UFO’s, Extraterrestrials and the Catholic Church

Countless books, movies, television shows and radio programs have been written and produced describing mankind's encounters with alien beings from other planets. In fact it is so commonplace now that our very language and culture has been affected by these concepts. Nonetheless, I am sure you have heard very little if anything mentioned by the Catholic Church or any other denomination for that matter. In this brief article I wish to touch upon the concept of extraterrestrials, their existence or nonexistence and if they did existence what this would mean for Roman Catholics.

Do Extraterrestrials

Exist?

It would appear from all the evidence that something is out there. Countless men and women throughout the world having had no contact with each other have nonetheless reported encounters with alien spacecraft, aliens themselves or being abducted by aliens into their spacecraft. Could all those people be lying? Are they all delusional? Evidence seems to indicate the contrary. I would say many of us, if we have not had our own experience of these "Outworlders", know of someone within our immediate sphere of influence who have had an alien encounter of one kind or the other.

There are four kinds of encounters. Encounters of the First Kind are sightings of alien spacecraft. Encounters of the Second Kind are hard evidence left by UFOs. Encounters of the Third kind are contacting with aliens themselves and Encounters of the four kinds are abductions. These are the designated types of encounters with extraterrestrials gleaned from the thousands upon thousands of reported encounters. A whole industry has risen up to accommodate the plethora of sightings every year by simple uneducated rural folk to sophisticated doctors, lawyers, military officers and astronauts.

So what does all this mean? Do Unidentified Flying Objects exist or are they simply the product of some mass hallucination? Are there extraterrestrial beings with enough intelligence to have created interstellar travel or are we alone in the universe?

Encounter of the

First Kind

We have seen that the witnesses of these events are not crazies or nuts. They tend to be ordinary folk. The majority of encounters are of sightings. And there have been countless sightings by pilots of both commercial airlines and military aircraft.

While my Uncle was in the Navy he had a close encounter of the first kind. It turns out this was a sighting that "Project Blue Book" investigated and for which they found no earthly explanation.

The year was 1952. My Uncle was stationed at the U.S. Naval Base in San Diego, California. He was returning to base after a weekend leave. It was approximately 1:00 am. He and a buddy were walking under a covered walkway when suddenly his friend stepped outside the covered walkway and stopped dead in his tracks. He was looking up into the night sky his gaze fixed on something. My Uncle asked him what was wrong and all he could do was to point upward. As my Uncle stepped out from the covered walkway he looked up and saw two circular glowing disks hovering above the Base. One looked smaller than the other the largest being at least 300 feet in diameter did did. They hovered over the base for approximate 10 seconds glowing blue green. Both objects were completely silent. Suddenly they took off toward the north along the coastline. As they left, their hue changed from blue-green to a reddish-orange color. They were out of sight in 2 seconds. As they shot up the coast and out of sight my Uncle noticed that the one saucer which seemed smaller was actually hovering above the other saucer and was of equal size. They appeared as solid objects and showed dimension. He described them as "cigar shaped” when seen from a distance as they sped out of sight. They moved faster than any jet or known aircraft.

Now my Uncle is not given to telling tales nor is he one to exaggerate. In fact, these same two saucers were reported up the pacific coast by hundreds of people both military and civilian. They were actually reported only seconds after the sighting in San Diego by officials in Oregon and Washington. From the coast of Washington they made a sudden left turn out to sea and disappeared as they shot upward into space.

What's the point in my relating this story? Simply that there are those whom we trust implicitly and who have sworn to have told the whole truth about what they have seen. I believe, therefore, that the majority of these ordinary people are telling the truth and that they have seen something. The real question, then, is not IF they have seen something but WHAT have they seen.

What are UFOs?

and their Occupants

It is the general assumption of those who have studied this apparently universal phenomena that these objects and their occupants are extraterrestrial; i.e., from another planet in a solar system within our galaxy, the Milky Way. The theory is that these creatures have reached a higher level of evolution and their intelligence is as superior to ours as our intelligence is to gorillas. They have developed the possibility of space travel in vehicles that are capable of traveling through space at speeds that we have only fantasized about in science fiction stories.

