So There's a Lady on Mars?
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
Added next-to-the-last paragraph on 8-19-2015
This is one of my most unusual articles, and I hope it's both interesting and informative. Big news on the Web lately is the "lady on Mars" pictures. What's going on up yonder?
Yes, I believe in UFOs. No, I do not believe that they are the products of extraterrestrial intelligence. Not only because of my theological views, but because of science. There are too many problems with the idea of life coming to Earth from outer space, but some UFOs defy the laws of physics, which would destroy its occupants. No, one of my views is more mundane: government testing, such as when they developed the Stealth aircraft.
My other view on UFOs is theological: that the really weird sightings and associated alien abductions are demonic activity. One point about that is how reports of the abductees who become born again Christians have the experience again, and call out to Jesus, the activity stops. Let's face it, extraterrestrials shouldn't be bothered when the Creator's name is invoked, so they wouldn't feel the need to saddle up and ride for the hills. A book that I highly recommend on these things is Alien Intrusion by Gary Bates, available at CMI, Amazon, and other places.
The "lady on Mars" photo is all over the Web, many times with red markings and such (the raw image is here). Following links, I ended up at "UFO Sightings Daily". They have magnified images and a bit of text that says, "This looks like a real. And it should concern every country in the world. There is life out there", plus a remark that the image is 8-10 cm tall. Wow. "Hi, I'm Marvin. I'd like you to meet the little woman." A post on Fox 59 includes a short but interesting video with close-ups and captions. It also has, and other claims that she's living in an area with a manhole, a painting on a rock, and — tire tracks? They'll probably be seeing a crab. Oh, wait. They have seen a crab.
I suspicion that evolutionists are as skeptical as I am. If a crab, a tiny woman in a gown, pyramids and facts, and other things are found, they'd have a rough time conjuring up ideas on how such things evolved. Especially since their explanations of evolution on Earth have failed so spectacularly. Many scientists are hoping to find evidence of life on Mars as well as elsewhere in the universe, but not like that.
While I believe that Satan's minions will do anything to deceive people and distract them from the Word of God, something more prosaic is more likely at work here: pareidolia. The human mind wants to see patterns, and sometimes we see shapes and patterns that are not really there (such as shapes in clouds). I saw a paranormal investigation show where someone reported seeing the face of the Dear Departed in a mirror. The mirror was old, had imperfections, it distorted images, and the spook seekers chalked it up to pareidolia.
This is what happens in the "miracles" of seeing images of Jesus in toast or his mother Mary in in a tree. Since nobody now living knows what either one looked like, these people are associating artwork from the imaginations of other people with their own imaginations: "Here's the face of Jesus, as depicted by Rembrandt, in my toast". Doesn't happen. While researching this article, I found out that Time magazine was ahead of me regarding pareidolia and the Martian crab. In addition, I believe that many times, people see things that aren't there because they want to.
So, pareidolia appears (see what I did there?) to be happening in the Mars lady bit. Notice that the videos and pictures are prompting you to see the woman and the other things. Or how about when you're browsing your social media, and someone posts a picture of a ghost. You may "see" it when you're prompted (even if it's not edited in), and even more so when something is circled in red and you say, "Wow, that's creepy!" Not really. Presentation has a lot to do with it, though, as well as how some people are more susceptible to suggestion than others.
On a side note, something else comes to mind. My contention is that many people see things because they want to. Maybe it's bias pareidolia, but consider: Scientists are not totally objective, fact-driven automatons, but instead, operate from their presuppositions. Evolutionists "see" patterns of evolution, even when it's not there.
Those of us who have a healthy degree of skepticism will say that conspiracy people keep it roped and tied until someone comes along with decent evidence. Pronouncements of those who see things that they apparently want to see are not evidence, sorry. (Come on, is poring over all those images of Mars and looking to prove that complex life forms live there — is that rational behavior?) As for me and my house, we're more interested in proclaiming the truth of the gospel, beginning in Genesis.
