Are UFOs and Aliens Real?

by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S

Are UFOs and aliens real? Have we been visited by aliens? Are they here still?

"It seems that all Apollo and Gemini flights were followed, both at a distance and sometimes also quite closely, by space vehicles of extraterrestrial origin - flying saucers, or UFOs, if you want to call them by that name. Every time it occurred, the astronauts informed Mission Control, who then ordered absolute silence."

Former Chief of NASA Communications Systems Maurice Chatelain, Our Ancestors Came from Outer Space, 1979

Legends and artifacts dating back thousands of years have ignited man's imagination for decades to centuries with theories of ancient astronauts and alien beings from other planets. Sightings of "UFOs" or "unidentified flying objects" of varying sizes, shapes and other characteristics have been recorded around the world for hundreds of years, possibly thousands. In popular TV shows, it is claimed that "sky people" are purportedly recorded as having brought advanced culture to the hominids who have lived on this planet.

According to these legends, supposedly, this "first contact" had occurred previously, following cataclysm. Some stories relate this civilizing event to have happened several times during Earth's history. Geological, paleontological, anthropological and archaeological data reveal that there have indeed been many cataclysms on this earth, several on a global level, with climate change and mass extinction. The tales allegedly recount that after such a catastrophe, many surviving humans were reduced to the Stone Age but that more advanced humanoids descended from spacecraft and reestablished civilization. Are these claims true? Were these "sky people" aliens? Have there been "aliens" among us all along? Or is it all just an illusion?

"Have there been 'aliens' among us? Or is it all just an illusion?"

Skepticism is Warranted

In investigating the traditions, it becomes clear that there are a number of different types now compiled under the heading of legendary "sky people": humans, gods and, possibly, aliens. In our quest to discover the truth about this planet's history we find that "the gods" in general are not people or aliens but planetary bodies, such as the sun, moon, earth, planets, stars, etc., as well as elements in nature.

In this regard, TV shows like "Ancient Aliens" have failed to employ Occam's Razor in investigating what the ancient gods truly represented but have rushed to judgment to call them "aliens." For example, the Greek sun god Apollo is most assuredly just that: A sun god, not an alien flying through the sky in his chariot-spaceship.

"Apollo is a sun god, not an alien flying through the sky in his chariot-spaceship."

In addition, it is obvious from the legends that at least some of the "spacecraft" were of the probable previous earthly civilization, the "vimanas" and "flying machines" of lore. Other legends say that when the chaos descended these manmade "spacecraft" transported a number of inhabitants to elsewhere, which is speculated to be the moon, Mars, Venus or other destination, including inside the earth or under the sea. In inspecting these legends of "sky people," then, it would be prudent to suggest that, if they are true and not mythical, most if not all of these high-fliers were humans who may have developed the capacity to fly, to whatever extent.

There have also allegedly been found the skeletal remains of a number of bizarre humanoid and hominid races now unknown and extinct, indicating unexplained phenomena, although not necessarily "aliens" from another planet. In recent years, it has been asserted that there must have been many more hominid species than previously supposed, with the discovery of Homo floresiensis or "the hobbit," for example, in Indonesia, which thrived some 12,000 years ago, much later than was the supposed demise of such types of species. Obviously, none of these creatures is an "alien," however.

"None of these hominid creatures is an 'alien.'"

In the past, sightings of UFOs have been dismissed as the planet Venus or "swamp gas." Many sightings are explainable by natural or manmade phenomena, but some are not, and millions of people in the past few decades have reported seeing something that is clearly unidentifiable. Abduction by aliens has been ridiculed as hallucination, which, no doubt, it often is. But is it necessarily always?

The Belgium UFO Wave, Mexico City Eclipse and Phoenix Lights

From 1989 to 1990 in Belgium, a large object with lights was witnessed by hundreds of individuals, including police, air force personnel and air traffic controllers, as in the video below.

