Scotland: Aliens' Official Favorite Destination

scubacuda writes: "This Reuters article says that Scotland has the highest concentration of UFO sightings--300 per year, the most per square kilometer and per head of population of anywhere in the world. That means 0.004 UFOs for every square kilometer of Scotland -- a rate four times as high as in France or Italy, earth's other UFO hotspots. (In comparison, only 2,000 UFOs are spotted every year in the United States represent, making just 0.0002 sightings per square kilometer. Bonnybridge--30 miles west of Edinburgh--seems to be the Scotland equivalent of Roswell, New Mexico). UFO nuts explain it in terms of aliens being attracted to remote areas. But can anyone say *autosuggestion*?"

Comments

A book recommendation for the submitter:

[TDScott]

"The Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan does an excellent job of debunking such myths and mysteries, as does the Skeptic's Dictionary.

Funny what people believe, isn't it?

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Zathrus]

I'd argue that it's better to use logic to dissuade those who believe inane things like this, but, frankly, if you look at the UFO sightings distribution you'll note that most of them come from poorly educated areas of highly educated countries.

The point being that, yes, you can try to use logic against UFO nuts. Most of them wouldn't be able to follow you. The educated UFO nut is a rare breed, and they tend to educate their own way out of the hole.

That said, it's fun to read sites like that in much the same way it's fun to read the Darwin awards.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Dark Paladin]

The battle against human stupidity is never ending.

We have to fight against:

• people who believe aliens are really kidnapping people in the countryside
  
• people who believe that herbal viagra will add 2 inches to your penis
  
• people who believe that 2000 jews called in sick to work at the world trade towers
  
• people who believe that Microsoft software is secure
  
• people who believe that 500,000 illegal movies are downloaded from the Internet every day and that it's cutting in profits
  
• people who believe Daikatana was a great game, and John Romero is just getting picked on because he's famous
  
• people who believe that women/children/ethnicgroupsotherthanyourown have no rights because God Said So
  
• people who believe that you have to protect children from porn by using filters that all too often block the good instead of just the bad
  
• people who believe that women are just "asking for it".
  
• people who believe that all anime is porn, all games are violent, and all computer geeks are lonely males who never get dates
  
• people who believe that the search for truth and the destruction of lies is a worthless pursuit
  

Sadly, the human condition where only 5% of the population actually examines evidence, weighs the options, and picks the most logical choice that is proven true by experimentation and analysis is going to continue for a long time. Mainly because most people are too fucking lazy to think for themselves.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Surt]

You forgot the classic:

* People who believe that the creator of the universe chose _one_ single person in all of history to be his official representative, and that if you don't believe that, you're going to suffer for all eternity.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[aiabx]

I never believed in UFO's before, but now I do.
I was particularly convinced by the comment "Digital photo's can't be faked". Anyone who can say that and mean it *must* be from another planet.
-aiabx

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[MindStalker]

Oh god, that was funny. Of course the best line is
"It should be noted, " remarked Dr. Von Vickersburg, "that digital photographs can not be faked, And these are digital photographs. I find their existence very disturbing!"
Digital photos can't be faked? WHAT!!!!!

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Dark Paladin]

Great point - my argument with 99% of religions is "well, our profit (oh, my bad, prophet) said he was going to be the Last Prophet Ever, so that's why God doesn't talk to us anymore".

Great - I love the idea that God pretty much hates everybody in the present/future, so we're pretty much left without any more useful information from the All-Knowing. (Though personally, my view of someone All-Knowing would at least have their "one person in all history" include a chapter on "weird fucking shit that doesn't exist yet, but will in 2000 years, like 'cloning', 'nuclear energy', and 'Britney Spears/Backstreet Boys sexual fantasies'.)

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[brokeninside]

Great point - my argument with 99% of religions is "well, our profit (oh, my bad, prophet) said he was going to be the Last Prophet Ever, so that's why God doesn't talk to us anymore".

Odd, for the life of me I can't think of one major world religion with that tenet. Most religions are not cessationist.

-l

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[macdaddy357]

As my grandpa used to say, "I saw a UF, but I couldn't quite make out any O."

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Grax]

I believe in UFOs.

Here are the criteria for establishing whether you have seen an honest to goodness UFO.

1. Could you identify it?
2. Was it flying?
3. Was it an object?

If, indeed, you could not identify it, it was flying, and it was an object then, yes, it was a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object).

