Customer Reviews

UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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".

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~]

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.

The author of UFO Religion does not (always) know what people see in the sky, but it is (often) a connection between what people see and what they hope and fear. The book is interesting. You can read about UFO groups and UFO incidents. Another good UFO book from 2007! Five stars!