Quick Note: You still can get all four of my Fallen books, including the just finished finale Assumption, as a gift if you subscribe just for one month for $8. Offer goes away December 1st!

Religion and Aliens

This post is a special in the series of objective, non-judgement views of various religions’ views on the potential of extraterrestrial life. For more, see the previous posts on

Additionally, check out my look at the “Aliens are Demons” argument and my podcast interview on the subject.

This is a following up to my May post the day the first U.S. government UFO files dropped.

Post-Government UFO Files Release, Things Still Discussed

Despite false prophets being wrong in their belief about Trump announcing the existence of aliens, whether honestly or as part of a demonic deception, six months on people are still interested in anything related to aliens and UFOs. This, of course, includes how various religions are reacting to the subject.

Catholic Exorcist Removed in Part over “Demonic” UFOs

The biggest news so far since the Disclosure Flop was the Archdiocese of Washington, DC’s leader, Cardinal McElroy, removing Monsignor Stephen Rossetti from his role as exorcist. Per the original archdiocese’s statement, “Cardinal McElroy said that statements made by Monsignor Rossetti linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.” The cardinal later said, “It wasn’t touching on the question of UFOs. My major objection is that I think the traditional role of an exorcist is a very private one. It’s a sacred one.”

The flashpoint of this dispute was a May 29th video in which the priest gave his personal opinion that “many, if not most” UFO sightings were demons. Interestingly enough, however, was that he said the issue of whether there was alien life out there was theologically neutral, stating that nothing in Catholicism supported nor denied extraterrestrial life.

(Side note: I personally know Rossetti, and he is a member of my Knights of Columbus council. I have no inside knowledge of the details of the dispute between him and the archdiocese. In the past, other priests have had the hammer fall on them after long running, semi-secret disputes with the reigning bishop.)

The sudden announcement led people first in the Catholic UFO sphere, then the Catholic media environment, and then the mainstream press to talk about it. Some were sympathetic for Rossetti and suggested that the situation was because the cardinal was a well known progressive cleric uncomfortable with the idea of the demonic, while others were against Rosetti’s beliefs and linked it to Fundamentalist Protestantism and the alleged Our Lady of the Roses, also referred to as Our Lady of Bayside. Hong Kong-based Dominican priest James Dominic Rooney took a hard neutral stance and said, “I think you should care far less about doings of demons or aliens or the lizard people or whether Adam rode dinosaurs and much more about whether you are in a state of grace, praying daily, fasting regularly, donating income/time to the poor & the support of the Church’s mission.”

However, some took this as a call to battle. Daniel O’Connor - who claimed the May file release was Disclosure, only to back off later, and that the website Aliens.gov would be how the government announces Disclosure only for the website to be about illegal immigration - called the removal of Rossetti a great scandal in a video released the next day. Though O’Connor stated McElroy “may well be an ultra-liberal modernist,” the commentator stated his opinion that McElroy wasn’t “stupid enough” to believe the archdiocese’s statement. Instead, O’Connor embraced collaboration between demons and the Church official by stating, “Cardinal McElroy got a memo. He got the same basic memo that a lot of Catholics have gotten already. But his probably came from an even higher or lower if you want to put it accurately and more powerful source than the memos usually originate from... In general, that memo suggests with an offer you can’t refuse that Catholic voices opposing the ET UFO deception should be canceled, persecuted, blacklisted, or at least ignored into oblivion.” He went on further saying, “I already know from firsthand experience that this memo went out to Catholic, Inc. podcasters… And just last month, mainstream Catholic media made it clear that they also got the memo.” O’Connor did not offer proof of such a memo. In another post, O’Connor implied Rossetti knew the truth about UFOs in part because the priest formerly was an Air Force intelligence officer, and that Satan acted and found the cardinal to do the devil’s bidding.

For his part, Rossetti released a statement that said he was sorry about the situation and he asked for “forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic.’”

Other Catholic Thoughts

Online Catholic influencer Taylor Marshall released a video titled 9 Reasons why UFOs and Aliens are DEMONS. Seven of the reasons were related to alleged actions of UFOs and “Gray” aliens, one reason was a Catholic spin on Project Blue Beam, and the last was theological in nature, alleging the idea of aliens conflicted with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, as Marshall believed aliens existing would either mean Jesus’ death didn’t redeem them or that there would need to be another incarnation of God for them.

