Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Politics and Religion
Demons and UAP in the Pentagon?

Demons and UAP in the Pentagon?

Last updated on: January 13, 2025 at 10:41 am by Ted Peters

Demons and UAP in the Pentagon? 2025-01-13T10:41:01-08:00 Ted Peters

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Demons and UAP in the Pentagon?

“It’s demonic,” said Devon Woods of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to Luis Elizondo. We’re talking about the UFO phenomenon studied by the Pentagon. “There is no reason we should be looking into this. We already know what they are and where they come from. They are deceivers. Demons” (Elizondo 2024, 85). Demons and UAP in the Pentagon? Really? Is a Pentagon UAP apocalypse imminent?

This suggests that there is religious talk within the Pentagon. Ugh! We must restrict it! Avoid it! Dismiss it! Much to our relief skeptic Mick West can thank Elizondo for not taking demons and UAP in the Pentagon seriously. “To his credit,” writes West in the Skeptical Inquirer, “Elizondo expresses great concern about this …. We don’t want people making policy based on unfounded religious beliefs” (West 2024, 30). Of course we don’t want any religion in the US military. Did I get that right?

Luis Elizondo, IMMINENT

Elizando’s Imminent is one of the most popular “I haven’t read it yet, but…” books. On November 13, 2024, Elizando testified before a US Congressional Committee on UAP in which he demanded of the government more transparency regarding classified UAP information. When asked questions, Elizando responded with “I can neither confirm nor deny” along with refusals to divulge his sources because their confidential or classified status. Secretive Elizando wants the government to be transparent, but he does not exhibit transparency himself. I’m confuzzled.

Demons and UAP in the Pentagon according to Jensine Andresen

Ruminous UAP researcher Jensine Andresen is agitated both by those who believe in there are demons and UAP in the Pentagon’s UAP cross hairs and by Luis Elizando as well. Why? Because these two parties together are misleading us into fearing the benevolent extraterrestrials piloting UAP. UAP are not demonic. They’re benevolent.

“Evangelicals with this view would like people to believe that one must accept the belief that UFOs are demonic because accepting a more scientific explanation—namely that certain UFOs indicate an extraterrestrial presence—is part of the demons’ deceptive tactics. This is a clear example of regressive thinking, yet it is a type of thinking in which many people engage” (Andresen, Hyperconvergenece: Religion, Politics, and UFOs 2023, 150).

Elizando, for quite different reasons, wants us to tremble with alarm because, allegedly, UAP poses a threat to national security. Elizando, allegedly, wants to cash in on lucrative defense contracts issued to those who would protect us from this imaginary enemy.

But we on Earth have nothing to fear from our space neighbors. Why? Because the goal of our extraterrestrial friends is to put an end to the threat of nuclear war and coax us into peace on Earth.

Jensine Andresen, HYPERCONVERGENCE

“In reality, there is no need to be afraid, nor to start to prepare for the next religious showdown between ‘good’ and ‘evil,’ nor to wrap oneself in the garb of the so-called spiritual warrior. Everyone can simply remain calm and participate in a constructive manner in the process of creative acculturation with ETI. No stones required” (Andresen, Hyperconvergenece: Religion, Politics, and UFOs 2023, 152).

Thank you, Jensine. Whew!

Are Demons and UAP in the Pentagon threatening us with apocalypse?

“Although most UFOs can be explained by natural phenomenon, some may be Satanic imitations,” avers Dan Brownell in a Today’s Christian Living post. Really? Ron Rhodes of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries would agree.

…those UFOs that remain truly unidentifiable—and especially those that make “contact,” or communicate messages to human beings, or “abduct” people—are rooted in the work of Satan (Rhodes, 2012).

Rhodes fears Satan will rush us toward the apocalypse via a “counterfeit end-times ideology” before it is necessary.

Ultimately, I believe that the diabolical goal of these entities is to set forth a massive end-times delusion as we draw near the second coming of Christ—a delusion that will keep as many people as possible from turning to the true Savior, Jesus Christ (Rhodes, 2012).

Now, I wish to remain loyal to the true Savior, Jesus Christ, to be sure. But I don’t see UAP playing either a demonic or apocalyptic role.

Are all visiting aliens demonic? Or only some?

Are all visiting aliens demonic? Even though one so-called evangelical variant view would declare that UFO visitations are demonic by definition and in their entirety, Rhodes divides between demonic and non-demonic UAP.

More. There are cosmologies among our new age friends who believe that aliens come from multiple locations in multiple evolved forms. According to the Extraterrestrial Species Almanac, for example, one evil alien species is dubbed the “Bat Bouwels.” The religion of the Bat Bouwels “is dark, sadistic, and demonic. They only serve themselves.” This alien species threaten us on Earth with mind control. “They feel their victims’ fear, gain control over them, and destroy their physical bodies and souls through substance abuse”(Campobasso, 257). I recommend you do not invite a Bat Bouwel home for dinner.

