Close Encounters With What?
UFO 'contactee' cults show the lure of demonic deception
(Reprinted courtesy of ON BEING July 1989)
(Investigator 9, November 1989)
By TIM SMITH
Tim Smith has been part of several Pentecostal churches
in NSW since becoming a Christian 15 years ago.
The modern day phenomenon of the unidentified flying object (UFO) began
on June 24, 1947, when pilot Kenneth Arnold sighted a group of strange
flying objects near Mt Rainier in Washington, USA.
He described them as being like "saucers skimming over water". The
press changed his description to 'flying saucers', and sightings of
strange aerial objects have been reported ever since.
Many explanations have been given for UFO's. The most popular is that
they are extra terrestrial space craft and that our planet is being
visited by an alien civilisation.
One of the stranger outcomes of the extra terrestrial theory has been
the appearance of 'contactee' cults. These are religious groups who
claim to be in contact with alien entities visiting the earth.
Their teachings are often mingled with distorted Christian terminology and some groups are openly anti-Christian.
One Californian group (The One World Family), headed by 'contactee'
Allen-Michael Noonan, believes it will take over the government of the
USA and run the United Nations — but only after all professing
Christians are eliminated. Noonan also claims alien beings invited him
to become the saviour of the world.
Erich Von Daniken, in the well-known Chariots of the Gods?,
suggested that flying saucers have visited earth throughout its
history and that humanity is in fact descended from extra terrestrials.
He also claimed that religious beliefs originate from these aliens.
It is rarely stated that 90 per cent of UFO sightings are easily explainable.
Many are everyday events seen under unusual conditions. Others are rare
atmospheric phenomena such as ball lighting. Some are deliberate hoaxes.
We are still left with around 10 per cent of sightings which have no clear explanation.
A close similarity has been noted between UFO experiences, ghosts,
poltergeists and other ‘psychic’ phenomena. The experiences of UFO
'contactees' are comparable to those of spiritualist mediums.
Many UFO researchers have been plagued by strange occurrences and some
have died under suspicious circumstances. This suggests the answer to
the UFO question is to be found not in outer space but much closer to
home.
Whereas Von Daniken and others believe religious beliefs stem from a
misidentification of extra-terrestrial visitors, it is probably closer
to the truth to say that today's belief in extra-terrestrial visitors
is based on a misidentification of the activity of spiritual forces.
John Keel, author of several UFO related books, writes: "Uncounted
numbers of well documented demonic events are readily available to
every researcher. The manifestations and occurrences described in this
imposing literature are similar, if not entirely identical, to the UFO
phenomenon itself" (UFO's — Operation Trojan Horse).
John Weldon and Zola Levitt write: "Contact with the UFO's often seems to be by occult means" (UFO's — What On Earth Is Happening?).
An increasing number of 'contactees' are receiving messages from UFO 'occupants' which warn about the future of humanity.
Some messages are very similar to biblical prophecy but they do not
make mention of Jesus. Others show open hostility to Christians.
There is enough evidence to indicate that UFO's are a deception being
promoted by demonic forces. Many people are falling for this deception
and are looking for humanity's problems to be solved by highly advanced
visitors from far off worlds.
But if UFO's are seeking to benefit humanity, they are doing it in a strange way. They cause confusion, fear and distress.
Many people's lives have been terribly scarred because of encounters with UFO's.
Is it merely coincidence that in Ephesians 2:2 Satan is called "the ruler of the kingdom of the air"?