Podcast appearances and mentions of scott philbrook

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 20:36

The Best Indie Podcast nomination IS the award!Susan and Sharon thank ALL the listeners who came out to support “80's TV Ladies” as Best Indie Podcast for the WEBBY AWARDS. A big welcome to all our new listeners! And a sincere thank you to all who voted and to our listeners who reached out. BIG THANKS to our friends who shouted us out, including:Chris Stachiw from Weirding Way Media Network and the Kulturecast Podcast.Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the Astonishing Legends podcast.Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf podcast.And an extra special thank you to TikTok superstar and creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire, and all his fans. All of you went the extra mile to support us and bring new listeners to the show, so THANK YOU!And of course, the biggest thank you of all -- TO OUR LOYAL FANS!And listen in on the first official 8TL Mailbag, where we get feedback and answer questions and get feedback from you, our fans! PLUS -- an April 2024 “In Memorium Salute”.AUDIOGRAPHY Check out the Webby Nominee Press Release with our names and Michelle Obama. We're 26 lines ABOVE Michelle Obama. Just saying.Watch Matt Baume's YOUTUBE Channel episode “Bewitched: It Was Gay All Along?”Listen in on the new podcast, Richard Hatem's Paranormal BookshelfAnd Chris Stachiw's movie review podcast, The Kulturecast.Explore the world of Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess's Astonishing Legends podcast.Find Dan Povenmire on TikTok And Twitter.Watch Hamster and Gretel and Phineas and Ferb.Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you need help go to Abortionfinder.org.CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us what shows we should cover at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

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Designing Women with Linda Bloodworth-Thomason

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2023 68:04

Susan and Sharon are honored to speak with the creator and writer of Designing Women, Linda Bloodworth Thomason. Novelist, playwright, documentary filmmaker and philanthropist, Linda is a five-time Emmy Award nominee who has created, written and produced such signature hits as "Evening Shade", "Hearts Afire", "Women of the House" and "Filthy Rich".Her TV writing career began with episodes of classic shows including "Rhoda", "Paper Moon" and "MASH". In a career spanning six decades, Linda Bloodworth Thomason is known for her singular style, mixing humor with serious topics; her lovable, outspoken characters; her unique blending of the romantic and the political, and her indelible portrait of the modern South.In Part One of a wide-ranging conversation, Linda touches on her early days working with TV legends James L. Brooks, Larry Gelbart, and Norman Lear; her astonishing success with Designing Women; living through – and writing about – historic times, and the challenged state of feminism in 2023.THE CONVERSATIONBUILDING THE PERFECT CAST: How legendary casting director Fran Bascom helped Linda nab everyone from Burt Reynolds to Delta Burke to John Ritter – and discover future Oscar winners Billy Bob Thornton and Hilary Swank!Bringing the Southern accent back to primetime TV – by way of Dixie Carter's eloquent, melodic voice. And wait, how did Susan lose her accent, anyway?All of the original four Designing Women were from the South and used their real, regional accent – except one. Can you guess who??A BOOK OF VERSE, A JUG OF WINE AND THOU -- Jimmy Carter's romantic nights at the White House with First Lady Rosalynn!The Designing Women Foundation (also known as The Claudia Foundation) – started with Linda's income from Designing Women under the umbrella of The Claudia Foundation to honor of her mother, Claudia Bloodworth. The Foundation provides scholarships and opportunities for young women in Southeast Missouri.BENEVOLENT MASCULINITY: How a certain kind of Southern man became a new archetype on Linda's shows: “Find yourself a jock who also reads poetry and loves his mother.”A GIRL, A CANOE AND THE WORLD: How a canoe from her father changed Linda's life – giving her the courage to discover herself and the world by exploring the Current River in Missouri.DARKNESS AND LIGHT: Finding out that Designing Women was picked up to series on the same day as finding out that her mom had AIDS from a blood transfusion."What's Happened to Women?" Podcast - How the next generation of women is facing our culture's onslaught of misogyny and greed with kindness and equality – and how we can help.So join Susan and Sharon – and Linda – as they talk The Idol, Shakespeare, the KKK – and Hilary Clinton's mom! AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialFind more cool podcasts at Weirding Way Media.Visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED80s TV Ladies is shortlisted for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

All the Women of Designing Women

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 56:36

“She didn't twirl just a baton. That baton was on fire. And when she threw that baton into the air, it flew higher, further, faster than any baton has ever flown before, hitting a transformer and showering the darkened arena with sparks!” - Julia SugarbakerSusan and Sharon continue “‘Designing Women' November” with an episode devoted to the actresses – all seven of them – who played all those outspoken Southern Women! We're talking the Original Fab Four: Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart and Annie Potts – PLUS the three cast members that joined up later in the run: Jan Hooks, Julia Duffy and Judith Ivy.With audio clips from the show, we'll learn about each of the women, who they are, what they stand for (and what they won't stand for), and how each of the actresses carved out a special place for themselves and their characters in a show that was designed to be all about women!THE CONVERSATIONWho was Number One on the call sheet at Designing Women?Delta Burke was born in Orlando, Florida – and was named “Miss Flame” for the Orlando Fire Department!DELTA & GERALD & SIMON & SIMON: Delta Burke met her future husband Gerald McRaney on HIS show “Simon & Simon” – and then she brought him on to HERS…SIX DEGREES OF “REMINGTON STEELE”: How many Designing Women also shared the screen with Steele and Laura? Almost all of them…Julia Duffy shows up Season 6 as Sugarbaker cousin, Alison. Didjaknow? She almost played Diane Chambers on “Cheers” – and appeared later on that show as Diane's best friend!SNL alum Jan Hooks played Carlene – sister to Charlene.MORE SHERYL LEE RALPH! She turns up in Season 7 as Anthony's new wife.Alice Ghostly -- as the hilariously loopy Bernice Clifton – appeared in all 7 seasons!BY THE NUMBERS: How many women behind-the-scenes helped created the show? 20 writers, 6 producers, 3 directors – a significant percentage and huge numbers for the 80s!So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Peter Scolari, “Hacks”, ex-husbands – and our upcoming interview with the creator of Designing Women herself -- Linda Bloodworth-Thomason!AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialFind more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media.For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED80s TV Ladies is shortlisted for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

Designing Women with Maggie Friedman

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 70:50

Susan and Sharon get to sit down with writer/producer/show-runner Maggie Friedman to talk about the show that inspired her to embark on a career in television: Designing Women.Designing Women (1986-1993) was created by the legendary Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and starred Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart, Annie Potts and Meshach Taylor as the owners and staff of the Atlanta-based interior design firm “Sugarbaker & Associates”. In its seven-year run, Designing Women was known for sharp writing, big laughs and taking on issues from a feminist angle in a way that no other show had done before – or since. Maggie Friedman is best known for creating, writing and executive producing Witches of East End for Lifetime Television and Firefly Lane currently on Netflix. She has also written and produced episodes of Dawson's Creek, Jack & Bobby, Once and Again, Wasteland, Spellbound and No Tomorrow.THE CONVERSATIONHow an Ally McBeal spec script got Maggie into a room with Kevin Williamson – and onto the staff of his first show, Dawson's Creek.Maggie set her sights on getting into AFI – and did -- because a mean girl told her she couldn't!HE DID IT/SHE LIED: Those T-Shirts from the Designing Women Anita Hill episode, and the impact it had on Maggie.Which of the Designing Women are you? Sharon is a Julia, but is Susan Mary Jo – or Anthony?“Guns, and AIDS, and condoms – OH MY!” How Designing Women took on all the current issues, that are unfortunately still current today.SPOILER ALERT: What happens when you write HUGE CLIFFHANGERS – and then your show gets cancelled!Big Hair, Big Shoulders! Was the Atlanta of Designing Women accurate? Susan grew up in Georgia -- and has thoughts.Republican Dixie Carter's deal: “For every liberal rant you make Julia say, I get to sing a song!”“Georgia On My Mind”: Ray Charles sings with the Designing Women!Young Susan's brush with fame: Mark Harmon and Peter Scolari – both in one hour!“WOMEN OF THE HOUSE” – the little-known 1995 “sequel” where Suzanne Sugarbaker goes to Congress to fill her late husband's house seat.So join Susan, Sharon – and Maggie – as they talk Jackie Collins, Witches of East End, Scott Bakula, --- and how sexy Richard Hatem is!AUDIOGRAPHYFollow Maggie Friedman on Instagram.Check out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!Find more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media. For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies has WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED: Best Moment of Raw Emotion80s TV Ladies is nominated for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

Aliens v. Ghosts, Part 3 (with Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of Astonishing Legends)

OTR: A Friendly Debate

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2023 62:50

A year ago, a settlement was reached at the end of Aliens v. Ghosts, Part 2. Lando agreed not to say ghosts weren't real, if Mucci agreed not to say aliens weren't real. In a fit of rage, Mucci broke that settlement -- but he's glad he did, because it allowed OTR to have this incredible discussion with the cohosts of the Astonishing Legends podcast, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess! Huy judges as Lando and Mucci go at it again, with Lando focusing on the recent disclosure before Congress, while Mucci focuses on the mental and spiritual benefits of believing in ghosts. Our guests offer some amazing insights into both aliens and ghosts, but do they have any opinion on which is more likely to exist than the other? Will their expert opinion sway Judge Huy one way or the other? Follow us on our socials: IG: @otr_debate Twitter: @OTRdebate FB: @otrdebate or on YouTube! You can also email topics you think we should cover at OTRdebate@gmail.com! Or for easy access to everything: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/Otrdebate Intro and outro music by Lando and Mucci. Other music: "Gastly sounds" by menvafaan (https://freesound.org/people/menvafaan/sounds/169665/). Sources: Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d 254 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991). https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/we-re-not-crazy-listen-to-a-flight-report-unusual-lights-near-yellowknife-in-january-1.6277389 https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/read-secret-memo-for-trudeau-on-unidentified-object-shot-down-over-yukon-1.6548510 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/us/politics/us-shoots-down-object-michigan.html https://abc7chicago.com/canada-high-altitude-airborne-object-justin-trudeau-north-american-aerospace-defense-command/12801392/ https://www.npr.org/2023/02/12/1156428862/us-shoot-down-ufo-unidentified-object-lake-huron

The UFO Hearing: A Roundtable Discussion w/ Jim Harold, Astonishing Legends, Micah Hanks, and the Anomalycast!

Somewhere in the Skies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2023 136:02

On episode 328 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, it's a roundtable of cosmic proportions! Originally broadcast as a Livestream event on Jim Harold's YouTube channel, this post-UFO hearing discussion brings together a rag-tag group of podcasters to discuss the good, the bad, the sobering, and the shocking that was the historic Congressional UFO Hearing. Featuring Micah Hanks, Forrest Burgess and Scott Philbrook of the Astonishing Legends podcast, and Paul Gledhill of the Amomalycast! Follow Jim Harold at: https://jimharold.com/ Follow Astonishing Legends at: https://astonishinglegends.com Follow Micah Hanks at: https://www.micahhanks.com/ Follow Anomalycast at: http://www.anomaly.co.uk/ Join us at ANOMACON 2023: www.anomacon.comOrder Ryan's new book: https://a.co/d/4KNQnM4Patreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskiesWebsite: www.somewhereintheskies.comYouTube Channel: CLICK HEREBook your Cameo video with Ryan at: https://bit.ly/3kwz3DOOfficial Store: CLICK HEREBuy Somewhere in the Skies coffee: https://bit.ly/3rmXuapOrder Ryan's older book: https://amzn.to/3PmydYCEmail Ryan directly at: Ryan.Sprague51@gmail.comTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryansprague51Twitter: @SomewhereSkiesInstagram: @SomewhereSkiesPodRead Ryan's Articles by CLICKING HEREOpening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per KiilstofteCopyright © 2023 Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Creeps With Peeps: Scott & Forrest from Astonishing Legends

Spooks, Creeps, & Assorted Devilry

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2023 117:02

Laura, Rick, and Tonya talk with Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends Podcast about Sally House, Alien discoveries, and just about everything! You can find Scott & Forrest at: https://www.facebook.com/astonishinglegends https://astonishinglegends.com/ https://astonishinglegends.com/patreon The Creeps are: Laura Kram Rick Belcher Tonya Downing Trina Close Walter Whitaker Find us on all the Socials or Buy our Merch with the following link: https://linktr.ee/spookscreepspod Email us Listener Stories, Questions, or just anything at: SpooksCreepsPod@gmail.com We now have a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spookscreepspod Original Theme Music by: Cory Allen Lewis Original Podcast Artwork by: Chris Stringer Creeps at the Movies artwork by Lessette Agosto Spooky Skeptics artwork by Todd Purse Creeps with Peeps artwork by Shawn Englemann Witchy Tips artwork by Lisa Russell Weird News artwork by Dylan Jacobson Sound effects and some episode intros and outros by: Epidemic Sound Editing by Tony Danzig Merch on: Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/SpooksCreepsPod/ BigCartel: spookscreepspod.bigcartel.com #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #pod #podcastlife #podcasts #podcaster #podcasting #spookscreepspodcast #paranormal #haunted #cryptid #ghosts #monstermash #mashup #creepswithpeeps #spookyskeptics #creepwithcards #tarotcards #weirdnews #moviereviews #horrorreviews #interview #ufos #assorteddevilry #bigfoot #sasquatch #aliens #listenerstories #personalexperiences #creepsatthemovies #zodiac #willothewisp #fae #fairies #bigrickenergy #poltergeists

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147: The Swerve, Vol. 2: Gef, the Talking Mongoose with Scott and Forrest from Astonishing Legends

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2023 149:14

April Fools, suckers! Also, happy first night of Wrestlemania! The subject of this episode was voted on by our dear patrons. For this installment of The Swerve, I'm joined by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends to dive into the sinister dealings of that "extra special mongoose," Gef, the Talking Mongoose. Known on the Isle of Man as the "Dalby Spook," Gef first appeared as wrappings and knockings on the walls of the Irving family home at Doarlish Cashen in September of 1931. Before long, the knocks transformed into full sentences from a high pitched voice. Gef became the talk of the island, bringing investigators of all kinds to the island including Harry Price and Nandor Fodor, but what was Gef really? On this episode we dive into Gef's exploits and try to figure out if he truly was an "extra clever mongoose" or something else... Sources: Gef!: The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose by Christopher Josiffe Gef The Talking Mongoose: The "Eighth Wonder of the World" by Tim R. Swartz Theme song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona Check out ourstrangeskies.com for all things related to the podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Gay Alien Makes American Dad a Good Show

Gayest Episode Ever

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 103:06

A heads up: This episode discusses sexual assault in the context of it being something that would get referenced in mid-2000s shows as a marker of being “edgy.” Also, there is a discussion of anal probing in the context of alien abduction, not to be funny but to try and understand why this is a concept that shows up on sitcoms. “Roger 'n‘ Me” (April 23, 2006) As a follow-up to last week's Great Gazoo episode, we return to American Dad to try to explain why Roger the alien is such a successful character and, really, a likely reason why American Dad show succeeds. This is an early episode exploring Roger's relationship with Stan. And while the show suffers from being more like Family Guy than it would be even a year later, there is surprisingly nuance to the way the show deals with these two sharing what amounts to a sexual experience. Listen to our previous episode on American Dad. Listen to the episode of Monday Afternoon Movie about The UFO Incident, with special guest Scott Philbrook from Astonishing Legends. Read the Reddit thread “How did anal probing become associated with alien abductions?” Listen to the Our Strange Skies podcast's series on Whitley Strieber. Submit your own suggestions for Box of Compliments compliments here. Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn And yes, we do have an official website! We even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

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106: Miniature UFOs with Astonishing Legends

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 135:48

On September 7, 1956, Thomas Hutchinson, a resident of Moneymore, Ireland, put a head lock on a miniature UFO that had landed on his property. Thomas attempted to escort the object to the police department, but after placing it on a bush, the object spun quickly and took off into the sky. Stories of miniature UFOs, like Thomas Hutchinson's are often brief, no matter the means employed to capture it. On this episodes I'm joined by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends to discuss stories of tiny UFOs, holes in roofs, an encounter in an Argentinian school room, and a pair of small objects that may have cause the disappearance of a Brazilian diamond prospector. Sources: The Saucers that Time Forgot “The Mysterious Caconde Case” by Dr. Walter Buhler, FSR 1969 V 15 N 4 “The Brazilian Abduction” Translated by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1962 V 8 N 6 The Disappearance of Rivalino Mafra da Silva: Alien Abduction or Foul Play? Bizarre and Grotesque Man Kidnapped by Globes, The A.P.R.O. Bulletin September 1962 “A Weird Case from the Past” by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1970 V 16 N 4 “Tiny Entities Reported in Colombia” by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1975 V 21 N 5 “Schoolroom ‘Landing' in Loreto, Argentina” by Heriberto Janosch, FSR 1979 V 25 N 2 “A Wave of Small Humanoids in Malaysia in 1970” by Ahmad Jamaludin, FSR 1983 V 28 N 5 Source: “Mini-UFOs, Metal Pieces in Finland” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin Vol 28 N 5 Theme song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona Check out my links here

Episode 8: The Bell Witch

Ghosts and Cornbread

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2022 79:18

The Bell Witch is arguably one of the most famous ghost story in the south, Mark and Lisa discuss the two-hundred-year-old legend, and speculate on whether the stories are folklore or fakelore.Sources:The Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch by Martin Ingramhttps://www.amazon.com/Authenticated-History-Famous-Bell-Witch-ebook/dp/B00BNWH61A/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+authentic+famous+bell+witch&qid=1653960218&sr=8-1Bell Witch: The Truth Exposed by Camille Moffitthttps://www.amazon.com/Bell-Witch-Exposed-Camille-Moffitt-ebook/dp/B0121MFGIA/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2JRUOBT6G06K5&keywords=the+bell+witch&qid=1653960357&sprefix=t%2Caps%2C1203&sr=8-4The Mark of The Bell Witchhttps://www.amazon.com/Mark-Witch-Lauren-Ashley-Carter/dp/B08N87YR76/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=the+bell+witch&qid=1653960459&sr=8-8The "Bell Witch" Poltergeist by Joe Nickell Skeptical Inquirer From: Volume 38 Issue 1https://skepticalinquirer.org/2014/01/the-bell-witch-poltergeist/Astonishing Legends Podcast with Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess (Seriously, they're great!)The TennesseanNeed to contact us? Our email: ghostsandcornbread@gmail.comThank you!

