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UFODIMENSIONSNEWS :.   
A WAR OF WORLDS...OR SOMETHING MORE?
Posted June 30.05
(Original headline: A War of Worlds ... or Something More? Asks UFO
Researcher )

From the breathless panic of the golden age of radio to the breathtaking
special effects of modern Hollywood, when it comes to UFOs and aliens,
history proves they tend to be a source of intense fascination and
cautious fear.

Gary Bates, Australian author of the widely popular book "Alien
Intrusion," credits the infamous 1938 radio broadcast of War of the
Worlds with being the watershed event in the alien invasion of popular
culture within the minds of the masses. Even without the myriad of
sightings, reported abductions, books, movies, and yes, even before the
spectacular achievements of televised manned space flights to the moon,
people were all too ready to believe there is something more to the
universe than just the Earth and mankind.

"Surveys show that the majority of the population believes in
extraterrestrial life, and huge percentages also think aliens really
could be visiting the earth," Bates shares. "If such a thing were to be
proved, it would completely change mankind's view of our place in the
universe. In addition, science fiction is the most popular entertainment
genre today, which really fuels these beliefs, making it so popular."
In a comprehensive exploration of the phenomenon, Bates discovers how
much of our perception and preconceptions are based on the images and
information created through movies and the media. The events of Roswell
and the revelation of Area 51 spawned a popular belief in government
conspiracies, a theme echoed in films like "Independence Day" and "Men
In Black," and television series like "The X Files." During the Cold
War, movies often alluded to fears of foreign governments using alien
technology to gain an edge in the arms race or a need for the American
government to capture such technology to keep the balance of power.

Mankind's search for the truth continues as imaginations boldly go where
some feel only science and supposition can take us. Are aliens really
out there? What are they like - and what do they want from us? Are they
warm and fuzzy like Alf and E.T., or the deadly enemies featured in
"Signs" and "War of the Worlds"? Do they look like us, or some
super-evolved Darwinian product? After sorting fact from fiction and
researching a vast number of sources, Bates feels the answer is not to
be found in the distant universe or theories of advanced armadas of
aliens, but in something more profound, even sinister.

Bates has uncovered a religious aspect in popular sci-fi and ufology.
"The desire to believe in 'something else out there' is really
satisfying a religious need for most. For example, many think that older
and more advanced extraterrestrials are going to come and solve all of
humanity's problems. The study of UFOs provides an even greater study of
human nature and man's condition," Bates noted. "What most people want
to know is, do all these sightings and experiences that people are
having really involve aliens? I think it is important to lay a
foundation to why this is occurring."

Bates has discovered that the research of the world's most respected
ufologists into the experiences of those who report alien encounters
independently points in the same startling direction.

"Just a one-line answer will not be satisfying," he concludes, "because
lots of people have already made their mind up without really looking at
the evidence. The truth most certainly is out there, as I revealed in my
book, but it is probably not what most people think."

.:Story originally published by:.
PRNewswire - June 30.05