List of UFO religions
UFO religions are religious groups that deal with alleged communication between humans and extraterrestrial beings.[1][2] Some adherents of UFO religions believe that the arrival or rediscovery of alien civilizations, technologies, and spirituality will enable humans to overcome current ecological, spiritual, and social problems. Issues such as hatred, war, bigotry, poverty and so on are said to be resolvable through the use of superior alien technology and spiritual abilities. Such belief systems are also described as millenarian in their outlook.[3][4] Alien abduction belief can lead to formation of a UFO religion.[5] UFO religions originated with Theosophy, and many UFO religions still have many of the key points associated with Theosophy, such as belief in the same Spiritual Hierarchy. UFO religions can also be comparable to New Age thought.[6] Scholars identify the 1947 Roswell incident as a key event within the history of UFO spirituality.[6][7]
"I AM" Activity, founded in 1930 by Guy Ballard, is seen, according to one author, as the first UFO Religion,[8] though the Aetherius Society founded by George King has also been given this distinction.[9] Heaven's Gate and Order of the Solar Temple, which both committed mass suicides, are seen as the most controversial of the UFO belief groups.[10] Scientology is seen by scholars as a UFO religion, due to its Xenu cosmogony and the presence of Space opera.[11]
List
[edit]| Image | Name | Founder | Founded | Founding country | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Aetherius Society | George King | 1955 |  UK
|
[1][2][10][12][13][14] |
 |
Antrovis | Edward Mielnik | 1980s |  PL
|
[15] |
| Ashtar Galactic Command | Thelma B. Terrill | 1977 |  US
|
[16][11][17][18] | |
| Association of Sananda and Sanat Kumara | Dorothy Martin | 1965 | US
|
[19][20] | |
| Armageddon Time Ark Base | Orville Nodrog | 1966 | US
|
[21] | |
| Blue Rose Ministry | Robert E. Short | 1960s | US
|
[22] | |
| Cassiopaean Experiment | Laura Knight Jadczyk and Arkadiusz Jadczyk | US
|
[19] | ||
| CEIRUS | Jean Miguères | 1987 |  FR
|
[23][24] | |
| Chen Tao | Hon-ming Chen | 1993 |  TW
|
[19][25][18][26][27] | |
| Chino's True Law | Chino Yuko | 1977 |  JP
|
[28] | |
| Christ Brotherhood | Wallace C. Halsey | 1956 | US
|
[29] | |
| Church Universal and Triumphant | Mark L. Prophet | 1958 | US
|
[30][31] | |
| Comunidade Figueira | José Trigueirinho Neto | 1980s |  BR
|
[32] | |
 |
Cosmic Circle of Fellowship | William R. Ferguson | 1955 | US
|
[33][34][35] |
| Cosmic Star Temple | Violet Gilbert | 1960 | US
|
[36] | |
| Cosmon Research Foundation | Gloria Lee | 1959 | US
|
[37] | |
| Delval UFO, Inc. | Anthony Volpe and Lynn Volpe | 1972 | US
|
[38] | |
| École de la préparation à l'évacuation extraterrestre | Jeanine Derel | FR
|
[39] | ||
| Extraterrestrial Earth Mission | Savizar and Silarra | 1986 | US
|
[40][41] | |
 |
Falun Gong | Li Hongzhi | 1992 |  CN
|
[25] |
| Fiat Lux | Erika Bertschinger Eike | 1980 |  DE
|
[19][42][17][43] | |
| Freie Interessengemeinschaft für Grenz- und Geisteswissenschaften und Ufologiestudien | Billy Meier | 1970s |  CH
|
[44][45] | |
 |
George Adamski Foundation | Alice Wells and Charlotte Blob | 1965 | US
