Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection
Gary BatesKeywords: UFOs, aliens, extraterrestrial life, the occult, evolution, the gospel
Many people down through the centuries have been fascinated by the idea of being visited by intelligent beings from somewhere other than earth. In our age especially, with (limited) space travel now a reality, science fiction almost a staple of our entertainment diet, the possibility of the existence other dimensions being seriously considered, and New Age and Eastern religious beliefs widespread, the UFO phenomenon has reached almost epidemic proportions. The days of "simple" UFO sightings and crop circles have long since been superceded, and we are now faced with abductions, scientific and genetic experiments, interbreeding, galactic travel, and prophecies of widespread future destruction or eternal bliss (as the case may be).
What are we to make of these things? Is the entire thing a hoax, perpetuated by liars and lunatics? Is there any scientific or common sense explanation behind the phenomena? Can we gain any insight from the Bible on these issues? Gary Bates discusses all of these issues and more in this book, using common sense, logic, history, science, and ultimately the Bible to get to the bottom of the issue.
The first couple chapters take a look at the phenomenon as a whole, particularly its rapid rise in popularity during the twentieth century and the various influences that contributed to that rise. Besides discussing individuals and groups who were and are prominent in the movement and various famous people who were UFO "believers," Gary also takes a look at the significant role science fiction played in both encouraging and complementing the popular interest. Both here, and throughout the book, he examines the connection between belief in UFOs and belief in evolution, showing that the two are connected in many ways.
The next couple chapters consider the theoretical groundwork, examining the the scientific possibility of extraterrestrial visitors. Chapter 3 examines the question of whether there is life on other planets. He discusses the search for inhabitable planets, and points out that so far Earth is unique in its ability to support life. Indeed, there is much evidence that the earth was designed to support life, in contradiction to the Big Bang cosmology, which has numerous serious problems, some of which he discusses briefly. Chapter 4 discusses the intriguing idea that aliens may have "planted" life on earth. In this chapter particularly, Gary shows that belief in evolution leads to the expectation of life on other planets. If life evolved here on earth, why could it not evolve elsewhere in the universe? He points out the errors in evolutionary theory and its inadequacy to explain the origin of life, whether here on earth or elsewhere in the universe. Once again, design is a better explanation.
Gary gets down to business in the next couple chapters, discussing many of the historic sightings and events, as well as some of the attempts at explaining them. Chapter 5 focuses on UFO sightings in particular, while chapter 6 expands the discussion to include things like the Roswell incident, government coverups, and crop circles. Perhaps nothing sticks out more in these chapters than the widespread fraud on the part of the promotors of UFO sightings. Time and again their claims are tested and found to be false or misleading. Nevertheless, there are still a few sightings that are not fraudulent, but cannot be explained by natural phenomenon or man-made technology either.
The next three chapters delve deeper into the more bizarre aspects of the UFO phenomenon. Chapter 7 examines alien abduction and the experiences associated with it. Gary shows that these experiences are very real to the abductees, and often have tremendous impact on their lives. These experiences are also very widespread, and cannot be dismissed as mere hallucinations of a few crackpots. Something serious, something real is going on. Chapter 8 takes a look at some of the messages the alien abductors are giving to their human captives, or in some cases, willing companions. Many of these messages are religious in nature, but most often are contradictory to the Bible and hostile to traditional Christianity. Gary shows that despite their proclamations of good will, the messages of these aliens or "space brothers" have often proved to be misleading or deceptive. In some cases, they turn out to be deadly. Chapter 9 looks at the prophetic messages especially, comparing them with the prophecies in scripture. In these chapters, Gary presents a very disturbing explanation for these surprising messages, as well as all of the phenomena discussed in the previous chapters.
The last chapter gives the author's perspective, including a powerful presentation of the gospel. The appendix deals with specific questions concerning UFOs in the Bible.
This is an extremely well-researched book that examines most of the issues in depth. Gary's conclusion concerning the truth and nature of the UFO phenomenon is well-supported and compelling. If he is right, it is of utmost importance that this information gets out to the public, particularly to those who have an interest in UFOlogy or claim to have abduction or visitation experiences. Christians especially should be aware of what is going on. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the UFO phenomenon or concerned for those involved in it. Your perception of this issue will never be the same.