The MTSU Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies hosted a seminar called “Why UFO Religions Matter” in the MTSU Student Union on Thursday, Feb. 27, with questions from students and an explanation on how UFO religions work.
Benjamin Zeller, a professor and chair of religion from Lake Forest College, spoke at the event. He has written multiple academic journals and books about UFO Religions in America.
“I think the UFO religions matter because they’re not that different from other religions,” Zeller said. “They do the same basic thing, but their referent points are very different.”
Zeller introduced the origins of the idea of the UFO, what are considered the first sightings of them and how they entered pop culture. He defined UFO religion as a religious movement or spirituality based on ideas about outer space, its inhabitants and their technologies.
He spoke about the religious movements Heaven’s Gate, the Unarius Academy of Science, the Aetherius Society, the Raelian Church and Valley of the Dawn. Zeller discussed who started these religions, their goals, their practices, how they compare to mainstream religions and how they view the aliens involved.
He introduced attendees to the term “progressive millennialism” — where there is a sudden transformation in society with the goal of collective salvation — which these religions fall under. All of which became prevalent after 1947 and the famous UFO sighting in Roswell, New Mexico.
“I like that he talked about religion that you don’t typically think of and the true crime culture and documentary culture,” student Vix Kelley said.
There are multiple possible interpretations for what causes these religions, Zeller said, including anxieties from the atomic age, the combination of religion and new-age science and the want for collective salvation.
In the last 15 minutes of the event, he opened the floor to audience questions. Students asked about the controversial leaders of the religions, the possibility of more forming, how they have evolved and more.
“I was really pleased by the questions, really thoughtful questions from the folks that came here to the talk,” Zeller said. “A very engaged [campus], and it’s a beautiful campus too.”
Around 100 students and faculty filled all the seats available for the talk.
“I thought it would be a small thing,” student Brennon Osborne said. “The entire place was full. People were having trouble finding seating.”
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