Strange Beliefs Backgrounder

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Strange Beliefs Populate Human History

Every generation has embraced its share of strange beliefs. Below is a sample of 12 myths that had been once popularly accepted but have been debunked. Chris Hallquist asserts in his new book, UFO’s, Ghosts, and A Rising God: Debunking the Resurrection of Jesus, that we must keep these myths in perspective when examining allegations of all kinds, whether of aliens, the paranormal or religion.

 The belief that in ancient times, extraterrestrials visited Earth to give humans the technology they needed to build various architectural wonders, such as the ancient pyramids (promoted in Erich von Daniken’s book Chariots of the Gods?).

  1. The belief that the war between God and Lucifer began on a distant planet called Car and involved nuclear weapons (held by a 1950’s UFO cult).
  2. The belief that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are two separate beings. The former created the world, while the latter had nothing to do with the world before Jesus, and came into the world to save people from the vengefulness of the Old Testament God (second-century Christian heresy).
  3. The belief that there are ethereal “Akashic Records” containing information on all events past, present, and future (tenet of Theosophy, a religion that originated in the 19th century).
  4. The belief that all diseases can be diagnosed by examining a person’s iris (“iridology”).
  5. The belief that there are “E-rays” that come up from the center of the earth through “hot spots.” Knowing the location of these hot spots is quite important because E-rays are cancer-causing, but these spots can only be detected by dowsers (originated in modern Germany).
  6. The belief that a person’s character traits can be determined by facial features (“Phyisiognomyamy,” an idea popular in 19th century.)
  7. The belief that a strange rock formation found off the coast of Bimini was, in fact, a road built by the lost civilization of Atlantis (originated in 1968).
  8. The belief that diseases can be cured by substances that cause their symptoms (a tenet of homeopathy).
  9.  The belief that the Sun is inhabited and the Earth flat.
  10.  The belief that the Earth is a hollow sphere with a civilization on the inside, and UFOs are vehicles produced by that civilization.
  11.  The belief that the Earth is a hollow sphere with a civilization on the inside, and we are that civilization (proposed in 1870 by one Cyrus Teed).