With the above criteria I would expect greater amounts of UFO sightings among the near-sighted as they/we are more prone to be unable to identify a flying object.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[tshak]

And the:

* People who somehow "Know" that to believe in such a savior is "obviously rubbish" and are closed to all related truths not immediatly proveable by science.

Really, it goes both ways. It's popular in science to bash Christianity. If I were you, I wouldn't be so smug about your "knowledge" of this alleged falsehood. Just because religious zealots believe in a bunch of unsubstantiated dogma doesn't mean that everything they believe is false. I'll be the first to critique religiosity, but I still believe that Christ existed, and is who he says he is. It's not an easy conclusion for a scientist to come to, but its worth the investigation, and it's definitely worth more respect then you're giving it.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[JPriest]

Christ was the bastard child of Mary. She became pregnant while away from home, and said she had been faithful. If in fact Joseph decided not to believe her she would have been stoned to death for adultery. Joseph still loved her and didn't want to see that happen. When Christ was born he was told of his unusual conception and played the part.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[tshak]

I'm sorry you feel that way. Could you please provide me with some evidence or is this purely speculation?

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Alsee]

Here are the criteria for establishing whether you have seen an honest to goodness UFO.

1. Could you identify it?
2. Was it flying?
3. Was it an object?

Note that 2 out of 3 criteria are required for UFO certification.

-

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[brokeninside]

It's not in writing, but it's the common belief among xians.

It is a common belief among some Baptist groups and in the odd small denomination such as the Campbellite movement (Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ) that miracles (and prophecies) have ceased after the end of the apostolic era. These groups are referred to as "cessationist" and comprise a very small minority of Christians worldwide.

The common belief among most Christian groups from the Shakers to Jehovah's Witnesses to the Roman Catholic Church to Pentacostals to Mormons is that the Holy Spirit continues to bring forth prophets.

If you don't believe me go down to your local Assemblies of God congregation and ask them how many prophets they have in their congregation. I'd wager you can only represent the answer on one hand if you use binary instead of decimal.

Regards,

-l

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[brokeninside]

Technically, yes. In practice, no.

While it is true that Islam officially teaches that after Mohammed, there will be no more prophets. Yet Islam also allows a role for Imams to teach the direct will of God in specific circumstances. For example, in Shia Islam there is a supreme Imam who is infallible in his pronouncements. Also, if there was no more prophecy in the sense that most people understand the word, there would be no Fatwas issued by various Imams.

Lastly, one can argue that Baha'i (which rejects the principle that Mohammed was the last prophet) is a form of Islam, at least in the same sense that Islam and Christianity are both forms of Judaism.

Regards,

-l

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Alsee]

Yeah, #1 is phrased badly. That one should be "Were you unable to identify it?"

Don't blame me, I just used copy and paste :)

-

It's all the Alien tourists...

[SpankTech3000]

going to see the Loch Ness Monster.

Re:It's all the Alien tourists...

[Reality Master 101]

I thought it was for the golf.

Although, the golf in the US much better than the golf in Scotland. Well, no one says Aliens have taste.

Re:It's all the Alien tourists...

[yintercept]

I don't know, I would think the popular spot for alien tourist is up for grabs. This report is based on reported sightings...I mean could you really tell the difference between aliens and locals in places like London, Berlin, Las Vegas, NY or Hollywood? For that matter, aliens could visit Tehran...if they keep a scarf wrapped around the upper part of their body and stay silent, then they could pass for one of the local babes. I mean, this whole thing is based on reporting...I mean, I am pretty sure my last boss was an alien...but I figured, hey, that's cool-live and let slither-and just never reported it.

Someone has to!

[Watts Martin]

Can anyone say *autosuggestion?*

Sure: "Autosuggestion."

Re:Someone has to!

[lelitsch]

Can anyone say Whisky?

Re:Someone has to!

[0x20]

Yeah, but you didn't say it, you just typed it. (pause) There, I actually said it. Please transfer mod points to me.

Sheep...

[Kenshin]

I'd say it's most certainly the sheep that attract aliens.

Quoth Groundskeeper Willie...

[Codex The Sloth]

''...I have crippling arthritis in my index fingers. I got it in 1979 from Space Invaders.''-Groundskeeper Willie

''Yeah, that was a pretty addictive video game.''-Chief Wiggum

''Video game?''-Groundskeeper Willie

Statistics lie...

[eyeball]

Unfortunately the report fails to mention that many of those alleged abductions were actually made by sheep, who tell tails of being abducted from their pens and rectally probed.

Re:Statistics lie...

[eyeball]

I suck at the spelling.

