You correctly quoted me here:
But then such folks as propose such patent nonsense are the sort that will propose ANY theory, just as long as it obviates the need of a Creator God — in their own imagination. They would turn themselves into pretzels if their “theory” needed it. It’s just NUTZ, or — not to put too fine a point on it — psychotic.The "patent nonsense" I had in mind was panspermia theory.
But somehow we got drawn into a side alley, were questions about the existence or non-existence of space aliens and/or UFOs are paramount. It seems MHGinTN has knowledge of a great deal of witness testimony regarding UFOs. I don't know whether he's personally seen one himself. (I know I haven't.)
And it seems you, dear Kevmo, reject witness testimony as unqualified evidence per se, to be disdained and disregarded. Also I gather you have not seen a space alien/UFO yourself.
Neither have I. But my husband has twice encountered UFOs, the first siting over Lake Cochituate in eastern Massachusetts, and the second off Sagamore Beach, Cape Cod. Both involved unidentifiable flying objects with strange and erratic physical behavior and lotsa lights.
The second siting is by far the more interesting to me; because there was a second observer beside my husband: his dog Bucky, an Alaskan Malamute. The following is from my husband's depiction of what happened that night.
When the object suddenly appeared, hovering about 20 feet above the waters of Cape Cod Bay, Bucky instantly went on alert, barking furiously. The object seemed to have "noticed" the man and dog on the sand flats, homed in, and trained a light beam on them. The next thing they knew, the object was "right there," hovering menacingly only yards away. B was at first paralyzed in astonishment. But Bucky went into full defense mode, getting himself in between the object and his master, still barking furiously, dashing back and forth, making feints at the object.
Then there was a pulse of blinding light. At that point B figured it was definitely time to "get out of town." So he called off Bucky, and the two of them beat a fast retreat, running away as fast as their feet could take them.
The first siting didn't "engage" the observers like the second one did. It was just a brightly-lighted unidentifiable flying object darting hither and yon over the lake, then suddenly shooting up into the heavens at blistering speed. Whereupon it disappeared.
I can't describe the objects my husband saw. He didn't tell me much about their physical descriptions. I note in passing that both sitings occurred in close proximity to military facilities: the first close by Natick Labs (then an Army research facility); the second, Otis Air Force Base. But I don't know whether this is germane or mere happenstance.
Anyhoot, more witness testimony. The presumption is that the objects were intelligently and purposefully designed, and that there may have been intelligent beings on board flying them.
But it's a stretch from there to panspermia theory, which asserts that intelligent beings — space aliens — are the source of Life on Earth; that aeons ago, they "seeded" the planet, and what Christians call the Creation subsequently burst forth. The theory holds the "origin" of Life on earth traces to visitors from remote parts of the galaxy, or even beyond — yet still from within the universe. This would make the universe a closed, self-generating system.
But is the universe really like that? Or is that just the way the metaphysical naturalist or atheist sees it?
For the question remains: What is the source of the space aliens? One assumes they did not come from nothing (nothing ever does): for they are intelligent; and if intelligent, alive like us. Life and intelligence are signs that they share a common source with us. And it seems to me the only possible common source is God — the Uncaused Cause — Who is the source and sustainer of the universe, Who gave it all its forms and its laws according to His Logos.
Finally, I do not have a clue what UFOs are. Besides what people claim them to be, they could be any number of other things. Hologrammatic projections; hallucinations, for instance.
On that observation, I note that the Russian novelist and professional guru, G. I. Gurdieff, a self-proclaimed "jokester," has Satan and his minions running all over the universe in space ships [see: Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson]....
I'm keeping an open mind. I don't have enough evidence to decide this question. But I'm always willing to listen to the evidence, even if it's witness testimony.
As to the occupants driving the things? Well, as our missing Quix friend would say, perhaps they are demonic beings. OR, perhaps they are created beings but lack soemthing that God gave to us which is of great interest to the 'visitors'. As to panspermia, well, I cannot accept it yet, but I do believe there is no way panspermia would explain God breathing the spirit into Adam and therefore passed to us eventually. In one of my novels, a character proclaims to his guest that 'Eden is not so removed as millions of years ago.'
Even if panspermia is a reality for the origin of nephesh on earth, that doesn't exclude the fact that nephesh is caused by God creating, nor evidence that neshama exists sans God creating it. If I ever get the chance, I would really like to ask the 'visitors' if they have a spirit.
And one last thing: there is a reason why I asked if the poster understood laminar flow or inertia and inertial mass as differentiated from gravitational mass. i suspect there is an abundance of all hat and no cattle at work. Time is interwoven in the conundrum of inertial mass dampening.
I siimultaneously entertain two alternative theories in my head about the nature of life in the universe. One, that it is ubiquitous, quite common. Or at least the raw physical materials for it are. The second is that it is uniquely only here, that the universe awaits us to spread life to it.
Maybe earth and earthly life is the petrie dish and the filter; those that pass successfully through the filter have the whole universe spread before them.
I haven’t seen enough evidence to settle the matter either way to my satisfaction, and I doubt I will settle it during my earthly existence.
I have to admit, it looks awfully cold and dead out there, lie an enormous debris field, but when you are looking across distances of that many millions of miles, really, what can you expect to see?
Either way, God as Creator is not in question. I suppose the question is if there is more going on than meets the eye, and I am fairly confident that there is. We may be a small phase shift away from a kaleidoscope world of whose existence we remain unaware right until the moment that it pops into focus.
And it seems you, dear Kevmo, reject witness testimony as unqualified evidence per se, to be disdained and disregarded.
***Not at all the case. Eyewitnesses are seeing something, but it is a secret weapon rather than extraterrestrial stuff.
I note in passing that both sitings occurred in close proximity to military facilities: the first close by Natick Labs (then an Army research facility); the second, Otis Air Force Base. But I don’t know whether this is germane or mere happenstance.
***It is germane, and it is also quite typical of UFO sightings. It adds weight to my hypothesis and reduces weight from the ET hypothesis.
For the question remains: What is the source of the space aliens?
***There are no aliens. It’s a buncha guys in supersecret craft doing their best to generate the impression they’re from somewhere else. When american pilots were testing the first generation of jet planes, sometimes they put on gorilla suits so that when people reported airplanes without propellers, they would be discredited. It’s standard operating procedure.
Finally, I do not have a clue what UFOs are.
***I do. I’ve been studying it for more than 35 years. It’s difficult to wade through all the piles & piles of baloney. So if you are curious and prefer to be efficient about it, read this one standout book that doesn’t constantly throw Ockham’s Razor under the bus:
Intercept UFO by Renato Vesco
http://www.amazon.com/Intercept-UFO-Renato-Vesco/dp/B0006WI572