What do you think?
Rate this book
UFOs: God's Chariots?: Spirituality, Ancient Aliens, and Religious Yearnings in the Age of Extraterrestrials
Are UFOs celestial saviors, coming to save Earth from self-destruction?
Are UFOnauts advancing human evolution by birthing hybrid children?
Is it time for a new “astrotheology” that enshrines the UFO phenomenon at the same level as the space sciences at NASA and SETI?
God’s Chariots? uncovers and exposes the clandestine spiritual dimensions within the UFO phenomenon. UFOs vibrate with transcendence, omniscience, perfection, and redemption.
God’s Chariots? delves deeply into government conspiracies, analyzes the newest models of close encounter interpretation, and reveals the results of The Peters ETI Religious Crisis Survey, in which self-identified believers were asked if making contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization would undermine our historic religious traditions. They said no.
Does this mean we’re ready to share our pews with aliens?
Are UFOnauts advancing human evolution by birthing hybrid children?
Is it time for a new “astrotheology” that enshrines the UFO phenomenon at the same level as the space sciences at NASA and SETI?
God’s Chariots? uncovers and exposes the clandestine spiritual dimensions within the UFO phenomenon. UFOs vibrate with transcendence, omniscience, perfection, and redemption.
God’s Chariots? delves deeply into government conspiracies, analyzes the newest models of close encounter interpretation, and reveals the results of The Peters ETI Religious Crisis Survey, in which self-identified believers were asked if making contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization would undermine our historic religious traditions. They said no.
Does this mean we’re ready to share our pews with aliens?
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
10 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 21, 2023
A THEOLOGY PROFESSOR LOOKS AT RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF UFOS
Author Ted Peters (who is an Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley) wrote in the Preface to this 2014 book, “Outer space has been lodged in my mind since my youth. This led me to write the first edition of [this book] in 1977. In more recent years, I’ve invested considerable academic energy in the dialogue between science and religion with a special focus on Astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)… I learned … that SETI scientists and UFO researchers… sneer at each other… Each accuses the other of not being scientific enough… The UFO phenomenon is much too textured and complex and nuanced to reduce it to believers versus unbelievers…
“This second edition … does two things: First, it offers something toward understanding of … the mystery of unidentified flying objects… There is a particular contribution I can make … of at least one important dimension of the UFO phenomenon. This is the religious dimension, the spiritual dimension… [which] have, for the most part, been overlooked by UFO researchers during the last 60 years… the second task the present book performs… We will have to show the limits of the scientific perspective if we are to open the door to the religious perspective… this book … is a case study of the relationship between science and religion… I believe the central thesis of the first edition… remains sound; namely, the UFO phenomenon exposes a widespread cultural tendency to translate traditional religious of spiritual sensibilities into scientific or materialist language and categories. In short, today’s flying saucers replace yesterday’s angels.” (Pg. 10-13)
He continues, “After a phenomenological analysis, I will offer my own constructive response, which will fall under the rubric of Astrotheology… Here is my working definition: ‘Astrotheology is that branch of theology which provides a critical analysis of the contemporary space sciences combined with an explication of classic doctrines… for the purpose of constructing a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of our human situation within an astonishingly immense cosmos.” (Pg 18) Later, he adds, “I wish to place theologians into dialogue with astrobiologists and other space scientists.” (Pg. 260)
He observes, “Contemporary experiences with UFOs have strong implications for religious beliefs… There are two reasons for this: First, UFOs are obviously associated with the sky… Heaven is in the sky… The religious character of the sky makes it inevitable that UFOs will pick up religious or spiritual meanings. The second reason … is this:… many individuals who claim to have been contacted … by the … occupants of UFOs… describe their experiences in semi-religious terms… Life on the other planets is supposedly lived in truth and love according to God’s will. The purpose of coming to Earth is to … save us from self-destruction ad deliver us into a new a better life… In a sense, the UFO message is … the Bible’s description of God’s law: love God and love your neighbor.” (Pg. 20-21)
He explains, “The… cases examined in this book seem to fall loosely into four basic belief subsystems---or explanatory models…The first of the four models is the ‘Interstellar Diplomat’…centuries of political wars and international diplomacy [are] contributing to our experience… The second mode … is the ‘Research Scientist.’ Our own envoys into space went … to collect rocks and soil samples… to analyze in the laboratory. Could we not expect the aliens from space to study Earth in a similar fashion? The third model is the ‘Celestial Savior.’… the reason for the alien mission to Earth is to help us achieve the same utopian level of existence that the aliens have… The fourth model is the ‘Hybridizer.’ [In] Some abductions, especially those reported after 1985… the abductee reports multiple incidents of rape or in vitro fertilization, and the birth of hybrid babies.” (Pg. 37-38)
