I have a tape recorded many moons ago of a disc jockey who used to ring unsuspecting listeners and others who didn't tune in at all but were nevertheless as unexpectant of a phone call as regular radio enthusiasts. In the programme he would wind them up for a while, based on information he had received from a relative or friend of the victim and then wish them a happy birthday or anniversary, whichever was appropriate for the day. On one occasion he made contact with a being from somewhere well south of the border, a man well advanced in years whose life seemed to revolve around his humble farm, the neighbours and the pub. Of course what made the whole thing even more entertaining was that old Peadar had never heard of this disc jockey nor the station on which he broadcast but it was clear from the very outset that he had important information regarding a UFO which he wished to pass on to someone in authority and preferably for money. His description of the craft in question was vivid, painting a picture of bright purple colouring moving in a series of random directions and emitting a characteristic noise. However there were some discrepancies in his story, not helped by the fact that his sighting had been some time after midnight on a Friday night, after he had fallen through a ditch on his long walk home from the pub. When questioned as to whether he had partaken of the demon drink, he replied 'Sure it was Friday night, what else would I be doing?' And when further prompted to suggest when he had entered the drinking establishment, he answered, 'Some time after Hallowe'en.' I think it's fair to say that listeners may not have taken his sighting too seriously but there was no doubt who had been the star of the show. So why are we obsessed with UFOs, aliens, life on other planets and intelligent life far superior to that of humans? One of the most common in the last century and of course now forever engraved on our minds because of the rock group is the term 'foo fighter' that signified any object that flew in a fast and erratic manner and was first used during the second World War to describe some strange phenomena seen by pilots that couldn't be explained then or since.
Another that I have always watched with interest was the Roswell incident in America where claims were made that the government tried to cover up an alien landing including the recovery of bodies from the site. But you only have to go on to any UFO website to discover that there have been hundreds of apparent sightings of strange objects in the sky going back to the eleventh century at least, many of which have never had a satisfactory explanation. Of course in the last century the problem has been confounded by apparent physical and occasional photographic evidence to support such encounters though generally this has been of an indirect nature since reports of actual contact with life forms from beyond earth are uncommon if they have existed at all. But such evidence as radar, radiation detection, physical landing traces, biological effects on animals and plants, electromagnetic interference and physiological effects on humans all join the large number of unexplained photographs that many enthusiasts put forward as evidence of life beyond planet Earth.
That there is life beyond our planet is of course without question, for God Himself exists as master of the universe and there has never been a time when He hasn't been around, hence the phrase 'I am' which best describes His eternal and everlasting nature. And who am I to say whether or not He has created other life forms. All I can offer is that when He created man, the Bible tells me in chapter 1 of Genesis that 'God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.' When He had made such a creation which reflected His own being and with which He was clearly happy and was clearly a far more advanced intelligence than any animal He had made, why would He ever need to create another being with a greater mental ability and capacity than that which had been made in His own image. Such ideas are surely from a more sinister and dark force who uses every method possible to undermine our belief in an all powerful Creator.
Still, I often reflect on the shepherds who sat on that lonely hillside near Bethlehem and were confronted with a host of angels that told them of the birth of Immanuel. It can't have been easy to convince others who weren't there as to just what they had witnessed and I'm sure many went to their graves still not believing in the supernatural power of God displayed that night. There are no photographs or other indirect pieces of evidence to prove it happened yet the strength of the story is that it was witnessed by more than one person and also divinely revealed to the gospel writers as they recorded the Good News. Indeed there are those who have tried to hide the evidence of Jesus and even after His death tried to explain His Resurrection away but no satisfactory answer could ever be given. Why? Because it all really happened and despite the best attempts of the Chief Priests who told the soldiers at the time 'You are to say, His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep' and indeed many down through the years since, all the evidence points not only to the death and rising of Jesus but to the fulfillment of His promise to return for those who have believed. And on that day, nobody will be able to hide the evidence!
