Whats the differencein believing in god or ufo's?

[Stixxman]

When I compare my belief of UFO/EBE to other segments of society I have a laugh. I talk about this subject with religious people as much as i can because that is one of the largest groups in the world. It never ceases to amaze me the looks I get from these people when I start talking about UFO's. Its the strange look they give me like I'm sort of off somehow for believing in something that has little to no proof or is just plain impossible to them. But it gets me thinking, why aren't religious people looked at in this way? They believe in something that has no physical presence and cannot be proved. Literally billions of people believe in a concept like this. So why is it so strange for me to believe in EBE's and alien craft. They are so simular that its scary

1. Both are believed in by many people who do not have one solid shred of evidence to back up their belief.

2. Both rely on word of mouth to get their message out.

3. Both have segments of their believers that can only be described as fanatics

4. Both require huge amounts of faith.

5. Belief in either is enough for most people to doubt your intellegence

just to name a few. Sure they sit at opposite ends of the scale in contradiction to each other but that is always true of differences like this.

Take muslims there are two kinds of muslim faith seperated in docterine by a few words and the prophet who spoke them. In Ufology there are two main camps too those who believe UFO's are alien all the way and those who believe they are advanced human technology. So is there a difference in the mentality or not?

[Ziggy Stardust]

I think you pretty much answered the question for yourself. An interesting concept, but I suppose it's just common sense.

[Commander CMG]

There is without doubt far more proof in the existance of Aliens than God.

[Stixxman]

I agree XSAS but the minute you say that to a religious person they wave their arms in all encompassing gesture thats big enough to be significant but vague enough to have multiple interpretations.

[Commander CMG]

Edited July 6, 2005 by XSAS

[Falco Rex]

Actually there's a big difference between the two belief systems..With the exception of the Heavens' Gate Cult; very few people have died or been killed in the name of "Aliens."

[_Nyx_]

I agree with Falco, there's been much more suffering in the name of God than there has ever been with aliens. But, I'm sure as soon as someone writes an alien "bible", things might change.

[isis-999]

I too must agree i do not know any one who has ever started, a holy ufo war; aliens are not fighting a religious ufo war, they do not even care if we believe in them.

[underexplained]

DIFFERENCE:

god

A god is a being created by humans and given supernatural powers or attributes such as immortality, omniscience, telekinesis, and invisibility. These creations serve many purposes, such as imaginary protection from enemies or explanations for the origin of such things as good and evil, fire and wind, or life and death.

Gods are often the central figures around which religions are built. It is often claimed that religion began in fear and superstition. The same might be said for gods.

Some religions maintain that there is just one God and that all the gods of all religions except theirs were created by human beings. Yet, everyone who believes in a god of some sort believes their god is real.

Since gods are supernatural, they exist outside the bounds and laws of space and time. They can possess any of an infinite array of magical powers. Hence, there is no way to prove or disprove their reality. One might say: If gods exist, anything goes!

ufo

A UFO is an unidentified flying object which has been identified as a possible or actual alien spacecraft. Such objects include meteors, disintegrating satellites, flocks of birds, aircraft, lights, weather balloons, and just about anything moving within the visible band of electromagnetism. So far, however, nothing has been positively identified as an alien spacecraft in a way required by common sense and science. That is, there has been no recurring identical UFO experience and there is no physical evidence in support of either a UFO flyby or landing.

There are as many photographs of UFOs as there are of the Loch Ness Monster, and they are of equal quality: blurs and forgeries. Other physical evidence, such as alleged debris from alien crashes, or burn marks on the ground from alien landings, or implants in noses or brains of alien abductees, have turned out to be quite terrestrial, including forgeries. The main reasons for believing in UFOs are the testimony of many people, the inability to distinguish science fiction from science, the willingness to trust incompetent men telling fantastic stories, the ability to distrust all contrary sources as being part of an evil conspiracy to withhold the truth, and a desire for contact with the world above. Belief in aliens in UFOs is akin to belief in supernatural beings.

[Pogo]

There is an alien cult/religion. It's called Scientology.

[Stixxman]

DIFFERENCE:

god

A god is a being created by humans and given supernatural powers or attributes such as immortality, omniscience, telekinesis, and invisibility. These creations serve many purposes, such as imaginary protection from enemies or explanations for the origin of such things as good and evil, fire and wind, or life and death.

Gods are often the central figures around which religions are built. It is often claimed that religion began in fear and superstition. The same might be said for gods.

Some religions maintain that there is just one God and that all the gods of all religions except theirs were created by human beings. Yet, everyone who believes in a god of some sort believes their god is real.

Since gods are supernatural, they exist outside the bounds and laws of space and time. They can possess any of an infinite array of magical powers. Hence, there is no way to prove or disprove their reality. One might say: If gods exist, anything goes!

ufo

A UFO is an unidentified flying object which has been identified as a possible or actual alien spacecraft. Such objects include meteors, disintegrating satellites, flocks of birds, aircraft, lights, weather balloons, and just about anything moving within the visible band of electromagnetism. So far, however, nothing has been positively identified as an alien spacecraft in a way required by common sense and science. That is, there has been no recurring identical UFO experience and there is no physical evidence in support of either a UFO flyby or landing.

There are as many photographs of UFOs as there are of the Loch Ness Monster, and they are of equal quality: blurs and forgeries. Other physical evidence, such as alleged debris from alien crashes, or burn marks on the ground from alien landings, or implants in noses or brains of alien abductees, have turned out to be quite terrestrial, including forgeries. The main reasons for believing in  UFOs are the testimony of many people, the inability to distinguish science fiction from science, the willingness to trust incompetent men telling fantastic stories, the ability to distrust all contrary sources as being part of an evil conspiracy to withhold the truth, and a desire for contact with the world above. Belief in aliens in UFOs is akin to belief in supernatural beings.