S02E05 The Sallie House, Pt 5: I Came For The Bacon Monster And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt That Apparently Washes Itself

Ex V Planis

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2022 204:43

Welcome back to the weird, and welcome to our finale on the Sallie House (for now). Join your host Flood and Ex V Planis field team members Jill, Walker, and Alejandro for our “2 months later” conclusions conversation, then strap yourselves in for a stream-of-consciousness-off-the-cuff conversation with 2 very special guests: Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of Astonishing Legends! Scott and Forrest unknowingly played a large part in how we ended up at the Sallie House, and tonight we will discuss that, amongst many other things. This is a LONG one. You have been warned. Below you will find links to all the info shared in the episode. In Obumbratio In Fluctus Sub Velo All Things Ex V Planis: https://linktr.ee/Exvplanis All Things Folds & Floods: https://linktr.ee/Foldsand%20Floods All things Astonishing Legends: https://www.astonishinglegends.com/ (File 10): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYCzUCMVRo The Green Mushroom Podcast Network: https://www.tgmpnetwork.com Help the family of Cameron Starks: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1963393770520349/ Help the lovely Diz! (seriously, look at that puppers face): https://www.gofundme.com/f/dizzy-dogs-ccl-surgery

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Mind Meld with Astonishing Legends - Paranormal Podcast 728

PARANORMAL PODCAST

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 69:00 Very Popular

Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of Astonishing Legends join me for a wide ranging conversation. We talk about Charles Fort, remote viewing, the reality or non reality of Bigfoot, In Search Of, The Night Stalker...and that's just a sample. Check it out! JIM'S SPRING BOOK GIVEAWAY & NEWSLETTER Never miss anything going on at the Spooky Studio and qualify for Jim's Spring Book Giveaway (some restrictions apply), sign up for Jim's FREE newsletter HERE -CALM- (The Paranormal Podcast Sponsorship) We're so happy to partner with Calm. Calm is the app designed to help you ease stress and get the best sleep of your life. Calm is offering Paranormal Podcast listeners a special limited time promotion of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at CALM.COM/jim -PARABOX- ParaBox Monthly is your source for amazing one of a kind paranormal t-shirts that will lead you into an online paranormal mystery. Go to ParaboxMonthly.com/jim to get a 25% discount! TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE for a full transcript

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Serium Podcast eps.12; "The Exorcist"

Serium Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2022 29:41

"The Exorcist"...Navnet får vel de fleste til å tenke på filmen med samme navn fra 1973 - fremdeles en av de beste grøsserne som er lagd - men vi tar for oss tv serien med samme navn fra 2016-17 som er å finne på Amazon. Hva har serien til felles med filmen? By the way; Filmen fra 1973, basert på William Peter Blattys bok, har sin opprinnelse i VIRKELIGE hendelser! Denne virkelige historia har Scott Philbrook og Forrest Burgess og teamet deres i podcasten Astonishing Legends" gått dypt inn i, og jeg vil anbefale å sjekke ut episodene deres om "The true story behind The Exorcist". Link til Astonishing Legends er som følger; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373

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It's a Will & Grace Christmas!

Gayest Episode Ever

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2021 67:51

“A Little Christmas Queer” (December 8, 2005) Lest you be tempted to believe that Christmas miracles aren't real, we finally found an episode of Will & Grace that Drew doesn't hate. This one, from the final season of the show's original broadcast run, focuses on Will and company spending Christmas with his family and the problems posed by the fact that Will's nephew seems so very gay. It's actually a more nuanced look at the difficulties of being gay and leaving your life to spend the holiday with your (presumably straight) family. It doesn't suck! Not even the Grace storyline! Mental Floss has an article detailing Kellogg's Cornflakes and their origin as an effort to get people to masturbate less. And Daily Beast has a piece on William Faulkner's long-term love affair with binge drinking. Listen to the Monday Afternoon Move episode about The UFO Incident with Scott Philbrook. Listen to the Smart Mouth episode titled “Why Are U.S. School Lunches Like This?” Listen to the Singing Mountain episode titled “My Save Point Is a Hot Shower.” Buy the first issue of Drew and Glen's new comic anthology, Beyond Sunset. Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn And yes, we do have an official website! We even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

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Scott Philbrook / Astonishing Legends

Brands In Action

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2021 46:52

Scott Philbrook made a career pivot from top commercial and music video editor to a now top podcaster. Today we talk about the podcast he co-hosts, Astonishing Legends, and how they've marketed their podcast from a bedroom production to the global phenomenon it has become. Hint, they took what they know about branding and let it guide them to phenomenal growth.00:18 - Scott Intro01:48 - What is AL about?04:11 - Mindset - healthy skepticism06:00 - Scott's change in view08:54 - Cognitive closure10:13 - AL as a brand16:27 - How do you handle poor production value from guests?18:31 - Articulation of the brand20:04 - Topics AL won't touch21:37 - Tone of voice22:25 - Openly skeptical but skeptically open23:57 - How have you built an audience?27:18 - Feedback through social media28:11 - ARC - Astonishing Research Corp30:04 - Advice for brands with fan engagement31:17 - If you started AL today, what would you do differently33:24 - Advice for people starting a podcast - Spotify usage40:34 - Sub-brands of AL43:16 - Cross Promos45:05 - Where can people find AL https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-philbrook-257100aa/ https://www.astonishinglegends.com

The Halloween Special

Kolchak's Loop

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2021 294:45

Join Kolchak's Loop for the Halloween Special of a lifetime!! Guests include, Rodney Barnes, Rich Hatem, Forrest Burgess, James Rice, and Mark Dawidziak. Join us as we spend the night in a haunted mansion talking about all things creepy and macabre! Our guests tell us their favorite horror shows and movies, paranormal experiences they've had, and horror toys they played with. Rodney and Rich talk about the stress of being television writers, and James gives some amazing insight into his father and tells stories from his dad's childhood living in Las Vegas. You never know what guests will stop by! You will also hear from Forrest's other Astonishing Legends half Scott Philbrook, Independent Profession Wrestler Danhausen, and Buddy Candela from Buddy's House of Horror. This is a LONG one coming in at nearly FIVE HOURS!! But I promise you there are no tricks and only treats!! …Well… there may be a FEW tricks! You can find Kolchak's Loop on Twitter @KolchaksLoop Instagram @KolchaksLoop Twitch @KolchaksLoop YouTube tinyurl.com/KolchaksLoopYouTube You can contact us via Email at KolchaksLoop@Gmail.com

house las vegas rich horror halloween special buddy loop kolchak rodney barnes five hours astonishing legends mark dawidziak james rice scott philbrook forrest burgess

75: Exploring the Experience, Pt. 1

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Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2021 118:18

The body of ufology, and other areas of paranormal study, are comprised of experiences that are collected, catalogued, debated, theorized, and sometimes debunked. They are presented time and time again as proof of something otherworldly happening in our world or seen as just crazy stories told by crazy people. I, for one, have never shied away from telling stories of my experiences. On this episode, I invite some good friends on to talk about my experiences and dive deep into their potential meaning. I'm joined by Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends and Richard Hatem, famed screenwriter of The Mothman Prophecies and a current writer on DC's Titans. We dive into a handful of my paranormal experiences, and try to unpack what they could mean. There is also something called the Tupper Lake Mangaroo. Theme Song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo is by The Great Desdymona Follow Rob on Twitter and Instagram

Khutulun of Mongolia, the Undefeated Wrestling Champ and Warrior Princess; The Lost Colony of Roanoke

Hightailing Through History

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2021 56:49

Welcome back Friends! We have upgraded our sound and equipment and we're thrilled about it! We're also coming at you in stereo so you can use headphones to feel like you're really here with us in the middle of the smoke circle. Or not, you do you and we love you for it *heart hands* First we meet Khutulun of Mongolia who was an amazing warrior and just as amazing at wrestling. KT is smitten kittens with her and Laurel doesn't blame her! After KT wipes away her heart eyes, she takes us to try and find the lost colony of Roanoke, one of early America's greatest mysteries! *~*~*~*~*~*~ Mentioned in the Stories: Maps of Mongolia Gif **In order to better follow along with the tale of Khutulun, it can be helpful to see the great expanse of the Mongolian empire before and during her lifetime Mongolian Wrestling For a more in-depth and heavily researched plunge into The Lost Colony of Roanoke, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the podcast Astonishing Legends did a great 2 part series! Part 1 Part 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~ The Socials: Email -- hightailinghistorypod@gmail.com Instagram -- @hightailinghistory Facebook -- Hightailing Through History or with user name @hightailinghistory *~*~*~*~*~*~ Sources: Khutulun-- F., Tehya. "Empress Baddie: Khutulun the Warrior.” For The Love of History. Episode 23, 2 October 2020. https://for-the-love-of-history.captivate.fm/episode/empress-baddie-khutulun-the-warrior- Frey, Holly and Wilson, Tracy V. “Mongolian Princess Khutulun.” from iHeart Radio, 22 March 2017. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history-cl-21124503/episode/mongolian-princess-khutulun-30207430/ L.C. “Khutulun, the Mongolian Warrior Princess.” Archeotravelers.com, 17 Jan. 2021, www.archeotravelers.com/en/2020/09/11/khutulun-the-mongolian-warrior-princess/. Lamoureux, Aimee. “How Genghis Khan's Great-Great-Granddaughter Turned Into One Of Asia's Fiercest Warriors.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 10 Apr. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/khutulun. Lord, Alexis and Strickon, Hailey. “Episode 144: Khutulun, The Mongolian Wrestling Princess.” from Acast, Hysterical History, 3 March 2020, https://feeds.acast.com/public/ shows/hysterical-history Reilly, Lucas. “The Mongolian Princess Who Challenged Her Suitors to a Wrestling Match-and Always Won.” Mental Floss, 19 Oct. 2018, www.mentalfloss.com/article/560956/mongolian-princess-who-challenged-her-suitors-wrestling-match-and-always-won. “Mongol Empire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire. Lost Colony of Roanoke-- History.com Staff. “What Happened to the ‘Lost Colony' OF Roanoke?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Oct. 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laurel-rockall/message

Khutulun of Mongolia, the Undefeated Wrestling Champ and Warrior Princess; The Lost Colony of Roanoke

Hightailing Through History

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2021 56:49

Welcome back Friends! We have upgraded our sound and equipment and we're thrilled about it! We're also coming at you in stereo so you can use headphones to feel like you're really here with us in the middle of the smoke circle. Or not, you do you and we love you for it *heart hands* First we meet Khutulun of Mongolia who was an amazing warrior and just as amazing at wrestling. KT is smitten kittens with her and Laurel doesn't blame her! After KT wipes away her heart eyes, she takes us to try and find the lost colony of Roanoke, one of early America's greatest mysteries! *~*~*~*~*~*~ Mentioned in the Stories: Maps of Mongolia Gif **In order to better follow along with the tale of Khutulun, it can be helpful to see the great expanse of the Mongolian empire before and during her lifetime Mongolian Wrestling For a more in-depth and heavily researched plunge into The Lost Colony of Roanoke, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the podcast Astonishing Legends did a great 2 part series! Part 1 Part 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~ The Socials: Email -- hightailinghistorypod@gmail.com Instagram -- @hightailinghistory Facebook -- Hightailing Through History or with user name @hightailinghistory *~*~*~*~*~*~ Sources: Khutulun-- F., Tehya. "Empress Baddie: Khutulun the Warrior.” For The Love of History. Episode 23, 2 October 2020. https://for-the-love-of-history.captivate.fm/episode/empress-baddie-khutulun-the-warrior- Frey, Holly and Wilson, Tracy V. “Mongolian Princess Khutulun.” from iHeart Radio, 22 March 2017. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history-cl-21124503/episode/mongolian-princess-khutulun-30207430/ L.C. “Khutulun, the Mongolian Warrior Princess.” Archeotravelers.com, 17 Jan. 2021, www.archeotravelers.com/en/2020/09/11/khutulun-the-mongolian-warrior-princess/. Lamoureux, Aimee. “How Genghis Khan's Great-Great-Granddaughter Turned Into One Of Asia's Fiercest Warriors.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 10 Apr. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/khutulun. Lord, Alexis and Strickon, Hailey. “Episode 144: Khutulun, The Mongolian Wrestling Princess.” from Acast, Hysterical History, 3 March 2020, https://feeds.acast.com/public/ shows/hysterical-history Reilly, Lucas. “The Mongolian Princess Who Challenged Her Suitors to a Wrestling Match-and Always Won.” Mental Floss, 19 Oct. 2018, www.mentalfloss.com/article/560956/mongolian-princess-who-challenged-her-suitors-wrestling-match-and-always-won. “Mongol Empire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire. Lost Colony of Roanoke-- History.com Staff. “What Happened to the ‘Lost Colony' OF Roanoke?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Oct. 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laurel-rockall/message

Talking with Astonishing Legends - Paranormal Podcast 693

PARANORMAL PODCAST

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2021 66:14

Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from the smash hit podcast Astonishing Legends join Jim to discuss ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot and more! RAYCON- Raycon earbuds are my wireless earbuds of choice! Great sound at a great price! Raycon's offering 15% off all their products for my listeners and here's what you've gotta do to get it. Go to buyraycon.com/harold Thanks Raycon for your sponsorship of The Paranormal Podcast! -NATIVE- Native is my choice for deodorant! With natural ingredients and great scents, I've made Native a part of my daily life. For 20% off your first order, visit nativedeo.com/jim or use promo code JIM during checkout!

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The Chris Harrison Controversy with Scott and Forrest of Astonishing Legends

The Story Of

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2021 76:23

Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from my all time favorite podcast Astonishing Legends are on the show! Astonishing Legends is THE top paranormal podcast about the supernatural, paranormal, and outright spectacular. With over 200 episodes, and hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world, I thought they would be the two perfect people to discuss the recent Chris Harrison Bachelor controversy. Thank you to our sponsor, Random Question Generator. If you haven't, check out the Astonishing Legends podcast wherever you download your shows. Thank you so much to Scott and Forrest for taking the time to be on the show.

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26: The Law of the Skies

united states french ufos skies blue dot sessions national security state scott philbrook forrest burgess

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2020 30:44

In 1973, the United States was experiencing a wave of humanoid reports. The creatures that were seen varied in size and appearance. Sometimes they were seen in the vicinity of UFOs, and sometimes they abducted eyewitnesses. Nearly 20 years before the "Year of the Humanoids" France was rocked by a wave of UFO activity, and sightings of short humanoid beings wearing what came to be known as "diving suits." The activity persisted for over a month before it ceased all together. During the UFO flap, one small French town took notice, and passed a unique law to deal with UFOs over their airspace.Special thanks to Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legendsfor lending their vocal talents to this episode.Sources:"The 1954 French UFO Craze That Led To The World’s Weirdest Wine Law" by Joshua Malin"The Day the UFOs Stopped Play" by Richard Padula'Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery' by Aime Michel'UFOs and the National Security State' by Richard DolanMusic:"Gaddy" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)"OneEightFour" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)"Where It All Happened" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) Theme song by Big Cats Art and Website by the Great Desdymona

44: Unsolved Mysteries Round Table, Part Deux: Nostalgia Tripping

roundtable nostalgia unsolved mysteries tripping web design table part dennis farina astonishing legends lost loves scott philbrook forrest burgess

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2020 72:38

For the final Unsolved Mysteries roundtable, I’m joined by Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the Astonishing Legends podcast to relive some of our favorite moments from the show. We discuss how UM influenced their own show, and how much Scott really loves “Lost Loves” segments. Like, a lot, you guys. We discuss some of the why Dennis Farina failed to capture an audience, and pay a little tribute to In Search Of… We also make our choices for who should host the reboot. All this and more on the final Unsolved Mysteries roundtable! Theme song by Big Cats Logo and Web Design by the Great Desdymona Disclaimer by Brian Hastie

Season 6 – Episode 020 - Astonishing Legends - Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2020 85:09

The world is more mysterious than most people are comfortable imagining. We cross paths with the mystical from time to time and may not even notice it. If we do, we quickly return to our usually mundane daily existence. But what if we not only acknowledged the unknown, we investigated it and spoke with those in the know? That’s what co-hosts Scott & Forrest, and their producer Tess Pfeifle do at Astonishing Legends. With the power of the well-vetted Astonishing Research Corps, they have access to information that most folks couldn’t find. Over 75 million downloads and hundreds of thousands of listeners have shown that exploring and embracing the wonders of our world can be not only enlightening but exciting. Welcome to Astonishing Legends!We’ve been friends a long time, and although it didn’t come up at first, sooner or later, we must have had that first conversation about Dyatlov Pass, Black Eyed Kids or some other story of equivalent mystery. After that, I think we were both amazed to have found someone with similar unusual interests, not just in Fortean events, but paranormal events, and mysteries of a wide variety across the passages of time. Eventually hanging out together evolved or devolved, depending on how you look at it, into long rambling discussions of every story imaginable, both of us not only having knowledge in common but having details that the other hadn’t heard. As a former TV commercial editor with a passion for broadcasting and the skill set to put a podcast together or at least the ability to guess his way through it, Scott proposed to Forrest that they do their own show. The idea of a show restricted to just the paranormal was too limited, but it was hard for us to quantify all the other areas we wanted to cover, so we just went for it and here we are working through a file cabinet of over a thousand strange tales and interviewing people with stories of their own along the way. Thanks for listening.

