Let me begin with a definition of terms. “UFO” began as an abbreviation for the words Unidentified Flying Object. Technically, anything that flies through air or space and is not identified, could be classified as an unidentified flying object. But, in our modern vernacular, the abbreviation is so closely associated with extraterrestrial, or alien life forms, that to most people UFO just means that. So, for the purpose of this blog, if I say “UFO” I’ll probably just mean alien life.
Back in 2017, three videos were leaked to the New York Times showing unidentified flying objects that were being tracked by US Navy fighter jets. These objects moved at incredible speeds, made abrupt turns, and seemed able to simply vanish from radar and sight. What are they? Is there a natural explanation for them? Could they be advanced Russian or Chinese aircrafts using some novel technology? Are they hard evidence of life forms from other galaxies – UFOs? Or, is there another option?
In April of 2020, the Pentagon confirmed that these videos are real, and that they are taking them seriously. In May of 2021, the pilots responsible for these videos were interviewed by 60 Minutes, and verified that not only did they see these strange objects, but Lieutenant Ryan Graves admitted that they had seen them, “every day” for at least a couple of years.
At the time of this blog, we’re waiting for an official report from the Pentagon. They’re scheduled to release a full report to the public that is to disclose what they know about these sightings, which they have admitted now that they’ve been tracking on a near daily basis.
When I was a teenager, I was fascinated with the topic of UFOs. I had read a number of books on the subject, read about the alleged abduction of Barney & Betty Hill, and can remember being totally spooked out with Leonard Nimoy’s “In Search Of,” television show, which would occasionally feature stories of UFO encounters. Like a lot of people, I found the thought of other life forms out there extremely intriguing.
But, since my teenage years, I’ve sort of lost interest in such things. I’ve also grown in my faith and am now much more focused on serving Jesus than I am in pursing mysteries like UFOs. However, these recent reports are gaining a lot of attention and excitement, so that I thought I’d weigh in from a Christian perspective.
Let me begin by stating that I am unaware of any passage in the Bible that affirms the existence of intelligent life on other planets.
Actually, let me be a bit more firm: there IS no passage of scripture that affirms that there is intelligent life on other planets. With that being said, I’ll also add that the Bible doesn’t deny it either. Therefore, I can’t tell you dogmatically that they do or do not exist. However, I’ll share with you my gut feeling: I highly doubt they exist. Let me tell you why.
The “Fall”
First, from a Christian perspective, there’s the problem of the Fall as described in Genesis 3. When Adam sinned, we read that creation itself was somehow affected. Thorns and thistles began to grow in Adam’s Garden as God had cursed His own creation. The serpent was cursed, and many believe that all animals were somehow changed at that moment – though we can’t say for sure. We also can’t be sure how far that curse rang out. Did it affect all planets and all galaxies, and the entire universe? We just don’t know.
But as a result of this fall, you and I have been born with a bent toward selfishness and sin. That’s why we need a Savior. So, the question becomes: how does alien life fit into that picture? Are they also sinful and need a Savior, or are they like animals and have no soul needing to be redeemed? How do we harmonize the fact that they’re super intelligent – able to build mind-blowing spacecrafts – yet they don’t need Jesus?
The gospel seems to be for the redemption of humankind, as Paul writes in Col. 1:28, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
It’s hard to imagine that God didn’t foresee the possibility of us making contact with alien life form, therefore, leaving us clueless in terms of their evangelism! One would think that God could have anticipated this juncture in history and could have provided us with some instruction.
I recognize that the argument from Genesis 3 isn’t full proof, and would certainly be unconvincing to the unbeliever. But there might be a better objection that both the Christian and the unbeliever can enjoy.
The trouble with space travel
I’m sure you already knew this, but we live in an exceedingly large universe. I mean, it’s big. Really big. If you were to travel at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second, it would take you over 4 years to reach the closest star. At the same speed, the speed of light, it would take you about 100,000 years to reach the end of the Milky Way, and about 2.3 million years to reach the next closest galaxy. And if you’re still unimpressed, at the speed of light, it would take you about 20 million years to reach the next galaxy after that.[1]
So, if tomorrow you’re visited by an alien from our galaxy next door, that alien would have had to have packed a lunch and he’d probably show up hungry, because he’s been traveling at least 2 million years to visit you, assuming that he can travel at the speed of light.
