Christian apologist and podcast host of “Challenging Conversations,” Jason Jimenez, hosted a podcast episode discussing whether or not the belief in extraterrestrials or aliens is a biblically defensible position. He noted that the growing interest in aliens, particularly with recent government documents discussing possible UFO sightings, prompted him to address the topic. He began his discussion by noting that many alien and UFO stories are hoaxes. He did admit that there are many unexplained phenomena and that Christians have to look at several factors in determining what to believe about those unexplained encounters. He stated that first, a Christian must start with the Bible. “I think it is crazy to believe in something this absurd. The Bible doesn’t mention anything of extraterrestrials.” He did agree, however, that the Bible does mention the spiritual realm inhabited by angels and demons.

Jimenez’s first point looked at the scientific issues with the belief in aliens. He showed a video shared by Christian astrophysicist Hugh Ross, who questioned how witnesses never witness sonic booms from supposed UFOs. Ross stated that if the UFOs were operating in the physical realm, there would be physical remnants from supposed crashes or some other physical manifestations. He also noted that some of the supposed movements witnesses attest to are physically impossible and thus unattainable by a physical craft that must still obey the laws of science. Jimenez added that although what the witnesses are claiming to see does not fit in a physical model, he said he believed witnesses are seeing something that is actually operating in the spiritual realm. “I wholeheartedly believe that there are times when we have witnessed or even captured the footage of a spiritual being interacting in the physical realm.” He noted it could be angels and demons in battle or demons trying to trick people into the false belief of aliens, noting earlier in his podcast that the belief in aliens has led to some scientists pushing for theories that aliens created human life. 

Jimenez again turned to the Bible, noting that whereas the Bible does not mention extraterrestrials, it does mention spiritual beings. “If we know that aliens don’t exist out there, the Bible doesn’t mention life outside the Earth … then how can we explain this?” he asked. He discussed how Satan/Lucifer, “the son of the morning star,” had once been an angel and was cast out of Heaven with a third of the angels after rebelling against God, as mentioned in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. He stated that certain demons had been allowed to roam the world and try to thwart God’s people while angels act as ministering spirits and that the Bible even mentions that we will entertain angels amongst us. He said that the discussion of UFOs and aliens is a distraction from spiritual warfare. “I think when we’re having these discussions when people go the realm of the UFOs, notice what’s happening is this idea of turning the discussion on something that does not exist. And … therefore not talking about spiritual warfare, spiritual activity.”

 He outlined the particular hierarchy of Satan’s demons as detailed in the Bible (powers, principalities, etc.) and that he believes what people are seeing that is moving are dark forces. He noted the passage in Job 1 when God asks Satan where he has come from; he states he has gone “to and fro and through and around the world,” showing that he is not contained by the physical realm. He encouraged his listeners not to be drawn away from the reality of the spiritual realm by looking at physical explanations.