UFO Religions

by Christopher Partridge (Editor)

The spectre of the UFO, popularized by shows like The X-Files, has brought an astonishing slant to the face of modern religious practice. What motivates the fantastical & sometimes sinister beliefs of UFO worshippers? UFO Religions critically examines some of the issues surrounding UFO worship--abduction narratives, UFO-based interpretations of other religions, the growth of pseudo-sciences purporting to explain UFOs & the responses of the core scientific community to such claims. Focusing on contemporary global UFO groups including the Raelian Movement, Heaven's Gate, Unarius & the Ansaaru Allah Community, it gives a clear profile of modern UFO controversies & beliefs.
1 INTRODUCTION
Understanding UFO religions & abduction spiritualities/ Christopher Partridge
2 OBSERVING RELIGIONS
Scientific creationism: a study of the Raëlian Church/ George D. Chryssides
When the archangel died: from revelation to routinisation of charisma in Unarius/ Diana Tumminia
Opening a channel to the stars: the origins & development of the Aetherius society/ Simon G. Smith
Legitimating suicide: Heaven's Gate & New Age ideology/ James R. Lewis
URANTIA book/ Sarah Lewis
United Nuwaubian nation of moors/ Theodore Gabriel
From extraterrestrials to ultraterrestrials: the evolution of the concept of Ashtar/ Christopher Helland
UFO faith & ufological discourses in Germany/ Andreas Grünschlob
Finnish UFO tradition 1947-94/ Jaakko Närvä
3 UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVES
UFO religions & cargo cults/ Garry W. Trompf
Alien doubts: reading abduction narratives post-apocalyptically/ Jodi Dean
UFO beliefs as syncretistic components/ Mikael Rothstein
Apocalyptic & millenarian aspects of American UFOism/ Daniel Wojcik
Attitudes towards religion & science in the UFO movement in the US/ Brenda Denzler
Jung on UFOs/ Robert A. Segal
Psychology of UFO phenomena/ John A. Saliba

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Aliens, Paranormal

399 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2003

About the author

Dr Christopher Hugh Partridge is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Lancaster, Lancashire, England.

Partridge (born 1961) is an author, editor, professor, and founding Co-director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Popular Culture. According to Gordon Lynch, Partridge is a leading scholar of topics in popular culture.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating collection of papers on the subject of modern religions based around UFOs. There are a good number of essays that demonstrate the direct connection between Theosophical-type religions and the newer religions that have cropped up around the UFO phenomenon, which is fascinating. There are also investigations of specific religions and cults, like the Raelians. My only real complaint about the book is that it was rather poorly edited -- there were a LOT of typos, and, most irksome, sometimes the second half of sentences would be missing! I expect better from an academic text.

Overall, this isn't exactly light reading, but if you are interested in religious studies or in UFOs as a cultural phenomenon, I recommend it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read! Picked it out randomly at the library and didnt regret it. I learnt a lot reading this and I like how it Is written from an unbiased perspective. Not sure I'll be joining any UFO religions but I loved reading about a circle of people that I know nothing about.

[Andy Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book focuses on experts and science in the files to present a number of good opinions on the subject.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I write reviews for an academic journal dealing with the ancient world. Many--too many--of the books I receive for review are collections of essays, often essays of very disparate character and quality. This particular collection of essays is a cut above the average, both in terms of quality and in terms of overall coherance.

UFO Religions assembles seventeen essays of a generally sociological character addressing the place of UFOs and the nonhuman intelligences associated with them in modern religion. No determination is made as to whether or not there are actually physical space ships penetrating our atmosphere, rather the concern is with how such claims have been taken up and/or promulgated by religious groups. Overall, however, most of the authors appear to be skeptics, though editor Partridge and most of the essayists attempt to project an attitude of open-mindedness.

My favorite essay of the lot is the one comparing some of the UFO groups with the Cargo Cult phenomenon. My least favorite essay was the one about C.G. Jung's take on the UFO craze and this because its author misunderstands archetype theory in order to draw a too-sharp distinction between Jung and Freud.

Unlike almost every other collection of essays by a variety of authors that I've ever read, this one was of exceptionally good quality throughout. Even the misguided Jung essay was thought-provoking.