Cult or religion

Just a question for people...do you think Ufology has become a new religion..or is it more of a cult.

I see people posting on these forums who would believe no matter what evidence is presented.

reply to post by kerazeesicko


honestly I see it as neither, even though I am very interested in the subject. I know there are people out there who make up stories but thats why you dont believe everything you read lol

reply to post by kerazeesicko


It is in my opinion more of a religion than cult. There is no person out there running the show and making anyone who believes follow orders or anything like a cult would demand.

A religion let's you believe in what you want, so I think this would fall under that category. And that is only because you only gave me 2 options to pick from.

reply to post by kerazeesicko



Neither. Ufology is just what it is, the study of/into ufo's and/or aliens or E.T's.
Some people are quick to believe and stick to the belief that it is a ufo/alien and nothing else because in their mind they have no other way of explaining it but the obvious (UFO!!!!!!!).
Its an idea that's bigger than we will ever be.

Kinda like how my cousins told me not to step on earthworms when i was a kid because they'll dig into my foot and go into my brain. I figured because they could dig into the earth I was doomed.:wow"

re·li·gion  [ri-lij-uhn]
–noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4.
the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5.
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
6.
something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

I would have to say neither. At least by these definitions.

For me its become a religion almost. As with religion some proof or real evidence isn't the backbone of the overall theme.

The study of UFOs itself is not a cult nor does it have religious overtones, no more than the study of any other subject. However, there are those within do treat the subject of UFOs in a cult-like manner.

On an academic level, scholars simply denote cults as a new religious movement. It is societal acceptance, bureaucratization, a tolerance of other faiths and of diversity of belief among its own members, less interference in the lives of its members and an acceptance of differing levels of involvement of this members in the faith that separates a cult from a religion. Also, cults tend to be lead by charismatic individuals who proclaim to have discovered new information that helps the understanding of the faithful, often the leader or this information becomes the focus of the cult.

Obviously people have a misunderstanding of the definition of religion and cult. Please read the above provided definition of religion and use google in your own time to check out cult. Ufology is neither of these things. Move along.

Cult or religion
Neither , I would say for most its an interest , for others its a business .
UFO's represent the unknown and people throughout the ages have had a fascination with mystery of one kind or another .

Originally posted by kerazeesicko
Just a question for people...do you think Ufology has become a new religion..or is it more of a cult.

I see people posting on these forums who would believe no matter what evidence is presented.

One thing is for sure, it is mixing with the new age movement and their beliefs and visa versa

reply to post by kerazeesicko
Neither, Most contactees, never go to but one or two conferences, all they do is sell books and shill their next one. Crouds selling crystals, videos of Big Foot. We pretty much stay away, because all people want to know is what they look, and where do they come from. Which for us is the boring part. There use to be some Government agents just posing as TV producers, I sent one my book never heard a thing, never tried to publish.
Just hold it all inside, waiting for someone to understand without ridicule. Don't go to any meetings, most of us don't even know each other, since I joined here my first time to talk about online. All that Light Channeling is just a scam. They would be the first ones to freak out if they saw one. Not a religion, but people have tried that con too. Didn't work on us.

Ufology is neither a cult nor a religion, I think its a legitimate field of research. lets face there are things flying around in our skies, and we do not know what they are or where they come from. Maybe if we as humans could stop the senseless tribal mentality of "my territory, your territory" or "my religion is right and yours is wrong", maybe we too could someday be able to fly around in someone elses skies and make the inhabitants wonder what we are.

reply to post by kerazeesicko


This is one of the subjects that makes me spit nails and want to rend flesh and scream bloody murder at the sky. It brings out my inner warrior one might say. UFOlogy SHOULD be a matter of hard science and investigation. But it has been riddled with the cancer of charlatanism, shamanistic twaddle, and a bunch of unsubstantiated claims , made by people utterly incapable of discussing reality , and is dying on its butt, simply because the mediums, mystics and bloody channelers have ruined it for serious thinkers.

Long has it been the case that people who would rather discuss the mechanics of interstellar travel, have played second fiddle to those who claim to have alien contacts , using utterly untestable methods like ESP , or some spiritual connection to the universe to communicate. This is an absolutely disgraceful state of affairs. And as the cultists and other LIARS grow more numerous, so does the validity of the whole question evaporate even further. These jackasses are actualy killing the whole subject dead.

It has to be understood that the only way the question of aliens and UFO can be answered effectively and in a manner which will be understood and accepted by the majority is by science.This is because science is a global language, which largely speaking is not subject to the same risk of cultural clashing as other methods of communication , and thinking about the universe might be. Not only does science reach more people than the psuedo religious flim flam of the likes of Greer and Goodchild (may the forces of darkness rot thier crotches , and may worms issue forth from thier mouths) but it attains results that cannot be denied by mere philosophy.

Just look at the advances in astronomy , biology , and physics in the last ten years! Exoplanets in thier hundreds, extremophile lifeforms by the boat load, and the ever more powerful subatomic overtures of the LHC all add up to a heavy truth. The truth is, that although the CLAIMS of the psuedo religious, non science of the mystics are certainly fantastical, the information that science has recorded about the universe is far more weighty because of its being independantly verifiable.

If I had it my way, there would be no,and I mean not one single channeler left alive. For the damage they have done, for the years they have set back the whole feild of UFOlogy, I would gladly see them all put through a garden waste shredder. Might get something done around here without thier intellectual trash messing the place up all day.

Depends on how you define ufology. Are ufologists only those who investigate reports and interview witnesses, gathering and compiling the data? Do you consider whistleblowers and people who express an interest on ATS to be part of ufology?

I limit my use of the term to those who have a body of investigatory work to contribute, like J. Allen Hynek, Raymond Fowler, James McDonald, Jacques Vallee, etc. People who have personally investigated reports, in other words. I have read several dozen books on the subject, but that doesn't make me a part of ufology, any more than reading a book by Stephen Jay Gould makes me a biologist. Reading those books and scouring the internet for UFO related material is not "my research", as many people on ATS like to say.

It's all about the definition. That said, there are a lot of cultish aspects to popular conceptions of and belief in UFOs.

niether.......its an actual pyhsical possibility...actually certainty.....anyone with a basic knowledge in physics chemistry, or biology knows this.

reply to post by kerazeesicko


Remember Galileo, Copernicus? People made fun of them all the time too.
Then one day it wasn't religious or cultish, it was science. Its like that.

Would prefer to see it as a field of science that hasn't yet been accepted by science. The cult/religious aspect probably comes into it with some groups of believers, but as long as they're not harming anyone it's not something that bothers me.