Other Theories

A theory less popular then the one mentioned above but still posed by some people is that these creatures actually originate on Earth and come from under the sea. They are the survivors of the first age of the world, which was destroyed through natural disaster, and they are now reappearing to warn mankind of impending dramatic Earth changes.

Another theory says they are actually from our own solar system. The story goes that there is a twin planet "Earth" which is perfectly opposite the Earth on the other side of the sun and therefore undetectable.

Interdimensional travel is yet another theory. This theory claims that these creatures come from another dimension, a parallel universe as it were, which actually occupies the same space as we do but is in another dimension unseen and with which we are unable to communicate or even know of its actual existence.

There is also the theory that these are time travelers from our own future. According to this theory our future ancestors are the products of eons of evolution. They have returned to our time to investigate their origins and to help eventually advance the Race toward greater evolution.

The Reality

In actual fact, every one of these theories falls flat. Incredibly, with all the sightings and experiences of possibly millions of people since the late 1940's there is absolutely no hard evidence (of which we are aware) that indicates that these beings and the lights they produce in the sky are from another planet, another dimension, another time or from a lost civilization of the past. I personally love science fiction and am the first in line to see the latest SiFi movie that comes out. Nevertheless, we must accept the fact that everything we have in way of evidence such as "Area 51" "The Roswell Incident" and "Crop Circles" are nothing more than anecdotal stories with no public evidence that indicates these creatures are truly from another planet. Please understand, I am not saying there isn't something out there. WE ARE NOT ALONE! But when I say that we are not alone I do not mean what TV shows like "The X Files” or movies like "Independence Day" mean. Let me explain. Actually we are surrounded by millions of powerful beings which are purely spiritual and which are both good and evil. We call these beings, angels or demons depending upon which side of the eternal fence we are speaking. They surround us. They are in the very air, the sky the earth. They exist on another plane of existence than we do yet they are in constant contact with this world. They have powers beyond our comprehension and if one presented himself as God to us, unless we had the discernment of spirits we could very easily believe he was God or at least a god. Thus in ancient times demons appeared to men as gods demanding their worship and sacrifices. This was done in an effort to lead men into fear and away from the light of truth. Enslaving millions of human beings they would perform wonders to convince them of their divinity and nearly the whole world was in darkness.

As science and technology moved Western civilization toward new levels of affluence and secularism the worship of idols and a pantheon of gods became less and less prevalent. With the triumph of Christianity idolatry was all but eliminated except in a few cases. (Due to African influence idolatry and ritual witchcraft still exist today in false religions such as Voodoo and Santeria.) In the East, however, many millions of superstitious Hindus are still immersed in idolatry. Just recently the people of India were frenzied over a phenomena involving their idols. From Televised and eyewitnessed accounts the statues of their gods were drinking milk. Gallons of it in fact were disappearing into the mouths of these graven images and the people were falling down in worship before them. Now who would be responsible for such activity? Isn't it obvious that the demons were perpetrating the same hoax they have been doing to humans for thousands of years?

Our Search for Life

So what am I trying to say? Let me state it clearly. This UFO phenomenon witnessed by millions of people all over the world is simply the activity of demons. They are using the imaginations of men to perpetrate another more diabolical hoax on humanity. I know! I know! The secularists and the Modernists will hear this and instantly accuse me of being backward and just as superstitious as the Indians bowing before idols of metal and stone that drink milk. Their response will be that it's just a matter of time before I proclaim that in all reality the world is flat and those pictures of the Earth we’ve seen from space are merely fabrications. Not true. I believe in real science. It is an essential part of Man's nature to what to know as much as he can about everything. Nonetheless, to automatically accept the existence of extraterrestrials upon mere speculation and without any cold, hard evidence is not science; it's Science Fiction.

Example

The United States Government recently shut down funding for a NASA project called Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence or SETI. By using a Radio telescope a group of scientists came upon the idea that it should be possible to intercept radio waves broadcasted by extraterrestrial intelligence. The idea was based upon the scientific fact that since radio waves travel at the speed of light in all directions we should be able to pick up these waves with our instruments. If there are civilizations out there at least as advanced as our own then the universe should be filled by communication waves from these other intelligent beings. It was calculated that we should be able to intercept communication waves within a 20 light year radius. In other words, we should be able to pick up the transmission of alien cultures within a radius of 107,560,000,000,000 miles. Guess what happened? Well since the project began to scan the heavens in 1960 there have been no detectable alien broadcasts of any kind. In fact, the few times these scientist thought they found something it turned out to be Terrestrial in origin.

