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Letter and the "Face" on Mars
HELLO GARY!
Rec'd my Darkness to Light and enjoyed it very much.... I enjoyed the Star Trek/ ET article [Sci-Fi, ETs, and the Ways of God; "ET" is an abbreviation for "extraterrestrial" - editor].
... In the Bible we are told Christ came to die once for all. How can we take that? Well, if there is life some where else (and I don't believe there is) then He died for them too. That's the best news of all to me! But, no, I don't believe in life other than us here on earth and the angels in heaven, which is not covered under the blood. I mean, Jesus could not die to cover the sins of the fallen angels because they are not flesh and blood. I'm getting off track here, but if I make a good point feel free to use it.
OK, my question: Have you ever seen the booklet War in Heaven by N.W. Hutchings? ... It's a neat booklet - some interesting thoughts. But, it refers to a "Face" on Mars. They assume it is like the Sphynx in Egypt, but just a face. There is a photo of it! They refer to a book: Unusual Martian Surface Features....
Are you familiar with this? I never heard of it before, though
it was discovered in 1972 (I think). I used to be an "ET
nut" and not sure why I don't recall this sighting and
photos. Since you seem to like to dig and research, do you have
any info at all on this? ...
I believe Adam had a super intelligence and possibly some of his offspring did too - before the bloodline began to deteriorate man. I guess I would not be too surprised to one day learn that they were able to travel in space (before the flood), although I do doubt it.
I also don't believe all the DUMB/ GRUNTING CAVEMAN thoughts and how he looked more like a destitute wine-o than he probably really was. I believe the great flood covered up a lot of things that God wanted covered up; stuff we don't need to know or see (yet)... What counts is God sent His Son and He died for my sins! That is fact and is good news! ... Peace, P.B.; Jackson, MI
Response:
The letter writer raises some interesting points, which I will comment upon briefly. First, I will probably address the subject of life on other planets more in the future.
Suffice it to say here, there may be extraterrestrial life, or there may not be. If there is, the idea would not be incompatible with the Bible. It would, however, raise some interesting theological questions, like the one he mentions about Jesus having died once for all time (see Heb 9:12,26-28). And he is correct in saying the angels are "not covered under the blood" (see Heb 2:14-17).
Second, his comments about Adam and "dumb/ grunting caveman" are very astute. I have always found it very irritating when a "caveman" is drawn with a hairy body, ape-like nose, thick neck, and wearing crude clothing. It is simply impossible to know from a fossilized skeleton how much hair someone had on his body, what his nose looked like, how thick his neck was, or what kind of clothes he wore. It is all pure conjecture. The skeleton could just as easily be "dressed up" to look like a modern-day businessman.
Third, about the "Face" on Mars, I had originally written a section on this subject for the article on ETs, but had to omit it due to space limitations in the original newsletter. Since I have received questions about it, below is the section as it would have appeared under the subtitle, "'Proofs' for the Existence of ETs."
THE "FACE" ON MARS:
Similar to Eric von Daniken's
"ancient astronauts" thesis is a claim made in an often
seen commercial on the "Sci-Fi Channel." The commercial
discusses a configuration which was photographed on Mars by one
of the Viking probes. It claims this object looks like a giant,
human face. The commercial compares the "face" to the
face of the Sphinx and says they look similar.
The commercial also says pyramids are discernible under layers of dust in the picture. And for $19.95 the viewer can attain further such evidence of life (or, at least, former life) on Mars.
But is this "face" really a construction of intelligent beings? NASA has long maintained that the apparent face and other supposed objects are just shapes caused by "tricks" of light and shadows on the rugged surface of the red planet, not to mention the overactive imaginations of people want there to be ETs.
The question could have been answered once for all by the Mars probe which was set to orbit Mars in August 1994. But, unfortunately, it was lost. The most likely cause was "cheap" fuel pipes NASA was forced to use due to space program, budget cuts. When the engines were fired to place the probe in orbit, one of the pipes probably broke. The releasing fuel set the probe spinning out of control, and contact was lost (from an episode of Inside Space on the "Sci-Fi Channel").
But this simple explanation is not sufficient for some. So a "conspiracy" theory has been put forth. The idea is, the government knows there is (or, was) life on Mars (and elsewhere in the universe), but is covering up the fact from the public.
The TV show X-Files uses the idea of such a massive government conspiracy as the basis for many of its story lines. However, even Chris Carter (the creator and co-executive producer of X-Files) does not believe such a conspiracy actually exists. He states, "... I tend to think that the government runs out of chaos, and the organization of thought or systems inside the government is a joke. That's why I find most conspiracy theories difficult to believe" (Sci-Fi Entertainment, December 1994, p.76).
In other words, the government is simply too incompetent to pull off the massive conspiracy claimed for it by UFO/ ET conspiracy advocates.
The "Face" is also discussed in Martian Life, Evolution, and Creation.
Books and eBooks by Gary F. Zeolla, the Director of Darkness to Light
The above letters originally appeared in Darkness to Light
newsletter in 1995.
They were posted on this Web site in July 1996.
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