tv dyatlov pass black eyed kids fortean astonishing legends scott philbrook forrest burgess tess pfeifle

THE BETZ SPHERE

Somewhere in the Skies

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2020 44:43

On episode 142 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, we go back to 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida. Terri Betz, the son of Antoine and Gerri Betz, stumbles upon a strange metal sphere in the woods near their home. Upon bringing it back to their house, it began to exhibit unusual behavior. Soon, the press comes to interview the family and all Hell breaks loose. Within months, the U.S. Navy, Marines, and prominent scientists and UFO researchers flock to Florida to figure out just what exactly these sphere may be. In this audio documentary, we look at the media reports, investigations, and sinister doings that followed before the sphere completely disappeared from public view for nearly fifty years. This episode was written by Rob Morphy. For more information, please visit: www.cryptonautpodcast.com This episode also includes voiceover contributions by Jamie Lamchick, Roman Alec Trevino, and Conor J. Nolan Special Thanks to Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess for contributing audio to this episode. Be sure to listen to the Astonishing Legends Podcast. Patreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskies YouTube Channel: CLICK HERE Official Store: CLICK HERE Order Ryan's Book by CLICKING HERE Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Instagram: @SomewhereSkiesPod Watch Mysteries Decoded for free at www.CWseed.com Opening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per Kiilstofte SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES is part of the eOne podcast network. To learn more, CLICK HERE SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES is sponsored by HelloFresh. To receive 50% off your first order, use promo code: SOMEWHERE at checkout by visiting www.HelloFresh.ca

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Beyond the Playlist with JHammondC: Scott Philbrook

Beyond the Playlist with JHammondC

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2020 37:32

Beyond the Playlist Scott Philbrook I am joined by podcast host, Scott Philbrook from the podcast Astonishing Legends. We talk about how he found his way into podcasting and what lessons he has learned since he and his partner started. We talk about how they pick their topics and how he views his success. https://twitter.com/AstonshngLegnds https://www.astonishinglegends.com/ For more Beyond the Playlist with JHammondC https://twitter.com/JHammondC https://www.facebook.com/groups/Beyondtheplaylist/ Theme music by Magnus Sellergren featuring The Jimmy C and the New York Brass https://www.patreon.com/jhammondc

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09.30.19. Sasquatch: An Unnatural History

The Micah Hanks Program

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2019 110:19

This week on the program, after recapping an excellent visit Micah had with Scott Philbrook of the Astonishing Legends podcast, we turn our attention to Elon Musk, the innovative (and at times erratic) inventor who is attempting to put humans on the Red Planet in the coming decades... and that may be precisely what one of his latest projects is aiming for. Then getting to the heart of the discussion, the subject of Sasquatch is a perplexing enigma in American culture. Most would contend that the alleged creature is purely a staple of folklore, variants of which are found all around the world, in fact. It is true, after all, that there have been many high-profile hoaxes over the years, offered by some as "solutions" behind what little physical evidence for the Sasquatch does seem to exist. But are there some instances where the media may have leapt to conclusions prematurely about these hoaxes, rushing to judgment about their ability to explain the entire mystery? In contrast to the hoax theories, we look at what archaeology, history, and some of the more reliable eyewitness encounters from over the years have to say on the matter. We also get the perspectives of former big game hunter and conservationist Peter Byrne, who spent several decades in search of Sasquatch in Oregon, California, and other Northwestern states. After presenting the "natural history" of what many would deem an unnatural subject, is there any case to be made for the existence of Sasquatch, despite its dismissal by modern science? Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode: Elon Musk Unveils His Gigantic Starship Prototype, Says It'll Be Flying Within Months BECOME AN X SUBSCRIBER AND GET EVEN MORE GREAT PODCASTS AND MONTHLY SPECIALS FROM MICAH HANKS. Sign up today and get access to the entire back catalog of The Micah Hanks Program, as well as “classic” episodes of The Gralien Report Podcast, weekly “additional editions” of the subscriber-only X Podcast, the monthly Enigmas specials, and much more. Like us on Facebook Follow @MicahHanks on Twitter Follow Micah on Instagram

Astonishing Legends - We just love mysteries Part 1

Podstarter

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2019 29:17

Scott & Forrest have been called the 'Click and Clack of esoterica' by their listeners. Their mission is to take a look at legendary strange and unusual events from throughout history and interview people who've had close encounters with the unexplained. They strive to bring you everything that's entertaining about those stories and remind you that it's ok to laugh at scary stories and respectfully, even the people that tell them. Scott Philbrook has always had a fascination with the unexplained and takes great pleasure in discussing it at length with his long time friend Forrest, who’s mind is a repository of seemingly trivial information that might save your life in the event of the apocalypse. Learn more here: https://www.astonishinglegends.com

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Astonishing Legends - We just love mysteries Part 2

Podstarter

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2019 33:52

Scott & Forrest have been called the 'Click and Clack of esoterica' by their listeners. Their mission is to take a look at legendary strange and unusual events from throughout history and interview people who've had close encounters with the unexplained. They strive to bring you everything that's entertaining about those stories and remind you that it's ok to laugh at scary stories and respectfully, even the people that tell them. Scott Philbrook has always had a fascination with the unexplained and takes great pleasure in discussing it at length with his long time friend Forrest, who’s mind is a repository of seemingly trivial information that might save your life in the event of the apocalypse. Learn more here: https://www.astonishinglegends.com

podcasts mysteries educational clack astonishing legends scott philbrook scott forrest

The Bell Island Boom - 2 - What Happened? (with Astonishing Legends)

Nighttime

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 30:48

When one imagines the setting for a story involving experimental weapons, international espionage, unexplained aerial anomalies, and cold war anxieties... they probably aren’t picturing a tranquil island in Newfoundland. But, there is no imagining about it, Bell island, Newfoundland, is just that. This all stems from a still unexplained aerial explosion that rocked the skies about the island, and set in motion a series of bizarre events that seemed pulled from the pages of a science fiction novel. The entire ordeal still leaves those who lived through it scratching their heads, but one thing is without question, for a moment in 1978, Canadian and American defense satellites detected more light reflecting from this island than what was seen during the bombing of Hiroshima and we aren’t certain why. In this episode of Nighttime, we will welcome Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess (hosts of Astonishing Legends) to discuss what may have happened on (or above) Bell Island. Links: Astonishing Legends: Website - Twitter Nightcap post show episode (Patron Exclusive) :patreon.com/nighttimepodcast 1978 CBC documentary on the event The Invisible Machine (2004 documentary on the Event) William Shatner hosted syfy channel documentary Credits: Ambient Theme: Spooky Ambience by Paragon Cause https://paragoncause.bandcamp.com/ Contact: Website: https://www.nighttimepodcast.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/NightTimePod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NightTimePod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimepod Email: NightTimePodcast@gmail.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/nighttimepodcast Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/Nighttimepodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

american canadian boom cbc hiroshima newfoundland nighttime astonishing legends bell island scott philbrook forrest burgess