Skeptics claim that the Belgium UFO flap has been debunked and that the supposed "UFO" was a "polystyrene fake." Such explanations likely will fail to impress those who witnessed this purported hoax, including the policemen, air traffic controllers and pilots.

During an eclipse in Mexico City on July 11, 1991, a UFO was witnessed and filmed by hundreds of people as they gazed up at the sky.

A sighting similar to that in Belgium occurred in 1997, called the "Phoenix Lights," which has garnered a great deal of attention and was seen by a multitude of people, including air traffic personnel and major politicians. This story is so impressive that it is featured in National Geographic's "Secret History of UFOs," which provides a neutral and important chronicle of the various legends and sightings over the past several decades.

In this regard, the former governor of Arizona, Fife Symington, said of the Phoenix lights phenomenon, which he himself witnessed: "I suspect that, unless the Defense Department proves it otherwise, it was some form of an alien spacecraft."

"The former governor of Arizona said he suspects the Phoenix lights phenomenon was 'some form of an alien spacecraft.'" 

It should be noted that skeptics claim the "Phoenix Lights" - purportedly two separate events - have been exposed as flares and planes. Eyewitnesses respond that such a claim itself cannot be sustained, as they know what flares look like, and these objects did not behave like flares. Moreover, witnesses likewise take exception with the idea that the sightings are the result of Cessnas flying in formation.

Travis Walton

As concerns possible alien abductions, NatGeoTV has a show called "Chasing UFOs," in which investigators travel around the country to interview witnesses and make observations. For example, "Chasing UFOs" highlights the story of purported UFO abductee Travis Walton, whose bizarre tale involved several witnesses to the UFO activity that preceded his alleged abduction. Although skeptics maintain doubt about it, Walton's story has stayed consistent throughout decades of investigation and exploration, including a sensationalized account in a major film, "Fire in the Sky" and such interviews as this one by NatGeo. I have communicated personally with Travis, and I am certainly in no position to label him a liar.

The "Experts" Speak

Over the past few decades, several excellent researchers have followed the lead of the fringe element and produced insights into the potential reality behind the tales and the sightings. Despite being ignored by mainstream media, these credentialed and credible experts have managed to evince effectively that UFOs are real, extraterrestrials are here and abductions are occurring, among other "alien" behavior. Some of these "experts," however, may be disinfo agents, and this field is rampant with fraud and hoaxes, so, again, caution must be taken.

In 2010, the respected scientist Dr. Michio Kaku put his considerable hat into the ring by stating definitely that some objects in the sky, about 5% of sightings, are clearly unidentified and that they behave oddly or "spookily." At that time, Dr. Kaku was discussing the book by researcher Leslie Kean entitled, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record, which Kaku says is "bound to set the gold standard for UFO research." Relates Kaku:

We're talking about generals, we're talking about airforce pilots, we're talking about governors of states, that claim, "Hey, this is beyond our understanding of the laws of physics."

"We're talking about generals, airforce pilots and governors of states."

Kean's book contains dozens of these sightings by numerous sober individuals with positions of authority.

Astronauts and UFOs

Among the authorities and professionals who have witnessed UFOs are NASA astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, Gordon Cooper, Donald Slayton, Robert White, Joseph A. Walker, Eugene Cernan, Ed White, James McDivitt, James Lovell, Frank Borman, Neil Armstrong, Maurice Chatelain and Scott Carpenter.

An article in Discovery magazine entitled "Apollo Astronaut Chats About UFO, Alien Belief" recounts that Apollo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell has discussed openly the much debated event at Roswell, New Mexico, and is a firm believer that the crash involved a spacecraft and aliens. Says Mitchell:

My major knowledge comes from what I call the old-timers, people who were at Roswell and subsequent who wanted to clear the things up and tell somebody credible even though they were under severe threats and things - this was back in the Roswell days. Having gone to the moon and being a local citizen out in the Roswell area some of them thought I would be a safe choice to tell their story to, which they did. Even though the government put real clamps on everybody, it got out anyhow.

