Amanda Baron

U.F.Os: THE LINK BETWEEN

RELIGION AND SCIENCE

Amanda Baron, 2011

91 BC: "At Aenariae, while Livius Troso was promulgating the laws at the beginning of the Italian war, at sunrise, there came a terrific noise in the sky, and a globe of fire appeared burning in the north. In the territory of Spoletum, a globe of fire, of golden color, fell to the earth gyrating. It then seemed to increase in size, rose from the earth and ascended into the sky, where it obscured the sun with its brilliance. It revolved toward the eastern quadrant of the sky."- Julius Obsequens (ref. 2)

The above quote from the Roman writer Julius Obsequens, reports seeing an unidentified flying object (or UFO) in the sky sometime in the year of 91 BC. Noting its ancient origin, it is a perfect example to show that UFO’s are not simply a materialization of our over-active imagination in modern society. It is in fact, a phenomenon that has been reported and documented by various peoples in various regions of the world since the dawn of man. It is curious however, their significance in westernized culture. The Christian faith begins with the birth of Jesus, the son of Mary who was birthed by a virgin through the miracle of God, and thus dominating our perception of an ominous deity who sends messengers. This is the subject of most High Renaissance art, clearly portraying the common beliefs of the day. Art has and always will record history. What is unique about how it is told is that it comes from a first person point of view, the artist’s. Thus this method of recording history through art is possibly more honest and genuine than scripts of regulated religions and controlled forces.

Through religion, the belief in god-like beings that are greater and more powerful than us has been with prevalent for centuries. In our present time, we are beginning to believe and start to understand the possibility extraterrestrial life. Science is finally catching up with religion. The following paintings are examples of extraterrestrial sightings and myths, which take form in the name of God.

“Madonna of the Book” painted in 1483 by Sandro Botticelli (see image 1), depicts Mary holding baby Jesus with the Book of Hours. Baby Jesus holds three nails and a crown of thorns foretelling his future death. On the sleeve of Mary’s dress robe it shows the nativity star with several “unidentified flying objects” flying towards it. These U.F.O.s are jellyfish-like in appearance, with three long tails attached to a dome. This same symbol is also present in the sky of “Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John” (see image 2) by Sebastiano Mainardi. In this particular case, there is a shepherd with a dog looking upon the circular beaming cloud with cherubs inside. Elsewhere in the sky is the nativity star with its surrounding U.F.O.s.

In May of 2008 there was a U.F.O. sighting over North London in the United Kingdom, during an increase in U.F.O. sightings and crop circles (see image 3). This image snapped by a local woman is undeniably similar to the U.F.O.s in Mary’s robe. Although the so-called logic of coincidence comes to mind, these images still raise the question, where did this symbol originate? There is strong symbolism in Renaissance paintings, and what is not lost in our translation concludes that images in paintings are code. Sometimes these symbols document or foreshadow events, ie. Jesus holds thorns in “Madonna of the Book” to predict his death.

Could it be possible that “heaven” shining down is a Renaissance interpretation of what we now call today a U.F.O. or extraterrestrial presence? The curiosity of what is in the sky and beyond has plagued man in our entire existence. It is possible that these fascinations have manifested themselves in a religious light. Explaining in a language that made sense to its public, as a way to cope and understand the meaning of such strange phenomenons.

The stunning painting of “The Annunciation with Saint Emidius” (see image 4) in 1946 by Carlo Crivelli shows the annunciation in its final stage where Mary accepts the responsibility of bearing the Son of God. There are two figures that approach Mary in this version; the angel bares a white lily accompanied by an unidentified figure who bears her a small city. Mary resides in a room, with a barred window between her and her two visitors, however our door is open to peer in. It is interesting to note that the décor of this room is rather unusual. Glass vases and books suggest it is that of an alchemist. This could symbolize spiritual discipline and eternal youth. This corresponds with the Book of Ezekiel where God rises man from the dead:

37:4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
(ref. 4)

The clouds shining holy light connects to a dove inside beaming a strand of light into the virgin Mary’s ear. This represents an opening into heaven or a type of portal outside of this world where Jesus originates. The symbol of the circular clouds with cherubs inside is as well reminiscent of the wheels of Ezekiel. This gives further insight into the origin and purpose of this symbolic shining. The King James version of the Book of Ezekiel states;

“10:12 And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.” It goes on to say…

“10:14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
10:15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
10:16 And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.” (ref. 4)
A clear description of some sort of creature, emerging and descending into the heavens with wheels; circular, flying objects in the sky. In today’s modern language we would describe this encounter to be that of U.F.O sighting. Clearly, not of this Earth.