Episode #4 Aliens and the Bible

Bible Reading Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2019 77:14

Note: The Shownotes and Transcript below are a bit of a trainwork editing wise. I'll polish them up soon! C.S. Lewis from His essay The Seeing Eye, found in Christian Reflections: 1963, 6 years before the Moon Landing. (Discussing Space travel) a more practical issue will arise when, if ever, we discover rational creatures on other planets. I think myself, this is a very remote contingency. The balance of probability is against life on any other planet of the solar system. We shall hardly find it nearer than the stars. And even if we reach the Moon we shall be no nearer to stellar travel than the first man who paddled across a river was to crossing the Pacific.This thought is welcome to me because, to be frank, I have no pleasure in looking forward to a meeting between humanity and any alien rational species. I observe how the white man has hitherto treated the black, and how, even among civilized men, the stronger have treated the weaker. If we encounter in the depth of space a race, however innocent and amiable, which is technologically weaker than ourselves, I do not doubt that the same revolting story will be repeated. We shall enslave, deceive, exploit or exterminate; at the very least we shall corrupt it with our vices and infect it with our diseases. We are not fit yet to visit other worlds. We have filled our own with massacre, torture, syphilis, famine, dust bowls and with all that is hideous to ear or eye. Must we go on to infect new realms? It was in part these reflections that first moved me to make my own small contributions to science fiction. In those days writers in that genre almost automatically represented the inhabitants of other worlds as monsters and the terrestrial invaders as good. Since then the opposite set-up has become fairly common. If I could believe that I had in any degree contributed to this change, I should be a proud man.1 The same problem, by the way, is beginning to threaten us as regards the dolphins. I don't think it has yet been proved that they are rational. But if they are, we have no more right to enslave them than to enslave our fellow-men. And some of us will continue to say this, but we shall be mocked. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 173–174. This science (astronomy) ought to be the special delight of ministers of the gospel, for surely it brings us into closer connection with God than almost any other science does. It has been said that an undevout astronomer is mad. I should say that an undevout man of any sort is mad,—with the worst form of madness; but, certainly, he who has become acquainted with the stars in the heavens, and who yet has not found out the great Father of lights, the Lord who made them all, must be stricken with a dire madness. Kepler, the great mathematical astronomer, who has so well explained many of the laws which govern the universe, closes one of his books, his Harmonics, with this reverent and devout expression of his feelings:—“I give thee thanks, Lord and Creator, that thou hast given me joy through thy creation; for I have been ravished with the work of thy hands. I have revealed unto mankind the glory of thy works, as far as my limited spirit could conceive their infinitude. Should I have brought forward anything that is unworthy of thee, or should I have sought my own fame, be graciously pleased to forgive me.” And you know how the mighty Newton, a very prince among the sons of men, was continually driven to his knees as he looked upwards to the skies, and discovered fresh wonders in the starry heavens. Therefore, the science which tends to bring men to bow in humility before the Lord should always be a favourite study with us whose business it is to inculcate reverence for God in all who come under our influence. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 145. Today's Question: At the very beginning of this podcast, I promised you that we would sometimes delve into wild and wacky areas of the Bible, and today is the day we begin that journey! Most of the time, we will play it straight, but the fact is that there are many interesting/mysterious and downright strange parts of the Bible, and I don't think we should ignore them, nor explain them away with a handwave. Let's embrace the weird! And, by the way, if this topic is interesting to you at all, then please check out my book Monsters in the Bible. It's my bestselling book of this year, which is funny, and from time to time, it ranks in Amazon's top ten for Occult Satanism...which is strange, to say the least, for a southern Baptist pastor. (I did NOT choose that category!) Vanderbilt astronomer David Weintraub reports that 55 percent of atheists believe in alien life, but only 32 percent of Christians. Weintraub wrote, "Most evangelical and fundamentalist Christian leaders argue quite forcefully that the Bible makes clear that extraterrestrial life does not exist. From this perspective, the only living, God-worshipping beings in the entire universe are humans, created by God, who live on Earth." DOES THE BIBLE REALLY, REALLY MAKE THAT CLEAR??! Calvary Chapel Church in Roswell, New Mexico (80 miles away from the Mac Brazel ranch, Roswell 1947 incident), would half-way agree. for instance, “Biblically IF there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible and He did not. The Bible never speaks of Aliens from another planet. Further, there is no way they would crash and die here on planet earth. Death entered our world through Adam and effected everything on this planet. If there are Aliens, they would not be exposed to this curse.” LOTS OF SUPPOSITIONS HERE THAT AREN'T BACKED UP BY SCRIPTURE. “She smiled at me, therefore she likes me.” maybe, maybe not. It's a supposition, but is it supported by fact?? Let's take that first sentence and see how it logically holds up. “If there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” How about this: “IF Man were to travel to the moon, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If the United States of America would be the dominant superpower of the world in the 21st century, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If atoms were the building blocks of all matter, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” Such statements suppose that God is OBLIGATED to tell us about everything in the Bible. He is under no such obligation, so we can't assume things that we are left in the dark about. All the love in the world to Calvary Chapel, Roswell, though. I'm a fan. So, I'm also a fan of podcasts...a podcast connoisseur. I am subscribed to over one 100 podcasts of all shapes and sizes. Many of them are Christian podcasts, but many are not. In case you're curious, here's my current top ten podcasts. I'd love to hear yours too - tweet them to me at @bibleqpodcast. In no particular order: Ask Pastor John - John Piper, excellent biblical counsel. The Omnibus with Ken Jennings and John Roderick. Hilarious and informative. Ryen Russillo podcast - ESPN sports. My favorite sports commentator. SYSK with Josh and Chuck, have been a listener for over ten years. Astonishing Legends with Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess. Rainer on Leadership - Thom Rainer The Bible Project with Tim Mackie and Jon Collins Fantasy Focus Football - Matthew Berry (Avengers Endgame) True Crime Garage (warning: swearing) Payne Lindsey Podcasts - Monster, + Up and Vanished. Anyway...I was listening to one of the above, the Astonishing Legends podcast a few weeks ago. They were talking about a fairly fascinating object called the Betz Sphere that a family in Florida found in the woods in the 70s. The Betz Sphere demonstrated all sorts of unusual properties, and drew the interest of some news organizations and government people, including the former head of Project Blue book, Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Project Blue Book:(wikipedia): Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in 1952, the third study of its kind, following projects Sign (1947) and Grudge (1949). A termination order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its auspices officially ceased in January 1970. Project Blue Book had two goals: To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and To scientifically analyze UFO-related data. J.Allen Hynek was the science advisor to Grudge, Sign and Blue Book. Wikipedia: Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist.[1] In later years he conducted his own independent UFO research, developing the "Close Encounter" classification system. He was among the first people to conduct scientific analysis of reports and especially of trace evidence purportedly left by UFOs.[ Anyway, during his time researching the Betz sphere, Dr. J. Allen Hynek became good friends with the Betz family, getting to know them pretty well over the course of several visits. According to the Betz family, Dr. Hynek told them that the U.S. government was aware of several alien encounters/visitations, including Roswell, and had covered up most of them, so that the general public wouldn't freak out. Why would the public freak out? Well, apparently Dr. Hynek believe that, at least in part, that major religions, including Christianity, would have a large negative reaction to the existence of aliens, because that would seemingly contradict the teachings of the church, and the teachings of the Bible. Hynek believed that society might fall apart, if people knew that aliens actually existed. Now, let me pause for a moment. As much as I'm interested in this sort of thing, today's episode is NOT fundamentally about whether aliens exist and have made contact with us or not. I do actually know the answer to that question, but I can't give it to you now, its classified. ;) In truth, actually, I have no idea. BUT, because I can't help myself, I will say this one thing about the possibility of aliens. A Washington Post article at the end of April really got my attention: Recently, unidentified aircraft have entered military-designated airspace as often as multiple times per month, Joseph Gradisher, spokesman for office of the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, told The Washington Post on Wednesday. He said, “We want to get to the bottom of this. We need to determine who's doing it, where it's coming from and what their intent is. We need to try to find ways to prevent it from happening again.” Luis Elizondo, a former senior intelligence officer, told The Post that the new Navy guidelines formalized the reporting process, facilitating data-driven analysis while removing the stigma from talking about UFOs, calling it “the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades.” Elizondo, who ran the AATIP, (This is the multi-million dollar Pentagon program that investigates UFOs and was on the government budget books until 2012, when it was delisted on those budget books) said the newly drafted guidelines were a culmination of many things, most notably that the Navy had enough credible evidence — including eyewitness accounts and corroborating radar information — to “know this is occurring.” “If I came to you and said, ‘There are these things that can fly over our country with impunity, defying the laws of physics, and within moments could deploy a nuclear device at will,' that would be a matter of national security,” Elizondo said. With the number of U.S. military personnel in the Air Force and Navy who described the same observations, the noise level could not be ignored. “This type of activity is very alarming,” Elizondo said, “and people are recognizing there are things in our aerospace that lie beyond our understanding.” Before you get excited that this new initiative might finally clue in the public, I need to tell you that the WaPost ran an article the next week that basically said that the Navy was NOT going to be released to the public. Mr. Gradisher said, ““Furthermore, any report generated as a result of these investigations will, by necessity, include classified information on military operations. He added, “Therefore, no release of information to the general public is expected.””” So yeah, expect to be in the dark a few more years, at least. But today's question is not whether or not the U.S. Government will finally disclose Alien interactions, but whether or not the Bible rules out the existence of aliens at all! Is Dr. Hynek correct - if the Government suddenly announced alien contact of some kind - would that somehow invalidate the Bible? And the answer is…. I don't think so. Not at all. But, I could be wrong, and many theologians disagree with me. Let's look at the anti-alien case: GotQuestions https://www.gotquestions.org/aliens-Christian.html, “We do not believe that aliens exist. The Bible gives us no reason to believe that there is life elsewhere in the universe; in fact, the Bible gives us several key reasons why there cannot be. Those who contemplate the existence of aliens and the impact their existence would have on the Christian faith commonly discuss the identity and work of Jesus. God sent His only begotten Son, God incarnate, to save mankind and redeem creation. Does that redemption include life on other planets? Or would God have manifested Himself on those other planets, as well (in the manner of Aslan in Narnia)? Does “only begotten” mean “only physical representation”? Or is it more limited, referring only to the human species? WE DON'T KNOW!! Another topic of discussion concerning the existence of aliens and Christianity is what it means to be made in the “image of God.” Since God has no physical body, we take this to mean a reflection of God's non-physical aspects—rationality, morality, and sociability. Would aliens, if they exist, embody the same characteristics? WHY NOT? Considering what we know about space and life and the world as the Bible portrays it, we already have an explanation for so-called alien activity on Earth. Reports of “close encounters” describe the ethereal, transient, deceptive, and malevolent. Accounts also record that encounters with supposed aliens can be stopped by a real, authentic call to Jesus. Everything points to the activity of demons, not extraterrestrials. In fact, it is plausible that the “powerful delusion” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 will involve an alien-abduction theory to explain away the rapture. I actually don't think most UFO reports - reported by seasoned Navy and Air-Force pilots, for instance, really has much in common with demonic episodes we see in Scripture. The “discovery” of alien life would have no effect on genuine Christianity. COMPLETELY AGREE The Bible stands as written, no matter what secular theories are advanced or discoveries are claimed. The Bible says the earth and mankind are unique in God's creation. God created the earth even before He created the sun, moon, or stars (Genesis 1). Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day. (It actually seems to say that God created the Heavens first...then the earth.) Matt Slick/CARM: The Bible does not mention extraterrestrial or alien life. However, it does mention angels and demonic forces which are, in a sense, not of this world. This is not the kind of alien, extraterrestrial life that most people are talking about when the subject comes up. Nevertheless, the Bible makes no mention whatsoever of aliens from other planets who might be visiting us. Now, Slick goes on from here to argue against alien life being likely, because he believes that the Bible declares all creation on all worlds fallen by what Adam did. That is certainly one way of reading the text, but I don't think that is the necessary way of reading the text. Paul could be speaking of all of creation on the earth. For instance, in Colossians 1:23, Paul writes: This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.What does this mean- that the Gospel has been proclaimed on Pluto? I don't think so. I believe Paul meant that the Gospel had been proclaimed in all of KNOWN creation. Michael Houdmann: Above all, let me say, I do not believe aliens exist. Let's also differentiate between sentient aliens and non-sentient aliens. While I would not necessarily have a theological problem with the concept of non-sentient beings (fish, birds, dogs, etc.) existing on other planets, I do have a huge theological problem with the concept of other sentient beings existing elsewhere. It just does not mesh with the teachings of the Bible. The Bible presents humanity as uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Angels are not created in the image of God. Animals are not created in the image of God. According to the Bible, we are unique, specifically created to have a personal relationship and connection with God the Creator. Intelligent/sentient life in other parts of the universe destroys, or at least weakens, this uniqueness. And it raises all kinds of questions. When did God create the aliens? Do the sentient aliens have an eternal soul? Did they fall into sin? Did God reveal Himself to them? Does their understanding of God match what the Bible says? Did God provide them with an alien Bible? Did God provide for and offer them redemption and salvation? If so, how? Did Jesus die for them too?Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” Notice how it doesn't say Let us make man - and man alone in all of the universe - in our Image. Houdmann goes on to say: All joking aside, if God intended for humankind to meet alien life, He would have outlined these encounters in the Bible, along with an answer to what He has done for them regarding sin.I just don't agree with that speculation. I like Houdmann and Got questions a ton, and find them very faithful to the Bible, but this is speculation that I find unbacked by biblical truth. HOW do we know that God would do this? How can we prove such a thing? I just don't think we can. I feel like such speculations are very similar to Lactantius' (an early church father in the 200s) scoffing at the possibility that the earth was round. He could NOT cite a Scripture to prove the earth was flat - as he thought - but he assumed that Scripture taught such a thing, WHEN IT DOES NOT. Similarly, Augustine poo-pood the existence of Antipodes on the other side of the world, thinking that Scripture backed that belief up, but it doesn't, and Augustine was wrong. GIVE ME CLEAR SCRIPTURE THAT SHOWS LIFE ON EARTH IS UNIQUE and I will believe it against all charges...but such a Scripture does NOT exist. TBR Baptist Facebook Group: Jim I thought this was a serious group Well - He's new. Also, I genuinely think this is a serious topic! Wes Apparently, some were aliens at one point Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God Similarly Doug Hibbard 1 Peter suggests that *you* are the aliens Jim Spiritual Wickedness in heavenly places, Rulers and authorities. Demons dressed up like them. Jacob I think the possibility of aliens falls apart when discussing the fall. As best as we can tell the whole universe is subject to the natural effects of the curse. If that is true, then another rational species, which did not fall, is out there subjected to the consequences of it. Do these aliens have their own Salvation history? Did they, somehow, simultaneously fall alongside Adam, and have their own Jesus? If, in keeping with Scripture, the crucifixion of Christ is a one time event, then another race would be subject to a punishment that they do not deserve with no possible hope for salvation. Pro Brandon Ambrosino on BBC.Com http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161215-if-we-made-contact-with-aliens-how-would-religions-react : But how could a believer reconcile this with their faith that humans are the crowning achievement of God's creation?. How could humans believe they were the apple of their creator's eye if their planet was just one of billions? The discovery of intelligent aliens could have a similar Copernican effect on human's self-understanding. Would the discovery make believers feel insignificant, and as a consequence, cause people to question their faith? According to the Talmud, God spends his night flying throughout 18,000 worlds I would argue that this concern is misguided. The claim that God is involved with and moved by humans has never required an Earth-centric theology. The Psalms, sacred to both Jews and Christians, claim that God has given names to all the stars. Billy Graham as a notable exception, as he was vocal about his beliefs that "there are intelligent beings like us far away in space who worship God." J. Warner Wallace: What impact does this question (and even more importantly, the answer to this question) have on the claims of Christianity and the truth of the Christian worldview? Jeff Zweerink, astrophysicist and Christian: Many people seem to think that discovering life on another planet would mean that naturalism is correct and Christianity is wrong. One thing I found fascinating is that for centuries Christians have thought about the implications of intelligent life in the universe. As I investigated the truth claims of Christianity, I realized that the existence of life of any sort beyond the confines of Earth is a great theological question—without a definitive answer. At this time, I am convinced that any hypothetical discovery of life in the universe will still point to God's creative work and ultimately help us understand God's revelation better. I'm with Jeff here. Some people do indeed seem to think that finding life on other planets would prove the Bible - or Christianity wrong somehow. To that, I saw - How and Why would such a thing disprove God or the Bible? If God made life on planet Earth - and He did - then why couldn't He make it elsewhere? To those Christians who seem to think that God would only make life on earth - I say, again, why would He do that? Why would He create billions of planets - most outside of our ability to see or observe...and leave them devoid of any inhabitants? In absence of Scripture, or absolute proof of alien life, conjecture proves nothing, but that cuts both ways. Merely speculating that God would not create life on other planets does not prove that it is so. The question we are grappling with today is this one: Does the Bible rule out alien life, and the answer - the CLEAR answer...is NO! It does not. William Lane Craig, 2008 episode of Reasonable Faith: Dr. Craig: Yeah. Well, I think that it's possible. [that there is alien life] One would argue that if there is life on other planets it would have had to be created by God because on a naturalistic basis I think we'd say that the evidence against there being intelligent extraterrestrial life anywhere in the observable universe is extremely great. The probabilities on naturalism that there is extraterrestrial intelligent life is virtually nil. So actually being a theist would be the best grounds for thinking that it could be possible because as a theist you think God created life here on this planet so then you could say, well, maybe God created life as well on some other planet somewhere in the universe. It is really the theist who is, I think, a lot more open to the possibility of extraterrestrial life than the non-theist…. Kevin Harris: This brings up the issue of UFOs and aliens invading earth and all the things that are in pop culture to this day – flying saucer phenomena and things like that. Well, the Vatican astronomer has just said it could be. You can make up your own mind about that. It seems, Dr. Craig, that the Bible is largely silent about this issue. Dr. Craig: I think it is silent, Kevin. The Scriptures are given to human beings as God's revelation to people on this planet. Therefore, there is no reason to think that there could not be persons that God has created in some unknown galaxy that we have no idea about, and he has provided a revelation of himself to them as well. I think it would be presumptuous to say that we know that he hasn't done that. Kevin Harris: He says that the possibility of extraterrestrial life does not contradict our faith. In other words, if a flying saucer landed on the White House lawn today, nobody could stand up and say Christianity is false. Dr. Craig: That is right. That seems to me to be correct. I am puzzled by folks who seem to think that if intelligent life were discovered somewhere else or that if it were to come here that somehow this would be a disproof of Christianity. That seems to me to be a complete non sequitur. It doesn't follow because Christianity simply doesn't speak to the question of whether or not God has created life elsewhere in the universe. If somebody tells you that there could be no aliens from a Bible/Christian perspective, ask them to show you clear backing for such a thing from Scripture. If you believe that, then please, please, please send me your Scriptural reasons for such a belief. Just Be sure you aren't making VAST leaps in logic. For example, the Bible clearly says Jesus died for our sins, if there are aliens, then how would God redeem them? That's a great question, and I don't know the answer, but it certainly doesn't prove that there are no aliens. Perhaps our hypothetical aliens did not fall, like Adam and Eve did. Perhaps they are indeed redeemed by Christ's sacrifice in a way that we don't understand. Who Knows?! But I do know that I can find no Scripture that clearly denies the possibility of alien life, or that clearly affirms the existence of alien life. I can also find no Scripture, the implications of which would logically rule out either outcome. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created. (Ps. 148:1–5) Are there aliens? I've no idea. I think the wisest and best and most biblical answer is either “Maybe” or “I don't know.” To assert otherwise is borderline irresponsible. BUT - if there ARE aliens, does this pose a threat to Scripture? Absolutely not. You can't contradict what isn't there. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin, the first true antibiotic. Did this MASSIVELY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY contradict the Bible? Of course not - because the Bible never discussed nor addressed such a thing. Similarly, the discovery of alien life - if it happens at all - will not at all shake any Scriptural truth in the Bible - NOT A ONE. Will it shake our lives? Maybe so. But, you can't find aliens in the Scripture. Not clearly. Likewise, you can't find the United States in Scripture either, and that ‘omission' seems to rightly bother no one. It is not incumbent upon God to reveal to man all important future events in His Word. Ultimately, I stand with Spurgeon, and actually stood with Spurgeon before I knew his position on this question. It took a lot of research to find this quote, but here you go: What God has done in the eternity which we call the past (but which to him is as the present), we do not fully know. We have no reason to believe that we know much of what God has done. There may be as many other worlds and sorts of beings existent as there are sands upon the sea shore, for aught we know; and the Lord may have been occupied in ages past with ten thousand glorious plans, and economies, as yet unrevealed to man. We cannot tell what he doeth, or what he hath done. We are creatures of a day, and know nothing; we are like insects that are born on a leaf, and die amid our fellows at the setting of the sun, but he lives on for ever. We talk of the “eternal hills,” but they are babes that were born yesterday, as far as he is concerned. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” We say, “Roll on, thou ancient ocean!” but the ocean is not ancient; it is a drop that fell yesterday from the tip of the Creator's finger. C. H. Spurgeon, “The Eternal Truth of God,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 21 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1875), 651. Spurgeon: To us, to-day, the coming of Christ to seek and to save the lost is an accomplished fact, a matter of history, most sure and certain. And what a fact it is! You have often thought of it, but have you ever worked your mind into the very heart of it,—that God has actually visited this world in human form,—that he before whom angels bow has actually been here, in fashion like ourselves, feeding the hungry crowds of Palestine, healing their sick, and raising their dead? I know not what may be the peculiar boast of other planets, but this poor star cannot be excelled, for on this world the Creator has stood. This earth has been trodden by the feet of God, and yet it was not crushed beneath the mighty burden, because he deigned to link his Deity with our humanity. The incarnation is a wonder of wonders, but it does not belong to the realm of imagination, or even of expectation, for it has actually been beheld by mortal eyes. C. H. Spurgeon, “Christ the Seeker and Saviour of the Lost,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 58 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1912), 314. SKIP. INCLUDE IN BOOK. There are also triple stars, or systems, and quadruple systems, and there are, in some cases, hundreds or thousands all spinning round one another, and around their central luminaries. Wonderful combinations of glory and beauty may be seen in the stellar sky; and some of these stars are red, some blue, some yellow, all the colours of the rainbow are represented in them. It would be very wonderful to live in one of them, and to look across the sky, and see all the glories of the heavens that God has made. On the whole, however, for the present, I am quite content to abide upon this little planet, especially as I am not able to change it for another home, until God so wills it. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 177. CLOSE WITH EXTENDED READING OF LEWIS' ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION: From Christian Reflections: an essay Called, “The Seeing Eye” Some people are troubled, and others are delighted, at the idea of finding not one, but perhaps innumerable rational species scattered about the universe. In both cases the emotion arises from a belief that such discoveries would be fatal to Christian theology. For it will be said that theology connects the Incarnation of God with the Fall and Redemption of man. And this would seem to attribute to our species and to our little planet a central position in cosmic history which is not credible if rationally inhabited planets are to be had by the million. Older readers will, with me, notice the vast change in astronomical speculation which this view involves. When we were boys all astronomers, so far as I know, impressed upon us the antecedent improbabilities of life in any part of the universe whatever. It was not thought unlikely that this earth was the solitary exception to a universal reign of the inorganic. Now Professor Hoyle, and many with him, say that in so vast a universe life must have occurred in times and places without number. The interesting thing is that I have heard both these estimates used as arguments against Christianity. Now it seems to me that we must find out more than we can at present know—which is nothing—about hypothetical rational species before we can say what theological corollaries or difficulties their discovery would raise. We might, for example, find a race which was, like us, rational but, unlike us, innocent—no wars nor any other wickedness among them; all peace and good fellowship. I don't think any Christian would be puzzled to find that they knew no story of an Incarnation or Redemption, and might even find our story hard to understand or accept if we told it to them. There would have been no Redemption in such a world because it would not have needed redeeming. ‘They that are whole need not the physician.' The sheep that has never strayed need not be sought for. We should have much to learn from such people and nothing to teach them. If we were wise, we should fall at their feet. But probably we should be unable to ‘take it'. We'd find some reason for exterminating them. Again, we might find a race which, like ours, contained both good and bad. And we might find that for them, as for us, something had been done: that at some point in their history some great interference for the better, believed by some of them to be supernatural, had been recorded, and that its effects, though often impeded and perverted, were still alive among them. It need not, as far as I can see, have conformed to the pattern of Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. God may have other ways—how should I be able to imagine them?—of redeeming a lost world. And Redemption in that alien mode might not be easily recognizable by our missionaries, let alone by our atheists. We might meet a species which, like us, needed Redemption but had not been given it. But would this fundamentally be more of a difficulty than any Christian's first meeting with a new tribe of savages? It would be our duty to preach the Gospel to them. For if they are rational, capable both of sin and repentance, they are our brethren, whatever they look like. Would this spreading of the Gospel from earth, through man, imply a pre-eminence for earth and man? Not in any real sense. If a thing is to begin at all, it must begin at some particular time and place; and any time and place raises the question: ‘Why just then and just there?' One can conceive an extraterrestrial development of Christianity so brilliant that earth's place in the story might sink to that of a prologue. Finally, we might find a race which was strictly diabolical—no tiniest spark felt in them from which any goodness could ever be coaxed into the feeblest glow; all of them incurably perverted through and through. What then? We Christians had always been told that there were creatures like that in existence. True, we thought they were all incorporeal spirits. A minor readjustment thus becomes necessary. But all this is in the realm of fantastic speculation. We are trying to cross a bridge, not only before we come to it, but even before we know there is a river that needs bridging. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 174–176. Religion and Rocketry - 1958 RELIGION AND ROCKETRY In my time I have heard two quite different arguments against my religion put forward in the name of science. When I was a youngster, people used to say that the universe was not only not friendly to life but positively hostile to it. Life had appeared on this planet by a millionth chance, as if at one point there had been a breakdown of the elaborate defences generally enforced against it. We should be rash to assume that such a leak had occurred more than once. Probably life was a purely terrestrial abnormality. We were alone in an infinite desert. Which just showed the absurdity of the Christian idea that there was a Creator who was interested in living creatures. But then came Professor F. B. Hoyle, the Cambridge cosmologist, and in a fortnight or so everyone I met seemed to have decided that the universe was probably quite well provided with inhabitable globes and with livestock to inhabit them. Which just showed (equally well) the absurdity of Christianity with its parochial idea that Man could be important to God. This is a warning of what we may expect if we ever do discover animal life (vegetable does not matter) on another planet. Each new discovery, even every new theory, is held at first to have the most wide-reaching theological and philosophical consequences. It is seized by unbelievers as the basis for a new attack on Christianity; it is often, and more embarrassingly, seized by injudicious believers as the basis for a new defence. But usually, when the popular hubbub has subsided and the novelty has been chewed over by real theologians, real scientists, and real philosophers, both sides find themselves pretty much where they were before. So it was with Copernican astronomy, with Darwinism, with Biblical Criticism, with the new psychology. So, I cannot help expecting, it will be with the discovery of ‘life on other planets'—if that discovery is ever made. The supposed threat is clearly directed against the doctrine of the Incarnation, the belief that God born of God ‘for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was . . . made man'. Why for us men more than for others? If we find ourselves to be but one among a million races, scattered through a million spheres, how can we, without absurd arrogance, believe ourselves to have been uniquely favoured? I admit that the question could become formidable. In fact, it will become formidable when, if ever, we know the answer to five other questions. 1. Are there animals anywhere except on earth? We do not know. We do not know whether we ever shall know. 2. Supposing there were, have any of these animals what we call ‘rational souls'? By this I include not merely the faculty to abstract and calculate, but the apprehension of values, the power to mean by ‘good 'something more than ‘good for me' or even ‘good for my species'. If instead of asking, ‘Have they rational souls?' you prefer to ask, ‘Are they spiritual animals?' I think we shall both mean pretty much the same. If the answer to either question should be No, then of course it would not be at all strange that our species should be treated differently from theirs. There would be no sense in offering to a creature, however clever or amiable, a gift which that creature was by its nature incapable either of desiring or of receiving. We teach our sons to read but not our dogs. The dogs prefer bones. And of course, since we do not yet know whether there are extra-terrestrial animals at all, we are a long way from knowing that they are rational (or ‘spiritual'). Even if we met them we might not find it so easy to decide. It seems to me possible to suppose creatures so clever that they could talk, though they were, from the theological point of view, really only animals, capable of pursuing or enjoying only natural ends. One meets humans—the machine-minded and materialistic urban type—who look as if they were just that. As Christians we must believe the appearance to be false; somewhere under that glib surface there lurks, however atrophied, a human soul. But in other worlds there might be things that really are what these seem to be. Conversely, there might be creatures genuinely spiritual, whose powers of manufacture and abstract thought were so humble that we should mistake them for mere animals. God shield them from us! 3. If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen? This is the point non-Christians always seem to forget. They seem to think that the Incarnation implies some particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician.Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it. Notice what waves of utterly unwarranted hypothesis these critics of Christianity want us to swim through. We are now supposing the fall of hypothetically rational creatures whose mere existence is hypothetical! 4. If all of them (and surely all is a long shot) or any of them have fallen have they been denied Redemption by the Incarnation and Passion of Christ? For of course it is no very new idea that the eternal Son may, for all we know, have been incarnate in other worlds than earth and so saved other races than ours. As Alice Meynell wrote in ‘Christ in the Universe': I wouldn't go as far as ‘doubtless' myself. Perhaps of all races we only fell. Perhaps Man is the only lost sheep; the one, therefore, whom the Shepherd came to seek. Or perhaps—but this brings us to the next wave of assumption. It is the biggest yet and will knock us head over heels, but I am fond of a tumble in the surf. 5. If we knew (which we don't) the answers to 1, 2, and 3—and, further, if we knew that Redemption by an Incarnation and Passion had been denied to creatures in need of it—is it certain that this is the only mode of Redemption that is possible? Here of course we ask for what is not merely unknown but, unless God should reveal it, wholly unknowable. It may be that the further we were permitted to see into His councils, the more clearly we should understand that thus and not otherwise—by the birth at Bethlehem, the cross on Calvary and the empty tomb—a fallen race could be rescued. There may be a necessity for this, insurmountable, rooted in the very nature of God and the very nature of sin. But we don't know. At any rate, I don't know. Spiritual as well as physical conditions might differ widely in different worlds. There might be different sorts and different degrees of fallenness. We must surely believe that the divine charity is as fertile in resource as it is measureless in condescension. To different diseases, or even to different patients sick with the same disease, the great Physician may have applied different remedies; remedies which we should probably not recognise as such even if we ever heard of them. It might turn out that the redemption of other species differed from ours by working through ours. There is a hint of something like this in St Paul (Romans 8:19–23) when he says that the whole creation is longing and waiting to be delivered from some kind of slavery, and that the deliverance will occur only when we, we Christians, fully enter upon our sonship to God and exercise our ‘glorious liberty'. On the conscious level I believe that he was thinking only of our own Earth: of animal, and probably vegetable, life on Earth being ‘renewed' or glorified at the glorification of man in Christ. But it is perhaps possible—it is not necessary—to give his words a cosmic meaning. It may be that Redemption, starting with us, is to work from us and through us. This would no doubt give man a pivotal position. But such a position need not imply any superiority in us or any favouritism in God. The general, deciding where to begin his attack, does not select the prettiest landscape or the most fertile field or the most attractive village. Christ was not born in a stable because a stable is, in itself, the most convenient or distinguished place for a maternity. Only if we had some such function would a contact between us and such unknown races be other than a calamity. If indeed we were unfallen, it would be another matter. It sets one dreaming—to interchange thoughts with beings whose thinking had an organic background wholly different from ours (other senses, other appetites), to be unenviously humbled by intellects possibly superior to our own yet able for that very reason to descend to our level, to descend lovingly ourselves if we met innocent and childlike creatures who could never be as strong or as clever as we, to exchange with the inhabitants of other worlds that especially keen and rich affection which exists between unlikes; it is a glorious dream. But make no mistake. It is a dream. We are fallen. We know what our race does to strangers. Man destroys or enslaves every species he can. Civilised man murders, enslaves, cheats, and corrupts savage man. Even inanimate nature he turns into dust bowls and slag-heaps. There are individuals who don't. But they are not the sort who are likely to be our pioneers in space. Our ambassador to new worlds will be the needy and greedy adventurer or the ruthless technical expert. They will do as their kind has always done. What that will be if they meet things weaker than themselves, the black man and the red man can tell. If they meet things stronger, they will be, very properly, destroyed. It is interesting to wonder how things would go if they met an unfallen race. At first, to be sure, they'd have a grand time jeering at, duping, and exploiting its innocence; but I doubt if our half-animal cunning would long be a match for godlike wisdom, selfless valour, and perfect unanimity. I therefore fear the practical, not the theoretical, problems which will arise if ever we meet rational creatures which are not human. Against them we shall, if we can, commit all the crimes we have already committed against creatures certainly human but differing from us in features and pigmentation; and the starry heavens will become an object to which good men can look up only with feelings of intolerable guilt, agonized pity, and burning shame. Of course after the first debauch of exploitation we shall make some belated attempt to do better. We shall perhaps send missionaries. But can even missionaries be trusted? ‘Gun and gospel' have been horribly combined in the past. The missionary's holy desire to save souls has not always been kept quite distinct from the arrogant desire, the busybody's itch, to (as he calls it) ‘civilise' the (as he calls them) ‘natives'. Would all our missionaries recognise an unfallen race if they met it? Could they? Would they continue to press upon creatures that did not need to be saved that plan of Salvation which God has appointed for Man? Would they denounce as sins mere differences of behaviour which the spiritual and biological history of these strange creatures fully justified and which God Himself had blessed? Would they try to teach those from whom they had better learn? I do not know. What I do know is that here and now, as our only possible practical preparation for such a meeting, you and I should resolve to stand firm against all exploitation and all theological imperialism. It will not be fun. We shall be called traitors to our own species. We shall be hated of almost all men; even of some religious men. And we must not give back one single inch. We shall probably fail, but let us go down fighting for the right side. Our loyalty is due not to our species but to God. Those who are, or can become, His sons, are our real brothers even if they have shells or tusks. It is spiritual, not biological, kinship that counts. But let us thank God that we are still very far from travel to other worlds. I have wondered before now whether the vast astronomical distances may not be God's quarantine precautions. They prevent the spiritual infection of a fallen species from spreading. And of course we are also very far from the supposed theological problem which contact with other rational species might raise. Such species may not exist. There is not at present a shred of empirical evidence that they do. There is nothing but what thelogicians would call arguments from ‘a priori probability'—arguments that begin ‘It is only natural to suppose', or ‘All analogy suggests', or ‘Is it not the height of arrogance to rule out—?' They make very good reading. But who except a born gambler ever risks five dollars on such grounds in ordinary life? And, as we have seen, the mere existence of these creatures would not raise a problem. After that, we still need to know that they are fallen; then, that they have not been, or will not be, redeemed in the mode we know; and then, that no other mode is possible. I think a Christian is sitting pretty if his faith never encounters more formidable difficulties than these conjectural phantoms. If I remember rightly, St Augustine raised a question about the theological position of satyrs, monopods, and other semi-human creatures. He decided it could wait till we knew there were any. So can this. ‘But supposing,' you say. ‘Supposing all these embarrassing suppositions turned out to be true?' I can only record a conviction that they won't; a conviction which has for me become in the course of years irresistible.Christians and their opponents again and again expect that some new discovery will either turn matters of faith into matters of knowledge or else reduce them to patent absurdities. But it has never happened. What we believe always remains intellectually possible; it never becomes intellectually compulsive. I have an idea that when this ceases to be so, the world will be ending. We have been warned that all but conclusive evidence against Christianity, evidence that would deceive (if it were possible) the very elect, will appear with Antichrist. And after that there will be wholly conclusive evidence on the other side. But not, I fancy, till then on either side. SPURGEON: I suppose you are all aware that among the old systems of astronomy was one which placed the earth in the centre, and made the sun, and the moon, and the stars revolve around it. “Its three fundamental principles were the immobility of the earth, its central position, and the daily revolution of all the heavenly bodies around it in circular orbits.” Now, in a similar fashion, there is a way of making a system of theology of which man is the centre, by which it is implied that Christ and his atoning sacrifice are only made for man's sake, and that the Holy Spirit is merely a great Worker on man's behalf, and that even the great and glorious Father is to be viewed simply as existing for the sake of making man happy. Well, that may be the system of theology adopted by some; but, brethren, we must not fall into that error, for, just as the earth is not the centre of the universe, so man is not the grandest of all beings. God has been pleased highly to exalt man; but we must remember how the psalmist speaks of him: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” In another place, David says, “Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” Man cannot be the centre of the theological universe, he is altogether too insignificant a being to occupy such a position, and the scheme of redemption must exist for some other end than that of merely making man happy, or even of making him holy. The salvation of man must surely be first of all for the glory of God; and you have discovered the right form of Christian doctrine when you have found the system that has God in the centre, ruling and controlling according to the good pleasure of his will. Do not dwarf man so as to make it appear that God has no care for him; for if you do that, you slander God. Give to man the position that God has assigned to him; by doing so, you will have a system of theology in which all the truths of revelation and experience will move in glorious order and harmony around the great central orb, the Divine Sovereign Ruler of the universe, God over all, blessed for ever. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 149.

