(NOTE: This weblog creates, for us all, a chance to meet at the intersection of Life and the New Spirituality. It is written by the author of Conversations with God, the worldwide best-selling series of books. The “New Spirituality” is defined by the author as “a new way to experience and express our natural impulse toward the Divine without making others wrong for the way in which they are doing it.”)
Do you believe in flying saucers? Many folks near Stephenville, Texas do. That is, they do now.
It all began January 8th, when a county constable, some very well respected business owners, and other folks as well swear that they saw in the sky an object that was faster, larger, quieter, and flying lower to the ground than any airplane they ever saw. So much for the statement by the Air Force Reserve in Fort Worth that it had fighter jets in the area, training, and there was nothing more to it than that.
Oh, there were fighter jets in the air, alright, those local residents say, but they were not training. They were chasing the large object with bright lights that everyone says they saw.
"I guarantee that what we saw was not a civilian aircraft," Steve Allen, a pilot and freight company owner, was quoted in press reports last week.
And so here we are again, faced with the question we have been asking for what seems like forever. Is there life on other planets? Are we being visited by celestial beings from elsewhere in the galaxy -- or the universe?
To me it always seems surprising that anyone could ever doubt that this is true. In any event, I see it as a purely scientific inquiry. Yet many people of faith believe that a 'yes' answer to these questions borders on blasphemy. I can understand why. For if there really is intelligent life on other planets, if a sentient species or two does exist elsewhere in the cosmos, what does that do to all of our notions about "God"?
Is "our" God the God of these beings as well? Do they live by the same moral codes that we have accepted as the Word of God and, therefore, inviolable sacred law? If not, then what IS the sacred law of the universe? What does God require, demand, request, desire? Is "our" God the God of Gods...or are we "children of a lesser God"?
Worse yet, have we made it all up? Is God nothing but a local superstition, created by and lived as if it were real by the creatures who inhabit this planet?
What could we learn from intelligent beings from outer space? What might we come to know about Who and What God is, and what God wants?
These are all good questions -- and they are also the reasons why not many people want to hear too terribly much just now from the people of Stephenville, Texas. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
You've been exposed to the concepts and principles from the Conversations with God material. Now the time has come to integrate this New Spirituality into our daily lives.
Come to Portland, Oregon tomorrow -- Friday night, February 1 and be the first to experience how to turn these spiritual truths into a functional reality! Join me on this special evening as I speak from my new book, Happier Than God, and engage in a lively dialogue with audience members in a "Q&A" session, followed by a book signing.
That's tomorrow evening in Portland, Oregon.
You may pre-register at:
www.regonline.com/SNSTakesFlight
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I'm pleased to see this topic addressed. For me, the possibility of life on other planets is more than probable. Look at our world objectively for a moment . . . Our oceans, mountains, deserts, rain forests, jungles, cities and towns; worlds within our world.
Wouldn't it be ignorant to assume that God does not exist outside of these realms, or that the 'god' of aliens is not our 'god'? The idea that life exists on other planets, even other dimensions, only strengthens my belief in a higher power. Why would it be so illogical to believe that God 'created' life elsewhere?
Ever since my face from my first communion photograph showed up in Chilbotenham, England on Aug. 22, 2001, I've been quite sure that we have off-planet spectators who are fond of the occasional cosmic 'prank'.
We are all One at play with itself in realization of Graciously Organized Design.
That play includes displays and pranks. Namaste
I guess I'm the only UFO skeptic posting. I just don't buy it. First of all, when they were testing the stealth bomber and stealth fighter I'm sure that generated a lot of UFO reports. Secondly, while I agree that there is a possibility of life on a planet in another solar system, it would take too long to reach our planet even traveling close to the speed of light. Thirdly, if such highly intelligent beings were to somehow jump through a worm hole of some sort of jump from a parrallel universe to ours, they'd be intelligent enough to talk to us and not be shy. Nor would they be afraid of us since their technology (and weapons) would be vastly superior to ours. ET would be a guest on Larry King Live in other words.
I too think it is very ignorant and arrogant to think we are the only life forms in this vast universe.
Stef
Well done Neale for raising this issue. It's all relevant. Yes of course life exists elsewhere, just look up into the night sky. Life must be there in a myriad of forms but a God is there with them also - the same one we have. I believe they are technically and spiritually advanced enough to have nmot destroyed themselves (as we seem intent on doing) and can travel here using a means we cannot yet comprehend. They observe our caveman behaviour and pity us though help in whatever way they can. I believe we are protected by them too; protected from those that value our planet more than we do.
If we could open our eyes and see our real place in the whole Universe and our relatinship with God, then we might begin to progress as a race.
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