Subsequent to that, I did take my story to the Pentagon - not NASA, but the Pentagon - and asked for a meeting with the Intelligence Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and got it. And told them my story and what I know and eventually had that confirmed by the admiral that I spoke with, that indeed what I was saying was true....

...There was a UFO crash. There was an alien spacecraft.

"At Roswell, there was a UFO crash. There was an alien spacecraft."

Mitchell also discussed the Phoenix lights, saying "That wasn't our stuff," referring to human technology. The former astronaut further stated:

Three humongous craft flew over Phoenix, very slowly in the middle of the night that clearly were not - I happened to be on the phone with people out there when that happened and have had pictures of it - clearly those were not, to those of us who know aviation and spacecraft, clearly those were not local stuff, home-grown stuff.

In response to Mitchell's implications that the government is hiding these facts, it was reported:

Officials from NASA, however, were quick to play the comments down.

In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe.

In this regard, it is important as well to take into account skeptical arguments against the purported presence of aliens and UFOs manned by intelligent beings in our solar system, as in these articles: "List of UFO-related hoaxes"; the Skeptical Enquirer article (3.1, 1978) by James Oberg entitled, "Astronaut 'UFO' Sightings"; and any number of articles purporting todebunk the Roswell incident.

NASA aside, the stories coming from Russian cosmonauts have been around for decades, as this old "Sightings" program demonstrates.

Pilot Sightings

Space does not permit for all the accounts by pilots, both military and commercial, who have witnessed UFO phenomena of some sort. See, e.g., "Pilot Sightings":

There have been over 3,500 documented sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena by military, civilian and commercial airline pilots. These observations span the entire history of powered flight. Many of these cases come from declassified US government reports and investigations, international reports from official sources and the direct testimony of military and commercial pilots, air traffic controllers, and radar operators.

Governmental Testimony

As concerns high-ranking experts, in September 2005, a former Canadian defense minister under Pierre Trudeau made a stunning request to the parliament to begin public hearings concerning making peaceful relations with aliens, a diplomatic move called "Exopolitics." According to PRWEB:

On September 25, 2005, in a startling speech at the University of Toronto that caught the attention of mainstream newspapers and magazines, Paul Hellyer, Canadas Defence Minister from 1963-67 under Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prime Minister Lester Pearson, publicly stated: "UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head."

"UFOs are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head." 

White House and Rockefeller Initiative

In 1997, White House correspondent Sarah McClendon released an article about a group of government-employed scientists and technicians who state definitively that UFOs and aliens are real and are from other worlds. This group claimed that intimidation is still rampant and people are afraid to come forward with evidence that the phenomenon is genuine.

"A group of government-employed scientists and technicians state definitively that UFOs and aliens are real and are from other worlds."

McClendon stated that the Clinton administration had "many briefings on the subject."Laurance Rockefeller, well known for his comments on visitors from outer space, was the Clinton advisor on the subject. It is claimed that a number of other government officials, including Al Gore, have been privy to these briefings and documents.

To force the issue, McClendon reported, the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence ("CSETI") was collecting a million signatures on a petition for a congressional hearing.

Philip Corso

McClendon also related the experience of Lt. Col. Philip Corso, who claimed to have worked on the back-engineering of alien ship parts from the Roswell crash, stating definitively that this work led to the development of a number of high tech creations of the past 50 years. "Corso and hundreds of others who work or have worked in secret defense and scientific agencies, are willing to swear under oath that alien craft are repeatedly penetrating our airspace," McClendon reported.

"Corso and hundreds of others who work or have worked in secret defense and scientific agencies are willing to swear under oath that alien craft are repeatedly penetrating our airspace."

 Now deceased, Corso has been the subject of extensive debunking by skeptics.

Star Wars Cover-Up?

In another stunning statement, University of New Hampshire professor of chemical oceanography, Ted Loder, PhD, stated definitively that the government is engaged with aliens, that there is "an interstellar war" going on, and that this is all being covered up by the brainwashing of the masses. "And hoaxers who build crop circles and debunk UFO sightings are actually paid off by the covert organization," Loder says.

