The Lure of the Edge: Scientific passions,
religious beliefs and the pursuit of UFOs
by Brenda Denzler, University of California Press,
$35/拢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. 鈥淭he
universality of the question,鈥� she decides, 鈥渋s one clue to the importance of
the UFO phenomenon in the unfolding history of the West.鈥� I suspect it鈥檚 a clue
that people think she鈥檚 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
鈥渁 sympathetic yet critical鈥� approach. Sympathetic, yes, critical, no鈥攁t
least so far as UFOs are concerned.
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Abductees have made 鈥渁 considerable contribution鈥� to the UFO debate, says
Denzler. Government papers, on the other hand, have 鈥渓eft little reason to doubt
that there had been a conspiracy of silence about UFO-related phenomena鈥�.
Sceptical demands for one good case of a UFO encounter she derides as
鈥渆ver-changing standards鈥�.
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鈥檛 find them
here.
On religion, Denzler鈥檚 work is more useful. Although contactees often use
terms of spiritual awe, ufology does not qualify as a religion. In the light of
Britain鈥檚 new anti-terrorism act, that鈥檚 excellent news: at least no one will be
thrown into jail for treating it as a joke.