Do you really believe extraterrestrial aliens -- that is, life from other planets, specifically -- are visiting our planet currently? Are you truly, deeply convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that this is the case?

I had a dream last night that inspired me to ask this question. I think it's a good one; as much as I see people posting about it on here as if it were straight-up fact, I can't tell if this is simply an online fantasy, internal fantasy, or something people truly and deeply believe.

Please try to supplement your poll option selection with further explanation, as that's equally important (I think).

I believe

I want to believe....but belief of so fantastic a claim, devoid even of reasonable assumptions, requires more than a child-like desire for something to be.

I agree 22, it would be the greatest event in man's history to find we are being visited by ETs, but the evidence is just not there to back up the claim...

Believing that aliens are visiting Earth is almost religious, and if any of you have been to a UFO convention, you're confronted with how disturbed and cult-like it really is. I wanted to believe before, but I couldn't maintain respect for myself for having beliefs based more on faith than evidence.

I'm with you, Kiku. Well, and 22 and Skeptic, really. The dream definitely made me think of the religious aspects surrounding the belief, because, let's face it, it's only an unsupported belief. It takes (mostly blind) faith, and often crosses the line into spiritual territory, and then almost purely religious (culty, as you said. Kiku) when people form groups around it.

However, I don't discount the possibility. And it's not that I want to believe, actually, but that I simply cannot altogether deny that it could happen, or be happening right now.

I think the notion of extraterrestrial contact being a glorious event is almost as religious as the belief that it's happening. It seems most people expect extraterrestrials to harbour wondrous abilities and technologies that they may very well use to "save us". I imagine it being a bit like the first time anyone actually met an octopus. Just add on some technological abilities and....well, I bet it'd be terribly confusing for both species. It'd be different, not better.

Well, to get from "there" to "here", Hotherym, they better be pretty bright...

But, again, bright does not mean better, except in the eyes of most people...though, hahah, it uh...it doesn't really show.

The way I see things, there's only different. Intelligence does not denote superiority, it's just another way of going about things to survive and flourish. Oh, and you can be plenty capable of making technology without actual adaptive intelligence (which was seen with the Neanderthals, at least to some extent). So without getting long-winded there are many possibilities, and I highly doubt that anything that would end up visiting us would be much like us at all. The meeting and greeting would be confusing and frightening, as I said, for both species involved. At least, that's how I think of it.

True, technically advanced doesn't mean advanced in all other matters. But they'd have to have a much more complex understanding of such sciences as physics than we would to be regular interstellar travelers...

First of all, I TRULY believe beyond even an ATOM of doubt (and shut up, I KNOW that no such thing exists! I'm just trying to get my point across! ) that extraterrestrial entities exist elsewhere in the universe. I am utterly CONVINCED of it. As for whether these entities are currently visiting this planet, I've never seen such a thing with my own eyes or experienced such a thing with my other senses. So based on this information ALONE, I'm NOT convinced that these entities are currently visiting our planet. They might have visited our planet many eons ago and/or they might visit our planet sometime in the future. I don't know. But I DO admit that the belief that ETs are currently visiting our planet DOES have many religious/spiritual aspects and connotations attached to it, and such a belief IS usually based on faith (unless an alleged abduction experience ACTUALLY occurred, of course). I also admit that the belief that ETs are currently visiting our planet IS indeed something that I WANT to believe, whether these ETs are malevolent or benevolent. But what I want ABOVE ALL ELSE in this matter is the TRUTH. I just want a simple, FACTUAL 'yes' or 'no' answer to the question 'are ETs currently visiting our planet'?

i believe they are visiting our atmosphere definately. i truly believe in ufo sightings (genuine ones) being visitors from other planets. regarding them actually coming down to earth or walking around us...as yet i am unconvinced. i'm not too sure i'd bother if i were them :laugh:

I voted no. I 100% consider it almost unimaginable that there ISN'T other life out there in the immenseness of the universe, it's mathmatically illogical to suggest there isn't. However I do not believe extra terrestrials are currently visiting earth. I don't believe (religiously as some have put it) that ET's have visited us in the past but I do find some evidence of SOME kind of visitations in the past, both in archeaology and in some historical documents. I find the strongest evidence of SOME kind of visitation exists in the document known as the bible.

While I consider myself a christian ( most christians would not consider me a christian ), I'm not a believer by virtue of having had any kind of born again experience, bolt of lightning, heard the voice of God, or found "the truth" in the bible. Quite the contrary, I've always found the Bible itself the very evidence that christians do NOT know God.

I firmly believe in a creator that is some type of intelligence. I'm a firm believer our universe represents intelligent design and not random chance. I do not claim to comprehend the nature of whatever being is the creator, whom I choose to call God, but I cannot for the life of me believe the Bible's description of God represents the nature of the omnipotent, omniscient all mighty creator. The God of the bible sounds like a man, and not an altogether very well adjusted one either.

I know this is not a religious board and I have no intention of proseletyzing, but I needed to say that in order to explain HOW it is I find the bible to be evidence of alien visitation in our past.

Contrary to a previous poster in this thread, I would NOT find it remarkable to some day discover that ET's ARE just like us, but obviously more advanced. This is because I DO believe the universe was created, on purpose, by some intelligent being I choose to call God. I of course would also not find it remarkable if God also created intelligent life totally UNlike us.

If you read the bible from beginning to end, which I've done several times, it is very difficult to understand the God of this book. Obviously countless millions have reconciled the behavior and nature of who they call God in this book, but I can't do it. I am constantly thinking as I read it "why would omnipotent God do such a thing? Why would the almighty behave that way? If he was my son I'd have to spank him for that."