"Aliens are allegedly making themselves known to wake up the populace because, 'We're polluting ourselves to death.'"

Loder also opines that the aliens are making themselves more known to try to wake up the populace because, "We're polluting ourselves to death." He claims that the U.S. government, using "Star Wars" and, presumably, other methods, has been able to shoot down UFOs. Loder also points out that by the government keeping this information secret, humanity is prevented from using alien technology that is free and clean, such that the environment is also suffering from this cover-up. He further declares that humankind is going to have to evolve in order to join any cosmic community, and that its attitudes towards religion, race, etc., will have to change.

Vatican Spokesman and Effect on Religion

In addition, after centuries of being occupied by "aliens" (sarcasm), the Vatican, represented by insider Monsignor Balducci, has appeared on national television in Italy to state that extraterrestrial contact is real. Balducci has said that extraterrestrials "are NOT demonic, they are NOT due to psychological impairment, they are NOT a case of entity attachment, but these encounters deserve to be studied carefully."

"The Vatican has appeared on national television in Italy to state that extraterrestrial contact is real."

Various researchers over the decades have claimed that the Vatican has been quite aware of "alien" presences for centuries, so this "admission" would not be exactly a surprise. What also is not a surprise is that, despite the probability of extraterrestrial life somewhere in the universe, the Catholic Church will cling to its claim that a Jewish carpenter "always remains the center of the Universe..." No worries at all for those who have been concerned that the revelation of the existence of alien life in the cosmos would somehow affect Earth's religions in a detrimental way! It seems that humans will always find a way to remain entrenched in their conditioning, no matter how strong the evidence against it.

"Until human beings reject their egocentric interpretations of the cosmos as found in myopic religions, they will not be viewed as 'intelligent life' by any possible extraterrestrials."

Yet, until human beings reject their egocentric interpretations of the cosmos as found in myopic religions, they will not be viewed as "intelligent life" by any possible extraterrestrials. As Lloyd Graham says, in Deceptions and Myths of the Bible:

Recently I heard a religious group discussing this, and one of them said if ever space travel became a possibility they would carry the Gospel message to the other planets - some of which may be billions of years in advance of us. What would the beings there think of it? Would they not be surprised to learn the mother of their Creator was a Jewish girl by the name of Mary, and that their world was created by her Son saying Let it be? No, if ever we go visiting cosmically we had better leave our provincialisms at home.

Since this was written, cosmic visiting is underway. Men can now go to the moon, and yet believe in Genesic Creation; they can transplant hearts but only "with the help of God," as one stated. Can we not see that this is but our way of thinking, and that the beings on other worlds never heard of this God, His mother, or His word-of-mouth creation?

"Would not beings on other planets be surprised to learn the mother of their Creator was a Jewish girl by the name of Mary and that their world was created by her Son saying, 'Let it be?'"

The comment about stubbornness applies to hardcore skeptics as well, who may feel very wise in rejecting outright the idea of any sort of UFO phenomenon. The facts are that UFOs - i.e., unidentified flying objects - do exist, and that chances are there is life elsewhere in the universe. The questions are: Are any UFOs "spacecraft" powered by "aliens?" And, has alien life thus found its way here, to this dinky little speck of space dust in the middle of nowhere?

Forget About Worshipping Aliens

It sounds great at first to think that there may be aliens among us, at least in the New Age arena, where the "aliens" always claim to be trying to help but never do much of anything. If such good-guy aliens are around, they certainly should not be worshipped as gods, anymore than cultures with advanced technology should be worshipped by inhabitants of jungles or remote islands.

"If aliens are around, they should not be worshipped as gods, anymore than cultures with advanced technology should be worshipped by inhabitants of jungles or remote islands."

