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The Great Flying Saucer Myth

The Great Flying Saucer Myth by Kelly L. Segraves

Von Daniken's Theories

He postulates that man came into existence in the following manner: somehow, although we really do not know how, all animals and plants evolved on this planet. He accepts evolution up to that point. He then postulates that about 40,000 years ago beings from outer space with super-technological intelligence visited our planet. This should be quite reasonable for us to assume; after all, there should be billions of places in our universe where intelligent creatures live. In the solar system a star, our sun, is orbited by nine planets, one of which is inhabited by intelligent beings. Since there are countless billions of stars throughout our universe, there must then be countless billions of planets rotating around these stars. Obviously if one out of nine is inhabited here with intelligent creatures, then many of these other planes ought also to have intelligent inhabitants. He observes that man with his technology has been able to travel by spacecraft to the moon and send space vehicles out to photograph Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, and is even thinking of manned flights to these planets. In Von Daniken's view it is only reasonable to assume that the beings on some of the other inhabited planets in the universe have evolved far higher intelligence and technological knowledge and therefore possess far more advanced capabilities for space travel. He believes that since man now dreams of traveling at or near the speed of light, it is only logical to believe that some of these other beings have actually accomplished this feat and have come in the past to visit out planet. According to his scenario, they visited the earth some 40,000 years ago, found the apes then living here and by genetic engineering caused mutations in the ape population which led to the production of man.

Von Daniken's theories, however, are pure speculation. No life has ever been observed outside of our earth, let alone outside of our solar system. Not even suitable conditions for the existence of life have been observed. No planet has been observed revolving around any star other than our sun and we cannot be sure that planets exist except in our solar system. In view of these facts, Von Daniken's argument from statistics must be branded as pure, far-out speculation, not as science, for science is based upon reproducible observation. Nevertheless, he proposes that in view of the impossibility of intelligent modern man's origin by natural means, the creation of man was made possible by the super-technology of visitors from outer space 40,000 years ago. Supposedly they implanted mutations in two apes which led, eventually, to the development of a higher order of apes. Then, as the story goes, they returned some 7,000 years ago and hand-picked specimens from the population which had evolved for 33,000 years. Two of the most advanced type were chosen and new mutations implanted. Thus, through genetic engineering, the space people produced man. In other words, Von Daniken proposes that visitors from outer space were responsible for the creation of Adam and Eve which we read about in Genesis 2.

This is all supposed to be reasonable because scientists today are already performing simple genetic engineering experiments with lower animals. It has been proposed by some scientists that not too far in the future a woman will be able to go to the frozen food section of her local supermarket and select the sperm cell of her choice. (I am, of course, satirizing an outrageous and immoral imagination of man.) On the package will be listed the approximate height, weight, intelligence, eye color, hair color, skin color, and sex already determined for the child she would like to have. She will be able to have any local doctor implant the sperm by artificial insemination and thus give birth during any predetermined month so that the child will be born under the desired astrological sign. Von Daniken says that since earth scientists today are beginning to work on such things, it is only reasonable to believe that intelligent being living elsewhere in the universe, although we have never seen them, already possess the necessary knowledge and are responsible for our creations. These beings, then, are our gods.

Von Daniken goes on to explain the fall of man.

Adam and Eve, the two perfect individuals had relationships with the previous creatures who had evolved for 33,000 years, and produced a fallen race of half-men, so to speak, of which you and I are now descendents. He claims this is obviously the meaning of Genesis 6 where we read of the sons of God and the daughters of men. The sons of God were the perfect Adam and Eve race and the daughters of men are the fallen race. This is Von Daniken's theory.

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