The Lure of the Edge: Scientific passions,
religious beliefs and the pursuit of UFOs
by Brenda Denzler, University of California Press,
$35/£24.95, ISBN 0520224329
BRENDA DENZLER, holder of a doctorate in religious studies, wonders why
people ask if her interest in UFOs is the result of a personal encounter. “The
universality of the question,” she decides, “is one clue to the importance of
the UFO phenomenon in the unfolding history of the West.” I suspect it’s a clue
that people think she’s a believer herself.
After reading The Lure of the Edge, I can see why. The considerable
effort Denzler has put into chronicling the world of ufology and its
relationship with science and religion is rendered worthless by what she calls
“a sympathetic yet critical” approach. Sympathetic, yes, critical, no—at
least so far as UFOs are concerned.
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Abductees have made “a considerable contribution” to the UFO debate, says
Denzler. Government papers, on the other hand, have “left little reason to doubt
that there had been a conspiracy of silence about UFO-related phenomena”.
Sceptical demands for one good case of a UFO encounter she derides as
“ever-changing standards”.
There may be interesting things to be said about why science does not study
UFOs as visitors from another planet/another time, but you won’t find them
here.
On religion, Denzler’s work is more useful. Although contactees often use
terms of spiritual awe, ufology does not qualify as a religion. In the light of
Britain’s new anti-terrorism act, that’s excellent news: at least no one will be
thrown into jail for treating it as a joke.