Meanwhile, podcasting Catholic religious sister Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God shared her thoughts that UFOs could be demonic, though she stated the Catholic Church does not have a view on the existence of aliens as the issue was a scientific, not a theological question.

Protestants Varied Thoughts

The day after the first government UFO file drop, Evangelical megachurch pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship published “UFOs, Aliens, and the Last Days.” He took a middle of the road approach saying the Bible was silent whether aliens existed, while giving his personal belief UFOs may be interdimensional vice interstellar. Towards the end, though, he reminded readers to focus on the important things of faith with the line, “Wherever life may or may not exist—Jesus is sufficient. The cross covers it all.”

Elsewhere, megachurch pastor Josh Howerton, in a May 11, 2026 video entitled Aliens or DEMONS?! Megachurch Pastor Responds to UFO Mania addressed what he claimed was UFO hysteria. He said Disclosure would not destroy Christianity. Then, he said he was “super skeptical about aliens” but “super confident in the reality of demons.” Howerton brought up how the Bible already provided categories for nonhuman intelligences - angels and demons - and many alleged encounters with aliens made him think of spiritual warfare rather than physical extraterrestrials. During his presentation, he emphasized Christians needed to be wary of speculation, focusing instead on grounded biblical cosmology.

From the Church of England, theologian Michael Tang wrote that the more important question wasn’t whether aliens existed, but why were people looking in the sky for spiritual fulfillment. He said it was not surprising that a generation that no longer looked at the cross would apply theological meanings to UFOs.

Islam

A search of Arabic and Farsi press and social media revealed no substantial interest in the Pentagon UFO files. However, I was able to locate some items of interest in English-language Muslim social media.

Imran Hussein, co-author of the Jinn Hypothesis: An Islamic Framework for Interpreting the Modern UFO Phenomena, appeared on the American Muslim Ansari podcast to discuss his theory that UFOs are jinn-piloted and made craft. Hussein took much of the UFO and alien abduction stories at face value, but unlike Christians who believe in a fallen angel deception, he tied his theory with Islamic theology that teaches Satan (Iblis) and fellow creatures are evil jinn. For example, sighting a claim that most Pentagon-reported UFOs are over water, Hussein pointed out how the a Hadith described Shaitan has establish his “throne” over water. This, Hussein said, could be interpreted as UFO bases being under the water as well.

On the discussion of life on other planets in general, Shoaib Malik of Lighthouse, an Islamic lay ministry, held a seminar where he described Islamic thought into the possibility of aliens, discussing various aspects such as what Islamic teaches, how living on other planets would affect Islamic requirements, and if the Islamic antichrist Dajjal is an alien. Interestingly, his seminar only briefly touched on UFO topic.

Judaism

Got to admit, if I were this guy in Israel365’s AI generated image, I’d go back and tell Moses we need to turn around, too.

Israel365 has an article - with a somewhat misleading title that states UFOs are Nephilim (but a really fun AI generated image) - that took a look at not only the Pentagon UFO files release but also Jewish thought about life on other planets. The key take away hinted at multiple explanations - even a little dab at the possible messianic.

The government’s files are labeled “unresolved.” The Bible’s files have been open for three thousand years. Pentagon analysts admit they cannot identify what pilots, astronauts, and intelligence officials have seen. The Sages identified it long ago — and placed its return at the threshold of the Messiah’s arrival. Whether the objects now being declassified are advanced human technology, foreign adversary hardware, or something that requires an entirely different framework to understand, the Jewish tradition has always insisted that the universe is far larger and far stranger than what fits inside human categories. The only question worth asking is not what these phenomena are — but what their appearance, at this particular moment in history, means.

Rabbi Daniel Gladstein made a video right after the first Pentagon UFO file was released. In it he documented several significant Orthodox rabbis views on the possibility of life elsewhere. The points of view ranged from openness, to skepticism, to believing the question is irrelevant.