718352[/snapback]

So they are simular, for what is a god but a supernatural being. There are hundreds of alleged miracles witnessed by faithful every year. And people sometimes associate aliens with having supernatural powers, attributing them with super intellegence, ESP, and sometimes even telekenisis. I think it takes the same kind of mind to believe in either. To believe in an intangible.

[smallpackage]

I agree XSAS but the minute you say that to a religious person they wave their arms in all encompassing gesture thats big enough to be significant but vague enough to have multiple interpretations.

717788[/snapback]

Because they don't want to think outside the box. It's almost as if they're brainwashed into believing there is a god looking over them. As most people say; Heaven is a way to comfort us into thinking we won't be gone after our death & our lives will live on.

I personally believe there is something out there. That doesn't look like a human, That doesn't look like anything currently imagined by a human's mind in anyway, Just something. Our little knowledge of the universe's origins drives me to believe that there may be something almost magical that may have always been there beyond creation and time, Since the human race loves to base everything on how the earth functions.

Edited July 7, 2005 by smallpackage

[STIX]

Interesting thread Stixxman, I have heard of this connection before. The raeliens are an organized religion based on the belief in extra-terrestrials.

I personally believe there is something out there. That doesn't look like a human, That doesn't look like anything currently imagined by a human's mind in anyway, Just something.

719602[/snapback]

I think the 'grey' aliens look pretty damn alien.

[Stixxman]

Thank you

[smallpackage]

There only real difference I see is that UFO's started from sightings (duh) and not curiousity of other life in the universe. Sightings came long before airplanes and weather balloons were invented, which narrows down the list of explanations.

[hyperactive]

the difference is socio-culteral. it is an accepted norm to refer to a "god", it is not to refer to an "alien".

[STIX]

yes! society exerts pressure on everyone living within it to act the way which is deemed normal.

[Stixxman]

Thats why its so funny when people treat Ufologists like they have mental short comings.

[Wooddevil]

When I compare my belief of UFO/EBE to other segments of society I have a laugh.  I talk about this subject with religious people as much as i can because that is one of the largest groups in the world.  It never ceases to amaze me the looks I get from these people when I start talking about UFO's.  Its the strange look they give me like I'm sort of off somehow for believing in something that has little to no proof or is just plain impossible to them.  But it gets me thinking, why aren't religious people looked at in this way?  They believe in something that has no physical presence and cannot be proved.  Literally billions of people believe in a concept like this.  So why is it so strange for me to believe in EBE's and alien craft.  They are so simular that its scary

1.  Both are believed in by many people who do not have one solid shred of evidence to back up their belief.

2.  Both rely on word of mouth to get their message out.

3.  Both have segments of their believers that can only be described as fanatics

4.  Both require huge amounts of faith.

5.  Belief in either is enough for most people to doubt your intellegence

just to name a few.  Sure they sit at opposite ends of the scale in contradiction to each other but that is always true of differences like this.

Take muslims there are two kinds of muslim faith seperated in docterine by a few words and the prophet who spoke them.  In Ufology there are two main camps too those who believe UFO's are alien all the way and those who believe they are advanced human technology.  So is there a difference in the mentality or not?

717692[/snapback]

Hell, I agree with ya, man

[UnaFragger]

I'd still kind of be interested in hearing an answer from a very religious individual that thinks the belief in aliens.. or more specifically, the UFO Sightings "ridiculous."

I agree, I think religion has even less basis in fact than do UFO's... and aliens.

[Stixxman]

And yet it remians a fringe topic, and talking about a fat guy who lived thousands of years ago somehow makes you enlightened?

[crystalmoon]

Well I for one believe in both God and aliens/ufos etc. To believe in God one then believes he has creator all things the universe planets etc. But my belief of aliens is that of fallen angels and demonic beings. I think that there are many who believe in both. I do not find it odd or strange to believe in the known and mysteriously strange things of the world and universe. I think people make up there own mind on issues and stick with them unless some one is good enough to persuade them to believe in something else that they perhaps have a strong belief in. When it comes to issues that bring religious or spiritual thoughts into the matter it seems more people are ready to either be more defensive or rant more in favor or against certain religions. I say follow your heart and that for the most part people know right from wrong and if something doesn't sound,feel or look right its probably not. You can find that many things in life are similiar and that they have some basic things that are very much like one another.

[The Skeptic Eric Raven]

Thats why its so funny when people treat Ufologists like they have mental short comings.

719811[/snapback]

Because most of them do. They are finatical about their beliefs with no hard evidence. Just like religiouis people are about god.

[x o i s k]

It could be very possible that aliens could consist as a god because, they could have been the access to our creation.

[Kalevipoeg]

The reason is because (for some odd reason) half of the world is religious And since religion says there is no aliens, half of the world stupididly denies every proof of aliens. (the hoax aint helping too) Another big factor is that the most powerful country in the world (refering to USA) is retarded and belives in god. If god created life and there is no stories about god creating aliens in tha allmighty book (refering to the bible) then there is no possible way of aliens existing... The other half is under pressure from the religious half and since there is so much hoax the real evidence is thought to be lies too... So the result is that aliens seem unreal and impossible, just a rumor and since half of the world is religious then why, oh why it doesn't seem wierd to talk about god...