Posted on 10/11/2002 6:10:44 AM PDT by apackof2
Scientific Approach
The founder of Reasons to Believe presents a rational Christian look at UFOs and extraterrestrials.
Hugh Ross has a B.S, Physics, University of British Columbia; M.S. & Ph.D., Astronomy, University of Toronto.
Mr. Ross is the co-author of, Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men (NavPress, 2002)
Hugh has been stargazing since he was a young boy, and by the age of 17, he had become director of observations for the Royal Astronomical Society in Canada. As an astronomer, Hugh has logged thousands of observation time and has learned that science can and does address the possibility of life’s existence elsewhere in the universe. In the mid-'70s, Hugh was assigned the task of processing UFO reports at CalTech. At the same time, Hugh began an intense study of the Bible. "Secular society is gullible about the possibility that extraterrestrial life exists without having scientific evidence to prove it," says Hugh. "The motivation for this book is the need to communicate clear, satisfying explanations from scientific, theological, philosophical, and political standpoints."
Hugh says that he uses the scientific approach called "the process of elimination" to answer the question Is there a place where extraterrestrials could live in the universe? Over the years, science has made some significant advances. "The number of candidates for life sites within the Milky Way grows smaller each day," says Hugh. At one time, biologists speculated that extraterrestrial life forms might be based on exotic chemistry, not carbon as earthly life is. But today the conclusion is that all conceivable life forms must be carbon-based. And if life forms exist on other planets, they must be planets like Earth, orbiting a star like the sun in a galaxy like the Milky Way. "Ongoing research shows that this seems less possible as each year passes," says Hugh.
Residual UFOs
Most people think UFOs are physical. "But they can’t be physical," says Hugh, "because they defy gravity." While Hugh does not say that UFOs aren’t real, no physical object can move like UFOs have been reported to move. Respected UFOolgists agree that there must be something real at the bottom of some UFO reports. Residual UFOs (RUFOs) is a terminology that refers to the UFOs that are left over after all the others are explained away. There is quite a bit of evidence that UFOs are real, such as crash sites. There are over 1,000 sites where allegedly the UFOs have crashed. "The ground is depressed, the trees and grass are burnt," says Hugh. "In these scenarios, we are dealing with non-physical reality." What this evidence suggests is that RUFOs are capable of producing physical effects, such as burnt grass, but are not physical themselves.
Hugh says the Bible proclaims the existence of a personal Creator who can act independently outside the cosmos and who is not restricted by the four, large space-time dimensions (length, width, height or time). The Bible also describes the spirit realm (the realm beyond matter, energy and space-time dimensions) and declares the existence of God and two or more distinct creatures: humans and angels. Hugh explains that humans remain physically restricted to the dimensions of the cosmos and cannot account for the unexplained phenomena. Angels, or fallen angels, remain as possible links. Fallen angels, or demons, intent on distorting God’s authority and purpose, draw attention away from God and the gospel and are an identifiable source of explanation.
The conclusion that demons are behind the RUFOs phenomenon is testable. According to the Bible, demons attack only those individuals who invite the attacks. "All that is necessary to further prove the conclusion of demonic involvements," says Hugh, "is to continue surveying people to ascertain who has encounters with RUFOs and who does not." Researchers continue to observe a correlation between the degree of invitations in a person’s life to demonic attacks (séance, Ouija boards, astrology, witchcraft, palm or psychic reading). One reason why research scientists may be reluctant to say specifically that demons exist behind the RUFOs is because that answer points too directly to a Christian interpretation of the problem.
Reasons to Believe is an interdenominational ministry that communicates the basis for belief in the Bible as the true Word of God.
www.reasons.org
Is a person that makes a business out of terrifying people a terror-ist?
Please stop reffering to these charltons as "Christians". Hugh Ross is NO Christian. He claims to believe in Jesus but his theories and rantings bear NO resemblence to the teachings of the Bible. NONE!
I'd rather be a fan of a person that through hard work and common sense became the best there was in a very competitive environment, rather than worship a murderer.
Uh oh. My cover has been blown.
No he didn't. If he did he wouldn't be an evolutionist. He is a charlton claiming to be a Christian, follower of Jesus but he isn't. He follows his own teachings. Creationists, like myself shun these phonies.
Out of curiosity, is the author Steven King a terrorist?
Try using a little bit of what you admire in another. What a laughable,witless conclusion you draw.
I agree. If he studied the Bible thoroughly, he would also believe that the Sun orbits a flat Earth (yes, it is a little difficult to conceptualize).
I have long believed that UFO's often appearing as light, are the work of Satan who disguises himself as an angel of light, and his demons.
We are certainly in the last days......how long they will last we do not know.....but I imagine that sightings of UFO's will increase with time as Satan works in a frenzy to win battles in a WAR he has already lost. Praise be to God!
And you, obviously, have never studied the Bible thoroughly. The concept of the Sun orbiting a flat earth was a total misinterpretation of Scripture, not an accurate understanding of it.
There is nothing in Scripture that disagrees with any scientific fact.......in fact, many scientific discoveries might have been made sooner had the Bible been correctly understood. The problem is that scientific theory is passed off as fact, because of the anti-religious bias of the 'scientists.'
I don't see the problem in believing that God set the conditions for evolution to occur. It takes more genius to set the conditions for evolution to create the animals than to just create them all at once.
Gen 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
It says the God let the earth bring forth the animals after their kind. Could be evolution. I think this anger over evolution is petty. What does it matter whether God used evolution or didn't. It's a miracle either way.
The "days" in Genesis could be any time period.
Gen 1:5 And God [0430] called [07121] (8799) the light [0216] Day [03117], and the darkness [02822] he called [07121] (8804) Night [03915]. And the evening [06153] and the morning [01242] were the first [0259] day [03117].
Taking #3117 from above:
03117 yowm {yome}
from an unused root meaning to be hot; TWOT - 852; n m
AV - day 2008, time 64, chronicles + 01697 37, daily 44, ever 18,
year 14, continually 10, when 10, as 10, while 8, full 8 always 4, whole 4, alway 4, misc 44; 2287
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
The Hebrew word translated into "day" could be any general time period in this context. A day to God is not the same as a day to us:
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
A day to God can be a very long time for us.
I will personally attest.
(Now, please don't scoff -- I intend to be silly)
Please can I have some Lucky Charms, please, please, please? We ET's just LOVE Lucky Charms!!
Not a terrorist but a terror-ist.
The sniper wants to be worshipped. By repeating his words and repeating his actions, you are worshipping him.
Daniel 4:7-8, "I saw a tree of great height at the center of the world. It was large and strong, with its top touching the heavens, and it could be seen from the ends of the earth." Explain to me how this is possible on a spherical earth.
Matthew 4:8, "The devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and displayed before him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence...." Ditto.
Genesis 1:6-7, "Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places... and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it." The author of Genesis 1 doesn't even understand rain!
There is nothing in Scripture that disagrees with any scientific fact.......in fact, many scientific discoveries might have been made sooner had the Bible been correctly understood.
Oh, aside from claiming that bats are birds, for example?
Where does the bible say that the earth is flat and the sun orbits the earth?
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