It has just come to my attention that a film adaptation of Dr. Gary Bates’ Amazon bestseller Alien Intrusion is in the works, due to be released Christmas 2017.
This is NOT good news.
As I demonstrated in Strangers and Aliens, Gary Bates’ book is a bastion of anti-alien fear-mongering supported by bad Biblical arguments and logical fallacies. The fact that my book shows why the UFO phenomenon is irrelevant to the question of extraterrestrial life and [even worse!] then has the added audacity to show why the discovery of extraterrestrial life would not undermine Christian theology has made it the Most Hated Book in Creationism.
The fact that Bates’ position on exotheology and Ufology has become widely accepted (and will doubtlessly become more so after this documentary becomes available) evidences a bigger problem within Christianity: we have so wed ourselves to an anthropocentric cosmology that we are to wink at the fallacies we use to prop up this anti-alien worldview.
We strain at gnats and swallow camels for the sake of pat answers. Pat answers come in the form of the “Aliens are demonic” shtick. It allows us to generalize the UFO phenomenon and the search for aliens life within a quasi-religious Christianized framework. It adds an intriguing dimension to proposed End Times Bible Prophecy questions. It sells books. No one cares that it’s built on bad logic and worse Biblical interpretation.
Creation Ministries International is asking for your financial assistance to finish this project under the auspices that it is helping to deliver people from UFO culture beliefs that are allegedly built on evolutionary premises (inarguably the weakest part of his argument and briefest section of his book despite the subtitle suggesting an Evolution Connection); however, in its embrace of the idea that the UFO phenomenon is 100% demonic, it does grave disservice to the truth. Far more mundane explanations account for the majority of the phenomenon and Bates’ glosses over psychological explanations in favor of demonic manifestations and influences.
As someone with a supernatural Biblical worldview, I acknowledge the reality of the supernatural; however the principle of mediocrity holds that a minority of the UFO phenomenon is demonic. Bates and others in his campaign overemphasize the supernatural aspect. Of course, my fear is that Gary Bates intends to use the film to portray his anti-alien dogma as THE Biblical position on extraterrestrials and the UFO phenomenon.
My fears are not unfounded. At the end of the documentary’s trailer Pastor Johnny Hunt, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, says:
“Cause it’s one thing to just deny. It’s another thing to say, We really understand what you’re saying and we really believe you had an experience, but HERE’S GOD’S TAKE.” [emphasis mine]
That is a dangerously irresponsible position to take precisely because some of these experiences aren’t valid. Rather they are the product of mental illnesses, epileptic hallucination and other psychological causes. In saying, Hey, your experience was real but it was really demonic, we go back to the bad old days of equating mental illness with demonic possession. In fact, in many cases you’re telling folks who are only suffering from sleep paralysis that they’re actually being assaulted by demons!
Here’s the truth if the matter: the Bible is silent on the subject of extraterrestrial life. It is unwise to make dogmatic statements where the Bible is silent. Especially when the “Biblical principles” you invoke to support your claims are based on logical fallacies.
Here’s a better use of your money. For just $11 plus tax, you can buy both books on Kindle and compare the arguments for yourself. Strangers and Aliens will only cost you a dollar of that combined total. If you prefer a paperback, you can pick up Alien Intrusion for $14.99 and my book for $12.99.
It’s worth your money to discover the truth.
Exotheology.org 
Reblogged this on Defending Genesis and commented:
Gary Bates forthcoming film documentary based on his Alien Intrusion book will tell the same old lies. In essence, he’ll equate “abduction” experiences more consistent with hallucinations, mental illness, sleep paralysis and other psychological causes with demonic activity.
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Your claim that the Bible is silent on extraterrestrial life is, to many Bible believing Christians, as erroneous as Mr. Bates position. I certainly agree no one has ever been abducted by aliens, and various explanations are available to explain such experiences, demonic activity being only one.
It is has never been foreign to Christianity down through the centuries to throw the baby out with the bath water when discussions arise about biblical matters. The Bates’ side seems to be doing just that. There shall be consequences they refuse to see at present. You rightly point some out.
