Equally Terrifying

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”

-- Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), SciFi writer, futurist, inventor

If we're alone in the universe, who is kidnapping us in the night simply to probe our rectums?  I mean, we have proctologists who go to school for years to learn everything there is to learn about the human rectum, right?  So, it stands to reason the information is out there.  I mean, this is just cruel kinky role-playing to slip someone a rufie and then dress like aliens just to mess with their heads so they have to spend a fortune on therapists.  Really?  

No.  I don't think we're alone in the universe, but I have to disagree with the best-selling author, Dan Brown, when he wrote, "Any life-form advanced enough to travel light-years through interstellar space would have nothing to learn by probing the rectums of farmers in Kansas." Well, what if these aliens don't have rectums? If they have no sphincter of reference, maybe they're wondering what we use that particular orifice for. And maybe their confusion is justified. After all, if we're not using that orifice for the biologic purpose it was intended; most of us are using it as another vehicle for communication. I offer as evidence the U.S. Congress; they seem to be talking out of theirs constantly. I'm not sure what is more terrifying, the supposed aliens or the all too real U.S. Congress.

“If the government is covering up knowledge of aliens, they are doing a better job of it than they do at anything else.”

-- Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), theoretical physicist

The government used to be pretty good at covering stuff up, you know, back when we were gullible; before we knew that "swap gas' looked nothing like a space vehicle and seagulls don't fly in formation at 1600 miles per hour. Nope, now we have the internet, and we are, not necessarily, much more intelligent for it. Bonjour! The government can no longer dazzle us with faux brilliance and baffle us with bullshit. We just don't buy into their pitiful cover stories anymore. Society has learned to recognize the smoke and mirrors, the lies and misdirection, at the government "dog and pony" shows, and I think the government is well aware of it.

“Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he himself has sealed.” 

-- Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), physician, author

What the governments of the world don't realize, or don't want to admit, is that we're not the frightened children we use to be.  Movies and video games have desensitized us to any imagined horrors from outer space.  Those folks who aren't ready for the arrival of aliens are just going to have to suck it up or go whimper in their room.  The rest of us can't wait to meet them, greet them, or beat them.  I say "beat them" because, after all, I think years of unsolicited probing might demand a little payback if they can't come up with a damned good reason for all of it.  Just saying.

“A wonderful area for speculative academic work is the unknowable.”

-- Michael Crichton (1942-2008), author

I think, deep down, society wants to know the reality of our place in the universe.  I think we have matured enough to be able to handle the truth.  Perhaps the biggest threat to peace in the world isn't radical Islam, Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea.  Perhaps our biggest threat is simply not knowing the truth behind alien incursions into our reality.  Knowing is frightening, but knowing is also better than not.  At least in the knowing, we can be better prepared for an eventuality.

Are they here to help us or to hurt us?  Is their continued presence here by our invitation or due to our impotence?  Whatever the intent of alien visitors, the people of this insignificant planet have the right to know.  More than that, they have the need to know.

“The modern belief that highly advanced civilizations from other planets are visiting the Earth via spacecraft is a ruse. If real, they are beings created apart from the procreative processes established for life on Earth (Gen. 1). And since they are not direct creations of God Himself, their origins must be sought from other sources.”

-- Jeffrey W. Mardis, Christian author

Does scriptural text make room for aliens?  Depends on how you interpret the text.  Created in God's image could mean two arms, legs, hands, eyes, ear canals, a nose, a mouth, and so on. perhaps it simply means we're the stuff of stars, energy, universal matter, and such.  Well, these aliens meet the criteria, as well.  The big difference seems to be that they have more advanced intelligence than we were endowed with.  Well, aren't we the poor cousin?

Christian author Jeffrey Mardis writes, “The modern belief that highly advanced civilizations from other planets are visiting the Earth via spacecraft is a ruse. If real, they are beings created apart from the procreative processes established for life on Earth (Gen. 1). And since they are not direct creations of God Himself, their origins must be sought from other sources.”  But, Jeffrey, I was under the impression God created the universe, so how are we supposed to seek their origins "from other sources" than the Creator?  If God created everything then it follows that aliens absolutely must be "direct creations of God Himself."  Of course, we are discussing scripture of which its own origins seem suspect.  However, I do agree with Jeffrey when he states "they are beings created apart from the procreative processes established for life on Earth."  Well, that does define them as not being from here, right?  Nice catch, Jeff.

“It is one thing to speak of embracing the new, the fresh, the strange. It is another to feel that one is an insect, crawling across a page of the Encyclopedia Britannica, knowing only that something vast is passing by beneath, all without your sensing more than a yawning vacancy.” 

-- Gregory Benford, author, astrophysicist, Professor Emeritus

These aliens must see us as voracious insects devouring our own home.  They probably made the same mistakes we're making and leave us to our own devices assuming that we will, as they must have, see the error of our ways and rise above it all to become more than we are.  We are aware of their presence only because their advanced vehicles are not immune to the "periodic maintenance" requirement, or the fuel gauge sticks.  Either way, they seem to be most prone to crashing.  Welcome to 9.80665 m/s², what we affectionately call  "standard earth gravity."

“You have to think if we've been visited by extraterrestrial life, it was like a zookeeper walking into the chimp enclosure: He looks around, takes some pictures, then leaves without interacting significantly with the environment. Meanwhile, the chimps have no idea what the fuck just happened.”

-- J. Richard Singleton, novelist, screenwriter

If these advanced alien lifeforms wanted to destroy us we'd already be destroyed... or conquered and enslaved.  I am anything but terrified at the prospect of meeting my alien counterpart.  If they come to conquer and enslave, well, good luck with that.  If, on the other hand, they come in peace and bearing gifts, so much the better.  I am more terrified that my own government is in cahoots with these aliens to enslave humanity, and I'm not sure it terrifies me as much as it pisses me off to even consider what I know they are capable of... throwing us all under the bus.

Government culpability in this supposed coverup is probably why they're now backpedaling on denying the existence of UFOs. And, why, exactly?  A U.F.O. is an unidentified flying object.  It is anything we see in the sky which we cannot immediately identify.  It might be an alien craft or, most likely, it isn't.  If you see an alien vehicle right up front and in your face, then you haven't seen a U.F.O., have you?  It helps if get our terminology correct before we open our pie holes.

"If on the other hand UFO’s are of alien origin, that implies the global elite are collaborating with an ET civilization – and this may explain why classified technology has progressed at such a rapid rate since around the time of Roswell."

-- James Morcan, actor, filmmaker, author

My belief is that world governments know something huge is coming down the pike which they won't be able to deny. They would naturally prefer to put their best foot forward and pretend like it's all good. I hope it is, for their sake. As for me, I am excited at the prospect of confronting the unknown.

“In very different ways, the possibility that the universe is teeming with life, and the opposite possibility that we are totally alone, are equally exciting. Either way, the urge to know more about the universe seems to me irresistible, and I cannot imagine that anybody of truly poetic sensibility could disagree.”

-- Richard Dawkins, ethologist, evolutionary biologist, author, emeritus fellow

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.