I could run down the list, from genesis to revelation, of the many things attributed to God I take issue with, but it would be very lengthy and I don't think there is any need. Either you've never read the bible and wouldn't know what I was talking about, or you've read it and have your own opinion.

I guess I don't need to say that when I read the bible, I don't think it's talking about God. All the antics, all the behaviors (angry just for example. Anger is a behavior, an emotion. And it is an emotion most commonly associated with not very mature people. Why in the world would an omniscient God, who by THEIR definition, already knows what we are going to do, be angry when we do it???? Makes no sense), all the "miracles" make MUCH more sense if you read it with the belief that the "God" being spoken of is in fact extra terrestrial beings.

"Chariots of fire" is an obvious one. Consider if we today had not yet discovered flight. We have automobiles as our primary source of transportation. Never ever having seen human beings transported in the air by a flying vehicle, what would WE call an airplane if we saw one? Would the trail of smoke/cloud/vapor behind it lead us to believe it was propelled by fire? Chariots were the fanciest mode of transportation in the era that was written. What would we CALL a plane today if one flew by somewhere and nobody on the planet had ever seen one before?

I do believe we've been visited in the past. I can easily believe in fact that we may well have been "planted" here, possibly by God, but more likely in my opinion by our forefathers who are in fact from another planet. I do not believe there is a shred of evidence we slowly evolved to our present form from apes.

I do believe evolution does occur. I just don't believe many of the theories presented by many evolutionists as to how WE came to be. I do believe the bible is a fairly accurate representation of our history here, I just don't believe it's talking about God. I don't think Jesus was any more the son of God than any of us are. I believe he is just a guy that figured it out. We're here for one reason alone, sink or swim, survive or die. No matter what religion you profess, no matter what science, or what ideology, the philosophy which affords humanity the best chance of survival is one thing, and one thing alone "love one another", period.

I do not believe God cares one way or the other about "us". I can't find a way to believe in a creator with human emotions. I believe Jesus went out of his way to make it clear the nature of the creator. People just forgot they'd been told EXACTLY who the creator is by our forefathers that left us here. God is "I am". This is considered the MOST definitive explanation of who God is. He's not a man with human emotions, he just "is".

God does not NEED emotions. He doesn't NEED to care about "us". Creation continues on whether we survive or go extinct. That's up to us, he has no NEED to interfere. Free will is not a concept, it's a fact. Humans don't fight because "God" is withholding his hand. We do it INVARIABLY because we CHOOSE to. If we want to change our destiny it is utter foolishness to wait for God OR et's to do it for us, I don't see ANY evidence either has the inclination to do so.

I guess this is my biggest reason for not believing we're being visited/abducted. I can't imagine why they'd bother. If they DID bother, they MUST have a reason.

Simply to study us doesn't make one iota of sense. They could do that from space.

If they are actively involved in our politics (as some would suggest) then they HAVE to have a motive. That motive is either beneficent or malevolent. If they are looking out for our good, they are failing miserably and what BETTER could they do than to reveal themselves and their intent? If they want us to die, why hide? Just kill us.

The best one can do to explain et involvement is to use the Star trek federation policy (we don't want to be seen or have ANY effect on this alien culture). Certainly it made for good drama, but there was never any logic to it. Why WOULDN'T a beneficent culture, of ANY intelligence level, want to effect an alien culture in a positive manner? I'll say again; IFFF some alien culture is trying to effect our culture in a positive manner, they are failing miserably and MUST be plain stupid. Since that makes no sense they must be malicious. If they are malicious towards us, what need is there for all the secrecy? Just kill us already. I just can't find a single logical reason to believe we're being visited by an alien life-form.

I'm a fan of George Nory and Art Bell. I listen to the show nearly every night, have done so for years. I think I've heard just about all the mental gymnastics there are to explain why et's would want to be secretive about their visits here, why the govt would KNOW they have and cover it up, etc..etc... I have never heard a single one that didn't stretch my imagination so bad it hurt.

I do believe life exists outside our solar system. I do also believe they've visited us in the past and for a time played an active part in our culture. I also believe though that they are bound by the same laws of physics we are. I do not believe they travel faster than the speed of light. I do not believe they've found any wormhole or any other way to flit between our world and theirs. I believe it's more likely they build ships which are spacestations able to support life for many generations. I believe they inhabit those spacestations with beings and send them out into space where they live and die and procreate until they reach another solar system and another planet to inhabit.

Like it or not.
I have my reasons.
I say yes.
Leave it at that.

I voted no.
Now, I'm also convinced there's life out there in the Universe either more advanced or not, but at this point in time there's no valid proof we are beeing visited by them.

I entirely believe. Whether it be extraterrestrial, extradimensional, extraplanar, etc, there is something else here and out there beyond just us.

I voted undecided. I believe that extraterestrial life exists, but I am not sure if it is visiting or has visited in the past, but I cannot dissmiss that they could have or are here, if there technology is far in advance of ours we might not know they are here.

I truly and deeply believe. I have more than one reason, I have 39 reasons, 27 pictures and 12 sights

I understand what you mean. I try to keep away from all this religion bollocks. I try to keep my sights and my pictures not too much on the open, if you know what I mean. But you can always have your own opinion about things, only because some people see ETs life as a religion you don't have to see things in the same way. I think you can do better than that, actually we all.

Your opinion do not mach your quote.