That was on purpose :)

Re:Statistics lie...

[zulux]

That was on purpose :)

No worries, my spelling is horrible. It's so bad, that I can count it as a foreign language for purpouses of college admissions.

Welcome to All Sightings UFO...

[errxn]

...If it's not Scottish, It's CRAP!

Oh, you mean extraterrestrials!

[darkonc]

I think that most of these sightings were actually Americans...

Strange creatures in strange garb, from a faraway place, speaking a strange language (the accent gets deep enough...) and with no apparent knowledge of human (or at least local) customs.
and they're always trying to 'probe' the local women (not to mention the sheep)!

what a coincidence..

[bje2]

in related news, Scotland also leads the world in Lochness Monster sightings per capita...

Possible Conclusions

[guttentag]

1. Aliens have finally realized that New Mexico is not a great vacation spot
2. Aliens watch way to much Highlander and SciFi Channel
3. Aliens drifted off-course on their way from Cuba to Miami (or the Coast Guard keeps driving them away)

Re:Possible Conclusions

[guttentag]

... way to much ...

Er, "too much"

Re:Possible Conclusions

[paradesign]

in # 3, those arent Aliens, theyre Elians

We need a correlation study to verify....

[zerofoo]

UFO sitings may be higher in remote areas, but I think the frequency of sightings can be more closely correlated to the alcohol consumption rate in a given area.

-ted

Re:We need a correlation study to verify....

[ALoverOfPeace]

Marge: Homer, it's 2 am. What happened? Homer: It was an alien, Marge! It appeared in front of me and said "Don't be Afraid." Marge: (smells) Have you been drinking? Homer: No! Well, ten beers.

Galaxy Quest...

[NanoGator]

It's probably just a bunch of Thermians visiting the birthplace of Mr. Scott.

Ah Scotland...

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

Come for the Haggis, stay for the anal probes.

Drunkards?

[photon317]

Hmm... Scottland, Italy, France - has anyone done a study to correlate the average number of UFOs sighted with the average number of alcoholic beverages imbibed?

Re:Drunkards?

[Seanasy]

Sorry, Ireland and Russia weren't mentioned in the article. However, there may be a place on the inebriation scale between comical (Irish) and dead (Russian) where UFO sightings would fit.

UFU

[The_Shadows]

Unidentified Flying Udders?

And from the sky shall rain forth the sheep or cows.

Scottland

[ajs]

Well, if you lived in Scottland, you'd be looking up in the skies for some excitement. Heck, these are the people who throw rocks and logs around for fun!

Ok, relax... it's just a joke. Here in the U.S. we need to wear pads and have time-outs to play rugby, so what do ya want? :-)

Loch Ness Monster flies a UFO

[swb]

I mean, didn't anyone else automatically make this connection?

I'm sure we'll find out that there's been a bunch of sightings in the Himalayas as well due to Nessie picking up the Yeti in the UFO.

Those ratios are slightly off!!

[binner1]

If you remove all of the United States except for the trailer parks where most sightings occur, I think the US ratio would make Scotland's look like EuroDisney!

-Ben

I've seen 'em!

[quantaman]

Yup a few times! They always seem to come after I've drunken large quantities of whiskey in a remote place in the wilderness. In fact it seems that the both the frequency of the sightings and the degree of the encounter are directly proportional to the amount of alcohol I've consumed I wonder why...

Ah! the aliens must be studying complex carbon chain based beverages.

Re:I've seen 'em!

[Tablizer]

(* Yup a few times! They always seem to come after I've drunken large quantities of whiskey in a remote *)

There is no evidence that people who report UFO's are more likely to be drunk.

Perhaps more drunk people see UFO's (and other things), but seeing and reporting are not necessarily the same thing.

Somebody who has an alcoholic problem is probably more likely to keep their mouth shut, I would figure, as they tend to be kind of defensive about their state of mind.

As a famous song's last line says,

[Apuleius]

"Well, lad, I don't know where you've been,
but the aliens gave you first prize."

Oh dear

[Rogerborg]

I live not far from Bonnybridge. I wouldn't call it the arsehole of the universe, because arseholes have a use. Bonnybridge is a classic oversized-small-town, i.e. crammed full of disillusioned young people with nothing to do. UFO spotting is pretty much the only thing to do there of an evening that doesn't involve pointy implements or GTA (the Live Action version).

Note the military airlanes, note the undulating foggy roads, note that UFO sighting go up after firework displays. It's pretty much a local game now, with people playing along and making up more and more outrageous claims. And note also the ulterior commercial motive: a (dear god) theme park.

