Question:

My son has been asking a lot of questions regarding a guy named Mauro Biglino, who, I understand, has translated a number of books from the Old Testament. His conclusions, in essence, are similar to those of Erich von Denizen and Zechariah Sitchin.  Basically they say that we were created by an alien race.   I’ve discussed with my son the fact that language is complex and translations vary significantly and I have spoken with him about the fact that we still have oral tradition which seems to line up with what we have today as the Bible (certainly re the Old Testament). Other areas of concern about Mauro Biglino pertain to his premise that the word “God” is not in the Bible.   Have you come across Mauro Biglino and what do you make of his conclusions?

Answer:

Mauro Biglino is  one of those really “out there” guys.  He is into pseudoscience.  To put it in the vernacular, he is really “whacky.”   Erich von Daniken (I believe this is the correct spelling) is another of these really bizarre, unscientific people.  I believe he (van Daniken) is into this for the money and the fame.  I do not know the motivation of Biglino, but no well-educated person would take him seriously.  My guess is that Biglino is also into this irrational claim purely for the fame and profit.  Surely no Christian would take him seriously.  He is in the same category as UFO believers or those who are into the Loch Ness monster.  These people cannot be taken seriously.

My advice will depend on the age of your son.  If he is 12 or 13 or something like that, I would try to give him some room to explore for himself.  Maybe you could ask him some questions, such as whether there is any evidence for alien visitors.  Does the scripture actually say that there are aliens anywhere?   However, I would suggest you guide him through how to think about this, but not rebuke him for going in some odd directions, at least for a while.  Such young minds are being formed and the rational facilities are not fully developed yet.  If your son is more like 17 or 18, that would be more concerning to me.  Belief in junk scholarship like that of Mauro Biglino is evidence that he is not learning how to think well.  He might be the kind who is subject to conspiracy theories and all kinds of crazy, pseudoscientific stuff.  If he is willing to engage in an intellectual discussion, I would suggest you really confront (lovingly, but firmly) the logical fallacy and the false thinking involved in believing in aliens—especially aliens who created humans—and specifically proposing that the Bible is talking about aliens.

I hope you understand why my advice is different for the different ages.  For a pre- or early teen, they are just beginning to learn how to ask and answer logical questions, and a certain amount of investigation of the outrageous and the irrational is normal, but for someone entering adulthood who is susceptible to crazy thinking, that is concerning—or at least it would be for me!

By the way, the English word “God” is obviously not in the Bible, but certainly the Greek word “God” (theos)  and the Hebrew word “God” (El or Elohim) are in the Bible hundreds of times each!!!  Mauro Biglino is flat out wrong on this.   It is arguably true that the word YHWH (Jehovah) is not the word God, which he may be pointing out, but El certainly is, as is theos.

What do I make of Mauro Biglino?  He is an opportunist who is trying to make a profit out of his pseudo-scholarship.  He absolutely should NOT be taken seriously.

John Oakes