He summarizes, “I am not saying yay or nay to the extraterrestrial hypothesis … regardless of the objective nature of the stimulus given to us by UFOs, there is at work a strong tendency to perceive and interpret them in terms of the belief systems of our culture… to interpret our experience with UFOs in a science-oriented direction. What UFOs are in their own … reality may be a good deal more … than what we interpret them to be.” (Pg. 103-104)
He argues, “we may suspect that [Erich] von Däniken is a pseudoscientist…an examination of his argument based on literary and archaeological evidence will indict him for sure. The formula that he repeats over and over again is comprised of four steps: 1. Report an interesting archaeological discovery or passage from ancient literature. 2. Describe it as semi-explained or even baffling. Raise a leading question regarding its origin; sometimes suggesting intervention from outer space. 4. Move on to another subject… Because we do not know for sure just who did the work, we are supposed to conclude that highly skilled technicians from space were responsible… Von Däniken depends upon this fallacious form of reasoning throughout his writings… In ‘The Gold of the Gods’… he writes, ‘Of course, I cannot “prove” my theory, but no one has produced arguments to convince me of the contrary. So I am going to follow it through to the bitter end.’” (Pg. 137-138)
He continues, “Up to this point I have not suggested by von Däniken is engaged in deliberate fraud. This possibility needs to be entertained, however… von Däniken claims to have visited certain caves in Ecuador where he found ancient furniture made of plastic… He names the guide who led him … The editors of Der Spiegel interviewed [the guide]… and he stated that von Däniken ‘never set foot in the caves’ about which he wrote… The… quality of von Däniken’s scholarship just cannot permit him to be ranked with the legions of scientific researchers… [he] must be place on the ‘pseudoscience’ side of the ledger.” (Pg. 140-141)
He recounts, “In 2010, the History Channel hosted a widely watched series called ‘Ancient Aliens.’ Now, virtually everyone is familiar with the speculation that Earth has been visited by a more highly advanced extraterrestrial civilization… Established scientists … would think this is rubbish. Nevertheless, a growing popular view of science includes belief that archaeological and textual evidence support the ancient alien hypothesis. The observation so important to us here … is this: Every position in the ancient alien controversy identifies itself as scientific. Science is driven to … determine our essence by finding our origin.” (Pg. 145)
He notes, “What is the ET myth?... it is the belief that extraterrestrial intelligent beings exist; that at least some … are more advance in evolution and technological progress; and they when ETI share their advancements with us, on Earth we will be healed and improved and made better. It is a belief without any direct empirical evidence to support it. Yet, it is such a potent belief that it motivates space research and our interpretation of the UFO phenomenon.” (Pg. 170)
Later, he adds, “UFOs convey a sense of transcendence. This is due to their association with the sky… and with the mathematical infinity of outer space… This is where the UFO picks up its religious baggage, where it begins to bear the message of transcendence. In the popular mind, belief in flying saucers is almost synonymous with belief with extraterrestrial … visitation. A … covert logic is at work. We believe that beings capable of traversing such unfathomable distances are slightly more advanced than we are…” (Pg. 191, 193)
He asserts, “I do not recommend that we make an emotional investment in UFO saviors, pinning our hopes on them to … save us from self-immolation. If we are tempted to do so, we make ourselves ripe for … ‘ufolatry’ … [which] would consist … in the creation of gods in our own image… How we wish they could end war, stimulate love and brotherhood, provide peace on Earth. But these are problems … [that] can be solved only through God’s work of grace in our lives. No technology can do it, whether it be terrestrial or extraterrestrial technology.” (Pg. 204) Later, he adds, “I think that, to some extent, belief in UFOs is an expression of insecurity or anxiety and the need for salvation.” (Pg. 230)
He argues, ‘Let us … note carryovers between ritual abuse and the hybridizer. The first … is: hypnotic regression… a transfer has occurred from the UFO phenomenon to the ritual abuse phenomenon. The method of hypnotic regression … in the case of Betty and Barney Hill … continued to be employed by UFO investigators… down to the present time. This practice… became the method employed by therapists to retrieve the horrific accounts of childhood sexual abuse and abuse by Satanic cults. Both the courts and the anti-anti-Satanists exposed therapists for leading their clients. Hypnotic regression undeniably yokes the UFO and the ritual abuse phenomena.” (Pg. 251-252)
He concludes, “Is the God of the Bible a misinterpreted visitor from space? No… Could God use space aliens? Yes, I believe God could use them, whether they are actual alien beings or whether they are figments of human imagination…” (Pg. 274)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the interaction between UFOs/ETI and religion.