I'm picturing the pitch now: "Come to Bonnybridge, home of surly teenagers and desparate hollow eyed single mothers. Taste the delights of warm Irn Bru and soggy chippies. A free stabbing with every ticket!"

Shudder. Nothing to see here. Move along. For your own good, move along.

Re:That just the locals

[doctor_oktagon]

.. in that case we'd be seeing far more in Greenock than I've ever seen!

And the next person on here to say "Scotch" rather than "Whisky" is getting my toe up their arse, as we say in Scotland ;-)

Scotland == UFOs != Alcohol

[nick_davison]

The Scottish predilection for whisky, beer and falling down drunk has nothing to do with the hard, scientific fact that they're seeing things. Nothing whatsoever. Especially not that weird floaty feeling that they're about to fall off the world as they're actually beamed up to the mothership.

Just wanted to make sure that was absolutely clear. We'll have no dispersions cast here!

Re:Scotland == UFOs != Alcohol

[nick_davison]

Surely you're thinking of Ireland, not Scotland!

Surely you've never been to Scotland. Although there may be a curious pattern emerging here with people who have to sit next to us English their entire lives.

Loch Ness Monster kidnapped by UFO

[oliverthered]

I am an alien and I have kidnapped Nessie.
I demand 15000 fags, 20 crates of haggis, a few bottles of single malt and that wee pritty lass you have sitting on you knee.

All ransom goods must be dropped of at the bottom of the big mars lake or you will never see nessie again.

Re: Loch Ness Monster kidnapped by UFO

[grytpype]

Ach! Dinna price yersel out of the market! I'll give you the caber of the clan MacReekie and a set of nickel-plated bagpipes to ransom poor Nessie!

Alien preferences?

[cmburns69]

Sounds like they have good taste! Scotch, spaghetti and wine sounds like a winner to me!

CMB

interesting statistics choices

[bilbobuggins]

scot 1: 'Agh, I've stepped on something!'

scot 2: 'Bloody hell Angus, I think that's 0.004 of a UFO!!'

that would be quite obvious for anyone

[Edmund Blackadder]

that watches monty python...
and now for the bonus question:

which nation's people are the worst tennis players in theuniverse. The answer will appear on your tv screen. If you do not want to see the answer please turn your tv upside down.

Re:that would be quite obvious for anyone

[leshert]

Hmm... could Nessie really be a giant blancmange?

There's a difference?

[wiredog]

They're both gross.

They're just feeding Nessie.

[Target Drone]

According to Nessie on the Net.

UFOs have already been seen elsewhere in Scotland and could help explain how prehistoric creatures like the Loch Ness Monster have managed to survive for thousands of years.

So obviously aliens abducted Nessie(s) thousands of years ago and because their planet is thousands of light years away (and their UFOs travel at light speed) it only relatively recently returned her to the lock. This also means that Nessie didn't age because she was traveling at light speed.

I'm also sure that the reason there are so many UFO sighting in Scotland is because everytime some research expeditions sets out to try and find Nessie the aliens come back and help her hide. If people would just stop trying to find Nessie there wouldn't be any where near as many UFO sightings in Scotland.

A Surprise? Hardly.

[citizenc]

So... Scotland... you say you've seen tons and tons of UFOs, huh? How's that monster in the lake coming?

Actually...

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

If it's true (*laugh*), then it is because of a higher population density... simply more people there to see them. Too many rural areas in the US for us to catch em all.

But since I find it hard to buy that aliens go for an interstellar joyride in Scotland all the time, this means it's obviously the supersecret british skunkworks aerospace base causing these sightings. They have stuff 60 yrs ahead of anything we have, after all. (*ROFLMAO*)

What about werewolves?

[Lord Omlette]

Anyone seen that movie SciFi had on a week ago? Dog Soldiers? UFOs are weak compared to that shit.

Scotch? as in Whisky?

[juliao]

I wonder what the relation of UFO sightings to whisky drinking might be...

It is mentioned that the number is three times larger than in France. That is to be expected, since whisky has three to four times more alcohol in it than the equivalent quantity of wine. The same rationale may be used for Italy, also an established wine producer.

(Yes, France makes cognac and Italy makes grappa, but these are mostly export products ;) )

Does anyone know what the number of UFO sightings is like in Lynchburg, Tennessee?

One Word:

[IsleOfView]

Guinness

HEEAD! SPACESHIP! NOW!