Any "aliens" who may be lurking about on this planet must also be questioned as to why, if they are so advanced and evolved, they have allowed such a destructive scenario as what has been happening on Earth for the past several thousand years. They should not be easily let off the hook, not even if they claim "prime directive of non-interference." Who makes up such rules anyway? Why not interfere? Why not assist? Why allow people to crash into mountaintops and then cannibalize each other to survive?

"If aliens are real, why not interfere in human life? Why not assist? Why allow people to crash into mountaintops and then cannibalize each other to survive?"

If we were visiting another culture upon Earth and happened to stumble into internecine warfare, where children were being killed or some other atrocity being committed, would we stand back and say, "Oh, I can only watch as that young girl is burned by Napalm, because I'm under the order of prime directive?" That lazy and callous attitude of non-interference is one of the major problems on this planet, so why should we consider "aliens" who would behave in the same manner to be "advanced gods" worthy of worship?

While we may never need to castigate any alleged good-guy ETs who may eventually make themselves publicly known, we must also not revere them more highly than ourselves; for, it is we who have suffered as "spiritual soldiers" on this madcap planet, with little if any of their assistance. We will not recognize them as saviors, although we will certainly graciously welcome their assistance. Yet, if it were true that they have been engaged in stellar wars to keep this or any other planet safe from the bad guys, then we would certainly hail them as heroes, just as we would any human who puts her or his life on the line for the greater good. And then we would incorporate them into our lives as guests and members of the cosmic family. We would also express our gratitude that they have finally revealed themselves to be real, such that humankind is freed at last from its "island madness" and now knows that it is not alone and is not responsible for the maintenance of the entire universe.

Caution is Necessary

In addition, it is very wise to keep in mind that, while it is alleged that various national governments are covering up the UFO/alien phenomenon, it is also suggested thatsomeone in "the government" is using the phenomenon to manipulate the masses in some bizarre and ungainly manner. Within this alleged mind-control operation are "UFO cults," such as URANTIA and others that espouse mystical mumbo-jumbo.

In Messengers of Deception, French scientist Dr. Jacques Vallee, who served as the inspiration for the French scientist Francois Truffaut in Steven Spielberg's popular film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," cautions about the problems with the UFO paradigm:

Racist philosophy. The pernicious suggestion that some of us on the Earth are of extraterrestrial descent and therefore constitute a "higher race." The dangers inherent in this belief should be obvious to anybody who hasn't forgotten the genocides of World War II, executed on the premise that some races were somehow 'purer' and better than others. (Let us note in passing that Adamski's Venusian... and many other alleged extreterrestrials were all tall Aryan types with long blond hair.)

Technical impotence. The statement that the birth of civilization on this planet resulted not from the genius and ability of mankind, but from repeated assistance by higher beings. Archaeologists and anthropologists are constantly aware of the marvelous skill with which the "Ancient Engineers" (to use L. Sprague de Camp's phrase) developed the tools of civilization on all continents. No appeal to superior powers is necessary to explain the achievements of early culture. The belief expressed by the contactees reveals a tragic lack of trust on their part in human ability.

Social utopia. Fantastic economic theories, including the belief that a "world economy" can be created overnight, and that democracy should be abolished in favor of utopian systems, usually dictatorial in their overlook.

"The belief that aliens birthed civilization on this planet reveals a tragic lack of trust in human ability."

Vallee's book also asks, "Is there an international UFO conspiracy? Are human programmers manipulating the UFO phenomenon?" To these questions, the late, great Jim Keith answers "yes," in his book Saucers of the Illuminati, which reveals that, indeed, human puppetmasters are behind much of the phenomenon. Keith recounts Vallee's work:

A remarkable UFO group was contacted by Jacques Vallee in Paris, France. The group is called the Order of Melchizedek, and it uses the Star of David for its emblem, and for its program espouses a one world government and the doing away with money and religion - except for the UFO-oriented sort of religion, I would imagine. The Order is cabalistic in its mystical practices, the Qabalah being an ancient form of Jewish mystical cosmology, a philosophy also employed by other occult groups such as the OTO and the Freemasons. Vallee notes the curious number of organizations that the head of the French Order of Melchizedek fronts, including the Front for Christian Liberation, Jesus People Europe, Jesus Revolution, the Charismatic Christian, the Christian Socialist Party, and Jew and Arab movements. Here revelant cross-currents include cabalism, the Order of Melchizedek, and the Star of David.