Author Ted Peters (who is an Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley) wrote in the Preface to this 2014 book, “Outer space has been lodged in my mind since my youth. This led me to write the first edition of [this book] in 1977. In more recent years, I’ve invested considerable academic energy in the dialogue between science and religion with a special focus on Astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)… I learned … that SETI scientists and UFO researchers… sneer at each other… Each accuses the other of not being scientific enough… The UFO phenomenon is much too textured and complex and nuanced to reduce it to believers versus unbelievers…
“This second edition … does two things: First, it offers something toward understanding of … the mystery of unidentified flying objects… There is a particular contribution I can make … of at least one important dimension of the UFO phenomenon. This is the religious dimension, the spiritual dimension… [which] have, for the most part, been overlooked by UFO researchers during the last 60 years… the second task the present book performs… We will have to show the limits of the scientific perspective if we are to open the door to the religious perspective… this book … is a case study of the relationship between science and religion… I believe the central thesis of the first edition… remains sound; namely, the UFO phenomenon exposes a widespread cultural tendency to translate traditional religious of spiritual sensibilities into scientific or materialist language and categories. In short, today’s flying saucers replace yesterday’s angels.” (Pg. 10-13)
He continues, “After a phenomenological analysis, I will offer my own constructive response, which will fall under the rubric of Astrotheology… Here is my working definition: ‘Astrotheology is that branch of theology which provides a critical analysis of the contemporary space sciences combined with an explication of classic doctrines… for the purpose of constructing a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of our human situation within an astonishingly immense cosmos.” (Pg 18) Later, he adds, “I wish to place theologians into dialogue with astrobiologists and other space scientists.” (Pg. 260)
He observes, “Contemporary experiences with UFOs have strong implications for religious beliefs… There are two reasons for this: First, UFOs are obviously associated with the sky… Heaven is in the sky… The religious character of the sky makes it inevitable that UFOs will pick up religious or spiritual meanings. The second reason … is this:… many individuals who claim to have been contacted … by the … occupants of UFOs… describe their experiences in semi-religious terms… Life on the other planets is supposedly lived in truth and love according to God’s will. The purpose of coming to Earth is to … save us from self-destruction ad deliver us into a new a better life… In a sense, the UFO message is … the Bible’s description of God’s law: love God and love your neighbor.” (Pg. 20-21)
He explains, “The… cases examined in this book seem to fall loosely into four basic belief subsystems---or explanatory models…The first of the four models is the ‘Interstellar Diplomat’…centuries of political wars and international diplomacy [are] contributing to our experience… The second mode … is the ‘Research Scientist.’ Our own envoys into space went … to collect rocks and soil samples… to analyze in the laboratory. Could we not expect the aliens from space to study Earth in a similar fashion? The third model is the ‘Celestial Savior.’… the reason for the alien mission to Earth is to help us achieve the same utopian level of existence that the aliens have… The fourth model is the ‘Hybridizer.’ [In] Some abductions, especially those reported after 1985… the abductee reports multiple incidents of rape or in vitro fertilization, and the birth of hybrid babies.” (Pg. 37-38)
He summarizes, “I am not saying yay or nay to the extraterrestrial hypothesis … regardless of the objective nature of the stimulus given to us by UFOs, there is at work a strong tendency to perceive and interpret them in terms of the belief systems of our culture… to interpret our experience with UFOs in a science-oriented direction. What UFOs are in their own … reality may be a good deal more … than what we interpret them to be.” (Pg. 103-104)
He argues, “we may suspect that [Erich] von Däniken is a pseudoscientist…an examination of his argument based on literary and archaeological evidence will indict him for sure. The formula that he repeats over and over again is comprised of four steps: 1. Report an interesting archaeological discovery or passage from ancient literature. 2. Describe it as semi-explained or even baffling. Raise a leading question regarding its origin; sometimes suggesting intervention from outer space. 4. Move on to another subject… Because we do not know for sure just who did the work, we are supposed to conclude that highly skilled technicians from space were responsible… Von Däniken depends upon this fallacious form of reasoning throughout his writings… In ‘The Gold of the Gods’… he writes, ‘Of course, I cannot “prove” my theory, but no one has produced arguments to convince me of the contrary. So I am going to follow it through to the bitter end.’” (Pg. 137-138)