[gdyas]

"Looka that great heead! It's a virtual planitoid, 'tis! Got its own weather system!"

It's because of the kilts...

[fmaxwell]

The reason that extraterrestrials visit Scotland so often is that Scottish men wear kilts. That makes the anal probes much easier to perform. No fumbling with belts, zippers, etc.

Don't knock haggis

[Rupert]

I don't know why haggis has this terrible reputation. Over here, the local "Scottish" bar doesn't even serve haggis on Burns night. Does anyone know if Waitrose still sells haggis? I used to eat one of those almost every week.

Re:Don't knock haggis

[radja]

as opposed to what.. hot dogs?

//rdj

They mean to win Wimbledon!

[UsonianAutomatic]

In other news, Angus Podgorney just received an order for 48,000,000 kilts from the planet Skyron.

Monty Python

[jmu1]

I seem to remember a skit of beings from outerspace turning everyone into Scottsmen. Quite scary!

You mean...

[Sycraft-fu]

there are computer geeks that actually DO get dates???? Fuck, now I'm even more lonely and depressed. ;)

Three words:

[ZaMoose]

Guiness is Irish.

"They" have come to purchase kilts

[decipher_saint]

Yes, thousands of kilts as the aliens (who look like giant blancmanges) plan to turn everyone on earth into a Scotsman and win doubles at Wimbledon.

Of course this was all documented earlier by Monty Python

Negra Modelo will solve the problem.

[rice_burners_suck]

That just means they drink too much Guinness in Scotland.

They should drink Negra Modelo instead. Then, maybe the aliens would stop by and have some with them, and they'd get to talk to the aliens and figure out where the hell they're from. But aliens obviously don't like Guinness. Oooooooooh well.

Get in mah bellly....

[Gehenna_Gehenna]

oooOOOOooooh

Look at the little green baby.

Ah tell you what. You can KEEP yer spaceship, you can keep yer photos, but ahh want the little green alien baby.

Ahh want mah green baby green baby green baby green baby .. ribs.

GET IN MAH BELLY!
Ahm higher on the food chain than you.. GET IN MAH BELLY...

Sorry. Hindsight tells me that the previous post is very silly. Please ignore.

Obligatory Bill Hicks Quotes

[stereoroid]

1. "I'll tell you, too, that's starting to depress me about UFO's, about the fact that they cross galaxies or wherever they come from to visit us and always end up in places like Fife, Alabama. " (maybe that should read "Fife, Scotland"?)
2. "With a five-minute UFO experience I got a taste of holiness I never got in 20 years of religion."
3. "Would you let the aliens land, please? They might be here to pick me up."

Is there anything that The Great One didn't have an opinion on?

The Foxyworthy Theorum of Relativity

[Ilan Volow]

UFO nuts explain it in terms of aliens being attracted to remote areas.

I think it's more that remote areas are unusually attracted to large masses of drunk rednecks.

Under the Skin

[sielwolf]

Of course the aliens are showing up in Scotland. That's where all the delicious vodsuls are. Humans have been eating them for years!

Of course if you have never read Michael Farber's Under the Skin this may make no sense. I would suggest it. Quite good in a Lovecraftian sort of way (not really but... hey.).

Of course they're visiting Scottland

[Crag]

It's part of their plan to win Wimbledon by turning everyone into Scots so the alien pastries are the only competent tennis players.

"Angus Pudgorny, whatever do ya mean?"

"He wasna so much a man... as he was... a blanc mange."

Sceptical Claim

[_Sprocket_]

I have a hard time believing Scotland would lead in UFO sightings. It doesn't strike me as an area of the world with the right popluation center. After all, do they even HAVE trailer parks there?

Re:If you want to flame, do it accurately.

[Reality Master 101]

I'm always curious to ask something from people like you, who I assume believe the bible is the word of God: Why does God condone slavery? And if we all agree that slavery is bad, doesn't that indicate that either 1) we are going against God's wishes, or 2) the bible really is just another book, and has nothing to do with the question of God.

Of course, I always get a lot of hedging about this ("well, that was a long time ago and the slavery laws were needed at that time, but doesn't apply to today's society"). One of these days I'd like to hear someone do better. :)

Re:Guinness is Irish...knucklehead!!!

[rice_burners_suck]

Dude, I know Guinness is Irish! But folks drink it all over the world. I mean, if you go to the middle of China, you'll probably find THEM drinking Guinness!

As far as superior stouts are concerned, I've had this Murphy's that you're talking about (though admittedly from bottles--I haven't had a real Murphy's yet). I agree that it's very good.