|
[46] |
| God Light Association | Shinji Takahashi | 1969 | JP
|
[47] | |
| Ground Crew Project | Sheldon Nidle | 1980s | US
|
[18][17] | |
| The Ground Crew | Valerie Donner | 1996 | US
|
[48][49] | |
 |
Happy Science | Ryuho Okawa | 1986 | JP
|
[50] |
.jpg) |
Heaven's Gate | Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles | 1970s | US
|
[10][51][52][53][54] |
| International Get Acquainted Program | H.C. Petersen | 1965 |  DK
|
[55] | |
| "I AM" Activity | Guy Ballard | 1930s | US
|
[56][8] | |
| Interplanetary Connections | Darryl Anka | 1980s | US
|
[57] | |
| Industrial Church of the New World Comforter | Allen Michael | 1973 | US
|
[18] | |
| Last Day Messengers | Dave W. Bent | 1950s | US
|
[58][59] | |
 |
Mark-Age | Charles Boyd Gentzel and Pauline Sharpe | 1962 | US
|
[41][49][60][61][45] |
| Ministry of Universal Wisdom | George Van Tassel | 1962 | US
|
[62][63] | |
 |
Nation of Islam | Wallace Fard Muhammad | 1930 | US
|
[64][65] |
| Néo-Phare | Arnaud Mussy | 2001 | FR
|
[66] | |
| Nibiruan Council | Jelaila Starr | 1997 | US
|
[67][49] | |
 |
Nuwaubian Nation | Dwight York | 1970s | US
|
[68][69] |
 |
Order of the Solar Temple | Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret | 1984 | CH
|
[10] |
| Projeto Alvorada | Ferreira Neto | 1982 | BR
|
[32] | |
| Projeto Portal | Urandir Fernandes de Oliveira | 2000 | BR
|
[32] | |
 |
Raëlism | Raël | 1974 | FR
|
[1][2][11] |
| Rational Culture | Manoel Jacintho Coelho | 1935 | BR
|
[32] | |
| Religion of Eternal Life Holy Society of God | Cho Hui-song | 1981 |  KR
|
[70] | |
| Sanctuary of Thought | Truman Bethurum | 1950s | US
|
[71][72] | |
| The Seekers | Charles Laughead and Dorothy Martin | 1953 | US
|
[58][18] | |
| Siderella | Jean-Paul Appel | 1966 | FR
|
[73] | |
| Science Research Center | Halûk Sarıkaya | 1978 |  TR
|
[74] | |
 |
Scientology | L. Ron Hubbard | 1952 | US
|
[2][11][17][75][76][64][77] |
| Share International | Benjamin Creme | 1970s | UK
|
[78][79] | |
| Solar Light Retreat | Marianne Francis | 1960s | US
|
[80] | |
| Star Light Fellowship | Sterling Warren and Jackie Altisi | 1962 | US
|
[81][82] | |
| Sunburst | Norman Paulsen | 1969 | US
|
[83][84][85] | |
| Unarius Academy of Science | Ernest Norman and Ruth Norman | 1954 | US
|
[12][18][86][87][13] | |
| World Understanding | Daniel Fry | 1955 | US
|
[82] | |
| Universariun Foundation | Zelrun Karsleigh and Daisy Karsleigh | 1958 | US
|
[88][82] | |
| Universe People | Ivo A. Benda | 1997 |  CZ
|
[42] | |
| Universe Society Church | Hal Wilcox | 1951 | US
|
[89] | |
 |
Urantia movement | Based on a book of unknown authorship; spawned a loosely organized series of many groups | 1924 at the earliest and 1955 at the latest | US
|
[90][12][91] |
| Vale do Amanhecer | Neiva Chaves Zelaya | 1960s | BR
|
[92] | |
| White Star | Doris C. LeVesque | 1957 | US
|
[93] | |
| World Brotherhood Union | Bülent Çorak | 1980s | TR
|
[94] |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Hunt 2003, p. 226.
- ^ a b c d Partridge 2005, pp. 444–445.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 274.
- ^ Grünschloß 1998, p. 16.
- ^ Hexham 2002, p. 11.
- ^ a b Partridge 2003, p. 36.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 6.