Marks of the Demonic

So what leads me to believe these beings and their phenomena are demonic in origin? Well, it is because they have very similar signatures to that of known demonic earthly activity.

Demonic activity almost always follows a certain pattern. There are certain signs by which one can discern whether or not a demon is involved. Some of these signs are as follows: Strange noises; such as rappings, scratchings, poundings and even the sounds of tumult; the movement of objects (especially large objects) with no possible natural cause (this is called Infestation); a sense of oppression and violent temptations (this is called Oppression); overwhelming terror producing an animal-like fear and panic; production of sudden unexplained storms, earthquakes and temptests; the disappearance of things without any natural explanation; the presence of apparitions, ghosts, and apparently solid creatures intent on frightening those to whom they appear; physical attacks upon a person causing them pain and harm (this is called Obsession); the appearance of disease and pestilence without any medical or scientific explanation, (these diseases are usually very hard to cure or eliminate through medical remedies); acts of violence and evil perpetrated by an individual human or group of individuals that go beyond the natural evils that humans do to one another; finally, the most terrible manifestation of the demonic is found in their ability to enter and inhabit an individual's body (this is called Possession).

Now it must be noted that the reason for demonic attacks upon human beings are three fold: First, to distract our minds from God and the salvation of our own souls by turning us to focus on them and their activity: Second, to create a sense of terror, panic, emotional distress, and finally despair in the love and goodness of God: Third, to damn the soul of the one possessed and to influence toward damnation those around them. In cases of possession there can be a fourth reason and that is to attack the priest who will be called in to exorcise the demon.

Alien Beings from

Other Planets?

In what way do the activities of demons bear similarity to those experienced by people who witness UFO phenomenon? Well the first and most obvious similarity is that focusing on UFOs and their occupants distracts us from striving for union with God and the salvation of our souls. If you have ever been around those who are interested in UFO phenomenon you will find that they become obsessed with the idea of extraterrestrials. They are so focused upon this sensational idea that they can hardly think of anything else. This would be most evident among those who have had personal experiences of the First and Third kinds of encounters.

Another, experience that indicates demonic activity is that these aliens inspire terror and fear within those who have had contact with them. They describe a feeling of terror similar to that of a caged or cornered animal; so primal, in fact, that it is very difficult for them to describe the panic and hopelessness they feel. The demons feed off of our negative emotions and so it is their modus operandi to inspire as many negative emotions as they can within their victims.

If you read accounts of abduction you will find that many times the memories of these abductions are buried so deeply within the subconscious of the victims that it takes hypnosis to bring it back to their conscious minds. The experience when relived causes the victim to feel the same terror they originally felt. Some would say that the very use of hypnosis to stimulate the subconscious borders on the occult and plays right into the hands of the demon.

The abductees often suffer from aliments that our medical doctors have not seen nor do they have any idea of how to treat or cure them. Often they have scratches on their bodies that will not heal (another similarity to those who have encounters with the demonic).

When a so-called alien enters into a room to abduct someone, things in the room begin to move on their own accord. The person is paralyzed and cannot move or even call out in fear. When taken to their "alien spacecraft" they find themselves powerless as these creatures begin to experiment upon them. All calculated to inspire fear and terror.

A True Case

I know of one incident where a man in Brazil was abducted near a spot where UFOs are frequently sighted. He remembers seeing the saucer and being taken up into it. He found himself lying on a table. He was able, with great effort, to reach into his pocket. He found his rosary and pulled it out and began praying loudly the Hail Mary. At that moment the aliens looked at him with anger and said, "Now you've spoiled everything." Within seconds he found himself outside the ship about 1000 miles from his home.