What I don't like about Guinness is something about its aftertaste. It tastes salty for some reason. I don't recall Murphy's giving me that. Oh well...

US and UK bases

[JohnBE]

Scotland is dotted with US and UK airbases. It's quite possible the sightings are just bog standard military jets flying at high altitude.

- John

Alcohol induced?

[pdrome4robert]

Did anyone compare the alcohol consumption per capita with UFO sightings per capita? Perhaps someone should survey for pink elephant and leprechaun sightings too.

Lies, damn lies, and statistics

[doorbot.com]

Wow, our story submitter really tortured that data. Fortunately, it confessed before things really got ugly:

In comparison, only 2,000 UFOs are spotted every year in the United States represent, making just 0.0002 sightings per square kilometer

And exactly how much bigger is the USA compared to Scotland?

I recommend visiting the Circle Makers website. It's very interesting, and humorous, especially when one considers how worked up people get about aliens coming down (in the middle of the night of course) and carving intricate patters into our fields.

The best part is how it all started out as a joke while intoxicated, but soon they purposely propagated the myth of alien artists, and then would "stage" alien lights, etc using props to please the believers who had come to observe the "aliens." Great stuff to be found on the site.

Re:If you want to flame, do it accurately.

[Goldenhawk]

>I'm always curious to ask something from people like you, who I assume believe the
>bible is the word of God: Why does God condone slavery? And if we all agree that
>slavery is bad, doesn't that indicate that either 1) we are going against God's wishes,
>or 2) the bible really is just another book, and has nothing to do with the question of God.

As I understand it, the Bible does not condone slavery.

The Old Testament at first glance does appear to support slavery. If you start reading the Bible at Genesis and give up before Matthew, you would probably get the idea that the world of God is a pretty ugly place. God many times in the Old Testament used the Hebrew people to inflict His righteous judgement on peoples (hard for many "Isn't God so warm and fuzzy" types to reconcile), so the Hebrews were often commanded to subjugate entire cities. Within this context, slavery appears to be condoned. However, I would point to the fact that even in modern-day Israel and Judaism, which (at least in theory) believes in the Old Testament scriptures, and not the New Testament, slavery is not permitted. So apparently a "kosher" interpretation of the Old Testament does not even really support slavery.

However, moving ahead to consider Christianity, in the Old Testament God dictated a lot of laws to govern the life of the Hebrews, but His perfect creation had not yet come - Jesus as the One who made the Law to be obsolete - or more accurately, the One who fulfilled the Law perfectly. So the New Testament, with its record of the life of Jesus, is a more accurate representation of "God's World as it Should Be." It sets forth God's perfect pattern, with His Son as the model for our behavior and salvation through trust in His death on the cross, instead of our slavish adherence to rules and good works. Therefore, the New Testament should be depended upon for insight, in preference to the Old Testament.

Given this framework, the New Testament includes several discussions of slavery, most by the Apostle Paul, who advises those who are already in slavery to do their work dilgently so as to be a good witness to their masters, and advises those who are slaveholders to treat their slaves with respect, recognizing that they are equals in God's eyes. The problem most modern readers have is that we tend to forget that the Bible was written in context. Slavery was a common fact in all cultures at the time. It is addressed as such. Within that context, Paul and many other writers in the New Testament repeatedly stress that God does not play favorites, that all men are equal before God, and that any instance where one man abuses his relationship with another is wrong. If all Christians followed this advice, I doubt we'd even be having this conversation. But we are not perfect, even those of us who believe and try to follow the Bible's teachings.

One final thought. The fact that something happens in the Bible does not mean it is God's desire, will, commandment, or creation. As I described in my parent post, God gave us free will. That unfortunately includes the ability to royally screw everything up. If He stepped in to fix everything we did wrong, it would not be free will. And one of the consequences of our chosing to screw things up is that people get hurt - or killed - or enslaved.

One fairly indisputable fact is that any society that is based squarely upon the Judeo-Christian principles of ethics, government, and religion has the best overall track record for humanitarian treatment of all peoples regardless of their individual characteristics or status. Look at any Muslim, atheistic, or Hindu nation, and compare the average human rights record with those of the United States and much of Europe. Neither side is perfect, and never will be, but I believe a fair assessment of the conditions experienced by their residents bears up this point of view.

"Daimonic Reality"

[Badgerman]

I suggest a good reading of Patrick Harpur's "Daimonic Reality" if you can get a copy. He takes a look at "Otherworldly" phenomena that's very eye-opening.

