UFO Religions

The spectre of the UFO, popularized by shows like The X-Files, has brought an astonishing slant to the face of modern religious practice. What motivates the fantastical & sometimes sinister beliefs of UFO worshippers? UFO Religions critically examines some of the issues surrounding UFO worship--abduction narratives, UFO-based interpretations of other religions, the growth of pseudo-sciences purporting to explain UFOs & the responses of the core scientific community to such claims. Focusing on contemporary global UFO groups including the Raelian Movement, Heaven's Gate, Unarius & the Ansaaru Allah Community, it gives a clear profile of modern UFO controversies & beliefs.1 INTRODUCTIONUnderstanding UFO religions & abduction spiritualities/ Christopher Partridge2 OBSERVING RELIGIONSScientific creationism: a study of the Rae?lian Church/ George D. ChryssidesWhen the archangel died: from revelation to routinisation of charisma in Unarius/ Diana TumminiaOpening a channel to the stars: the origins & development of the Aetherius society/ Simon G. SmithLegitimating suicide: Heaven's Gate & New Age ideology/ James R. LewisURANTIA book/ Sarah LewisUnited Nuwaubian nation of moors/ Theodore GabrielFrom extraterrestrials to ultraterrestrials: the evolution of the concept of Ashtar/ Christopher Helland UFO faith & ufological discourses in Germany/ Andreas Gru?nschlob Finnish UFO tradition 1947-94/ Jaakko Na?rva?3 UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVESUFO religions & cargo cults/ Garry W. TrompfAlien doubts: reading abduction narratives post-apocalyptically/ Jodi DeanUFO beliefs as syncretistic components/ Mikael RothsteinApocalyptic & millenarian aspects of American UFOism/ Daniel WojcikAttitudes towards religion & science in the UFO movement in the US/ Brenda DenzlerJung on UFOs/ Robert A. Segal Psychology of UFO phenomena/ John A. Saliba