- ^ a b Partridge 2003, p. 7.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 8.
- ^ a b c d Swatos 1998, pp. 531–532.
- ^ a b c d Reece 2007, pp. 182–186.
- ^ a b c Landes 2000, p. 411.
- ^ a b Zeller 2021, p. 386.
- ^ Melton 1987, p. 560.
- ^ Marchwicki, Piotr (2000). "Nowe ruchy religijne" (PDF). Seminare. 16.
- ^ Tumminia 2007, pp. 309–310.
- ^ a b c d Partridge 2004, p. 374.
- ^ a b c d e f Tumminia 2005, p. 4.
- ^ a b c d Tumminia 2007, p. 309.
- ^ Melton 1987, pp. 560–561.
- ^ Walker 2007, p. 40.
- ^ Melton 2009, p. 783.
- ^ Bigliardi 2016.
- ^ Faubert 1993, p. 220.
- ^ a b Zeller 2021, p. 523.
- ^ Lewis 2003, pp. 301–303.
- ^ Lewis 2001, pp. 371–372.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 515.
- ^ Matthews 2009, p. 63.
- ^ Lewis 1995, p. 27.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 358.
- ^ a b c d Almeida 2019, p. 1.
- ^ Melton 1987, p. 562.
- ^ Lewis 1995, p. 45.
- ^ Bainbridge 1997, p. 380.
- ^ Melton 1987, p. 563.
- ^ Clark 2000, p. 133.
- ^ Melton 2009, p. 784.
- ^ Abgrall 1999, pp. 93–95.
- ^ Clark 2000, p. 36.
- ^ a b Lewis 1995, p. 29.
- ^ a b Saliba 2006, p. 120.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 180.
- ^ Zeller 2021, pp. 8, 514.
- ^ a b Melton 2009, p. 785.
- ^ Melton 1987, p. 559.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 514.
- ^ Grünschloß 1998, pp. 1–2, 7.
- ^ a b c Tumminia 2007, p. 310.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 517.
- ^ Hunt 2003, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 239.
- ^ Lewis 1995, p. 137.
- ^ Clarke 2006, p. 227.
- ^ Bogdan & Hammer 2016, pp. 633, 636.
- ^ Lewis 2003, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Melton 2009, pp. 784–785.
- ^ a b Melton 2009, p. 1222.
- ^ Beit-Hallahmi 1993, p. 280.
- ^ Bainbridge 1997, p. 180.
- ^ Lewis 2001, p. 367.
- ^ Melton 2009, pp. 1222–1223.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 162.
- ^ a b Zeller 2021, p. 180.
- ^ Partridge 2003, pp. 280–281.
- ^ "Que sait-on de ? Néo-Phare" [What do we know about? Néo-Phare]. UNADFI (in French). 22 August 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Clark 2000, p. 115.
- ^ Reece 2007, p. 196.
- ^ Partridge 2003, pp. 281–282.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 525.
- ^ Clark 2000, p. 43.
- ^ Gallagher & Ashcraft 2008, p. 215.
- ^ Abgrall 1999, p. 95.
- ^ Determann 2021, pp. 122–123.
- ^ Nelson 2002, pp. 178–179.
- ^ Partridge 2003, pp. 188, 263–265.
- ^ Lewis 2003, p. 42, 329.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 18.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 513.
- ^ Melton 2009, p. 786.
- ^ Clark 2000, p. 61.
- ^ a b c Melton 2009, p. 1223.
- ^ Lewis 2001, p. 19.
- ^ Partridge 2003, p. 19.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 354.
- ^ Lewis 1995, p. 85.
- ^ Hexham 2002, p. 113.
- ^ Tumminia 2007, p. 312.
- ^ Melton 2009, p. 787.
- ^ Tumminia 2007, p. 311.
- ^ Clarke 2006, p. 153.
- ^ Zeller 2021, p. 426.
- ^ Melton 2009, p. 788.
- ^ Determann 2021, pp. 124–125.