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Episode #4 Aliens and the Bible

Bible Questions Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2019 77:14

Note: The Shownotes and Transcript below are a bit of a trainwork editing wise. I'll polish them up soon! C.S. Lewis from His essay The Seeing Eye, found in Christian Reflections: 1963, 6 years before the Moon Landing. (Discussing Space travel) a more practical issue will arise when, if ever, we discover rational creatures on other planets. I think myself, this is a very remote contingency. The balance of probability is against life on any other planet of the solar system. We shall hardly find it nearer than the stars. And even if we reach the Moon we shall be no nearer to stellar travel than the first man who paddled across a river was to crossing the Pacific.This thought is welcome to me because, to be frank, I have no pleasure in looking forward to a meeting between humanity and any alien rational species. I observe how the white man has hitherto treated the black, and how, even among civilized men, the stronger have treated the weaker. If we encounter in the depth of space a race, however innocent and amiable, which is technologically weaker than ourselves, I do not doubt that the same revolting story will be repeated. We shall enslave, deceive, exploit or exterminate; at the very least we shall corrupt it with our vices and infect it with our diseases. We are not fit yet to visit other worlds. We have filled our own with massacre, torture, syphilis, famine, dust bowls and with all that is hideous to ear or eye. Must we go on to infect new realms? It was in part these reflections that first moved me to make my own small contributions to science fiction. In those days writers in that genre almost automatically represented the inhabitants of other worlds as monsters and the terrestrial invaders as good. Since then the opposite set-up has become fairly common. If I could believe that I had in any degree contributed to this change, I should be a proud man.1 The same problem, by the way, is beginning to threaten us as regards the dolphins. I don't think it has yet been proved that they are rational. But if they are, we have no more right to enslave them than to enslave our fellow-men. And some of us will continue to say this, but we shall be mocked. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 173–174. This science (astronomy) ought to be the special delight of ministers of the gospel, for surely it brings us into closer connection with God than almost any other science does. It has been said that an undevout astronomer is mad. I should say that an undevout man of any sort is mad,—with the worst form of madness; but, certainly, he who has become acquainted with the stars in the heavens, and who yet has not found out the great Father of lights, the Lord who made them all, must be stricken with a dire madness. Kepler, the great mathematical astronomer, who has so well explained many of the laws which govern the universe, closes one of his books, his Harmonics, with this reverent and devout expression of his feelings:—“I give thee thanks, Lord and Creator, that thou hast given me joy through thy creation; for I have been ravished with the work of thy hands. I have revealed unto mankind the glory of thy works, as far as my limited spirit could conceive their infinitude. Should I have brought forward anything that is unworthy of thee, or should I have sought my own fame, be graciously pleased to forgive me.” And you know how the mighty Newton, a very prince among the sons of men, was continually driven to his knees as he looked upwards to the skies, and discovered fresh wonders in the starry heavens. Therefore, the science which tends to bring men to bow in humility before the Lord should always be a favourite study with us whose business it is to inculcate reverence for God in all who come under our influence. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 145. Today's Question: At the very beginning of this podcast, I promised you that we would sometimes delve into wild and wacky areas of the Bible, and today is the day we begin that journey! Most of the time, we will play it straight, but the fact is that there are many interesting/mysterious and downright strange parts of the Bible, and I don't think we should ignore them, nor explain them away with a handwave. Let's embrace the weird! And, by the way, if this topic is interesting to you at all, then please check out my book Monsters in the Bible. It's my bestselling book of this year, which is funny, and from time to time, it ranks in Amazon's top ten for Occult Satanism...which is strange, to say the least, for a southern Baptist pastor. (I did NOT choose that category!) Vanderbilt astronomer David Weintraub reports that 55 percent of atheists believe in alien life, but only 32 percent of Christians. Weintraub wrote, "Most evangelical and fundamentalist Christian leaders argue quite forcefully that the Bible makes clear that extraterrestrial life does not exist. From this perspective, the only living, God-worshipping beings in the entire universe are humans, created by God, who live on Earth." DOES THE BIBLE REALLY, REALLY MAKE THAT CLEAR??! Calvary Chapel Church in Roswell, New Mexico (80 miles away from the Mac Brazel ranch, Roswell 1947 incident), would half-way agree. for instance, “Biblically IF there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible and He did not. The Bible never speaks of Aliens from another planet. Further, there is no way they would crash and die here on planet earth. Death entered our world through Adam and effected everything on this planet. If there are Aliens, they would not be exposed to this curse.” LOTS OF SUPPOSITIONS HERE THAT AREN'T BACKED UP BY SCRIPTURE. “She smiled at me, therefore she likes me.” maybe, maybe not. It's a supposition, but is it supported by fact?? Let's take that first sentence and see how it logically holds up. “If there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” How about this: “IF Man were to travel to the moon, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If the United States of America would be the dominant superpower of the world in the 21st century, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If atoms were the building blocks of all matter, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” Such statements suppose that God is OBLIGATED to tell us about everything in the Bible. He is under no such obligation, so we can't assume things that we are left in the dark about. All the love in the world to Calvary Chapel, Roswell, though. I'm a fan. So, I'm also a fan of podcasts...a podcast connoisseur. I am subscribed to over one 100 podcasts of all shapes and sizes. Many of them are Christian podcasts, but many are not. In case you're curious, here's my current top ten podcasts. I'd love to hear yours too - tweet them to me at @bibleqpodcast. In no particular order: Ask Pastor John - John Piper, excellent biblical counsel. The Omnibus with Ken Jennings and John Roderick. Hilarious and informative. Ryen Russillo podcast - ESPN sports. My favorite sports commentator. SYSK with Josh and Chuck, have been a listener for over ten years. Astonishing Legends with Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess. Rainer on Leadership - Thom Rainer The Bible Project with Tim Mackie and Jon Collins Fantasy Focus Football - Matthew Berry (Avengers Endgame) True Crime Garage (warning: swearing) Payne Lindsey Podcasts - Monster, + Up and Vanished. Anyway...I was listening to one of the above, the Astonishing Legends podcast a few weeks ago. They were talking about a fairly fascinating object called the Betz Sphere that a family in Florida found in the woods in the 70s. The Betz Sphere demonstrated all sorts of unusual properties, and drew the interest of some news organizations and government people, including the former head of Project Blue book, Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Project Blue Book:(wikipedia): Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in 1952, the third study of its kind, following projects Sign (1947) and Grudge (1949). A termination order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its auspices officially ceased in January 1970. Project Blue Book had two goals: To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and To scientifically analyze UFO-related data. J.Allen Hynek was the science advisor to Grudge, Sign and Blue Book. Wikipedia: Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist.[1] In later years he conducted his own independent UFO research, developing the "Close Encounter" classification system. He was among the first people to conduct scientific analysis of reports and especially of trace evidence purportedly left by UFOs.[ Anyway, during his time researching the Betz sphere, Dr. J. Allen Hynek became good friends with the Betz family, getting to know them pretty well over the course of several visits. According to the Betz family, Dr. Hynek told them that the U.S. government was aware of several alien encounters/visitations, including Roswell, and had covered up most of them, so that the general public wouldn't freak out. Why would the public freak out? Well, apparently Dr. Hynek believe that, at least in part, that major religions, including Christianity, would have a large negative reaction to the existence of aliens, because that would seemingly contradict the teachings of the church, and the teachings of the Bible. Hynek believed that society might fall apart, if people knew that aliens actually existed. Now, let me pause for a moment. As much as I'm interested in this sort of thing, today's episode is NOT fundamentally about whether aliens exist and have made contact with us or not. I do actually know the answer to that question, but I can't give it to you now, its classified. ;) In truth, actually, I have no idea. BUT, because I can't help myself, I will say this one thing about the possibility of aliens. A Washington Post article at the end of April really got my attention: Recently, unidentified aircraft have entered military-designated airspace as often as multiple times per month, Joseph Gradisher, spokesman for office of the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, told The Washington Post on Wednesday. He said, “We want to get to the bottom of this. We need to determine who's doing it, where it's coming from and what their intent is. We need to try to find ways to prevent it from happening again.” Luis Elizondo, a former senior intelligence officer, told The Post that the new Navy guidelines formalized the reporting process, facilitating data-driven analysis while removing the stigma from talking about UFOs, calling it “the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades.” Elizondo, who ran the AATIP, (This is the multi-million dollar Pentagon program that investigates UFOs and was on the government budget books until 2012, when it was delisted on those budget books) said the newly drafted guidelines were a culmination of many things, most notably that the Navy had enough credible evidence — including eyewitness accounts and corroborating radar information — to “know this is occurring.” “If I came to you and said, ‘There are these things that can fly over our country with impunity, defying the laws of physics, and within moments could deploy a nuclear device at will,' that would be a matter of national security,” Elizondo said. With the number of U.S. military personnel in the Air Force and Navy who described the same observations, the noise level could not be ignored. “This type of activity is very alarming,” Elizondo said, “and people are recognizing there are things in our aerospace that lie beyond our understanding.” Before you get excited that this new initiative might finally clue in the public, I need to tell you that the WaPost ran an article the next week that basically said that the Navy was NOT going to be released to the public. Mr. Gradisher said, ““Furthermore, any report generated as a result of these investigations will, by necessity, include classified information on military operations. He added, “Therefore, no release of information to the general public is expected.””” So yeah, expect to be in the dark a few more years, at least. But today's question is not whether or not the U.S. Government will finally disclose Alien interactions, but whether or not the Bible rules out the existence of aliens at all! Is Dr. Hynek correct - if the Government suddenly announced alien contact of some kind - would that somehow invalidate the Bible? And the answer is…. I don't think so. Not at all. But, I could be wrong, and many theologians disagree with me. Let's look at the anti-alien case: GotQuestions https://www.gotquestions.org/aliens-Christian.html, “We do not believe that aliens exist. The Bible gives us no reason to believe that there is life elsewhere in the universe; in fact, the Bible gives us several key reasons why there cannot be. Those who contemplate the existence of aliens and the impact their existence would have on the Christian faith commonly discuss the identity and work of Jesus. God sent His only begotten Son, God incarnate, to save mankind and redeem creation. Does that redemption include life on other planets? Or would God have manifested Himself on those other planets, as well (in the manner of Aslan in Narnia)? Does “only begotten” mean “only physical representation”? Or is it more limited, referring only to the human species? WE DON'T KNOW!! Another topic of discussion concerning the existence of aliens and Christianity is what it means to be made in the “image of God.” Since God has no physical body, we take this to mean a reflection of God's non-physical aspects—rationality, morality, and sociability. Would aliens, if they exist, embody the same characteristics? WHY NOT? Considering what we know about space and life and the world as the Bible portrays it, we already have an explanation for so-called alien activity on Earth. Reports of “close encounters” describe the ethereal, transient, deceptive, and malevolent. Accounts also record that encounters with supposed aliens can be stopped by a real, authentic call to Jesus. Everything points to the activity of demons, not extraterrestrials. In fact, it is plausible that the “powerful delusion” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 will involve an alien-abduction theory to explain away the rapture. I actually don't think most UFO reports - reported by seasoned Navy and Air-Force pilots, for instance, really has much in common with demonic episodes we see in Scripture. The “discovery” of alien life would have no effect on genuine Christianity. COMPLETELY AGREE The Bible stands as written, no matter what secular theories are advanced or discoveries are claimed. The Bible says the earth and mankind are unique in God's creation. God created the earth even before He created the sun, moon, or stars (Genesis 1). Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day. (It actually seems to say that God created the Heavens first...then the earth.) Matt Slick/CARM: The Bible does not mention extraterrestrial or alien life. However, it does mention angels and demonic forces which are, in a sense, not of this world. This is not the kind of alien, extraterrestrial life that most people are talking about when the subject comes up. Nevertheless, the Bible makes no mention whatsoever of aliens from other planets who might be visiting us. Now, Slick goes on from here to argue against alien life being likely, because he believes that the Bible declares all creation on all worlds fallen by what Adam did. That is certainly one way of reading the text, but I don't think that is the necessary way of reading the text. Paul could be speaking of all of creation on the earth. For instance, in Colossians 1:23, Paul writes: This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.What does this mean- that the Gospel has been proclaimed on Pluto? I don't think so. I believe Paul meant that the Gospel had been proclaimed in all of KNOWN creation. Michael Houdmann: Above all, let me say, I do not believe aliens exist. Let's also differentiate between sentient aliens and non-sentient aliens. While I would not necessarily have a theological problem with the concept of non-sentient beings (fish, birds, dogs, etc.) existing on other planets, I do have a huge theological problem with the concept of other sentient beings existing elsewhere. It just does not mesh with the teachings of the Bible. The Bible presents humanity as uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Angels are not created in the image of God. Animals are not created in the image of God. According to the Bible, we are unique, specifically created to have a personal relationship and connection with God the Creator. Intelligent/sentient life in other parts of the universe destroys, or at least weakens, this uniqueness. And it raises all kinds of questions. When did God create the aliens? Do the sentient aliens have an eternal soul? Did they fall into sin? Did God reveal Himself to them? Does their understanding of God match what the Bible says? Did God provide them with an alien Bible? Did God provide for and offer them redemption and salvation? If so, how? Did Jesus die for them too?Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” Notice how it doesn't say Let us make man - and man alone in all of the universe - in our Image. Houdmann goes on to say: All joking aside, if God intended for humankind to meet alien life, He would have outlined these encounters in the Bible, along with an answer to what He has done for them regarding sin.I just don't agree with that speculation. I like Houdmann and Got questions a ton, and find them very faithful to the Bible, but this is speculation that I find unbacked by biblical truth. HOW do we know that God would do this? How can we prove such a thing? I just don't think we can. I feel like such speculations are very similar to Lactantius' (an early church father in the 200s) scoffing at the possibility that the earth was round. He could NOT cite a Scripture to prove the earth was flat - as he thought - but he assumed that Scripture taught such a thing, WHEN IT DOES NOT. Similarly, Augustine poo-pood the existence of Antipodes on the other side of the world, thinking that Scripture backed that belief up, but it doesn't, and Augustine was wrong. GIVE ME CLEAR SCRIPTURE THAT SHOWS LIFE ON EARTH IS UNIQUE and I will believe it against all charges...but such a Scripture does NOT exist. TBR Baptist Facebook Group: Jim I thought this was a serious group Well - He's new. Also, I genuinely think this is a serious topic! Wes Apparently, some were aliens at one point Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God Similarly Doug Hibbard 1 Peter suggests that *you* are the aliens Jim Spiritual Wickedness in heavenly places, Rulers and authorities. Demons dressed up like them. Jacob I think the possibility of aliens falls apart when discussing the fall. As best as we can tell the whole universe is subject to the natural effects of the curse. If that is true, then another rational species, which did not fall, is out there subjected to the consequences of it. Do these aliens have their own Salvation history? Did they, somehow, simultaneously fall alongside Adam, and have their own Jesus? If, in keeping with Scripture, the crucifixion of Christ is a one time event, then another race would be subject to a punishment that they do not deserve with no possible hope for salvation. Pro Brandon Ambrosino on BBC.Com http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161215-if-we-made-contact-with-aliens-how-would-religions-react : But how could a believer reconcile this with their faith that humans are the crowning achievement of God's creation?. How could humans believe they were the apple of their creator's eye if their planet was just one of billions? The discovery of intelligent aliens could have a similar Copernican effect on human's self-understanding. Would the discovery make believers feel insignificant, and as a consequence, cause people to question their faith? According to the Talmud, God spends his night flying throughout 18,000 worlds I would argue that this concern is misguided. The claim that God is involved with and moved by humans has never required an Earth-centric theology. The Psalms, sacred to both Jews and Christians, claim that God has given names to all the stars. Billy Graham as a notable exception, as he was vocal about his beliefs that "there are intelligent beings like us far away in space who worship God." J. Warner Wallace: What impact does this question (and even more importantly, the answer to this question) have on the claims of Christianity and the truth of the Christian worldview? Jeff Zweerink, astrophysicist and Christian: Many people seem to think that discovering life on another planet would mean that naturalism is correct and Christianity is wrong. One thing I found fascinating is that for centuries Christians have thought about the implications of intelligent life in the universe. As I investigated the truth claims of Christianity, I realized that the existence of life of any sort beyond the confines of Earth is a great theological question—without a definitive answer. At this time, I am convinced that any hypothetical discovery of life in the universe will still point to God's creative work and ultimately help us understand God's revelation better. I'm with Jeff here. Some people do indeed seem to think that finding life on other planets would prove the Bible - or Christianity wrong somehow. To that, I saw - How and Why would such a thing disprove God or the Bible? If God made life on planet Earth - and He did - then why couldn't He make it elsewhere? To those Christians who seem to think that God would only make life on earth - I say, again, why would He do that? Why would He create billions of planets - most outside of our ability to see or observe...and leave them devoid of any inhabitants? In absence of Scripture, or absolute proof of alien life, conjecture proves nothing, but that cuts both ways. Merely speculating that God would not create life on other planets does not prove that it is so. The question we are grappling with today is this one: Does the Bible rule out alien life, and the answer - the CLEAR answer...is NO! It does not. William Lane Craig, 2008 episode of Reasonable Faith: Dr. Craig: Yeah. Well, I think that it's possible. [that there is alien life] One would argue that if there is life on other planets it would have had to be created by God because on a naturalistic basis I think we'd say that the evidence against there being intelligent extraterrestrial life anywhere in the observable universe is extremely great. The probabilities on naturalism that there is extraterrestrial intelligent life is virtually nil. So actually being a theist would be the best grounds for thinking that it could be possible because as a theist you think God created life here on this planet so then you could say, well, maybe God created life as well on some other planet somewhere in the universe. It is really the theist who is, I think, a lot more open to the possibility of extraterrestrial life than the non-theist…. Kevin Harris: This brings up the issue of UFOs and aliens invading earth and all the things that are in pop culture to this day – flying saucer phenomena and things like that. Well, the Vatican astronomer has just said it could be. You can make up your own mind about that. It seems, Dr. Craig, that the Bible is largely silent about this issue. Dr. Craig: I think it is silent, Kevin. The Scriptures are given to human beings as God's revelation to people on this planet. Therefore, there is no reason to think that there could not be persons that God has created in some unknown galaxy that we have no idea about, and he has provided a revelation of himself to them as well. I think it would be presumptuous to say that we know that he hasn't done that. Kevin Harris: He says that the possibility of extraterrestrial life does not contradict our faith. In other words, if a flying saucer landed on the White House lawn today, nobody could stand up and say Christianity is false. Dr. Craig: That is right. That seems to me to be correct. I am puzzled by folks who seem to think that if intelligent life were discovered somewhere else or that if it were to come here that somehow this would be a disproof of Christianity. That seems to me to be a complete non sequitur. It doesn't follow because Christianity simply doesn't speak to the question of whether or not God has created life elsewhere in the universe. If somebody tells you that there could be no aliens from a Bible/Christian perspective, ask them to show you clear backing for such a thing from Scripture. If you believe that, then please, please, please send me your Scriptural reasons for such a belief. Just Be sure you aren't making VAST leaps in logic. For example, the Bible clearly says Jesus died for our sins, if there are aliens, then how would God redeem them? That's a great question, and I don't know the answer, but it certainly doesn't prove that there are no aliens. Perhaps our hypothetical aliens did not fall, like Adam and Eve did. Perhaps they are indeed redeemed by Christ's sacrifice in a way that we don't understand. Who Knows?! But I do know that I can find no Scripture that clearly denies the possibility of alien life, or that clearly affirms the existence of alien life. I can also find no Scripture, the implications of which would logically rule out either outcome. