The Gods Have Landed (SUNY Series in Religious Studies) [Paperback]

James R. Lewis (Editor)

Book Description

Series: SUNY Series in Religious Studies | Publication Date: March 9, 1995

This is a comprehensive account of the religious dimensions of the UFO/flying saucer experience. The Gods Have Landed is a comprehensive account of the religious dimension of the UFO/flying saucer experience. It examines the religious meanings attached to UFOs by the larger society as well as specific movements that claim inspiration from "Space Brothers" and other extra-terrestrial sources. It addresses the religious dimension of the phenomenon of alien abductions, particularly the impact of extra-terrestrial life on Christian theology. Of special interest are the surveys of primary and secondary materials that make this book the indispensible reference on the subject.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The respected psychoanalyst, Jung pointed out many years ago that we had lost the ability to believe in salvation through a deity. In this age of doubt, when miracles are scarce, where will we, as a race, find our salvation? The interdisciplinary essays in The Gods Have Landed attempt to answer this question by exploring the UFO sighting/abduction phenomenon as a 20th-century religious experience. Even if you don't believe that reports of UFO abduction are true, this book will prove fascinating to anyone with an interest in UFOlogy, sociology, psychology or religious studies.

About the Author

James R. Lewis is Senior Editor for the Center for Academic Publication and Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for the Study of American Religion. He is co-editor of Perspectives on the New Age, also published by SUNY Press, and editor of Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (March 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791423301
• ISBN-13: 978-0791423301
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gods Have Landed, June 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gods Have Landed (SUNY Series in Religious Studies) (Paperback)

I like this book because it is more objective perspective, not from the UFO true believers camp. Although from an academic viewpoint, most of the reading is interesting and would make a good resource book for any library. Its illustrations help put a face on the many types of flying saucer organizations. It contains an extensive bibliography, as well as an early history of the Heaven's Gate phenomenon (before they committed suicide). Fascinating chapters on Unarius and the Raelians. Lots of information all in one place, even a few statistics.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Memorable, November 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gods Have Landed (SUNY Series in Religious Studies) (Paperback)

I read this book about seven years ago and I still remember it as one of the most enjoyable books of the many I've read. Each chapter takes a look at a different cult that has/had sprung up out of some excitement over the possibility of aliens. The analysis is qualitative and not overly theoretical (nor mildly journalistic).

5.0 out of 5 stars A FASCINATING LOOK AT SO-CALLED "UFO RELIGIONS", September 22, 2009

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gods Have Landed (SUNY Series in Religious Studies) (Paperback)

James R. Lewis has edited/published many books about "alternative" religions (e.g., The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions), and has even edited a more recent and detailed work on UFO religions (The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions).

Nevertheless, this earlier (1995) book is well worth reading, for those of us with an interest in the "religious"/spiritual side of the UFO phenomenon. There are ten chapters, written by persons as noteworthy as J. Gordon Melton, on subjects such as "Contactees: A Survey," "Religous Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience," "Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience," as well as separate chapters on Unarius, the Raelian Movement, Heaven's Gate, etc.

There is also a HUGE Bibliography on the "Flying Saucer Contactee Movement 1950-1994."

This should certainly not be one's ONLY book on the subject, but it is a volume well worth reading for persons intersted in "UFO religions."