UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture [Paperback]

Gregory L. Reece (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2007

What is it about UFOs that speaks to people with an apparently religious intensity? In this uncanny and frequently eerie assessment of the world of UFO-logy, Gregory L. Reece travels deep into this alien mindset on a quest for the truth behind everything from Scientologists, crop circles, flying saucer crashes and alien abductions. With tales of a night in the Mojave Desert watching the night skies for flying saucers, a trip to Nevada's top-secret installation "Area 51" and a visit to the now infamous Roswell crash site, Reece provides an intelligent and humorous anecdotal account of his search for the answers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Reece's highly readable inspection of ufologists who find religious meaning in their passion manages to be both insightful and humorous as it chronicles UFO sightings and purported alien-human interactions. Besides verifiable facts, Reece relays unverifiable conclusions that those who credit them believe because, he says, they are children of the space age as well as humans possessed of the usual existential hopes and fears that they're willing to have allayed by less-than-scientific reasoning. Reece travels to the Mojave Desert to join a group scanning the night sky for alien visitors, considers reports of the so-called Men in Black and Tall Whites identified by many ufologists, and visits the twin ground zeros of U.S. UFO culture, Area 51 in Nevada and Roswell, New Mexico. Bemused if not overtly skeptical, he examines his respondents' belief systems and combs their proofs and conclusions to come up with some truly amazing tidbits. Consider this is an excellent introduction to its genuinely spacey subject. Tribby, Mike

Review

"Reece's highly readable inspection of ufologists who find religious meaning in their passion manages to be both insightful and humorous as it chronicles UFO sightings and purported alien-human interactions. Besides verifiable facts, Reece relays unverifiable conclusions that those who credit them believe because, he says, they are children of the space age as well as humans possessed of the usual existential hopes and fears that they're willing to have allayed by less-than-scientific reasoning. Reece travels to the Mojave Desert to join a group scanning the night sky for alien visitors, considers reports of the so-called Men in Black and Tall Whites identified by many ufologists, and visits the twin ground zeros of U.S. UFO culture, Area 51 in Nevada and Roswell, New Mexico. Bemused if not overtly skeptical, he examines his respondents' belief systems and combs their 'proofs' and conclusions to come up with some truly amazing tidbits. Consider this is an excellent introduction to its genuinely spacey subject." - Booklist

 

"UFO Religion is both an informed study of the subject and a thoroughly enjoyable read. While several excellent studies of belief in extraterrestrial visitation are now available, for those unfamiliar with this fascinating area UFO Religion is certainly the book to start with. Gregory L Reece covers a broad range of material with a light and deftly humorous touch. I have no doubt that his book will become a firm favourite with students. I am also confident that even those who, up to this point, have not been particularly interested in UFO belief will enjoy this carefully researched, well-written and accessible book."--Christopher Partridge, Centre for Religion and Popular Culture, University of Chester

 

'Greg Reece's UFO Religion engagingly captures that sense of mystery and wonder that drives ufologists to undertake their research. The book is a thorough and impressive analysis of UFO investigations and of supposed alien encounters. In an entertaining and readable style, Reece guides the reader through a maze of possibility and makes many intriguing links between science and religion en route. UFO Religion is an important book for anyone who is interested in the idea that our planet has hosted extraterrestrial visitors: or in what Carl Gustav Jung called "flying saucer cults".' - Susan J Palmer, Professor of Religious Studies, Dawson College, Montreal, and author of Aliens Adored: Rael's UFO Religion

 