Added next-to-the-last paragraph on 8-19-2015
This is one of my most unusual articles, and I hope it's both interesting and informative. Big news on the Web lately is the "lady on Mars" pictures. What's going on up yonder?
Yes, I believe in UFOs. No, I do not believe that they are the products of extraterrestrial intelligence. Not only because of my theological views, but because of science. There are too many problems with the idea of life coming to Earth from outer space, but some UFOs defy the laws of physics, which would destroy its occupants. No, one of my views is more mundane: government testing, such as when they developed the Stealth aircraft.
My other view on UFOs is theological: that the really weird sightings and associated alien abductions are demonic activity. One point about that is how reports of the abductees who become born again Christians have the experience again, and call out to Jesus, the activity stops. Let's face it, extraterrestrials shouldn't be bothered when the Creator's name is invoked, so they wouldn't feel the need to saddle up and ride for the hills. A book that I highly recommend on these things is Alien Intrusion by Gary Bates, available at CMI, Amazon, and other places.
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| Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech / Mastcam: Left 2015-05-31 20:38:14 UTC / Modified |
The "lady on Mars" photo is all over the Web, many times with red markings and such (the raw image is here). Following links, I ended up at "UFO Sightings Daily". They have magnified images and a bit of text that says, "This looks like a real. And it should concern every country in the world. There is life out there", plus a remark that the image is 8-10 cm tall. Wow. "Hi, I'm Marvin. I'd like you to meet the little woman." A post on Fox 59 includes a short but interesting video with close-ups and captions. It also has, and other claims that she's living in an area with a manhole, a painting on a rock, and — tire tracks? They'll probably be seeing a crab. Oh, wait. They have seen a crab.
I suspicion that evolutionists are as skeptical as I am. If a crab, a tiny woman in a gown, pyramids and facts, and other things are found, they'd have a rough time conjuring up ideas on how such things evolved. Especially since their explanations of evolution on Earth have failed so spectacularly. Many scientists are hoping to find evidence of life on Mars as well as elsewhere in the universe, but not like that.
While I believe that Satan's minions will do anything to deceive people and distract them from the Word of God, something more prosaic is more likely at work here: pareidolia. The human mind wants to see patterns, and sometimes we see shapes and patterns that are not really there (such as shapes in clouds). I saw a paranormal investigation show where someone reported seeing the face of the Dear Departed in a mirror. The mirror was old, had imperfections, it distorted images, and the spook seekers chalked it up to pareidolia.
This is what happens in the "miracles" of seeing images of Jesus in toast or his mother Mary in in a tree. Since nobody now living knows what either one looked like, these people are associating artwork from the imaginations of other people with their own imaginations: "Here's the face of Jesus, as depicted by Rembrandt, in my toast". Doesn't happen. While researching this article, I found out that Time magazine was ahead of me regarding pareidolia and the Martian crab. In addition, I believe that many times, people see things that aren't there because they want to.
So, pareidolia appears (see what I did there?) to be happening in the Mars lady bit. Notice that the videos and pictures are prompting you to see the woman and the other things. Or how about when you're browsing your social media, and someone posts a picture of a ghost. You may "see" it when you're prompted (even if it's not edited in), and even more so when something is circled in red and you say, "Wow, that's creepy!" Not really. Presentation has a lot to do with it, though, as well as how some people are more susceptible to suggestion than others.
On a side note, something else comes to mind. My contention is that many people see things because they want to. Maybe it's bias pareidolia, but consider: Scientists are not totally objective, fact-driven automatons, but instead, operate from their presuppositions. Evolutionists "see" patterns of evolution, even when it's not there.
Those of us who have a healthy degree of skepticism will say that conspiracy people keep it roped and tied until someone comes along with decent evidence. Pronouncements of those who see things that they apparently want to see are not evidence, sorry. (Come on, is poring over all those images of Mars and looking to prove that complex life forms live there — is that rational behavior?) As for me and my house, we're more interested in proclaiming the truth of the gospel, beginning in Genesis.