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created. (Ps. 148:1–5) Are there aliens? I've no idea. I think the wisest and best and most biblical answer is either “Maybe” or “I don't know.” To assert otherwise is borderline irresponsible. BUT - if there ARE aliens, does this pose a threat to Scripture? Absolutely not. You can't contradict what isn't there. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin, the first true antibiotic. Did this MASSIVELY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY contradict the Bible? Of course not - because the Bible never discussed nor addressed such a thing. Similarly, the discovery of alien life - if it happens at all - will not at all shake any Scriptural truth in the Bible - NOT A ONE. Will it shake our lives? Maybe so. But, you can't find aliens in the Scripture. Not clearly. Likewise, you can't find the United States in Scripture either, and that ‘omission' seems to rightly bother no one. It is not incumbent upon God to reveal to man all important future events in His Word. Ultimately, I stand with Spurgeon, and actually stood with Spurgeon before I knew his position on this question. It took a lot of research to find this quote, but here you go: What God has done in the eternity which we call the past (but which to him is as the present), we do not fully know. We have no reason to believe that we know much of what God has done. There may be as many other worlds and sorts of beings existent as there are sands upon the sea shore, for aught we know; and the Lord may have been occupied in ages past with ten thousand glorious plans, and economies, as yet unrevealed to man. We cannot tell what he doeth, or what he hath done. We are creatures of a day, and know nothing; we are like insects that are born on a leaf, and die amid our fellows at the setting of the sun, but he lives on for ever. We talk of the “eternal hills,” but they are babes that were born yesterday, as far as he is concerned. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” We say, “Roll on, thou ancient ocean!” but the ocean is not ancient; it is a drop that fell yesterday from the tip of the Creator's finger. C. H. Spurgeon, “The Eternal Truth of God,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 21 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1875), 651. Spurgeon: To us, to-day, the coming of Christ to seek and to save the lost is an accomplished fact, a matter of history, most sure and certain. And what a fact it is! You have often thought of it, but have you ever worked your mind into the very heart of it,—that God has actually visited this world in human form,—that he before whom angels bow has actually been here, in fashion like ourselves, feeding the hungry crowds of Palestine, healing their sick, and raising their dead? I know not what may be the peculiar boast of other planets, but this poor star cannot be excelled, for on this world the Creator has stood. This earth has been trodden by the feet of God, and yet it was not crushed beneath the mighty burden, because he deigned to link his Deity with our humanity. The incarnation is a wonder of wonders, but it does not belong to the realm of imagination, or even of expectation, for it has actually been beheld by mortal eyes. C. H. Spurgeon, “Christ the Seeker and Saviour of the Lost,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 58 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1912), 314. SKIP. INCLUDE IN BOOK. There are also triple stars, or systems, and quadruple systems, and there are, in some cases, hundreds or thousands all spinning round one another, and around their central luminaries. Wonderful combinations of glory and beauty may be seen in the stellar sky; and some of these stars are red, some blue, some yellow, all the colours of the rainbow are represented in them. It would be very wonderful to live in one of them, and to look across the sky, and see all the glories of the heavens that God has made. On the whole, however, for the present, I am quite content to abide upon this little planet, especially as I am not able to change it for another home, until God so wills it. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 177. CLOSE WITH EXTENDED READING OF LEWIS' ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION: From Christian Reflections: an essay Called, “The Seeing Eye” Some people are troubled, and others are delighted, at the idea of finding not one, but perhaps innumerable rational species scattered about the universe. In both cases the emotion arises from a belief that such discoveries would be fatal to Christian theology. For it will be said that theology connects the Incarnation of God with the Fall and Redemption of man. And this would seem to attribute to our species and to our little planet a central position in cosmic history which is not credible if rationally inhabited planets are to be had by the million. Older readers will, with me, notice the vast change in astronomical speculation which this view involves. When we were boys all astronomers, so far as I know, impressed upon us the antecedent improbabilities of life in any part of the universe whatever. It was not thought unlikely that this earth was the solitary exception to a universal reign of the inorganic. Now Professor Hoyle, and many with him, say that in so vast a universe life must have occurred in times and places without number. The interesting thing is that I have heard both these estimates used as arguments against Christianity. Now it seems to me that we must find out more than we can at present know—which is nothing—about hypothetical rational species before we can say what theological corollaries or difficulties their discovery would raise. We might, for example, find a race which was, like us, rational but, unlike us, innocent—no wars nor any other wickedness among them; all peace and good fellowship. I don't think any Christian would be puzzled to find that they knew no story of an Incarnation or Redemption, and might even find our story hard to understand or accept if we told it to them. There would have been no Redemption in such a world because it would not have needed redeeming. ‘They that are whole need not the physician.' The sheep that has never strayed need not be sought for. We should have much to learn from such people and nothing to teach them. If we were wise, we should fall at their feet. But probably we should be unable to ‘take it'. We'd find some reason for exterminating them. Again, we might find a race which, like ours, contained both good and bad. And we might find that for them, as for us, something had been done: that at some point in their history some great interference for the better, believed by some of them to be supernatural, had been recorded, and that its effects, though often impeded and perverted, were still alive among them. It need not, as far as I can see, have conformed to the pattern of Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. God may have other ways—how should I be able to imagine them?—of redeeming a lost world. And Redemption in that alien mode might not be easily recognizable by our missionaries, let alone by our atheists. We might meet a species which, like us, needed Redemption but had not been given it. But would this fundamentally be more of a difficulty than any Christian's first meeting with a new tribe of savages? It would be our duty to preach the Gospel to them. For if they are rational, capable both of sin and repentance, they are our brethren, whatever they look like. Would this spreading of the Gospel from earth, through man, imply a pre-eminence for earth and man? Not in any real sense. If a thing is to begin at all, it must begin at some particular time and place; and any time and place raises the question: ‘Why just then and just there?' One can conceive an extraterrestrial development of Christianity so brilliant that earth's place in the story might sink to that of a prologue. Finally, we might find a race which was strictly diabolical—no tiniest spark felt in them from which any goodness could ever be coaxed into the feeblest glow; all of them incurably perverted through and through. What then? We Christians had always been told that there were creatures like that in existence. True, we thought they were all incorporeal spirits. A minor readjustment thus becomes necessary. But all this is in the realm of fantastic speculation. We are trying to cross a bridge, not only before we come to it, but even before we know there is a river that needs bridging. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 174–176. Religion and Rocketry - 1958 RELIGION AND ROCKETRY In my time I have heard two quite different arguments against my religion put forward in the name of science. When I was a youngster, people used to say that the universe was not only not friendly to life but positively hostile to it. Life had appeared on this planet by a millionth chance, as if at one point there had been a breakdown of the elaborate defences generally enforced against it. We should be rash to assume that such a leak had occurred more than once. Probably life was a purely terrestrial abnormality. We were alone in an infinite desert. Which just showed the absurdity of the Christian idea that there was a Creator who was interested in living creatures. But then came Professor F. B. Hoyle, the Cambridge cosmologist, and in a fortnight or so everyone I met seemed to have decided that the universe was probably quite well provided with inhabitable globes and with livestock to inhabit them. Which just showed (equally well) the absurdity of Christianity with its parochial idea that Man could be important to God. This is a warning of what we may expect if we ever do discover animal life (vegetable does not matter) on another planet. Each new discovery, even every new theory, is held at first to have the most wide-reaching theological and philosophical consequences. It is seized by unbelievers as the basis for a new attack on Christianity; it is often, and more embarrassingly, seized by injudicious believers as the basis for a new defence. But usually, when the popular hubbub has subsided and the novelty has been chewed over by real theologians, real scientists, and real philosophers, both sides find themselves pretty much where they were before. So it was with Copernican astronomy, with Darwinism, with Biblical Criticism, with the new psychology. So, I cannot help expecting, it will be with the discovery of ‘life on other planets'—if that discovery is ever made. The supposed threat is clearly directed against the doctrine of the Incarnation, the belief that God born of God ‘for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was . . . made man'. Why for us men more than for others? If we find ourselves to be but one among a million races, scattered through a million spheres, how can we, without absurd arrogance, believe ourselves to have been uniquely favoured? I admit that the question could become formidable. In fact, it will become formidable when, if ever, we know the answer to five other questions. 1. Are there animals anywhere except on earth? We do not know. We do not know whether we ever shall know. 2. Supposing there were, have any of these animals what we call ‘rational souls'? By this I include not merely the faculty to abstract and calculate, but the apprehension of values, the power to mean by ‘good 'something more than ‘good for me' or even ‘good for my species'. If instead of asking, ‘Have they rational souls?' you prefer to ask, ‘Are they spiritual animals?' I think we shall both mean pretty much the same. If the answer to either question should be No, then of course it would not be at all strange that our species should be treated differently from theirs. There would be no sense in offering to a creature, however clever or amiable, a gift which that creature was by its nature incapable either of desiring or of receiving. We teach our sons to read but not our dogs. The dogs prefer bones. And of course, since we do not yet know whether there are extra-terrestrial animals at all, we are a long way from knowing that they are rational (or ‘spiritual'). Even if we met them we might not find it so easy to decide. It seems to me possible to suppose creatures so clever that they could talk, though they were, from the theological point of view, really only animals, capable of pursuing or enjoying only natural ends. One meets humans—the machine-minded and materialistic urban type—who look as if they were just that. As Christians we must believe the appearance to be false; somewhere under that glib surface there lurks, however atrophied, a human soul. But in other worlds there might be things that really are what these seem to be. Conversely, there might be creatures genuinely spiritual, whose powers of manufacture and abstract thought were so humble that we should mistake them for mere animals. God shield them from us! 3. If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen? This is the point non-Christians always seem to forget. They seem to think that the Incarnation implies some particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician.Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it. Notice what waves of utterly unwarranted hypothesis these critics of Christianity want us to swim through. We are now supposing the fall of hypothetically rational creatures whose mere existence is hypothetical! 4. If all of them (and surely all is a long shot) or any of them have fallen have they been denied Redemption by the Incarnation and Passion of Christ? For of course it is no very new idea that the eternal Son may, for all we know, have been incarnate in other worlds than earth and so saved other races than ours. As Alice Meynell wrote in ‘Christ in the Universe': I wouldn't go as far as ‘doubtless' myself. Perhaps of all races we only fell. Perhaps Man is the only lost sheep; the one, therefore, whom the Shepherd came to seek. Or perhaps—but this brings us to the next wave of assumption. It is the biggest yet and will knock us head over heels, but I am fond of a tumble in the surf. 5. If we knew (which we don't) the answers to 1, 2, and 3—and, further, if we knew that Redemption by an Incarnation and Passion had been denied to creatures in need of it—is it certain that this is the only mode of Redemption that is possible? Here of course we ask for what is not merely unknown but, unless God should reveal it, wholly unknowable. It may be that the further we were permitted to see into His councils, the more clearly we should understand that thus and not otherwise—by the birth at Bethlehem, the cross on Calvary and the empty tomb—a fallen race could be rescued. There may be a necessity for this, insurmountable, rooted in the very nature of God and the very nature of sin. But we don't know. At any rate, I don't know. Spiritual as well as physical conditions might differ widely in different worlds. There might be different sorts and different degrees of fallenness. We must surely believe that the divine charity is as fertile in resource as it is measureless in condescension. To different diseases, or even to different patients sick with the same disease, the great Physician may have applied different remedies; remedies which we should probably not recognise as such even if we ever heard of them. It might turn out that the redemption of other species differed from ours by working through ours. There is a hint of something like this in St Paul (Romans 8:19–23) when he says that the whole creation is longing and waiting to be delivered from some kind of slavery, and that the deliverance will occur only when we, we Christians, fully enter upon our sonship to God and exercise our ‘glorious liberty'. On the conscious level I believe that he was thinking only of our own Earth: of animal, and probably vegetable, life on Earth being ‘renewed' or glorified at the glorification of man in Christ. But it is perhaps possible—it is not necessary—to give his words a cosmic meaning. It may be that Redemption, starting with us, is to work from us and through us. This would no doubt give man a pivotal position. But such a position need not imply any superiority in us or any favouritism in God. The general, deciding where to begin his attack, does not select the prettiest landscape or the most fertile field or the most attractive village. Christ was not born in a stable because a stable is, in itself, the most convenient or distinguished place for a maternity. Only if we had some such function would a contact between us and such unknown races be other than a calamity. If indeed we were unfallen, it would be another matter. It sets one dreaming—to interchange thoughts with beings whose thinking had an organic background wholly different from ours (other senses, other appetites), to be unenviously humbled by intellects possibly superior to our own yet able for that very reason to descend to our level, to descend lovingly ourselves if we met innocent and childlike creatures who could never be as strong or as clever as we, to exchange with the inhabitants of other worlds that especially keen and rich affection which exists between unlikes; it is a glorious dream. But make no mistake. It is a dream. We are fallen. We know what our race does to strangers. Man destroys or enslaves every species he can. Civilised man murders, enslaves, cheats, and corrupts savage man. Even inanimate nature he turns into dust bowls and slag-heaps. There are individuals who don't. But they are not the sort who are likely to be our pioneers in space. Our ambassador to new worlds will be the needy and greedy adventurer or the ruthless technical expert. They will do as their kind has always done. What that will be if they meet things weaker than themselves, the black man and the red man can tell. If they meet things stronger, they will be, very properly, destroyed. It is interesting to wonder how things would go if they met an unfallen race. At first, to be sure, they'd have a grand time jeering at, duping, and exploiting its innocence; but I doubt if our half-animal cunning would long be a match for godlike wisdom, selfless valour, and perfect unanimity. I therefore fear the practical, not the theoretical, problems which will arise if ever we meet rational creatures which are not human. Against them we shall, if we can, commit all the crimes we have already committed against creatures certainly human but differing from us in features and pigmentation; and the starry heavens will become an object to which good men can look up only with feelings of intolerable guilt, agonized pity, and burning shame. Of course after the first debauch of exploitation we shall make some belated attempt to do better. We shall perhaps send missionaries. But can even missionaries be trusted? ‘Gun and gospel' have been horribly combined in the past. The missionary's holy desire to save souls has not always been kept quite distinct from the arrogant desire, the busybody's itch, to (as he calls it) ‘civilise' the (as he calls them) ‘natives'. Would all our missionaries recognise an unfallen race if they met it? Could they? Would they continue to press upon creatures that did not need to be saved that plan of Salvation which God has appointed for Man? Would they denounce as sins mere differences of behaviour which the spiritual and biological history of these strange creatures fully justified and which God Himself had blessed? Would they try to teach those from whom they had better learn? I do not know. What I do know is that here and now, as our only possible practical preparation for such a meeting, you and I should resolve to stand firm against all exploitation and all theological imperialism. It will not be fun. We shall be called traitors to our own species. We shall be hated of almost all men; even of some religious men. And we must not give back one single inch. We shall probably fail, but let us go down fighting for the right side. Our loyalty is due not to our species but to God. Those who are, or can become, His sons, are our real brothers even if they have shells or tusks. It is spiritual, not biological, kinship that counts. But let us thank God that we are still very far from travel to other worlds. I have wondered before now whether the vast astronomical distances may not be God's quarantine precautions. They prevent the spiritual infection of a fallen species from spreading. And of course we are also very far from the supposed theological problem which contact with other rational species might raise. Such species may not exist. There is not at present a shred of empirical evidence that they do. There is nothing but what thelogicians would call arguments from ‘a priori probability'—arguments that begin ‘It is only natural to suppose', or ‘All analogy suggests', or ‘Is it not the height of arrogance to rule out—?' They make very good reading. But who except a born gambler ever risks five dollars on such grounds in ordinary life? And, as we have seen, the mere existence of these creatures would not raise a problem. After that, we still need to know that they are fallen; then, that they have not been, or will not be, redeemed in the mode we know; and then, that no other mode is possible. I think a Christian is sitting pretty if his faith never encounters more formidable difficulties than these conjectural phantoms. If I remember rightly, St Augustine raised a question about the theological position of satyrs, monopods, and other semi-human creatures. He decided it could wait till we knew there were any. So can this. ‘But supposing,' you say. ‘Supposing all these embarrassing suppositions turned out to be true?' I can only record a conviction that they won't; a conviction which has for me become in the course of years irresistible.Christians and their opponents again and again expect that some new discovery will either turn matters of faith into matters of knowledge or else reduce them to patent absurdities. But it has never happened. What we believe always remains intellectually possible; it never becomes intellectually compulsive. I have an idea that when this ceases to be so, the world will be ending. We have been warned that all but conclusive evidence against Christianity, evidence that would deceive (if it were possible) the very elect, will appear with Antichrist. And after that there will be wholly conclusive evidence on the other side. But not, I fancy, till then on either side. SPURGEON: I suppose you are all aware that among the old systems of astronomy was one which placed the earth in the centre, and made the sun, and the moon, and the stars revolve around it. “Its three fundamental principles were the immobility of the earth, its central position, and the daily revolution of all the heavenly bodies around it in circular orbits.” Now, in a similar fashion, there is a way of making a system of theology of which man is the centre, by which it is implied that Christ and his atoning sacrifice are only made for man's sake, and that the Holy Spirit is merely a great Worker on man's behalf, and that even the great and glorious Father is to be viewed simply as existing for the sake of making man happy. Well, that may be the system of theology adopted by some; but, brethren, we must not fall into that error, for, just as the earth is not the centre of the universe, so man is not the grandest of all beings. God has been pleased highly to exalt man; but we must remember how the psalmist speaks of him: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” In another place, David says, “Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” Man cannot be the centre of the theological universe, he is altogether too insignificant a being to occupy such a position, and the scheme of redemption must exist for some other end than that of merely making man happy, or even of making him holy. The salvation of man must surely be first of all for the glory of God; and you have discovered the right form of Christian doctrine when you have found the system that has God in the centre, ruling and controlling according to the good pleasure of his will. Do not dwarf man so as to make it appear that God has no care for him; for if you do that, you slander God. Give to man the position that God has assigned to him; by doing so, you will have a system of theology in which all the truths of revelation and experience will move in glorious order and harmony around the great central orb, the Divine Sovereign Ruler of the universe, God over all, blessed for ever. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 149.