We must distinguish between two variant demonic views. On the one hand, our new age friends might posit the existence of multiple extraterrestrial species, some of whom are malevolent. When it comes to demons and UAP in the Pentagon, on the other hand, the belief in question holds that UAP as a whole is a demonic phenomenon. Why? Because UAP try to persuade us earthlings to believe in evolution. UAP deception is what worries Pentagon evangelicals, evidently.

ETI and the Pentagon UAP Apocalypse

Demons and UAP in the Pentagon?

John Milor worries. Just retired from his position as the Chief of Cyber Operations for the U.S. Western Air Defense Sector, Milor affirms both the extraterrestrial hypothesis and Satan’s employment of UAP for deceptive purposes.

Milor embraces Christian Ufology. In Christian Ufology, John Milor seeks “to reconcile how one can hold to the essentials of the Christian faith, and also believe in the existence of extraterrestrial (ET) life” (Milor, Christian Ufology 2023, 8).

But Milor warns us to watch warily for demonic deception on the front end of the coming apocalypse. Watch for the False Prophet to descend like Christ aboard a UFO.

“This event with the False Prophet will most likely be the reverse of [Jesus’ ascension on a cloud in Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9]. “That cloud will not be described as a cloud by the people of today. In today’s terminology, it will be a UFO” (Milor, The Strong Delusion 2023, 331). Although it may look like the second coming of Christ, it will be a demon descending from heaven in a UFO.

In the face of this deception, we can be confident that the true God still reigns.

“The real God of the universe, Yahweh, Elohim, Jehovah, and so forth, is in charge, but many of the elements of the False Prophet’s deception will actually be true, which will make this deception even more cunning. The heavens are indeed populated with life, but God the Creator rules over all of them from a glorified planet in a higher dimension, where His throne resides…. Satan will simply copycat this reality and establish another throne for his False Prophet on some other distant planet” (Milor, The Strong Delusion 2023, 333).

Satan’s False Prophet is only a copycat. Not the real thing.

Are UAP really demonic?

Despite my acervation of testimonies to the demonic explanation for UAP, the rarity of this position suggests that the demonic explanation is only a marginal ufological dalliance. The UFO / UAP phenomenon is broad, minimizing the relative importance of the demonic view. Historian Greg Eghigian shows us how the demonic hypothesis is only one among many.

“UFOs have been seen through the lens of an idiosyncratic repertoire of metaphors: crafts compared to rockets, intelligence measured in terms of technological feats, beings associated with the attributes of gods, royalty, sprites, doctors, ghosts, and demons” (Eghigian 2024, 314).

In this Patheos series on UFOs and UAP, I have directly asked the question: are UFOs demonic? My conclusion? No, they are not demonic (Peters 2014).[1] Even with this conclusion, I try to understand why some in the Christian camp might fear something like the Pentagon UAP Apocalypse.

If interested, you might want to read a fascinating though kooky tract published by The Church of God International, UFOs Exist! But What Are They? The author is Lloyd W. Cary. The point of this tract is this: “The current emphasis on UFOs and aliens (extraterrestrial beings) is a smokescreen for Satan’s activities” (Cary 2002, 17).

Just what ideas does Satan want us on Earth to believe that will lead us astray? Read the following carefully.

Satan’s “ultimate purpose is to blind people to the gospel of Jesus Christ by capturing their minds with a New Age philosophy that incorporates a belief in UFOs, aliens, the paranormal and such like. As a result, evolution and interplanetary migration are a ‘given’ and mankind looks to be a technological savior rather than to the God of your Bible” (Cary 2002, 18).

Believing in ETI leads to belief in evolution.

Look again at Carey’s list of Satan’s deceptions: New Age spirituality; belief in evolution; and trust in technology for salvation. Our belief in a more highly evolved technological civilization living on an exoplanet is a false belief, Cary says. It’s a temptation from Lucifer.

Because Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is dubbed demonic by extreme right-wing fundamentalists, UFOs are dubbed demonic too. Why? Because UFOs tempt us to believe that evolution took place on an extraterrestrial planet. Yeow! This logic is such a bald circumvention of parsimony that it takes my breath away. I find it more than unlikely that any Pentagon official with brains between the ears would give such a view a second thought.

Envoi

Demons and UAP in the Pentagon? Yep.

Even though I find it unlikely that any inconnu evangelical soldier would sing the song of Pentagon UAP Apocalypse, both Elizondo and Andresen worry that the demonic theory is held by too many individuals who make decisions about national security. If this is the case, Lord have mercy!

SR 1194, UFO 24. Demons and UAP in the Pentagon

Are UFOs Demonic?

Are UFOs our Celestial Saviors?

UAP Transparency Act

SR 1186 UFO 16 UAP Cryptoterrestrial Hypothesis

SR 1187 UFO 17 Scientizing Ufology

SR 1188 UFO 18 Are UAP from outer space?