Re:If you want to flame, do it accurately.

[Wavicle]

Actually, God chose several people to be his ambassadors, 5 to be precise. I am referring to the authors of the works of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, John (or rather the people who wrote down what they said approx 30 years later), and Paul. Because the ambassador is the person who actually tells everyone else what you said. This was NOT Jesus. Jesus didn't write a single word of the Bible. Kind of strange when you think about it, hmmm?

Oh they have some very clever dogma to take care of this one. In order to give some absoluteness to their biblical canon they decided to close that loophole by claiming that those who wrote the books (which were neither Jesus, nor the apostles) were filled/guided/possessed with the holy spirit which made them infallible. I would think such an action would earn them fame in the bible, but apparently it did not.

Additionally many english religions were not founded by scholars who understood Aramaic and ancient Greek, so they depended on the King James Version (translation) of the Bible and therefore add to their Dogma that the translators to english were also guided by the holy spirit and therefore infallible.

With all this infallability going on, pay no attention to the fact that the lords prayer appearing almost identically twice in the bible should provide some evidence of fallibility somewhere along the line (see KJV Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13).

It has nothing to do with remote areas....

[2names]

Everyone knows that the delicacy of choice for non-earth creatures is Haggis!!

Numbers in Imperial Units

[Bob Uhl]

Using the standard measurement system, that works out to .00154 sightings per square mile.

Well..

[mindstrm]

Doesn't anyone remember the Hitchiker's Guide? They like scotland because it has good liquor.

Direct correlation?

[ahde]

Scotland, coincidentally(?) has the highest percentage of the populace living off the government dole. In America, similar statistics are evidenced.

Plausible explanation?

[Ogerman]

It's funny how anytime "UFO's" come up in discussion, people quickly move to talking about crazy / drunk people. It's amusing, although in contrast, I know enough ordinary, sane people who have seen so-called "UFO's" at fairly close range that a level-headed inquiry is in order. So anyhow, to make a long story short, after a little bit of research, it is my conclusion that most UFO sightings are nothing more than a type of ball lightning. Granted, "ball lightning" itself is not fully understood, but all indication suggests that it is some form of low temperature plasma that can form under certain atmospheric conditions or more often after a lightning groundstrike due to some sort of back-EMF effect. Ball lightning can apparently take various shapes, sometimes as a disk-like form (ie. the classic glowing UFO saucer). So, lets look at the known characteristics of ball lightning plasma and see how they compare to descriptions of UFO sightings:

1.) It can 'levitate' and pass through some solids.
2.) It tends to lose mass as the plasma breaks down, causing it to rise into the air before disintegrating or occasionally bursting with a loud pop.
3.) It often accelerates at an extremely high rate, likely due to electromagnetic fields. This typically occurs near the end of the plasma's 'life' and often after rising back into the air.
4.) It is often attracted to nearby metal objects and has been known to follow automobiles and perhaps airplanes.
5.) The plasma, depending on its makeup, often releases noxious gasses readily identifyable by their odor or color. Some of these gasses cause dizzyness, hallucinations, and loss of consciousness at high enough concentrations.
6.) It seems to form most often in flat terrain. (such as farmland!) Large formations may be of sufficient temperature to burn away grass or crops after descending.
7.) It sometimes rotates visibly on an axis.
8.) It usually emits a high pitched or even wavering sound.

Sound anything like the typical UFO encounter? I'd say so. Granted, many distant sightings are probably just aircraft or weather balloons. So sorry to burst your bubble X-Files fans. The truth IS out there but it's not that exciting.

Re:Plausible explanation?

[Tablizer]

(* So anyhow, to make a long story short, after a little bit of research, it is my conclusion that most UFO sightings are nothing more than a type of ball lightning. Granted, "ball lightning" itself is not fully understood, but all indication suggests that it is some form of low temperature plasma that.... *)

Ball lightening is subject to a bit of skepticism in itself. Almost all evidence is based on witness testimony, and nobody has been able to create anything like it in lab, except stuff that disappears in milliseconds.

I am not saying I agree or disagree. It is just that the physical evidence for it is not any stronger than say clear-weather flying saucers.

Re:Plausible explanation?

[Ogerman]

Ball lightening is subject to a bit of skepticism in itself.