Interesting and provocative isn’t it? This man only needed to pray the rosary with faith and these so-called extraterrestrials could not stand it. It seemed painful to them. Now if they were merely extraterrestrial beings from another planet why would praying the rosary "spoil" their plans? This reaction by the "aliens" is just another example of how similar are the experiences of those who encounter the diabolic. There are innumerable incidents similar to this, which indicate that these creatures are merely demons playing their usual games with ignorant humans. What better way to deceive modern man than through the science he worships?

Inconsistencies

There are so many things which the UFOlogists claim to be "proof" of our being visited by extraterrestrials that could just as easily be explained by the possibility that these experiences are created to look like they are extraterrestrial by demons who are malevolently bent on our deception and destruction. In reading many incidents of abduction I have found there is a very curious phenomenon that should be analyzed. Every time they find themselves in these "spacecraft" everything is filthy. The abductees constantly describe filth, garbage and trash everywhere. They also describe the aliens as well as the instruments they use to experiment upon them as being dirty. The wounds that are inflicted upon them usually become infected and the infections are very difficult to get rid of.

Why would these "superior" beings have no sense of cleanliness? We who are supposed to be so primitive know the basics of preventing infection and of cleanliness especially in and around the operating room. Yet according to most accounts these creatures are filthy and smell bad. This to me indicates another reason why we should not consider these creatures to be extraterrestrial but rather demonic in origin.

Could Rational Creatures Exist on Other Planets?

The answer to the above question is an emphatic yes. There is no reason from a Roman Catholic point of view that we have to reject without possibility the existence of creatures like ourselves in other parts of the universe. Nonetheless, we can only accept this possibility within certain parameters. For instance, we must grant the fact that they have souls and are also made in the image and likeness of God just as we are. Therefore, they can be in only two states of existence. They are either fallen or unfallen. In other words, because they would be rational creatures made in the image and likeness of God they would also have to have been given the choice between embracing the One True God or the god of self. If they chose God they would have remained unfallen and would never have suffered the terrible twisting of their nature that origin sin brings. They, more than likely, would have no desire or need to go beyond their own boundaries. Their technology, if any, would be simple and practical. They would be the sovereigns of their own world and content within themselves. These humans (in whatever shape or form) would have no need to explore the universe. Finally since they would be unfallen they would not need the redemptive grace of Christ to free them from bondage to the Devil. They would essentially be what we would have been had we not fallen. This of course raises any number of questions that would be further theological speculation and which I do not have the space here to pursue. Suffice it to say these beings would not be in contact with us unless for some reason God Himself sent them to us as a grace. If this were to happen they would not be secretive but would present themselves visibly without stealth or subterfuge.

If there are others "out there" and they have a fallen nature then we must be very careful. For they may act exactly as these reports indicate. They would be under the influence of the Devil and would not have had the grace of Christ to lead them to the virtue for which God originally made them. If man can be as inhuman as he is to his own even with the redemptive grace of Christ to mitigate the effects of original sin how much more would fallen humans from another planet be possessed of a corrupt nature not having had the opportunity of Christ's redemptive grace to be given to them or their society? They could make Hitler and Stalin look like Saints.

It is important to remember that according to Catholic theology, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man suffering death "once and for all..." to save all those who have human souls from the damnation our sins deserve. Unless Jesus in His Risen Body appeared to myriads of humans throughout the universe to bring them the effects of His salvation directly, then these creatures would be under the complete dominion of Satan and would be very DANGEROUS. From all indication if my original thesis is incorrect and these are really extraterrestrials that so many people have seen, then their apparently complete lack of religion and reference to Christ, as well as, those who have experienced the alien’s actual repellence to the name of Christ and His Blessed Mother would indicate that we must approach them as possessed creatures and instruments of the Devil bent on our destruction. My advice is simple: If you ever have an encounter with these creatures make the Sign of the Cross and speak the names of Jesus and Mary repeatedly. If they are what I think they are it will drive them away and they will leave you alone.

Conclusion

In truth book upon book could be written based solely upon theological speculation concerning the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials and their place within the providence of God. As long as we realize that their souls would have to abide by the same spiritual principles by which we ourselves must abide there are thousands of different ways we could speculate about this matter.

Until proven otherwise I’m sticking to my previous analysis of this phenomenon and remain convinced that these are merely demonic manifestations designed to distract and disturb those who encounter them. =