By definition, “extraterrestrial” pertains to what is “outside, or originating outside, the limits of the Earth”. This definition would suggest that God and his angels are in fact, extraterrestrial. There is belief, or even knowledge that we are not alone in this universe, that we are being watched by ultimate dieties. Today, the idea of extraterrestrial life is becoming more and more common knowledge rather than simply pure science fiction. Could our fascination with space be the same as the belief in God? Science and religion are perfectly lining up for the first time in history.

The prime theory today, of our existence is evolution, however there is still a large question that has yet to be answered. What happened to the Neanderthals? Their “utter, almost abrupt disappearance”(ref. 6) is very puzzling. The common answer to this question is we evolved and that is all. However, evolution takes a very long time. And humans evolved, rapidly in relationship to other species, how could this be possible? The gap between homosapiens and Neanderthals is a mystery that can possibly be rationalized between religion and science. Starting with the Creation. "God said, Let us make men in our image, after our likeness". Note the use of plural word of “us”, this pertains to the angels and holy beings alike, which originate outside of our Earth. Is it possible there were outer-worldly forces at hand in our creation? We deem it to be untrue in mainstream science today, however there are some theories that are not widely acknowledged in the science community suggesting so. Ancient astronaut theorists believe that extraterrestrial beings have had a hand in the creation of homosapiens, or Man. Man originated with Adam in Christianity. This theory is similar to that of the story of Creation in the Biblical text. In other religions, the story differs only slightly from the Christian version. For example, ancient Mesopotamian civilizations recorded much of their history on clay tablets, much of which pertains to the relationship between gods and humans. They say gods were male and female, and interbred with humans. Creating Man, or “Adam”.

Looking at Michelangelo Buonarroti’s Sistine chapel ceiling, the “Creation of Adam” (see image 5) in 1511, (or where God gives Adam will) shows Adam on Earth, and God emerging from a circular space made of cloth surrounded by angels. The symbolism shows that God and the other holy spirits are giving life or choice, into man. Literally suggesting humans have “the touch of God” in our making. In scientific studies of our human DNA there is a minimal amount that is actually of this Earth. Most of our DNA was termed as “junk DNA”, as their functions were a mystery. This “junk DNA” has since been identified as extraterrestrial DNA, which is what makes humans able to evolve intellectually. Dr. Chang, a scientist who works on the Human Genome project, states;
"What we see in our DNA is a program consisting of two versions, a big code and basic code. First fact is, the complete 'program' was positively not written on Earth; that is now a verified fact. The second fact is that genes by themselves are not enough to explain evolution; there must be something more in 'the game'." (ref. 5)

It is safe to say tha religion and science have never been so close. The constant dispute between the two overlooks each other’s similarities. There are definite answers that can be found , if we know where to look. Art is an example of how we have been able to track ancient stories, keep religions alive. It is living history. This act of recording through art is most definitely found in early to high renaissance art, as well as other art forms throughout the ages. It is just a question of when differences will be put aside in order to find the truth about our existence.

Reference 1: Downing, Barry H. The Bible and Flying Saucers,. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1968. Print.
Reference 2: "Julius Obsequens." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Obsequens>.
Reference 3: "New UFO News, Comte Wpleith UFO Pictures!" Do You Believe ? 18 May 2008. Web. Apr. 2011. <http://www.ufopictureblog.com/2008/May/New-UFO-News-Complete-With-UFO-Pictures.htm>.
Reference 4: "SAB, Ezekiel." Skeptic's Annotated Bible / Quran / Book of Mormon. Web. Apr. 2011. <http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/ezek/intro.html>
Reference 5: Stokes, John. "Scientists Find Extraterrestrial Genes in Human DNA." The Canadian. Web. Apr. 2011. <http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/01/08/01288.html>.