Do you believe alien abductions take place?

You mean like "Space Aliens Abduct Elvis's Brain"? No, I don't think so.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect not.

spirt

Nope, not me.

Yup. They take loners that people won't miss.

There are no 'aliens', so of course not.

dunno for sure...

Sorry, but you're blibbering. Did an alien abduct your tongue?

I believe there is intelligent life out there somewhere, but I don't believe they waste their time and resources abducting Earthlings.

It happens, to loners like me. =( None would notice!

I can accept that there probably was or will be other life out there, somewhere, somewhen. However, the odds of any of them existing within several billion years of us are so spectacularly infinitesimal that is isn't even worth considering that we will ever find traces of them, never mind actually make contact with them.

And that is ignoring the likelihood that they existed or will exist near enough to us that we could reach the location where they were/will be in the lifespan of our civilization.

I think there are some that are reasonably close (in cosmic distances), but I don't think they would bother coming to this little dirtball.

No, put the phenomena of people claiming to be is certainly interesting. Where does it come from? Desire for attention? Alienation from society? Lack of spiritualism? A need to replace God in an increasingly godless society?

The most plausible explanation I have heard is that it is a societally accepted outlet for repressed memories of childhood abuse.

That...could very well be true.

A potentially related phenomenon has people claiming their parents ritually abused them (often Satanic) under hypnosis. Where there is generally no evidence of such a thing and basically it probably never happened. I think the psychologist get blamed for that, rewarding the answers they seek (abuse) while the patient is in a suggestible state. Still, repressed memories are shaky ground. I would think that there's some deeper reason.

How do you know the aliens didn't just plant repressed memories of child abuse in the abductees' heads, which then lead to false memories of alien abduction?

Maybe they just replace the abductees with replicants.

Why would they do that? How can they learn anything about us if they perform their horrible experiments on replicants? And plus, how can they take over our society from within if they leave the abductees at home? No wonder they always lose in the movies, if they're that stupid.

No, no, no, I mean the aliens keep the abductees in the UFOs with them, and send replicants back to earth so no one will miss them. But they implant memories in the replicants' brains--and maybe also the information they'll need when the aliens are ready to take over!

No, it doesn't work that way at all. The replicants actually retain...um...I mean that's what I...uh...what I mean to say is that...uh...forget I said anything. There are definitely no replicants. At all.

*suspicious*
Hmmmm...well, if you say so.

If ILJ says it's so, it's so. Now, free from fear, I can go about my regularly scheduled business of electing ILJ to positions of great political power without worrying that he will take over the planet and hand it over to some horrific alien menace. What a relief!

I've got a great campaign slogan too: "Vote ILJ...he's no damn alien replicant, that's for sure!"

I'm sold!

And that plicant is just a coincidence. Really. *nods* No need to worry folks. We are your friends. Erm... I mean we... err... that is I am... err... I've got to go.

i think its a big government conspiracy.

Be careful. We know who you are and where you live. >

Yes, and I'm currently on an alien spaceship

So, what's it like? Are they friendly? Do they treat you well? Can you understand them? Do they create weird sex surveys and make you take them? Enquiring people want to know!

Actually, It's very comfortable here, and I'm thinking of staying. They are very friendly, well, as far as I know considering I don't know what they're saying. Oh yes, lots and lots of sex surveys!!!! ;)

You should post some pictures. Of course, they would probably be the almost-focused, just-blurry-enough-that-you-can't-tell-what-they-are-exactly photos, but that's okay.

cool. do you have cable?

Wouldn't that be a bit restrictive? It would be like having a leash on the spaceship. They have sub-space satellite.

Are you kidding! They've got a satellite dish! I get over 300 channels! It's heaven up here!!!!!

Literally, eh?

Ha! Yeah! :)

I don't know, but I doubt it.

i think *something* has happened to these people to cause them to think that they have had these experiences, but i don't think aliens had anything to do with it.

exactly. the aliens look so very humanoid, for instance.