Indeed, whatever this "ball lightning" is precisely has yet to be discovered and there are many wild-haired ideas out there. For example, if it IS a plasma, how is it self-contained? Now of course, if we could figure this out, it might be useful for some sort of energy production. As for creating "anything like it" in the lab, there is one rather weird home experiment involving microwaving a lighted candle with a glass bowl above it to catch the plasma that forms. The theory is that the carbon particles from the candle smoke are sort of a "seed" for the plasma's formation and the microwave radiation builds and sustains it. The parallel suggested is that a lightning strike vaporizes dust and dirt on the ground and some sort of back-emf currents energize the plasma's formation. Who knows. But there's probably a Nobel prize waiting for whoever figures this stuff out. As a sidenote, I believe ball lightning seen during clear-weather is usually seen descending from the sky. Which perhaps makes sense because our atmosphere is extremely electrically active.

Conspiracy!

[BCoates]

So those checks are hush money, eh?

How to tell if it IS an object?

[mangu]

The word "object" can have several different meanings. My "Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary - Unabridged - DeLuxe Color Edition", published by Simon & Schuster, mentions, among several others, two definitions which may be applicable in the "UFO" context:

1) anything visible or tangible

2) in philosophy, anything that can be known or perceived by the mind.

The first definition is well behaved and allows many instances of UFOs:

"Was that lightning or a photo flash?"

"Is that plane a Lockheed C-130A or a Lockheed KC-130F?"

"Is that Superman or Spiderman?"

The second definition, however, allows almost anything to be an UFO. If I think of a spacecraft coming flying from an alien planet, but cannot identify it, that's an UFO. According to Webster's, an UFO doesn't need an objective existence to be real. I just need to perceive it philosophycally, and it will be an "object".

Had to read that headline twice

[sgtron]

I thought it said "Alien's official favorite distribution".

I was certain it was going to be Debian...you know.. those Debian Slime Devils...

I know why....

[r_j_prahad]

You try eating haggas for the first time, and see how much unidentifiable stuff comes flying out of your mouth.

Re:If you want to flame, do it accurately.

[mr100percent]

The simple fact is that the Bible is rife with contradictions, absurdities, and horrific morals. On top of that, several major portions are copied wholesale from other religions. In short, its not very good as a history book, it definately isn't good as a science book, and it certainly isn't good as a book of morals. Its useless trash.

Well, there's always the Koran, sent by God Himself, and perfectly preserved, no pieces missing nor contradict.

No big secret

[wackybrit]

It's no secret that UFOs are mostly sighted near to air bases or in places where flights are popular. Scotland is ripe for this, since a) there are a lot of secluded air bases there, b) most flights from Europe/UK go over Scotland to reach places like LA, Canada, etc!

Military Aircraft the explanation

[aebrain]

RAF Leuchars is where many of NATO's night flying exercises are conducted. There's a Map of RAF (Royal Air Force) bases, weapons ranges and radar stations in Scotland available - it's full of em.

Quote from North East Scotland Air Danger Zones

Main users are Tornados from Lossie, making it the busiest weapons range in the UK. Other users include Jaguars, Harriers, American F-15 Eagles, MC-130 Hercules and when on detachment at Kinloss, Special Operations MH-53 helicopters.

It would be surprising if there wasn't a disproportionate number of Unidentified Flying Object sightings as the result. Black helicopters included.

UFS

[Tablizer]

try removing the space in the URL. Slashdot inserts spaces into URLs to prevent page-widening posts.

Unidentied Floating Spaces?

Well, now they are identified.

Re:I, like many scientists, am a skeptic

[Tablizer]

(* Many abductees speak of messages of peace but these are strangely juxtaposed with rough treatment in the area of the rectum. *)

The jist of what have I read suggests that the 'grays' tend to be like a large beurocracy where they say one thing and do another. They are able to screw with abductees emotions to make them feel peaceful.

Of course, this is based purely on interpretations of witness testinomy recovered usually under hypnosis. Budd Hopkins and David Jacobs are considered the "leaders" in this field of research. I hope they are wrong, because their conclusions are not pretty. I would note that some of the X-files story lines appear to borrow from their works.

Re:Coincidence?

[Tablizer]

(* They also have a higher concentration of McDonalds....Coincidence? *)

Now that is a Whopper of a theory :-)

Even Dennis Miller apparently liked this one...

[fmaxwell]

While watching "Dennis Miller Live" on June 28, four days after I wrote the parent comment, I was amused to hear Dennis Miller say:

"And new figures indicate that Scotland has the highest concentration of UFO sightings on the planet Earth. Well sure it does. With those easy-to-lift-up kilts, they're just asking for an anal probe!"