He also had better topped off his gas tank. Michael Bronson comments, “To propel an object that weighs one pound to a speed 50% of the speed of light would require an energy source equal to the energy of 98 atomic bombs. That’s a tremendous amount of energy. Think about the size of an engine and the fuel that would be needed to supply that much energy. Remember, this is the energy needed to propel just a single pound.”[2]
But what about a spaceship the size of the space shuttle? Bronson goes on, “…it would take energy equal to the energy of 23 million atomic bombs to propel the space shuttle to 50% of the speed of light.” To go just a little faster, Bronson continues, “to propel the spaceship to 90% of the speed of light would equal the energy of 73 million atomic bombs or 351 years of U.S. energy.”[3]
Now someone is going to object and say, “but they’re aliens. They’ve got different fuel sources and different spaceships. They can do things we can’t do yet. You can’t compare how we understand space travel to the way they do it.”
But you see, that’s not how science works. We don’t do calculations based on what we don’t know. We look at what we do know. And we can’t argue that because aliens are here, they must have access to different fuel sources and spaceships. That’s circular reasoning. It’s assuming that what you’re trying to prove is already true, and then using that assumption as part of your argument.
It would seem that intergalactic travel is only for the science fiction movie – not real life. It would require too much time, and too much energy. There’s no good reason to suspect that it is being done.
But, what if the objector says, “okay, maybe they’re not from distant galaxies, but from different dimensions? Maybe they’re not so geographically far from us.”
Now, here I may tend to agree.
You see, the Bible does discuss life forms that appear to be fundamentally different from human and animal life, and which don’t find their origins on planet earth. Yet, some of these life forms do interact with humanity, so they must not be geographically far from us. These forms are described as angels, both fallen and unfallen, cherubim, seraphim, demons, and Satan himself. They all appear to be non-material beings and they could be of a different dimension. A dimension that may not be so far that it requires extensive travel time. Of these life forms, angels and demons are those most mentioned, and seem able to interact with us in our world.
Angels have been recorded as being able to appear in human form and even interact with humans in the native tongue of the person. Demons are also described as being quite influential in human life, sometimes able to demonize people to the point of controlling their speech, their dress, their thoughts, and even their actions. It’s been recorded that sometimes when they manifest, they have been known to exhibit super human strength through their host. Generally speaking, angels have been kind and gentle toward most people, while demons have earned a reputation for being rather destructive and uninviting.
So, if we’re going to suggest that UFOs may come from a different dimension, and if we’re going to be opened-minded, then we have to consider whether or not they are of the life forms we just described. Of these, it would seem that angels are less likely to become involved. Demons, on the other hand, would probably be what I would consider a better suspect. They seem to be from a different dimension, and they generally cause confusion among people.
Is it possible that UFOs are the result of demonic activity? I think we need to be open to that possibility. It would explain why these visitors don’t need extensive travel time and energy to be present here, and it may explain why reported alien contact can often be extremely distressing for the humans involved.
One of the obvious problems, though, is whether or not a demon is a able to take on a material presence that resembles a flying ship and one that it can be picked up by radar and cameras. The Bible doesn’t tell us that they can do that, but it doesn’t say that they can’t either. I’m aware that there are many stories from people who claim that they’ve seen and heard them, and that they’ve taken various shapes. But I’m not interested in stories as much as I’m interested in what God has revealed.
Since it hasn’t been ruled out, then I’m open to the possibility of a demon being able to transform itself into a material presence, like a spacecraft and an alien. To quote Matt McClellan at Christian Worldview Press, “What better way to confuse a technological society more than to appear to them in a way that fits their worldview…”
If UFOs are actually the appearance of demonic entities, then we can expect that their goal is to entice people away from a belief in God. We can also expect that they will be openly hostile to Jesus and faith in Him. Remember, Paul wrote that Satan has the ability to transform himself into an angel of light in order to give the appearance of peace and truth when in fact he’s leading people to their demise. If UFOs are of demonic origin, they do not have your best interests in mind. Whatever promise they may hold out, I can assure you that its benefits will be short-lived and its destructiveness sure.
Of course, the only certain ‘deflector shield’ that would prevent the harm they are attempting to bring to you is to become a follower of Jesus. To do that you simply repent of your sins and cling to Him in faith, allowing His love to fill your heart with peace and joy. It’s a win-win if you ask me.
Dane Cramer is a backpacker, follower-of-Jesus blogger, jail chaplain, amateur filmmaker, Podcast host, and author of two books: Romancing the Trail and The Nephilim: A Monster Among Us , and has worked as an investigator for over 35 years.
[1] http://www.biblehelp.org/ufo3.htm
[2] https://christianworldviewpress.com/are-aliens-demons/
[3] Ibid