In a paywalled-article, The Tablet’s “The Chosen Seekers: Jews seem to be highly represented in alien and UAP discourse, if not in the most prominent roles. A coincidence—or has our faith primed us for this moment?” focused on Avi Loeb and other Jewish intellectuals who have bene at the forefront of the search for extraterrestrial life. The article offered that Jewish openness to other worlds is rooted in mystical traditions that treat phenomena and other realms seriously, a cultural emphasis on questioning rather than accepting limits, and the theological belief that God is an all-powerful creator whose work need not be confined to Earth.

Finally, the Times of Israel published an article by Anglican writer Vincent James Hooper. Hooper remarked about how some of the Pentagon-released imagery reminds him of things from the Book of Isaiah. Hooper implied that sightings over the Holy Land and locations tied to Jewish mysticism could challenge secular and religious beliefs about what is in the skies.

Buy My Books

Looking for psychological military science fiction? Read about the adventure of veteran Brendan Murphy as he tries to keep peace between Earth and a mysterious alien race known as the Sabia. Read the Fallen series today! Please remember to leave a review once you are done. Reviews are the lifeblood of independent creators, and using these links helps me too via the affiliate program!

Get the First Book Fallen

Get the Second Book Risen

Get the Third Book Dormiton

Get the Fourth Book Assumption

Or check out my humorous Savannah Paranormal Detective Agency short stories.

Get the SPDA 1 & 2

Other Independent Book Promotions

The JFK Paradox by N Joseph Glass - Free Book

President John F. Kennedy did not die on November 22, 1963.

While contemplating his immense fortune of narrowly escaping that would be assassin's bullet, Kennedy vows to cherish his family forever.

But was he supposed to survive Dallas?

When US soldiers, envoys, and ambassadors start mysteriously dropping dead, JFK faces an unimaginable plight and the most important decision of his presidency.

The Maker of Unsorrow by Brian M Nelson - Free Book

Discover magic and untold mysteries, as young Marc-Michael Bennet, a boy at the cusp of manhood aspiring for something more, fears the primordial Appalachian forest, and what might be required of him there. Yet, Hugo, the ageless diviner, dares him to know more, to carry more. Is it madness Marc-Michael finds, or Eden?

Follow Hugo’s deliverance, the benefactor of unsorrow.

I welcome you to a world of human magic, the gifts of the soul and possibly a spiritual journey, that might take you along with it.

The Blue Djin and The American Dream by Mickey Hadick - Free Book

Marvin is fresh out of community college and convinced he'll work his way out of the mail room up to the executive offices. But his coworker, Jonathon, discovers an all-powerful blue djin who grants him three wishes.

Jonathon gains an unholy power and wields it ruthlessly.

Marvin is the only person who can stop him, but community college didn't teach him how to solve this problem.

Marvin has to face this emerging evil power alone.

Awakening Horde (Shieldwall Academy Book 1) by M. Zaugg - Book for Sale for $5.99

Against all odds, a defiant street rat takes on a ruthless empire.

Pax, a cunning street rat without a class, navigates life in a city constantly threatened by monstrous beast waves. He’s dedicated to keeping his crew safe and fed, especially after his family vanished without a trace. But when his best friend is captured, Pax risks it all—even his freedom—on the eve of the Awakening.

Caught and thrust into the Astan Empire’s war machine, Pax must adapt to survive the perils of the empire’s elite mage academy. While struggling to harness the forbidden magic surging within him, he must avoid the attention of corrupt leaders determined to snuff out any hint of rebellion and maintain their iron grip on power.

With ancient secrets, and long-lost spells at stake, can Pax triumph against his foes, defeat fearsome monsters and secure a future for himself and his crew?

With over 1 million Royal Road views and counting, this epic LitRPG series is a must-read for fans of action-packed fantasy. Dive into a world of magic, mystery, and rebellion today!

Unit Next Time

Next time, I will take a look review the “Capturing Bigfoot” documentary and discuss the growing spiritualism tied into Bigfoot and other High Strangeness. The post will be called “Is Bigfoot the Anti-Christ?”

As always, please leave a comment with any questions, reviews, thoughts, whatever about Fallen, Risen, Dormition, Assumption, An Odd Pilgrimage, The Savannah Paranormal Detective Agency or whatever else I have discussed. I promise to reply!

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

Share Patrick Abbott, Author Substack

Patrick Abbott, Sci-fi Author

Aliens and Religion - Update on Religious…