united states america god jesus christ american amazon death father lord earth spirit man bible lost college fall passion gospel religion christians creator holy spirit christianity spiritual government moon guns universe resurrection scripture angels white house salvation bbc students espn aliens praise redemption ephesians jews clear ufos alien animals navy washington post psalms ps monsters demons colossians new mexico cambridge air force scriptures pacific supernatural thessalonians skip reports palestine bethlehem physicians paranormal older pentagon baptist pastors his word newton hilarious worker vatican antichrist incarnation accounts intelligent pluto vanderbilt saviour calvary heavens x files god himself roswell conversely illustration vast narnia close encounters seeker united states air force cs lewis scriptural grudge deity billy graham moon landing lectures vanished slick rulers rainer talmud omnibus kepler st augustine spurgeon aslan god genesis got questions darwinism calvary chapel obligated project blue book penicillin elizondo weintraub betz blue book ken jennings hoyle william lane craig seeing eye harmonics just be luis elizondo harperone alexander fleming hynek antipodes we christians allen hynek aatip ryen russillo copernican tim mackie rocketry eternal truth john roderick astonishing legends biblical criticism bible christians betz sphere lactantius jeff zweerink david weintraub scott philbrook sysk christian reflections forrest burgess walter hooper craig yeah christian many biblemysteries

