to many that the odds are life would evolve somewhere besides just on Earth.<\/p>\n

I have come to reconsider the UFO issue after doing research into extrasolar planets. \u00a0I have written a number of technical and nontechnical articles about extrasolar planets (planets orbiting other stars) in the Journal of Creation, on the website of CMI, and for the website of Answers in Genesis. \u00a0The search for Earth-like planets is one of the hottest most fast-paced areas of research in astronomy. \u00a0I used to say extrasolar planets are discovered at about an average rate of 1 or 2 per month. \u00a0But that is way out of date today after the Kepler space telescope, and various other research programs that are in operation. \u00a0The search for possible extrasolar planets is now automated by computers to some extent, so the data collection for it happens every night even without human involvement. \u00a0There is a great deal of interest in the scientific community in finding an Earth-like planet. \u00a0I accept that there is valid evidence for the existence of extrasolar planets. \u00a0There are a few thousand of them that have been confirmed to exist by multiple research teams or multiple detection methods, more that are less confirmed. \u00a0None of them seem much like Earth though.<\/p>\n

There may be a few exoplanets\u00a0that liquid water could exist on, though that doesn’t mean there is actual evidence of water on them necessarily. \u00a0Even if there were liquid water on an exoplanet, that doesn’t mean that life would evolve there or survive there. \u00a0I would not be surprised if there is water on some\u00a0extrasolar planets. \u00a0Also, because various organic chemicals can form in space or near stars by known processes, I would not be surprised if there were evidence of some organic chemicals on extrasolar planets. \u00a0Our own solar system planets Jupiter and Saturn have organic chemicals and water and scientists don’t expect life to be there. \u00a0There are a number of serious problems with the theories of the origin of extrasolar planets which I have written about. \u00a0As a result of these problems, I believe they were created only several thousand years ago in the creation week according to Genesis. \u00a0Even if there were a planet really like Earth that is ideally suited to life, that doesn’t mean life would evolve there. \u00a0Life did not evolve on Earth and it wouldn’t evolve on any other planet either. \u00a0Scientists most certainly have not explained how even a “simple” cell could come about on Earth from chemicals. \u00a0So in many ways the search for an Earth-like planet may be a false hope, though it is bound to discover interesting planets God made. \u00a0It also underscores how unique and special our own planet is.<\/p>\n

In Alien Intrusion, Gary Bates deals realistically with the various cases of UFO reports, without just dismissing them. \u00a0He also brings a spiritual perspective on them by showing how UFO experiences tend to deceive people and this seems to be their deliberate goal. \u00a0I would summarize some of the main ideas in the book this way. \u00a0Well over 90% of reported UFO sightings are relatively easily explicable as known natural phenomena, or man made aircraft, balloons, or something else that is known. \u00a0Then there are many cases where the people reporting it have faulty memories of it, or they don’t have all the facts, or they are not honest about what happened. \u00a0There are many cases of fraud in UFO reports as well, perpetrated just to sell the story. \u00a0But when you add up all the explicable cases and frauds, this does not account for them all. \u00a0There are a few percent that are hard to explain. \u00a0Some of the hard to explain sightings do have some kind of physical evidence associated with them. \u00a0Sighted UFOs also seem to be able to do things that are physically impossible, like turning at high speed without slowing down, moving through walls, dematerializing and rematerializing, changing shape, merging together, etc. \u00a0(Note that I would not consider crop circles to be valid evidence.) \u00a0The most perplexing cases are the abduction stories. \u00a0I used to think of these as mostly frauds. \u00a0Some may be frauds but I now doubt this explains many of them. \u00a0There are actually millions of people who have claimed to be abducted by aliens. \u00a0Even if these people don’t know what actually happened we should not just dismiss the story because they have suffered from these experiences. \u00a0Some of these people have real injuries or mutilation from the experience which they’ve had to get medical treatment for. \u00a0These people have been traumatized in some way and they do need answers.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the actual evidence for aliens from space is nil. \u00a0There’s never been any evidence of alien radio transmissions from space, from the SETI program. \u00a0There’s never been physical evidence in our solar system like remains of alien spacecraft, structures built by aliens, exhaust trails from spacecraft, or alien spacecraft detected in motion in space. \u00a0Note that today there are various computer automated searches for various objects in space that could accidentally detect moving spacecraft if they were bright enough or large enough. \u00a0Today CCD detector devices can see Kuiper belt objects moving as far as about 60 A.U. distance from the Sun (far beyond Pluto). \u00a0Thus it is legitimate to ask “If their spacecraft are out there, why haven’t we seen their spacecraft?” \u00a0I think that it would be\u00a0impossible for ANY conceivable aliens of ANY level of technology to cross intergalactic space. \u00a0The difficulties with such space travel are so great that I think any hope of intergalactic travel is false. \u00a0See for example this article on creation.com about space travel problems<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Even many in the sciences are unrealistic about this.\u00a0\u00a0Even human travel to nearby stars in our galaxy\u00a0may be impossible, but I suspect we could send unmanned probes to nearby stars. \u00a0I have been a longtime fan of Star Trek and other science fiction, but I think such ideas are completely unrealistic about both science and about humanity.\u00a0 They do make entertaining fiction though.\u00a0\u00a0The hope for our future is not in space or someone from space, it is Jesus Christ. \u00a0This answer is not something we have go into space to find, we can find it right here where we are.<\/p>\n

