Book Review
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Aliens - Why They Are HereMost compelling thought:The alien phenomenon - sightings, abductions, well thought through and widely believed theories as well as a hugely popular alien fiction market - is too persistent to be due simply to mass delusion. Denying this would be poor science, or as Appleyard writes, "The aliens are, indeed, the contemporary incarnations of the angels, demons and goblins of the past...". Buy this book for: Apologists who are interested in parallels between contemporary and ancient reality models. Or folks who like to ponder the world but get no full satisfaction from models derived by physics and mathematics. |
Bryan Appleyard
Bryan Appleyard writes for a living and is really good at that. He has authored several books - and has won all kinds of prizes. He mainly meditates about being human, especially in this age of science and reason. Appleyard's vast mind readily sees the incompleteness of a reality model based merely on scientific proofs and raises his thoughts like a kite in a sky of neglected evidences. In times to come Bryan Appleyard will be certainly recognized as a pioneer of a Newer Age.
A brief review of:
Aliens - Why They Are Here
Aliens is what happens when a curious, brilliant, truly gifted writer and devotee to both scientific rigor and scientific imagination begins to ponder why so many people who are not nuts in any clinical way, swear they have had encounters with extra terrestrial beings. It is estimated that 2% of Americans have had experiences that are 'consistent with those that abductees experienced before they knew they were abductees.' And since aliens are most unlikely to show partiality in whom they abduct, the figure of 2% may be applied to the entire world's population. Why do so many people believe in aliens? Why are aliens such a common and trusted factor in fiction? Appleyard states, "The consistency of the visions over time and across cultures must say something more about the human mind than simply that it is prone to madness. [] This is not a geek thing, a crazy person's thing, an SF nut thing, it is a thing that has invaded all our imaginations..."Reading Aliens is a true pleasure and an adventure into the curious present state of the human mental condition. The mercy with which Appleyard observes endears, his reasoning astounds and his knowledge humbles. And aliens, whatever they are, are real. Aliens, in whatever way, exist.
Appleyard first takes us on a baffling journey through the history of alien encounters, sects devoted to aliens, UFO's and how alien fiction continuously reflects real society. He seamlessly (deliciously and shamelessly) oscillates between research material, scientific theory and scenes from SF movies and books.
In the second part of the book Appleyard asks the questions that inevitably rise from part one: Why are aliens here? And what is here exactly? Are flesh and bones creatures flying nuts and bolts spaceships? Almost certainly not, argues Appleyard, and that for several very good reasons. Apart from improbabilities concerning the nature of space, just think what a massive operation it would be to physically abduct 2% of the world's population without leaving a single shred of evidence. And if aliens are capable of pulling this off, how come they allow some saucers to crash and leave their dead associates for us to find?
But, even more interesting is the question of whether an alien encounter per definition must have something to do with something extra terrestrial. What is this universe in which we live? How do we relate to it? What is this endless abyss on the bottom of which we find ourselves. Are these visiting beings from the bottom as well or perhaps from some other plane? And if they are products of mere evolution based on chance, is there a reasonable chance that creatures from a completely different evolutional process are in any way compatible to us, meaning that they look and act remotely like us so that we would actually be able to understand their gestures and even speech? (It turns out, that chance is practically zero).
Aliens should be studied, and since there are no alien artefacts released to the general public (because they're being kept by governments, men in black, or simply never existed) all we can study is the empty, cold and inhospitable void of the universe and the bustling, passionate and inviting mind of the alien observer. But not only psychology should have a field day with alien abductees, Scripture Theory is on the invitation list as well. Where Paul mentions law written on people's hearts (Rom 2:15), Appleyard writes, "Alienology is riddled with a sense of original sin." And to be redeemed from that original sin, aliens show up to proclaim man's guilt and often to offer salvific knowledge. That particular concept is usually, as also by Appleyard, seen as Gnosticism and anti-Bible, but there's a very thin line:
Even though the Bible states that salvation is a gift to the faithful, it also says that faith is a knowledge (Hebr 11:1) and that Truth will set one free. Paul in 2 Timothy 3:15 even speaks of 'the wisdom that leads to salvation,' though given by texts and through faith.
We have no idea what angels are, biologically spoken, but, since truth can only be heard by the truthful, angels may in fact be elaborate spiritual mirrors. Humans see what they believe they see and the same entity that once was an angel (or Mary) from heaven is now an alien from outer space, still speaking a message of betterment and salvation.
The Hebrew and Greek words for angel (both meaning messenger) are as general as our word alien (meaning stranger). An alien is anything that is other than us; an angel is anything that carries a message. An angel may be a burning bush, a spirit being or a humanoid. An alien may be a spirit being, a smart sponge, or an extraterrestrial Jonah sent by God to preach repentance to our Nineveh. In fact, there is a long established, albeit dubious, alien abduction variant in the field of eschatology, called Rapture Theology.
But what is really quite exciting for Scripture Theorists and apologists alike is that the hunt for the identity of those strange visitors has been formally opened. Angel visitations have never been scientifically looked at, let alone in favour, and angels are usually among the first entities mentioned to have been swept of the human stage by science. But now science concedes that there is indeed something going on. The famous Harvard professor-gone-alien John Mack has extensively studied the phenomenon and even thinks that science and the scientific approach to humanity may have clouded our vision on who we truly are. Just like the hunt for the identity of light swayed between the two possibilities of particle or wave and then revealed a third possibility which was neither conventional particle nor conventional wave, so expects Mack there to be a 'third realm' to reality. 'The third realm is what we have most assiduously covered up, first with our monotheism and, secondly, with our Enlightenment scientism. It exists, though not as matter or mind does, but in a way we can not understand because we have lost the power to do so.'
While arguing his case Appleyard can't help but refer to Biblical Scriptures. He mentions Adam and Eve, angels and of course the famous Ezekiel vision of a metal-glowing and fire-spewing UFO crewed by winged humanoids. But those are just the obvious ones; the references that everybody knows about. Much bolder is the pre-flood reference to the 'sons of God' who impregnated the 'daughters of man' and sired a super race (Gen 6), which seemingly procures argument for the popular idea that man's sudden burst into power of 40,000 years ago had something to do with an alien inspiration. And what about the meeting of God and Moses' on Mount Sinai, when fire and thunder enveloped the summit? Or the pillar of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by night? An alien species that knows how to alter man's perception of reality for the better may also be able to part a large body of water. Or make two whole nations believe they saw it. What about Elijah's chariot of fire, or Jesus' walk on water? It seems as if the bigger stories of the Bible can breathe again now that mankind is seriously contemplating a third realm.
Here at Abarim we believe that the times grow into their fullness kind of gradually, but will change phase suddenly, just like slowly cooling water that suddenly freezes. According to Scriptures, at a certain moment (which, we guess, is not a point in time but rather a point on a complexity scale) the heavens will roll up like a scroll (sounds kind of String Theory-like), all the books will open, and the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in all His glory and if that wasn't cool enough, also with a humongous host of angels and saints; aliens in one word. We guess that aliens are perceived more often these days because some of us have a natural tendency to stick out of the big blob of human mentality, and manage to peek across into that third realm. It's like a pot that boils over, or little waves of eternity sloshing into time.
Nowhere on our 1200+ page website do we do this but - true to nature's nature - we'll now gladly make an exception. Here we go:
The Bible is true. The Bible may seem a bit wacky here and there but that's because we're believing the wrong things about the universe, about God and about ourselves. Aliens are real. God is real. Jesus Christ is real. He died on Golgotha but broke the suffocating grip of the weak nuclear force by not staying dead. He's alive and He is on His way home. You are strenuously invited to be that home.
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