In this case, it appears that the same old terrestrial powerbrokers are up to their old tricks. The Order of Melchizedek, in fact, is named in the Bible as the highest priesthood, of whichAbraham and Jesus are made priests under Melchizedek. Therefore, "Melchizedek" is the highest figure in the universe under God, immediately conveying in the minds of believers ultimate authority. However, Melchizedek or "Righteous Molech" is demonstrably amythical character, the Molech or Moloch of the Old Testament, the god to whom children were sacrificed in burnt offering or holocaust by Phoenicians, Canaanites and Israelites, remade into the "high priest."

What Does It All Mean?

What all this rumination means is that there is some unexplained phenomenon going on. Despite the theories put forth by a number of individuals, the "evidence" of extraterrestrial contact dating back many thousands of years, including legends and bizarre artifacts, is very slippery and uncertain. The legends, in fact, are highly mythologized and in general cannot serve as "history." In more modern times, such stories become more straightforward and do seem to reflect encounters with actual, third-dimensional entities who could be termed "aliens."

"The 'evidence' of extraterrestrial contact dating back many thousands of years is very slippery and uncertain."

If any such phenomenon was occurring in antiquity, it is unlikely to have been much different than what we are experiencing today, which is very "fringey" and on the periphery of our reality. In other words, aliens were not landing en masse and mating with humans, building our edifices and other behaviors ascribed to them in the "ancient astronaut theory." Any accounts from antiquity of UFO sightings and other interactions likely would be much as the tales we hear today, again very peripheral, sketchy and nearly impossible to verify. In this regard, it would appear that supposed UFO sightings in antiquity indeed were recognized as something quite separate from the myths of gods, as can be seen from this "List of reported UFO sightings." Note that said list does not include any ancient myths, most assuredly not the "Anunnaki" or other familiar figures of religion in antiquity.

In my delving into this subject, the supposed "chariots of the gods" artifacts turn out to be unsustainable as concerns "aliens," because the Occam's Razor analysis reveals them to have mundane explanations. One fact I can reiterate is that the ancient gods were not aliens; these mythical figures are the personified results of thousands of years of observations of the natural world, including celestial bodies and earthly forces, such as the sun, moon, planets, stars, constellations, water, wind and so on.

"The ancient gods were not aliens but the personifications of the sun, moon, planets, stars, constellations, water, wind and so on."

Whether or not this phenomenon is real - and the many thousands of reports every year indicate that at least UFOs are "real," in the sense that a certain percentage of them are indeed unidentified flying objects - it has most definitely been seized upon by terrestrialbeings, i.e., humans, within the government or private sector who have used it to manipulate and play with the masses. Such behavior, no doubt, will continue, and the alleged reality of aliens will not be definite until they make themselves known, concretely, without all the shadowy nonsense. In the meantime, and if such an event ever occurs, these entities do not deserve worship of any sort, or even an amiable nod, until they prove they are friends of humankind.

(Note: This article has been online since the late 1990s and has been revised several times. All other editions of this article that may be found on other websites are outdated.)

Further Reading

Mysteries of the World
What About the Anunnaki?
Dr. Michio Kaku: 'UFOs are real'
Scientific UFO evidence out of Norway
Apollo Astronaut Chats About UFO, Alien Belief
UFO Sightings by Astronauts
UFO Quotes from Presidents, Astronauts, Senior Military and more
The Skeptics UFO Newsletter
The Skeptic's Dictionary: UFOs (unidentified flying objects)
The So-Called "Belgian Ufo Wave" – A Critical View
Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology
UFO Skeptic
The Phoenix Lights Explained (Again)