Picture: Garitzko (PD)
Mystical experiences often make people re-examine their belief systems. From Saul of Tarsus to Joan of Arc, a single glimpse at a mysterious light or the sound of a disembodied voice can cause some men and women to drop everything and start life anew. Apparently, experiences with UFOs are no different. Check out this article on UFOs and mystical experiences at Philadelphia’s Weekly Press.
It’s no secret that witnessing unexplained phenomena like UFOs can cause many people to rethink old beliefs. For the Forello’s, this meant the end of regular church going. “We used to be regular church goers. I was a lay minister, but seeing these things got me to reassess the birth of Christ and the role of the Virgin Mary,” Rich said. “This came in conjunction with the idea of artificial insemination. I thought… somebody impregnated her…”
One theory among believers about why aliens are here is that they are working on a hybrid-mating program with human beings. Most abduction reports (usually via hypnotic regression) include highly invasive surgical procedures involving semen or egg extraction, and an intense examination (and sometimes stimulation) of private parts. “A lot of things can be happening,” Rich says, “Perhaps they are our ancestors returning home, or perhaps we were created by the visitors when they manipulated DNA…that would explain the different ethnic groups.” He cites the possibility that the craft could even be from earth. “We don’t even know what the Government has or what’s going on,” he says.
UFOs, like many other semi-mythical phenomena, have been incorporated into many new religions since becoming a blip on the pop culture radar: The Unarians, Aetherians, Raelians and Scientologists are only a few of the better-known ones. Who knows how many more may exist in America’s spiritual hinterlands?
