Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/08/21/gods-from-space-fascinating-s.html
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Do they play well with the Raëlians?
(please don’t blame me for the weird swastika-Star of David, I wish it didn’t show up here)
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There must (or ought to) be some careful scientific study on the preexisting conditions necessary to promote such profound credulousness in a population subset. Of course the obvious risk is that you’ll be considering devotion to mainstream religions and that probably answers my question right there (can’t offend the priesthood). But one cannot help but look on in wonder at the Q-Anon devotees and wonder what it takes to glom on to such a reality denying mental state. Perhaps it’s an addictive metabolism which is otherwise denied from getting traditional addictive substances? (Next up: What becomes of all the followers of a cult declaring the end of the world after that date passes? “Well, they just pick a new date, right?”)
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Their beliefs and assertions don’t seem any more outlandish than those of more mainstream religions. And I like the underlying currents of service and tolerance.
And even if you do not believe in God, then believe in good, please. It’s the same thing.
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Before watching, I wondered which ET religion Oh No Ross and Carrie has investigated this will be about.
Next up
Erich von Dumbkoff’s “Hot Rods of the Gods”
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I tend to think any religion that looks adoringly on aliens as gods is not much better than a cargo cult.
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Thought that too.
But there’s probably the usual exploitation undercurrent common to such cults hidden somewhere underneath.
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Oh, I hope not. These guys seemed nice.
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I think the dude who claimed his father lived in space, took issue with the exploitation going on on Earth. Coming soon to a bookstore near you…
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From the video piece in The Times, it seems like they basically believe in what a good chunk of the New Age and even Vedantic traditions also say, and people have been involved with for… some time now. 
Where really is the cult element? They do not seem to be worshipping either the “channel,” or the “entity” that they believe was the origination – again, at least from The Times piece. I am fine with these people praying into prayer batteries for the betterment of humankind – again, nothing new in using such symbols for such purposes.
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I knew a woman who was a member of this religion. I even participated in one of their meditation/prayer ceremonies once, close to 30 years ago now. I honestly wasn’t even sure if the group was still around.
Bottom line: it’s one of those “let’s harness the power of love and prayer” kind of religions rather than the “let’s fleece people for lots of money and proclaim anyone who doesn’t believe our brand of woo is going to hell” kind of religions.
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Mostly harmless
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Conventional wisdom on conspiracy theoreticism is that it’s a bit of reaction-formation. People would rather believe in grand conspiracies than admit that their chosen leaders just don’t really know what’s going on. That the world is very often random and bad things just happen, not for a reason, but because of reasons. A lot of people can’t handle the fact that meaning is what you make in the world, not inherent to the world all along. So they gotta believe that there’s overarching authority and order.
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Gotta believe or desperately want to believe. Even the most atheist atheist who ever atheisted has said at some point “you’ll get yours” when someone got them really mad, as they hoped for karma to pay back someone who did them wrong when they couldn’t do anything to counter.
The world feels a lot colder when you think that the only reason you are conscious is that a few spiraling coils of DNA decided to bump against each other in a configuration that worked out well.
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Not at all. Quite the contrary, I find it soothing. But that’s me.
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