He continues, “Up to this point I have not suggested by von Däniken is engaged in deliberate fraud. This possibility needs to be entertained, however… von Däniken claims to have visited certain caves in Ecuador where he found ancient furniture made of plastic… He names the guide who led him … The editors of Der Spiegel interviewed [the guide]… and he stated that von Däniken ‘never set foot in the caves’ about which he wrote… The… quality of von Däniken’s scholarship just cannot permit him to be ranked with the legions of scientific researchers… [he] must be place on the ‘pseudoscience’ side of the ledger.” (Pg. 140-141)
He recounts, “In 2010, the History Channel hosted a widely watched series called ‘Ancient Aliens.’ Now, virtually everyone is familiar with the speculation that Earth has been visited by a more highly advanced extraterrestrial civilization… Established scientists … would think this is rubbish. Nevertheless, a growing popular view of science includes belief that archaeological and textual evidence support the ancient alien hypothesis. The observation so important to us here … is this: Every position in the ancient alien controversy identifies itself as scientific. Science is driven to … determine our essence by finding our origin.” (Pg. 145)
He notes, “What is the ET myth?... it is the belief that extraterrestrial intelligent beings exist; that at least some … are more advance in evolution and technological progress; and they when ETI share their advancements with us, on Earth we will be healed and improved and made better. It is a belief without any direct empirical evidence to support it. Yet, it is such a potent belief that it motivates space research and our interpretation of the UFO phenomenon.” (Pg. 170)
Later, he adds, “UFOs convey a sense of transcendence. This is due to their association with the sky… and with the mathematical infinity of outer space… This is where the UFO picks up its religious baggage, where it begins to bear the message of transcendence. In the popular mind, belief in flying saucers is almost synonymous with belief with extraterrestrial … visitation. A … covert logic is at work. We believe that beings capable of traversing such unfathomable distances are slightly more advanced than we are…” (Pg. 191, 193)
He asserts, “I do not recommend that we make an emotional investment in UFO saviors, pinning our hopes on them to … save us from self-immolation. If we are tempted to do so, we make ourselves ripe for … ‘ufolatry’ … [which] would consist … in the creation of gods in our own image… How we wish they could end war, stimulate love and brotherhood, provide peace on Earth. But these are problems … [that] can be solved only through God’s work of grace in our lives. No technology can do it, whether it be terrestrial or extraterrestrial technology.” (Pg. 204) Later, he adds, “I think that, to some extent, belief in UFOs is an expression of insecurity or anxiety and the need for salvation.” (Pg. 230)
He argues, ‘Let us … note carryovers between ritual abuse and the hybridizer. The first … is: hypnotic regression… a transfer has occurred from the UFO phenomenon to the ritual abuse phenomenon. The method of hypnotic regression … in the case of Betty and Barney Hill … continued to be employed by UFO investigators… down to the present time. This practice… became the method employed by therapists to retrieve the horrific accounts of childhood sexual abuse and abuse by Satanic cults. Both the courts and the anti-anti-Satanists exposed therapists for leading their clients. Hypnotic regression undeniably yokes the UFO and the ritual abuse phenomena.” (Pg. 251-252)
He concludes, “Is the God of the Bible a misinterpreted visitor from space? No… Could God use space aliens? Yes, I believe God could use them, whether they are actual alien beings or whether they are figments of human imagination…” (Pg. 274)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the interaction between UFOs/ETI and religion.
September 2, 2020
What I think more laughable about this book is the subtle appeal to scientific principles. When appealing to a discomfort that any human can feel when one is misquoted, Ted than ironically appears to classify a made up notion such as "scientific orthodoxy". Wow! What a great read. Certainly didn't waste 20 minutes of my time. Of course, as an amateur researcher I have a vested interest in banning Tom, Dick and Harry from being raped by aliens. I'm obviously offended just as much as the alien believers are offended when someone calls them an idiot. Right? Anybody? Never mind. We obviously have equal credentials.
My alien believer friends, give me one scientist that bans your children from reading War of the Worlds outside of classroom? Just one. No one? Well, here we go. I'm so offended on behalf of scientists who are not even part of a group as there are more scientists in different branches than alien believers in alien churches... Obviously, I'm not being sarcastic. Where are all my scientist haters on this channel? What? No one? Oh no! Maybe they all got killed by aliens, right? Fuck off.
Utter trash.
My alien believer friends, give me one scientist that bans your children from reading War of the Worlds outside of classroom? Just one. No one? Well, here we go. I'm so offended on behalf of scientists who are not even part of a group as there are more scientists in different branches than alien believers in alien churches... Obviously, I'm not being sarcastic. Where are all my scientist haters on this channel? What? No one? Oh no! Maybe they all got killed by aliens, right? Fuck off.
Utter trash.
partially-read
June 26, 2024Read chapter 8 "Science, Psychosis, and Salvation" for the Bible in Film.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews