THE CATALYST [2b]
In May of 2008, a startling proclamation was issued by the Vatican. For the first time in its 2,000-year history, the Catholic Church acknowledged the possibility that intelligent life could exist on other planets, and that a belief in extraterrestrials did not contradict a belief in God.
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“Which means, of course, that we are now entering an age in which the Universe is beginning to be conceived in different ways from where it was before. And if it is a reality for us, why could it not have been a reality for other beings in the Universe who could have visited our Earth and perhaps guided culture in ancient times?” – Dr. Luis Navia |
But just what sparked this sudden turnaround in religious thought? Could the church have been influenced by recent scientific discoveries? In 2002, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft detected enormous reservoirs of ice beneath the Martian surface. The presence of ice – and the possibility of water – suggested that life could be sustained, or even generated, on another planet. After decades of orbiting space shuttles and robotic rovers, the idea of sending man back into space, to Mars and beyond, ignited the imagination and brought back the notion that mankind, and alien beings, had crossed paths before.
In 1968, just one year before Neil Armstrong’s epic space flight, a book was published that forever changed the way many in the scientific, religious, and creative communities would view their home planet. Written by Swiss author, Erich von Däniken, Chariots of the Gods?, attempted to prove that alien explorers had visited the Earth thousands of years ago.
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“When I was a young man, I was educated as a strict Catholic, in a boarding school. And there we had to make translations of part of the Bible, Greek to Latin, Latin to German. For example, in the first Book of Moses, before the Lord descends on the Holy Mountain, Moses was ordered to construct a gate around the mountain, otherwise the Israelites would be damaged. I was shocked. I said, this is impossible. My God, he would never use, first, a gate to protect himself, or to protect the Israelites. What are they talking about? And now the work started. I started to read thousands of pages of the beginning of religions of every mythology, it’s always the same story. Of course, with different names, with different heroes. Somebody descends from the sky to the humans. Our forefathers could not understand it. They believed that these are some gods. I was shocked. I asked the question, were primitive humans influenced by extraterrestrials? Not gods. And if it all was like I suggested, where’s the proof? So, you start trying to find at least indications. That’s what I have done now for at least 45 years. We have pictorial evidence, we have artifacts in archeology, and we have what has come out of the old literature. Hundreds of indications which you cannot deny anymore.” – Erich von Däniken (Author, Chariots of the Gods?) |
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“What it means is that we need new explanations for human origins. That perhaps we are not alone in the Universe. And that human-like beings came to this planet from some other planet elsewhere in the cosmos. I think that is a very good idea myself.” – Michael Cremo (Author, Forbidden Archaeology) |
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“It really excited people. It was a new way of looking at the past. Looking at ancient civilizations. And it put this very modern space age spin to the whole thing.” – David Childress (Author, Technology of the Gods) |
Chariots of the Gods? caused a sensation fueled, in no small part, by the popular response to books like Frank Herbert’s Dune, television shows like Star Trek, and feature films like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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“The time was ripe. Because everybody was talking of possible space travel, of possibility of extraterrestrials. So, it was all wonderful, coming together. But it was not planned.” – Erich von Däniken (Author, Chariots of the Gods? ) |
After a Swiss newspaper printed excerpts of it on a weekly basis, more than 10,000 copies of the book were sold before ever hitting the market.
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“So, it was a running best-seller starting in Switzerland first, then going over to Germany, and then the rest of the world. They had to print and print and print. It was absolutely incredible.” – Erich von Däniken (Author, Chariots of the Gods? ) |
In 1970, a feature-length documentary was released to theaters, followed by dozens of best-selling books – and growing legions of fans and supporters.
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“Chariots of the Gods? was tremendously influential. It somehow spoke to people who want to believe.” – Sara Seager, Ph.D. (Prof. of Planetary Sciences, MIT) |
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“When I was a boy, Chariots of the Gods? was one of the books I first read. I mean, I ripped it apart. I digested it. I couldn’t get enough of it.” – George Noory (Radio Host, Coast to Coast AM) |
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“I just fell in love with that book. ‘Cause it really opened up all kinds of new questions. And von Däniken was able to point out many anomalies in history that the mainstream archaeologists can’t answer very well. He had what was a revolutionary new kind of idea. That of gods from outer space coming to the planet. Helping to create civilization.” – David Childress (Author, Technology of the Gods) |
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“When I first read Chariots of the Gods? I couldn’t put that book down. Because it answered a whole bunch of questions that I had, and it was a great combination of archaeology and adventure. And it’s just a wonderful way to see the world and pursue these ancient mysteries.” – Giorgio A. Tsoukalos |
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“And it truly was, I think, the catalyst for what people like I do today, and that is to talk about the mysteries and the unusual and the paranormal. He paved the way for a lot of us to talk about these strange stories. And that continues to grow. And it’s going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. People want answers to questions that they can’t answer themselves.” – George Noory (Radio Host, Coast to Coast AM) |
But in spite of the book’s enormous popularity – or perhaps, because of it – von Däniken’s theories were scorned by scientists and jeered at by theologians.
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“Of course it created a storm of controversy. I was completely attacked, especially by the scientific newspapers. They said, come on, he’s just telling stories. He’s a liar, or he’s a fraud, or whatever.” – Erich von Däniken (Author, Chariots of the Gods?) |
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“There is not a single piece of evidence that von Däniken puts forward that cannot be attributed to human ingenuity, technology, and development.” – Robert R. Cargill, Ph.D. (Biblical Archeology, UCLA) |
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“Don’t try to reduce the scriptures to a science book. Or don’t try to reduce the scriptures to an explanation of our modern world today.” – Sister Ilia Delio, OSF |
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“I don’t expect that the scientific community now embraces and kisses me and say ‘Oh, wonderful. Great you did.’ We have to live with critics. This is normal. Chariots of the Gods? was full of speculation. I had 238 questions marks. Nobody read the question mark. They always said, ‘Mr. von Däniken is saying.’ Uh, I did not say. I asked the question. Would that be a possibility? And in Chariots of the Gods? I made clear differences between speculation and facts.” – Erich von Däniken (Author, Chariots of the Gods?) |
But as controversial as many of von Däniken’s theories are, believers point to tangible evidence. How, for example, could a centuries-old map chart a land mass that has only recently been discovered?
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“It would tend to indicate that the map was made at a time when Antarctica was ice-free, which would be many millions of years ago.” – Michael Cremo (Author, Forbidden Archaeology) |
And how could a primitive civilization know how to harness electricity? Or even build a computer?
| “This was tantamount to finding a jet airplane in the tomb of King Tut.”
– David Childress (Author, Technology of the Gods) |
And just who were these mysterious designs, only visible from high altitudes, intended for?
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“The signs are made for somebody who flies. There is no way out of this.” – Erich von Däniken (Author, Chariots of the Gods?) |
Could von Däniken’s theory, that ancient gods were really alien visitors, contain any serious scientific merit? The answer involves a search around the world, and even…right before our eyes.
Previous: Introduction | Next: Gods on High
References:
[1] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: Season 1. [DVD Back Cover]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™.
| [2] History™. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [Episode Description]. Retrieved: April 20, 2010, from http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/season-1.
[2a] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Introduction]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2b] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: The Catalyst]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2c] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Gods on High]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2d] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Biblical Evidence]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2e] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Illustrated History]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2f] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: The Pyramid Puzzle]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2g] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Baffling Monuments]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2h] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Egyptian Electricity]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2i] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Astronomical Alignments]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. [2j] Prometheus Entertainment. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.1 – Chariots, Gods, & Beyond. [DVD Footage: Continuing Controversy]. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Networks, LLC / History™. |
[3] History™. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.2 – The Evidence. [Episode Description]. Retrieved: April 20, 2010, from http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/season-1.
[4] History™. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.3 – The Visitors. [Episode Description]. Retrieved: April 27, 2010, from http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/season-1.
[5] History™. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.4 – The Mission. [Episode Description]. Retrieved: May 4, 2010, from http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/season-1.
[6] History™. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.5 – Closer Encounters. [Episode Description]. Retrieved: May 18, 2010, from http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/season-1.
[7] History™. (2010). Ancient Aliens: 1.6 – The Return. [Episode Description]. Retrieved: May 25, 2010, from http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/season-1.
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