Scott Philbrook Interview

New Media Lab with Robert Southgate

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2019 29:09

Find our social media and directory links all in one place at linktr.ee/NewMediaLab Learn more, subscribe, or contact us at newmedialab.smgpods.com. You can write to us at southgatesmallbusiness@gmail.com and let us know what you think. Please rate us and review the episode. It really helps other people find us. Thanks! SUPPORT SHOW BY SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS Order our book Pod Life: Podcaster Stories orderpodlife.smgpods.com When you shop at Amazon.com using this link, every dollar you spend supports our podcast network and doesn’t cost you a penny more. amazon.smgpods.com Hunt a Killer – Get 20% off on your first box with Coupon Code SOUTHGATE www.huntakiller.com Tweaked Audio Headphones – Get 30% off, Free Shipping, and a Lifetime Warranty with Coupon Code – SOUTHGATE www.tweakedaudio.com Support our the SMG Podcast Network on Patreon www.patreon.com/SouthgateMediaGroup #podcast #business #marketing #socialmedia Scott Philbrook – S2E5 New Media Lab with Rob Southgate On this episode, Rob’s special guest Scott Philbrook from Astonishing Legends. Visit Scott’s website at AstonishingLegends.com Scott Philbrook Interview 00:00:09 - 00:05:00 Welcome back to new media lab. Thank you so much for sharing your valuable time with me. Hey, before we get started with this week's mazing interview. I wanna fess up this episode of super late two of the ideas. Keep coming up during these interviews or to be consistent did not ghost your audience. I was definitely not consistent. And I'm sure many of you felt ghost. I really did into goes to. But it happened. I've been thinking about why this happened, and I've come to a realization mind, you all the interviews for this season are done and edited there in the can ready to go all I have to do is the intro out tro. And that's it. That's where the stumbling block is. I realized I don't like the show in its current iteration. I love the interviews. Don't get me wrong. But what I don't like is my approach as a host. When I listen to the show. I don't hear my personality coming. Through when I coach people, I stress be yourself here. I am doing the opposite. Yes. This show is more formal and structured than my goofy pop culture shows that does not mean, I should present a sterile version of myself. What I'm asking is that you bear with me as I find my voice on this show. The interviews and information being shared here. Excellent. I truly believe this. My hope by the end of the second season is that I have settled into who. I am on the show. And that you've gotten a ton of value out of what this show truly is my three takeaways from the start of this show are don't ghost your audience without explanation be yourself and don't be afraid to make changes while your show evolves. This week's guest is from one of my favorite podcasts. I love astonishing legends. And it was such a thrill to interview Scott Philbrick, one of the co hosts Scott, I had a great conversation for about an hour. Of which I'm sure in only about twenty minutes. Here. Scott's insights about podcasting and the story of astonishing legends are well, frankly, astonishing before we get to the interview I do have a little bit of business to take care of. I we have a patriot page where you can directly support this show and help keep us going. Join our newest patron Chantal Jones by going to patriot dot com slash new media lab and become a patron right now a show like this is best when the audience and hosting gauged with each other. In other words, getting conversation with me either through Email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram patriot or any place else. You can find me the Email for this show is Southgate small business at gmaiLcom, send me your questions and comments. I promise I'll respond. You can find new media lab on Facebook by searching at new media lab show. You can follow me on Twitter at. At our Southgate or Instagram at rob Southgate. Our networks website is Southgate media group dot com where you can find this as well. As over a hundred other podcasts, plus blogs, videos, and a lot more. Finally, follow our newest endeavor on Twitter at Indy podcast project and be sure to use the hashtag support. Indie podcasts when post in your own shows or sharing anything podcast related. This week's guest is Scott Filbert from Donna Shing legends. It's a wonderful show. That is a great example of how to present a professional podcast seriously. Check out the show, check out their website and follow them on social media. Even if you aren't interested in their subject matter, you can learn a lot about the business side of things by paying attention to what Scott and Forrest do with their content and now under the interview, can you describe your podcast? Yes. Well, you know what my? Co-host forest, and I will often say that our podcast is is a a lot like unsolved mysteries. If people remember that show, or if you're older even still in search of except as if it was a hosted by click Clack from NPR's car talk. No for people that don't know click Clack, which there are plenty of people that don't, but it's the ideas that we take a conversational approach to the exploration of unexplained and unusual events from throughout history. We touch on cryptic words paranormal UFO's that sort of thing, but we also do historical mysteries like the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, and that sort of thing, and then that all of that is framed by really deep investigative research that we try to do going into uncover angles on the stories, even if it's a story that's been covered thousand times by other people we try to find more indepth information on. 00:05:01 - 00:10:21 So when did you start podcasting are for show? Oh when up in late two thousand fourteen we actually posted our first show in late two thousand fourteen and that is you know, when we started podcasting, technically, however forest, my co-hosted, I had conceived the show probably at least a year earlier, maybe year and a half and spent a whole lot of time talking about it before we did anything to the point where eventually my wife was like are you guys ever going to actually do this? Or you just gonna talk about it, which is sort of what made us get the first show out there. But I I have a kind of a a personal. Obsession with like if you're gonna launch something like that to have it just be as polished in everything as you can possibly make it before you do that first one because the first one's always going to be the worst one. And so I I spent a lot of time making sure we had all the right equipment, and in and that our ideas were wealth out in terms of how the show would flow in all that sort of thing. And to this day, I still m embarrassed by the first few episodes. But that's that's that's how it goes. So yes, we started in two thousand fourteen so we're a little over four years old. Now, are you a celebrity? No, I would say that. I am not a celebrity his an on associated with this show celebrity. No, do you think gaining audience today is the same as win. You started astonishing allegience. No, I don't think it's radically different. And I think it's involving from moment to moment for a wide variety of reasons. I mean, the calling it the wild west is an overused metaphor for anything that's in its infancy like podcasting. And I would say that podcasting. It's it's not an infant anymore. But for me, it's still a toddler everything is, you know, everyone's trying to figure out where they're at the business models are evolving when we started. There was no real business model revenue. There was no we had absolutely no idea if we would ever make a penny on it. And we couldn't find anyone in a mentor capacity or. Anyone anywhere to talk to us about that? You know? Although now, we're close with people, and we could you know, when for example, Jim herald is is a good friend of ours. But if we call him back when we were starting out, he he probably would have not taken the time. Not because he's not a great guy because he is a great guy. But. A billion people are starting out. So an ice seem to remember that when we started. There was I think three hundred fifty thousand podcasts on the I tunes directory. And I think last time I heard it was up at seven hundred fifty thousand it's probably a million now. And so I would say it's a lot harder to get noticed. I would say that shows with really easy to produce content are rampant because it's so easy now to to get started anyone can do it. And so anybody is doing it and people will find out real quickly. Whether people wanna listen to them or not or if they're actually, you know, if they're if in that's it. It's definitely a America Crecy in that way. But there's so much out there. Now that standing out is particularly hard. I would say compared to when we started. I would say it's three or four times harder than the other thing. That's happening is all these big. Companies are consolidating networks. And now the major players are starting to notice that there's revenue in podcasting. Even though it's still just a shadow of what radio revenue is it's gonna catch up. And so what's happening is you know, scripts is getting involved in all these huge multi media corporations in the more of that that happens. I think the harder and harder will be for independent shows to get off the ground not to produce it because you can produce it. You know, if you have an iphone or a smartphone with a recording. You can you can produce something in in get an RSS feed in be out there in minutes. But getting noticed is really the tricky part. You know, how do people find you? And I would say that it's definitely harder now than it used to be worth three key things you've done to grow your audience. The number one thing that we do grow. Our audience is to produce a consistent content and focus on making each show as good as we possibly can. And so when we get overwhelmed with our workload or other things are happening. It's it's very much. A the show must go on. We we work at that to the detriment of our personal lives detriment of everything else to make sure that we are something that our listeners can rely on and trust is going to be there. And so that's one thing that I think really helps I think audiences especially in podcasting and on demand the on-demand world, they look for that thing that they know is going to be there because they wanna plug it into some part of their life at whether they're commuting or working out or doing chores or at work or whatever and. 00:10:22 - 00:15:05 We just try to make sure that we don't ever leave and unpredictable hole for them. Because I think to me that could be disappointing. And I know for for me, you know, I watch these series on Netflix, and they'll do like nine episodes, and they come out and watch all nine of them in two days. And then I have to wait a year for the next round. It's very it's like the during the two days. It's awesome. And then it's like, oh my God. I can't even remember what happened by the time. The next round comes out. So we try to always be there. That's one of the primary things we do. We also try to be very approachable and interactive with our audience on social media, and I guess excessively, and that is it's gotten a little harder as the show the duties of the show have become larger than they used to be from a production standpoint. And also our social media following has gotten a lot larger. So for the first couple years, we were answering every Email now we. Read them all but it's very hard to take the time to answer them, which is is hard. But it it least even reading them. It keeps us in touch with our audience in we'd can refer to the feedback that we get when we're on the air. And we do the other thing that we do to grow the audiences. We really work on cross promotion with other shows, and we're gonna be doing more of that this year. Russia gonna have a marketing budget that we're gonna use to get ourselves more out there. I'm not sure how that how well that's going to work. But that's something that we're just starting to do now, but the cross promotion or the promo swops those seemed to work really, really. Well, you yourself mentioned that you heard heard of us on another show. And that was one of Jim Harold shows who I was talking about a minute ago, and that seems to have a lot of value. So we will arrange to have somebody mentioned us or we'll mention them on the show, and we always look for parody in terms of audience exposure. So. The show is smaller. We might ask them to run a run us a couple of times and versus us or if were smaller will offer to run two or three times versus one run on a larger show. So so we do that. And it seems to work whenever we do that. We always hear from on social media from people. Oh, I heard about you on time suck podcast, or you know, I heard about you on drunk history because one of the performers on. There was came on our show once told a story. So that's those were I would say the three biggest things were doing so far, but, you know, primarily where a word of mouth show and that mostly was just because we couldn't afford to be anything more than that. So all three of the things we're doing we do them because they're free. Santer that question. So what are three key social media practices that you do? I would say daily monitoring all our platforms and daily interaction when it can be managed, and I'd mitt I wish I could be daily interactive on all of them. But I find honestly, I find Twitter to be the easiest one because it's so quick and easy for me to check and see who's responded to us or made a comment or tagged us or whatever. And that you can just pick up and do in just a few minutes, I interact weakly on Facebook, Instagram. We have a Facebook closed group and a Facebook page, and I am frequently on both of those. But then that's not the only face that we have there. We also have somebody who works rush. She's our head of research. She also manages those platforms and his end, and there's an additional Adleman who is a fan. Of the show who takes care of the Facebook page two in those two really really are in there all the time. And it's crazy because our Facebook groups have spawned all these spinoff groups. There's now the astonishing literary group, which is like a book club. There's astonishing artists which is end these we don't even have anything to do with them. I had applied to join him. And they are like that's a graphic an artists page where people do artwork inspired by the show or just talk about art. So it's really kind of exploded into this thing. And it's it's funny for me because I was when we started the show I had gotten over Facebook. I had completely deleted my profile because I'd been on there for years. And then I was Guam I doing I'm not really enjoying this anymore and plus over sharing and all this. And I was like I got a I don't need this in my life. So I I did the whole thing where I went to a web page in read how to like blow your profile up from the inside out like ten steps of delete every picture. 00:15:05 - 00:20:03 I n data. Then you can't log in. I did. All of that. And then when we were going to launch to show I was like, oh that was dumb because we need all the traction. We can get and when I left I had I don't know five hundred or I can't even remember five less than a thousand friends, but maybe five hundred because I've been on there a long time and I used to work in advertising. So I was connected to all these ad agency people, and I gosh, you know, if I could get these people to download it. They don't even have to listen to it. That'll be good for our traction coming out of the gate. So I had to rebuild the page. And the other thing is Facebook won't let you have a business page unless you have a personal page. So which if I didn't have to have a personal page of probably wouldn't have one. But I do only because we can't have the page the group pages without it. So we we are in there were active as much as we can we read we follow the postings. And it's really great because it's like having a live constant focus group in a way, we can see how people are reacting to our content, and we take it into account when we are producing the next show. So that is. That's a two way street were you know, we're getting something out of it. And and the community the online community is getting something out of it as well. So those are those are kind of our practices, and I'd like to be more involved. But you know, and I've thought, oh, we'll we bring someone on to manage that stuff. But to me it has to be enforced because we're it's us that are the show, and I'm not sure that anyone could fairly represent our perspective. So that's just something that will continue to do as much as we can. So which platforms, are you? You mentioned Facebook mentioned Twitter do Instagram are you doing? Yes. Twitch and all these other things or what we aren't doing. We aren't doing twitch we are on Instagram. Our and our our followers. There are about the same. We're all around ten thousand on on on Twitter and just shy of ten thousand right now on Instagram. And then on our Facebook group is I think at fifteen that's their biggest most active. Group, really? And then we were on tumbler, but we stopped doing that just because it was time consuming. And it's a tumbler is a lot of just recreating re you know, re tumbling other people's content. And I was I wasn't fully. You know following how it works. So I and I it was too much to handle. So we dropped that we still have a tumbler page, but we're not updating it. We're not on twitch were not on any of the emerging ones. I, you know, I guess we would explore them if they really get a foothold in the market, and it's everyone's abandoning one that were already using to go over to this other one. But there's only so much you can handle, you know, we're just two guys. And it's it's there's we just try we try to keep it manageable. I guess do you do a strategy or have you used a strategy where let's say you have a calendar for posting you say, okay, we're gonna make sure we do a mean about something on Mondays we make sure we're gonna do a flashback Friday and things like that. Or is it more just organic, it's more organic. We don't have that kind of stuff scheduled. Maybe that would be a good strategy. I wouldn't fault anyone that does do that. But I just generally, especially with Twitter like I said that I'm most active on it. It's generally when something comes up that I think should be shared, you know. And if it's something unusual that that is pertinent to our base. Than I that's the point at which I'll say, hey, you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna share this own ticket vote or whatever, but you can see even if you follow us on Instagram with our ten thousand followers. I only post something on there either. With every time there's a new episode. We post on all those platforms for sure we we announced the new episode when you have a nice image goes with it. And we say, you know, check your feeds whatever it's it's up. The Ansari posting which would happen on Twitter and Instagram. You know by see a photo or take a picture that. I think will be interesting pertained somehow to some topic we've covered all post it. But it and other cases, it might be a while that will go without posting stuff, which probably is a bad practice. But it's, but it's not something that we we schedule. Do you share the same thing on all the platform? So like, if you you tweet something out to the push to Facebook or do you do some of that? And some original things at each place. We do you know, we I know there's platforms that will publish all of them simultaneously. And we we don't do that. Although I I will put like for new episode announcement essentially, the same thing on all the platforms, but I'll tailor them because the hash tags are different on different platforms, for example, or if you're tagging guest on the show or something it's you know, they may have a different profile on Instagram. Versus twitter. So I do manually post to each one. 00:20:03 - 00:25:04 Sometimes the text is all the same other times. It's not on Facebook. We don't have any limitations on the number of characters. So if there was something more that I wanted to say that I couldn't squeeze into a tweet, then I might say more to our Facebook group, but you know, after Twitter increased their tweet length that became less of an issue too. Because you know, you get you get to a point where you figure out how to say it in our main characters that give you now can't remember two hundred something. So it's and that's an art a kind of enjoy trying to get the message out, you know, under the wire in terms of I will frequently tweet in us, you know, be down to zero point on the left character. What is the secret to your podcast success? I, you know, I don't really know why we've been 'Success was we have been. But I think probably a big part of it is just the. Chemistry between me and forest. My co host I we have a very botic in real relationship in repore. I think people here that when they listen to us. And I think that that you know, because it's it's our approach is. Well, a ton of people have done shows on the topics that we do some of them are famous legends have been covered for decades on different platforms in in media formats, but we were pretty sure when we started the show that we were going to be doing it in a way that no one had done before. So there's a combination of it's I would say it's a combination of our how we are conversationally and how we interact in our own personal fascination with our topics that combined with the the approach that we take which is leave. No stone unturned in investigating a legend or mystery. We we're not. Satisfied with the short version of it that you tell your kid at night bed. We wanna know more, and we wanna look at the science behind things to even though some things refused to be classified by science. So I think it's a the reason we're successful is because we're different we wanted to bend the John rouse the paranormal genre, which we felt when we got into it was taking itself too. Seriously. You know, just the the dark theme music, and I'm mostly referring to television. You know, let's mystery and Robert stack and all that which, you know, God bless love that show. It's a huge inspiration force. But we felt like it was time for all this stuff to to take a turn. And so I would I would attribute our success to doing something different within a pre existing and well-worn, John. And then that combined with just the, you know, the chemistry that that might co host. And I have and yeah. That's the end of that sentence. I should put a period on it. Speaking of tweeting. What's the next big thing in podcast, in your opinion? It's it's hard to say like, I said, you know, it's it's it is kind of the wild west the overuse metaphor the wild west there. There's obviously trends that come out in terms of topics that become really popular. And then people don't know that they're popular until they explode like, for example, true crime, which completely exploded after cereal a ton of people heard serial was the first show that was downloaded a million times in a in a week or something. And that was when people were like, oh, wow. This is a mazing. So then on both sides of the equation, people became fanatical about true crime, not only consuming it, but also producing it. So all these shows came to into the podcast universe that were true crime shows, and that's a big trend right now. So, but again, I wonder and I don't know. But I wonder if that if that corner of the. The podcast market is getting saturated, and because it and also I wonder too if the audience is a whole because you think about the longevity of the interest in your in your subject because it's it's part of the the cultural zeitgeist wherever in in the United States. It's like everybody now is kind of interested in in this. But will that Wayne, you know, when we worry about that too with paranormal, stuffing and paranormal things are are very popular right now on their on swing? There could be a cultural shift where people start to move away from that. And then our our show would diminish. I don't know. So in terms of big things in podcasting. There's somebody is going to come out with some new format of a show that's going to be amazing. And everyone's going to be talking about whether somebody really nails the you know a fictional show. Or whatever out something will happen that we haven't thought of yet, and that'll blow up and then when that blows up a hundred thousand other people will come along and try to do the same thing and. You know, five percent of them will get traction. So in terms of the entertainment part of it. 00:25:04 - 00:29:02 It's it's hard to say I would say it's kind of unpredictable from the business side, that's even less predictable. Although like, I said earlier big miss big business is starting to notice the podcasting world. And what I see behind the scenes is all these companies are jockeying for position and trying to figure out how they can take advantage of of the podcast world in the podcast audience. I know that everyone is trying to figure out how to evolve subscription model, which I'd meant that. We would be interested in you could trend away from commercials much like cable did when it came out and changed television. Eventually that's going to happen in podcasting. But there's gonna I think there's gonna be a lot of casualties of that experiment along the way. But with that ever comes along and takes hold if you know. No. There's one company that saying they wanna be the net. Flicks of podcasting. That's great. But you you the the listeners have to be on board with it too. It's more than just a business plan. It's gotta have people that are into it. And I think that will be a big deal when it finally happens, but I still feel like a proof of concept on it's a few years out. As with each of these interviews, I try to leave with three key takeaways. The three that's out to me from Scott. Our number one be authentic number to cross promote with other shows and number three actively interact with your listeners. What are your takeaways what it Scott say that affected, your business and content creation going forward? Share your thoughts on the Facebook threat of this episode of I would love to read your. You can find scotch website at astonishing legends dot com. Make sure to follow Scott Phil broke his co host forest Burgess and the astonishing legends podcast on Facebook. And definitely join their Facebook group as well. Find astonishing legends on your favorite podcast app. Apple podcast, Google podcast, Stitcher Spotify. Tune in wherever be sure to subscribe and give astonishing legends great reviews while you're at it. Please subscribe to new media lab with Robert Southgate wherever you listen to podcasts. You can Email the show at Southgate small business at gmaiLcom. New media lab is on Facebook, simply search for at new media lab xo our networks website is Southgate media group dot com where you can find this as well. As over a hundred other podcasts pleasant logged videos information about our live events information wrote a book, we might have coming out shortly and more if. If you wanna follow me, personally, I'm on Twitter at ourselves or on Instagram at Robson support this show. Awesome extra content becoming a patriot like that extra footage. I alluded to earlier with Scott Philbrick, go to patriot dot com slash new media lab. Choose your tier please rate and review this show on whatever service. You subscribe to podcasts on it really helps others find the show and tells me if you like what I'm doing here, you can find new media lab on items, Google dot casts, Stitcher Spotify tune in radio and hopefully anywhere else that distributes podcast. If you can't find us, let me know. And I'll rectify that situation all this plus more links will be in the show notes and on our website. Don't worry if you don't have a pen to write this down. Thanks again. Scott Bill for helping with my thesis and for being such an incredible guest. That's it. For this week, everyone the next episode of creators level trop next Tuesday. And we'll be back with our next guest. A new media lab on Thursday until then get out there and create something.

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Episode 22: The Vanishing People

Monsteropolis: Legends Anomalies Monsters

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2019 49:42

This week Mark and Seth sit down to discuss the mysteriously vanishing people. Those individuals who have disappeared without a trace leaving behind nothing but unanswered questions. They also welcome Scott Philbrook of the Astonishing Legends podcast to the show for a brief chat about Amelia Earhart and her importance as a historical figure as well as various theories regarding her disappearance. Monsteropolis is the official podcast of Small Town Monsters hosted by Seth Breedlove and Mark Matzke. Find Monsteropolis on nearly all social media platforms!Facebook is facebook.com/monsteropolisTwitter is @monsters971FM You can find us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and everywhere good podcasts are listened to. Don't forget to leave us a rating and review and send us your mail to monsteropolismail@gmail.com

spotify stitcher vanishing amelia earhart small town monsters seth breedlove astonishing legends scott philbrook mark matzke monsteropolis

Groundhog Minute 84 – Sean Is Not Prepared

prepared bars brats basements faithful followers astonishing legends scott philbrook groundhog minute

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2019 64:31

Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from the Astonishing Legends podcast are back to let us know that podcasting is not just holding a microphone and saying stuff. There’s a heck of a lot more to it. So join us, Faithful Followers, for this Friday edition of Brats, Bars, and Basements. Show links: Astonishing Legends 5 Minutes … Continue reading "Groundhog Minute 84 – Sean Is Not Prepared"

Groundhog Minute 83 – The Hopeful Optimistic Way Phil Calls the Kid a Brat

hopeful optimistic brat astonishing legends i got you babe scott philbrook groundhog minute

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2019 38:32

Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from the Astonishing Legends podcast are back with us, instead of saving Miss Teschmacher. We talk wheels and fortunes and Phil’s father George. Show links: Astonishing Legends 5 Minutes of Mystery Five Minutes of Mime Spinal Tap Minute Movies by Minutes Our theme music is I Got You Babe by Sonny and … Continue reading "Groundhog Minute 83 – The Hopeful Optimistic Way Phil Calls the Kid a Brat"

Groundhog Minute 82 – The Last Day

last day astonishing legends scott philbrook groundhog minute

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2019 43:37

Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from the Astonishing Legends podcast are back to push that podcast rock up the iTunes mountain. We don’t know if anyone is listening, but we do it anyway. Show links: Astonishing Legends 5 Minutes of Mystery Five Minutes of Mime Spinal Tap Minute Movies by Minutes Our theme music is I … Continue reading "Groundhog Minute 82 – The Last Day"

Groundhog Minute 81 – Snapple Lid Philosophy