You are allowed, of course, your position on the Bible’s silence on the subject but, it does not represent the view of millions of believers who see things in Scripture from another viewpoint at odds with both your positions. We have no burden to denounce either side, disagreeing with both to some degree. At least, I do not. I do not see Gary bates as being that much of an influence in modern society to worry about the effects of his movie, any more than the effects of his book. He’s preaching to his choir. You are preaching to yours, as well. You’ll both sell books and at the end of the day I tends to believe the populace will continue to carry on until Christ returns and the matter is settled from the Creator’s mouth.
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Actually my entire position on the matter is that we should not take a dogmatic position on matters upon which the Scriptures are silent; and that the principle of mediocrity holds that a minority of the UFO phenomenon is demonic at best. What I denounce is his dogmatic anti-alien stance and his insistence that the UFO phenomenon is demonic.
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“Actually my entire position on the matter is that we should not take a dogmatic position on matters upon which the Scriptures are silent”
Well, certainly but, your position is that the Bible is silent on life beyond Earth. You are given that freedom to believe that and construct your positions around it. It just is not the only position held by Christians who believe the Scriptures. The Bible is not silent on the matter.
From Bates’ viewpoint of Scripture the Bible states life only exists on Earth and therefore life beyond that is impossible; demonic activity is the only logical thing that explains “alien powered UFOs.” I haven’t read his book and will not but, I assume he also includes other possible explanations of UFO sightings; whether natural phenomena or man-made vehicles/portrayal technology beyond public knowledge. It seems he is being consistent with his understanding of Scripture and the phenomena. If he only believes unexplained UFO sightings are demonic activity he is being naive, imo.
You close the door, biblically. That leaves you with a position that, if true, does not really answer questions regarding the phenomena, beyond natural and man-made, or demonic activity. Logically, why would the Creator have life beyond Earth, that can visit us, and not inform us of their existence in His Word? Terrible confusion has resulted, no? “Maybe” is not a helpful position in this current climate.
Those who believe the Creator’s activity has included life beyond Earth (the 99 sheep, the sons of God in Job, etc), see no reason for their visitation to this battlefield. Angels are God’s messengers. The universe can be well-informed of every single moment of human history through their ministry without the need of coming here. Perhaps, in ways we cannot understand, they can actually view it, though such viewing for sinless beings would seem horrifying beyond what we find it. Angels are created for the task. Angels need no vehicles. They travel at the speed of thought (Dan 9). God mentions no other messengers in Scripture. Believers in extra-terrestrials, the Planet X/Nibiru movement, are expecting an alien visitation any time now. Arguments from “silence” are not very helpful to what is coming as part of the angel of light’s final dog and pony show of deception.
In the end I can see this debate going on perpetually. You will comment on anything new from his side and when the movie comes out, take that apart, which, I am not saying is wrong, per se. I am just stating your entire position is useless to them because it argues from a silence they (and others opposite them) do not believe exists. You can keep hammering on that anvil but, at the end of the day …
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Ray,
With all due respect, the Bible Is silent on aliens; we have to rely on inference to form a Biblical view of the subject. For example, because the Bible says that God made everything that exists, we can infer that if aliens exist God made them, but we cannot say whether they exist or not.
Bates overemphasizes the demonic angle in his book, even dismissing psychological causes like mental illness or sleep paralysis in his zeal to connect the interdimensional hypothesis of Ufology to demons. I find his presentation imbalanced and somewhat alarming.
As to why God wouldn’t tell us about extraterrestrials, I will answer that in a later post.
While I think your other comnents on angels and unfallen aliens are very thoughtful, I do not think that an alien deception is likely to be a part of the End Times. See this link for larger discussion of that issue: https://creationexotheology.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/are-aliens-a-part-of-an-end-times-deception/
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I wish your first few paragraphs were a little easier to understand. I’m not stupid, I read constantly, but I had a hard time trying to understand what you were saying until the end. Please try to write so people can “get it” .
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