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Barry Downing (also known as B. H. Downing) born 1938 in Syracuse, New York is a Presbyterian minister and ancient astronaut proponent. His book The Bible and Flying Saucers in 1968, claims UFO phenomena are responsible for many of the events in the Bible. [1] [2]
Downing holds a PhD in the relation between religion and science from the University of Edinburgh of Scotland. [3] He also has a B.A in physics from Hartwick College, and a degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2008 he served as a delegate from Princeton Theological Seminary to the Inauguration of Margaret Drugovich as the 10th President of Hartwick College. [4] He was pastor of the Northminster Presbyterian Church in Endwell, New York. [5] [6] At Edinburgh Downing studied under Prof. John McIntyre, and Prof. Thomas F. Torrance; his dissertation, Eschatological Implications of the Understanding of Time and Space in the Thought of Isaac Newton, was accepted in 1966. He is listed in Who's Who in Theology and Science, as well as in The Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters. He has served as a consultant in theology to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) since 1972, and is on the international board of directors of the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR). [7] [8] [9]
Downing wrote the book The Bible and Flying Saucers in 1968 in which he stated that Jesus was an extraterrestrial sent to earth to rid the world of sin and wickedness. He cited biblical lines such as Jesus was from another world (John 8: 23) to support his claims, Downing also believed that Jesus left earth in a flying saucer to another planet or perhaps another spatial dimension. In the book, Downing also claimed that angels from the Bible were actually aliens and that the "angelic aliens" spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai where he boarded a UFO to receive stone tablets, and specifications for the construction of the Tabernacle.
According to Downing, aliens spoke to Elijah and guided the ancient Israelites, providing them with manna in the wilderness. Downing also claimed in the book that a flying vehicle operated by intelligent alien beings was responsible for the parting of the Red Sea. [10] [11] [12]
In 2009, Downing appeared in a History Channel television series called Ancient Aliens . [13]
An unidentified flying object (UFO), or unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. Upon investigation, most UFOs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained.
UFO conspiracy theories are a subset of conspiracy theories which argue that various governments and politicians globally, in particular the United States government, are suppressing evidence that unidentified flying objects are controlled by a non-human intelligence or built using alien technology. Such conspiracy theories usually argue that Earth governments are in communication or cooperation with extraterrestrial visitors despite public disclaimers, and further that some of these theories claim that the governments are explicitly allowing alien abduction.
Ancient astronauts refer to a pseudoscientific set of beliefs which holds that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of modern cultures, technologies, religions, and human biology. A common position is that deities from most, if not all, religions are extraterrestrial in origin, and that advanced technologies brought to Earth by ancient astronauts were interpreted as evidence of divine status by early humans.
The "Roswell incident", or simply "Roswell", was the July 1947 recovery of metallic and rubber debris from a military balloon by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, who issued a press release announcing possession of a "flying disc". Decades later, conspiracy theories claimed that debris from an alien spaceship had been covered up by the government. In response, in 1994 the United States Air Force published a report concluding the crashed object was a top secret nuclear test surveillance balloon from Project Mogul.
The extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) proposes that some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are best explained as being physical spacecraft occupied by extraterrestrial intelligence or non-human aliens, or non-occupied alien probes from other planets visiting Earth.
The Flying Saucers Are Real by Donald Keyhoe, was a book that investigated reports of UFOs by United States Air Force fighters, personnel, and other aircraft, between 1947 and 1950.
In ufology, the psychosocial hypothesis, abbreviated PSH, argues that at least some UFO reports are best explained by psychological or social means. It is often contrasted with the better-known extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH), and is particularly popular among UFO researchers in the United Kingdom, such as David Clarke, Hilary Evans, the editors of Magonia magazine, and many of the contributors to Fortean Times magazine. It has also been popular in France since the publication in 1977 of a book written by Michel Monnerie, Et si les ovnis n'existaient pas?.
Contactees are persons who claim to have experienced contact with extraterrestrials. Some claimed ongoing encounters, while others claimed to have had as few as a single encounter. Evidence is anecdotal in all cases.
The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) is a US-based non-profit organization composed of civilian volunteers who study reported UFO sightings. It is one of the oldest and largest organizations of its kind, claiming more than 4,000 members worldwide with chapters and representatives in more than 43 countries and all 50 states. The organization has been criticized for its focus on pseudoscience, and critics say its investigators fail to use the scientific method.
Morris Ketchum Jessup was an American ufologist. He had a Master of Science Degree in astronomy and, though employed for most of his life as an automobile-parts salesman and a photographer, is probably best remembered for his writings on UFOs.
A UFO religion is any religion in which the existence of extraterrestrial (ET) entities operating unidentified flying objects (UFOs) is an element of belief. Typically, adherents of such religions believe the ETs to be interested in the welfare of humanity which either already is, or eventually will become, part of a pre-existing ET civilization. Other religions predate the UFO era of the mid 20th century, but incorporate ETs into a more supernatural worldview in which the UFO occupants are more akin to angels than physical aliens, but this distinction may be blurred within the overall subculture. These religions have their roots in the tropes of early science fiction and weird fiction writings, in ufology, and in the subculture of UFO sightings and alien abduction stories. Historians have considered the Aetherius Society, founded by George King, to be the first UFO religion.
In ufology, Nordic alien is the name given to alleged humanoid extraterrestrials, purported to come from the Pleiades, who resemble Nordic-Scandinavians. Alleged contactees describe them as being six to seven feet tall with long blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. George Adamski is credited with being among the first to claim contact with Nordic aliens in the mid 1950s, and scholars note that the mythology of extraterrestrial visitation from beings with features described as "Aryan" often include claims of telepathy, benevolence, and physical beauty.
Paul Misraki was a French composer of popular music and film scores. Over the course of over 60 years, Misraki wrote the music to 130 films, scoring works by directors like Jean Renoir, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Becker, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Orson Welles, Luis Buñuel and Roger Vadim.
This is a list of alleged sightings of unidentified flying objects or UFOs in Brazil.
The Aurora, Texas, UFO incident reportedly occurred on April 17, 1897, when, according to locals, a UFO crashed on a farm near Aurora, Texas. The incident is claimed to have resulted in a fatality of the pilot. The pilot was "not of this world" and was said to be an alien. The pilot was buried at the Aurora cemetery. A stone was placed as a marker for the grave, but has since been removed.
The interdimensional hypothesis is a proposal that unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings are the result of experiencing other "dimensions" that coexist separately alongside our own in contrast with either the extraterrestrial hypothesis that suggests UFO sightings are caused by visitations from outside the Earth or the psychosocial hypothesis that argues UFO sightings are best explained as psychological or social phenomenon.
Robert Dione was a school teacher in Connecticut and an author on two books on UFOs and ancient astronauts.
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