'In his exploration of the complicated and diverse world of UFO culture, Gregory L Reece communicates a sense of wonder at the extent of the human imagination and our ability to tell powerful and lasting stories about the mysteries of the world around and beyond us. Reece takes his readers on a fascinating excursion from Alabama to Roswell, New Mexico and back again, with many entertaining detours along the way. Stories of alien abductions and distant worlds, he argues, are responses to the infinite possibilities of life and reflect the best and worst of our fears and hopes for the future. He reminds us that we are, after all, “children of the space age,” and so it seems fitting that we cannot decide whether to transform the world or to escape it, to feel hope about the future or terror. It is impossible to reach the end of this book without acquiring a much deeper understanding about the enduring human obsession with UFOs.' - Sarah M Pike, Professor of Religious Studies, California State University, Chico, and author of New Age and Neopagan Religions in America

 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845114515
• ISBN-13: 978-1845114510
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UFO-logy and its religious/cult like qualities examined by author, March 10, 2008

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture (Paperback)

UFO RELIGION gives us a insight into the desire people have to believe in extraterrestrials and how simple incidents have been distorted in the print media to foster and create an entire subculture and industry around alien life and UFOs. Going back to reports from the 19th century through to the infamous Roswell crash author Gregory Reece tackles the history and cult that has grown up around UFO-logy over the past sixty years.

The author who has an interest in philosphy and religion examines how and why Erich Von Dankien decided there was "evidence" that there were ancient airfields, that aliens "had" to built the pyramids (what we were incapable of building it ourselves? Humans must be a remedial form of life form)with humor and insight. The author also looks at groups such as Scientology, how concepts from 40's science fiction, Ufology and other belief systems were incorporated into it and influenced L. Ron Hubbard in creating his belief system for the followers of Scientology.

Reece has his atomic structure altered by a "device" created using alien technology, visits Roswell and Area 51 all in his attempt to understand how Ufo-logy has become a cult with an almost religious-like quality to it. What attracts people to the belief in UFO's, alien life forms with a religious intensity? Read Reece's book and he'll enlighten you on human behavior, history, how history has been distorted and how people have fibbed, created evidence and accepted questionable evidence to "believe".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ufology-ology, May 19, 2008

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture (Paperback)

Ufology can be considered a religion or philosophy that is ripe for independent study. Here Gregory Reece provides a readable and entertaining look at UFO beliefs throughout history, from well-known stories like Kenneth Arnold's close encounter in 1947 and the cult of Area 51, to the eccentric Yamassee Indian Tribe of Georgia. Reece's research method is based mostly on pop culture sources, and he does come up with some interesting breakthroughs, especially his coverage of the incredibly flimsy foundations of the vast Roswell mythology and some dirt on the bizarre upper levels of Scientology. But all that Reece has really accomplished is a compendium of eccentrics and eccentric beliefs, via a rather directionless parade of summaries of existing books (a couple of which even have "UFO Religion" in their titles). This is more of a book report than a systematic research project.

Granted, Reece's running theme is pretty good, in that UFO sightings throughout history, and the shifting community of cults and enthusiasts, could be a manifestation of mankind's inherent fear of the unknown and sense of powerlessness in the vast universe. But that theme is mostly delivered via sarcastic (though usually funny) remarks by Reece at the end of each sub-chapter summary. The true results of his exploration into psychology, religion, and philosophy are only given breathing room in a rather underwhelming six-page conclusion. This book functions as a long list of specific examples sprinkled with snippets of a theme, but a more successful study would have been constructed in the opposite fashion. [~doomsdayer520~]

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Introductory Book, November 13, 2010

By 

Chad Cloman (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture (Paperback)

If you need an introductory book to the modern era of UFOs, this one fits the bill. It's practically a mini-encyclopedia, with short sections on nearly every aspect of the domain. He covers the factual "nuts and bolts" of alien encounters, then moves on to the spiritual/religious and ancient astronaut mythologies.

For the most part Reece is good at staying objective and just reporting the facts, although there are a few places where he adds skeptical opinion and hard sarcasm. For the type of book this is, sarcasm is out of place and detracts somewhat from the reading experience. He includes a few pages at the end with his conclusions, which can be boiled down to "fear of the alien is fear of the self."

Overall, very well researched and I recommend this book for those who are new to the topic.