Have aliens visited UoN? These believers think so

When someone says they have had contact with extra-terrestrial life force,  your first reaction would generally be to ask them how hard they hit their head, or if they need a ride to the doctors.

However, an exclusive look into a talk with a member of the Aetherius society and UoN’s PPE society proved that believers aren’t all just people in tin hats quaking in their parents basements; they happen to just be pretty regular people.

If you don’t know exactly what this elusive society is (which you most probably don’t, I didn’t),  the Aetherius society are a new religious movement who were founded in the 195os by taxi-driver George King. King claimed to have received a message from outer space, directing him to start the society, as he was the “voice of the interplanetary parliament”.

In other words, he said he had been visited by a Hindu yogi, who pushed him to form a new religious movement that would better humanity through yoga, prayer and meditation. Wholesome.

They take influence from pre-existing religions in a non-conventional sense, believing that the Hindi deity Krishna is from Saturn, and Jesus is from Venus; all example of the ‘Cosmic Masters’ that they allegedly have contact with.  These beings help humanity as they have a great compassion, and have powers such as clairvoyance. They often live among us, carrying out important jobs to uplift our societies.

They’re an international religion, with believers in over 30 countries across the globe. Nottingham’s PPE society spoke to Mark Bennet, one of the societies’ international directors. He’s been involved in the movement for over 20 years,  educating others on the movement full time.

We documented some of the questions asked, to shed light on their unique beliefs.

Q: What are people’s initial reactions to your beliefs?

“I don’t live in an ashram and get up at four in the morning to dive into an icy lake, I live in a fairly normal way. Honestly, my friends don’t care, mostly people just ask once and then move on. It does take a long time to explain and I never really know what to say; there is no word for what I do.

“I don’t want to ram my beliefs down peoples throats, but I don’t keep it private, it’s all over Facebook. People know what I do. My friends aren’t really phased by it, maybe if I shaved my head and damned them to hell.”

Q: How do you think humans would react to seeing these extra-terrestrial life forms?

“I don’t think they would ever land on earth.  It would result in a lot of irrational and emotional behaviour, some people would want to kill them, others would completely ignore them. It would result in fear and violence, with very few being welcoming, but I think some people would initially have doubts and then slowly grow to like them.”

The University of Nottingham’s PPE society has been the subject of scrutiny recently, following their invite of the controversial Westboro Baptist church to speak. This resulted in a student-run petition, which amassed hundreds of signatures, and social media heavily condemned their event. Eventually, the event was cancelled.