Current discussions regarding the reaction of American religious communities to possible disclosure of Non-Human Intelligences (NHI) mirrors historical debates regarding meteorite falls and aurora sightings dating back to the early 1700s. In the pamphlet "A Voice from Heaven, An Account Of a Late Uncommon Appearance in the Heavens, With REMARKS upon it" (1719) ( https://ia601908.us.archive.org/27/items/voicefromheavena00math/voicefromheavena00math.pdf ), prominent Massachusetts Puritan clergyman, biologist, and Fellow of the :Royal Society of London, Cotton Mather (1663 - 1728) reports that in the evening of 11 Dec. 1719 a translucent red Aurora Borealis was seen all over New England. He describes this in some detail, but notes that the scientific knowledge of the time was insufficient to adequately explain that and many other atmospheric phenomena. Even the extent of the atmosphere was uncertain "tho' tis pretended" to be less than 50 miles by extrapolation of barometric readings. While Mather ridicules belief that essentially all works of nature should be ascribed to "the Operations of Angels Good & Bad, Intellectual & Voluntary Agents", there should be no doubt "That the Angels both Good and Bad , are sometimes particularly concerned about the Meteors in this Atmosphere; the Tempests, and the Thunders raised there", and that further scientific study will bear that out. Mather cautions that "People are never more fanciful and whimsical, their imaginations are never more fertile, than when they have Uncommon Occurrences in the Clouds to work upon". He goes on to note that should he "Really see" what those with a strong imagination have supposed to be "the Sky covered with Phantasms of Swords and Spears and Rivers of Blood and Armies or Navies Engaging one another and the Canon with a roaring mouth vomiting out Fire upon one another", he doesn't know that he would consider that more ominous than the everyday evil being done by people in the society around him. While Mather believes that meteors and Northern Lights are natural manifestations, such "Rare Sights" may be calling us to look to the heavens more and think about being less worldly and "converse in a more Divine way, with more Heavenly Objects". Mather (as a Puritan minister would be expected) ends on an apocalyptic note that whether or not such heavenly events are a "Warning of a tremendous Conflagration" associated with the end times, "the Day may be very Near" when other earthly signs warn us to prepare for it as well. I expect that current American religious leaders will navigate the shoals of any significant NHI "Disclosure" just as well. submitted by /u/SpookSkywatcher [link] [comments]