Works cited
[edit]- Abgrall, Jean-Marie (1999). "Sectes Ufologiques". Les sectes de l'apocalypse: gourous de l'an 2000 (in French). Paris: Calmann-Lévy. ISBN 978-2-7021-2954-8.
- Almeida, Rafael Antunes (2019). "UFO Religions in Latin America". In Gooren, Henri (ed.). Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. Religions of the World. Cham: Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-319-08956-0.
- Bainbridge, William Sims (1997). The Sociology of Religious Movements. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-91202-4.
- Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1993). The Annotated Dictionary of Modern Religious Movements. Grolier Educational Corporation. ISBN 978-0-7172-7273-0.
- Bogdan, Henrik; Hammer, Olav, eds. (2016). Western Esotericism in Scandinavia. Brill Esotericism Reference Library. Boston: BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-30241-9. ISSN 2468-3566.
- Bigliardi, Stefano (2016). "From Contactee to Prophet: The Evolution of Jean Miguères's Self-Narrative". Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 7 (1): 23–51. doi:10.5840/asrr201651718. ISSN 1946-0538.
- Clark, Jerome (2000). Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldy Beings. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-249-3.
- Clarke, Peter Bernard (2006). New Religions in Global Perspective: A Study of Religious Change in the Modern World. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25748-4.
- Determann, Jörg Matthias (2021). "Islamic UFO Religions". Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life: The Culture of Astrobiology in the Muslim World. London New York Oxford New Dehli Sydney: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-0-7556-0127-1.
- Faubert, Serge (1993). Une secte au coeur de la République: les réseaux français de l'Eglise de scientologie (in French). Paris: Calmann-Lévy. ISBN 978-2-7021-1947-1.
- Gallagher, Eugene V.; Ashcraft, W. Michael (2008). "UFO(s and) Religion". Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America. Westport: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-275-98712-1.
- Grünschloß, Andreas (1998). "»When we enter into my Father's spacecraft«. Cargoistic hopes and millenarian cosmologies in new religious UFO movements". Marburg Journal of Religion. 3 (2). doi:10.17192/mjr.1998.3.3771. ISSN 1612-2941.
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- Landes, Richard (2000). Encyclopedia of Millennialism and Millennial Movements. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92246-1.
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- Lewis, James R., ed. (2001). Odd Gods: New Religions and the Cult Controversy. Amherst: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-842-7.
- Lewis, James R. (2003). The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-964-6.
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- Melton, J. Gordon (1987). The Encyclopedia of American Religions (2nd ed.). Detroit: Gale Research. ISBN 978-0-8103-2133-5.
- Melton, J. Gordon (2009). Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions (8th ed.). Detroit: Gale Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-7876-9696-2.
- Nelson, Victoria (2002). The Secret Life of Puppets. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00630-5.
- Partridge, Christopher (2005). Introduction To World Religions. Fortress Press. ISBN 0-8006-3714-3.
- Partridge, Christopher (2004). New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-522042-0.
- Partridge, Christopher (2003). UFO Religions. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-26324-5.
- Reece, Gregory L. (2007). UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-451-0.
- Saliba, John A. (November 2006). "The Study of UFO Religions". Nova Religio. 10 (2). Berkeley, California: University of California Press: 103–123. doi:10.1525/nr.2006.10.2.103.
- Swatos, William H.; Peter Kivisto (1998). Encyclopedia of Religion and Society. AltaMira Press. ISBN 0-7619-8956-0.
- Tumminia, Diana G. (2005). When Prophecy Never Fails: Myth and Reality in a Flying-Saucer Group. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517675-8.
- Tumminia, Diana G., ed. (2007). Alien Worlds: Social and Religious Dimensions of Extraterrestrial Contact. Religion and Politics. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0858-5.
- Walker, James K. (2007) [1982]. The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7369-2011-7.
- Zeller, Benjamin E., ed. (2021). Handbook of UFO Religions. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Boston: Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-43437-0. ISSN 1874-6691.