SR 1189 UFO 19 Are UAP from future time?

SR 1190 UFO 20 UAP: the Interdimensional Hypothesis?

SR 1191 UFO 21 UAP and Ancient Alien Theology

SR 1192 UFO 22 UAP, ETI, and David Bohm’s Physics

SR 1193 UFO 23. A UFO for Christmas?

SR 1195, UFO 25. UAP in the Nation of Islam?

▓

Ted Peters

Ted Peters directs traffic at the intersection of science, religion, and ethics. Peters is an emeritus professor at the Graduate Theological Union, where he co-edits the journal, Theology and Science, with Robert John Russell on behalf of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, in Berkeley, California, USA. He authored Playing God? Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom? (Routledge, 2nd ed., 2002) as well as Science, Theology, and Ethics (Ashgate 2003). Along with Martinez Hewlett, Joshua Moritz, and Robert John Russell, he co-edited, Astrotheology: Science and Theology Meet Extraterrestrial Intelligence (2018). Along with Octavio Chon Torres, Joseph Seckbach, and Russell Gordon, he co-edited, Astrobiology: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy (Scrivener 2021). Along with Arvin Gouw and Brian Patrick Green, he co-edited Religious Transhumanism and Its Critics (Lexington 2022). Look for his newest book, The Voice of Public Theology, a collection of previous articles. See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.

Regarding UFOs, he is author of UFOs: God’s Chariots? Spirituality, Ancient Aliens, and Religious Yearnings in the Age of Extraterrestrials (Career Press New Page Books, 2014). He served as Louisiana State Director for MUON and is currently a member of two UFO investigation organizations, Society for UAP Studies and Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies.

▓

Notes

[1] Does the very idea of dubbing UFOs demonic make sense? Not according to Jensine Andresen? “In listening to a fair number of evangelical Christian podcasts on the topic of ‘aliens,’ I realize that the persons making these programs are engaging in two, distinct lines of thinking. One line of thinking is that while demons do not exist, everything historically attributed to demons really should have been attributed to extraterrestrials who disguised themselves in demonic forms. The other line of thinking is that demons exist and extraterrestrials do not, and everything being attributed to extraterrestrials really should be recognized as the activity of demons”(Andresen, 2023, 155).

References

Andresen, Jensine. Hyperconvergenece: Religion, Politics, and UFOs. Independent: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197292604-hyperconvergence, 2023.

Campobosso, Craig. Extraterrestrial Species Almanac. MUFON, 2021.

Cary, Lloyd. UFOs Exist! But What Are They? tract, Tyhler TX: Church of God International, 2002.

Eghigian, Greg. After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Elizondo, Luis. Imminent: Inside the Pentegon’s Hunt for UFOs. New York: Harper Collins, 2024.

Milor, John W. Christian Ufology. Self-published, 2023.

Milor, John W. The Strong Delusion: Revealing the Strange God of the Antichrist. Self-published, 2023.

Peters, Ted. UFOs–God’s Chariots? Pompton Plains NJ: New Page Books, 2014.

Rhodes, Ron. The Truth about UFOs and Aliens: A Christian Assessment. Self-published, 2012.

West, Mick. “Psychics and Demons at the Pentagon.” Skeptical Inquirer 48:6, November / December 2024: 28-31.

Politics and Religion

progressive Christian

About Ted Peters

Regarding UFOs, Ted Peters is author of UFOs: God's Chariots? Spirituality, Ancient Aliens, and Religious Yearnings in the Age of Extraterrestrials (Career Press New Page Books, 2014). He served as Louisiana State Director for MUON and is currently a member of two UFO investigation organizations, Society for UAP Studies and Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

December 27, 2024

UAP in the Nation of Islam?

Next Post

January 16, 2025 Working on Science and Religion: Update

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Afterlife America in Crisis Ancient Alien Apocalypse Art Artificial Intelligence Astrobiology Astrotheology Atheism Big History Buddhist Catholic Christian Nationalism Christmas Comparative Theology Death Ecology Ethics ETI Evangelical Evolution Existential Questions Free Will General Christian Hermeneutics Hindu https://www.patheos.com/blogs/allsetfree/2020/12/sins-we-need-to-talk-about/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Christians+For+a+Better+Christianity&utm_content=43&lct Interreligious Islam Jewish Justice Latter-Day Saints Literature Literature and Theology Lutheran Methodism Mormonism Nonreligious ontology Orthodox Pagam Prayer progressive Christian PT 6 Dignity Public Theology Race racial justice Religious Liberty Romance Satan Scapegoat Science & Religion Science and Religion social justice Spirituality SR 8 Transhumanism Systematic Theology Taoism Ted Peters UAP UFO Uncategorized War

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible has the most chapters?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Proverbs Genesis Isaiah Psalms