One of the strengths of Bates’ book is his analysis of abduction experiences. \u00a0There is a possibility that is not often considered by most people that can explain abductions. \u00a0One idea on UFOs is that they are extraterrestrial aliens from space. \u00a0Another is that they are interdimensional beings that appear in our world. \u00a0The interdimensional idea is not too unlike the idea that they are demons. \u00a0Angels and demons are often not believed in by many today, yet their existence is affirmed by the Bible clearly. \u00a0Bates makes a case that the bizarre things done by the “aliens” could be understood in terms of them being demons who are deceiving people. \u00a0But there is also a possibility that people with claims of alien abduction experiences have been hypnotized and had false memories induced. \u00a0There may be reason to say that demons could induce false memories in people by deliberately using hypnosis and other means to deceive them. It is also possible demons could do physical harm to humans because demons could possibly appear in physical form. \u00a0Alien abduction accounts have similarities to various historical accounts of people encountering demons. \u00a0This is possible Biblically and makes the Bible relevant to abduction stories. \u00a0But, aliens from space does not fit with a Biblical world view in my opinion. I am impressed with the way Bates puts together logical connections between alien sightings or abduction experiences and the possibility of them being demons. \u00a0I had heard of Christian authors suggesting this before, but I had not seen someone make a good case for it until this book. \u00a0There are a number of people who have made the “alien” abductions stop by praying to Jesus for help or calling on Jesus. There was one group of UFO researchers, not Christians, who seriously researched this. \u00a0However this doesn’t work for some people, it may relate to the genuineness of their faith and whether they know enough to call on Jesus. \u00a0The “aliens” also often twist the Bible and try to convince people of an elaborate deception about aliens trying to direct human events or help humans advance in some way. \u00a0It is all a lie to deceive people and keep them from believing the Bible. \u00a0If most people don’t believe in demons, that may not matter to the demons if the demons can successfully deceive people so that humans will not believe in Jesus Christ and the Bible. The idea of space aliens is a myth apparently taken advantage of by demons to keep people from faith in Christ. \u00a0It is a form of deception tailored to people in the modern world.<\/p>\n

Does the Bible say anything against believing in intelligent aliens from space?<\/strong> \u00a0The Bible is not explicit about this but you can put a few things together logically and see that the Bible does not agree with there being intelligent aliens from space. \u00a0This is also dealt with clearly and carefully by Bates. \u00a0Click here<\/a> to go to an article by Bates about whether God created life on other planets.\u00a0\u00a0I will just point out part of what he covers. \u00a0In the beginning of mankind’s history, from Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve sinned against God and this had effects on nature itself. \u00a0In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, as well as in some Old Testament passages, it says God will do away with the present heavens and Earth and create a new heavens and a new Earth. The idea behind this is that everything created is spoiled or corrupted by mankind’s sin. \u00a0So, if there were intelligent aliens in space, such as the Vulcans in Star Trek, Adam and Eve’s sin in the beginning would have to have affected the Vulcans. \u00a0Thus the aliens would be corrupted by mankind’s sin on Earth and have no way of redemption from it. \u00a0Christ is called the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45. \u00a0Jesus can die in our place and pay for our sin because he is a descendant of Adam (through his mother Mary). \u00a0His death on Earth as a son of Adam would not cover the death of someone on another world in space who was not of Adam. \u00a0Also, theologically it is probably not an option for Jesus to be born on every extraterrestrial world as one of them and die again and again. \u00a0His death had to be once for all.<\/p>\n

Then think about the end of history again. \u00a0If there were aliens in space who didn’t know anything about Earth, why would their world be destroyed because of what happened in Earth history? It would seem unjust and unreasonable for God to do this to sentient beings on other worlds. \u00a0The Bible is clear in the Old Testament and in Revelation that in the future\u00a0the heavens will no longer exist as now and will be replaced by a new heavens. \u00a0Isaiah 34:3<\/span> says “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine…”<\/span> \u00a0See Revelation 21:1<\/span> on the new heaven and Earth. \u00a0So any worlds in space that might have life on them would be destroyed when God destroys or dismantles the present universe to recreate it. \u00a0Thus the entire universe has been corrupted by mankind’s sin on planet Earth and all of it will be recreated to complete God’s plan of redemption. \u00a0If there is no intelligent life on other planets, what about primitive life or bacterial life? \u00a0All life on Earth, from bacteria to whales, exists for mankind’s benefit. \u00a0So I see no real purpose for lower life forms to exist on other worlds in space. \u00a0But this is not as clear as the issue of intelligent life in space.<\/p>\n

In sum, I would recommend Gary Bates book highly. I would also recommend it to people who have had frightening UFO experiences who are trying to sort out the meaning of what happened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have been reading a fascinating book called “Alien Intrusion” by creationist Gary Bates, of Creation Ministries International (CMI). \u00a0I have written articles for CMI for years. \u00a0I thought it a bit puzzling several years ago when I heard about a creationist writing a book on UFOs. \u00a0The book was originally published in 2004 and … Continue reading The Alien Deception<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other-apologetics-or-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":592,"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions\/592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creationanswers.net\/answersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}