Fatima Revisited: The Apparition Phenomenon in Ufology, Psychology, and Science [Paperback]

Having read the first two volumes in this series with great interest, I have been disappointed in this last one. It is simply a collection of essays by skeptics who are determined to take the inexplicable events of Fatima and turn themn into things such as seismic activity (six months in a row on the thriteenth of each month and on schedule as predicted?). The "scientific" examination and theorizing is filled with sloppy reasoning in an effort to reduce everything to naturalism and scientific orthodoxy.

The Fatima phenomenon is a paramount event in the history of the Catholic Church. Its ramifications and effects on the masses were considerable. Outside the religious perimeter, scientists question its validity. Ufologists embraced it as a "Divine Apparition" carrying an extraterrestrial message.

Religious organizations- particularly in Portugal, Spain and Italy- venerated the apparition. Independent thinkers with tendency toward the occult believe that the Fatima phenomenon is a hollographic illusion. To find out a rational explanation of this phenomenon you should read this book.

Some 35 years ago, Padre Pio was referred to as an extraterrestrial incarnation in the body of a Catholic Priest. And centuries before him, saints who levitated were considered part saints and part etheric entities.

Today, the saints, the angels and the religious miracles are part of ufology. Strange? Possible? Read the book. It is fascinating.

"Fatima Revisited: The Apparition Phenomenon in Ufology, Psychology and Science", is the 3rd and final volume of a trilogy of books (in English) whose primary author is Portuguese professor/writer Joachim Fernandes, with some volumes co-authored by writer Fina D'Armada. These two authors have been among Portugal's most prominent resident UFOlogists for close to the last 30 years. The other books of the trilogy series are "Heavenly Lights: the Apparitions of Fatima and the UFO Phenomenon" and "Celestial Secrets: The Hidden History of the Fatima Incident". These books represent a general statement of the authors' long-term traditional work in this "UFOs at Fatima" fantasy, with additional material input from other authors, editors and translators.

The core theme of all 3 Volumes is to seek to co-opt and displace the well-known Fatima, Portugal visionary events of 1917 from one of a religious derivation, to one of UFOlogy origins. This is done by attempting to superimpose a case that although the authors agree that stupendous events did indeed occur there on October 13, 1917, they were in reality a major example of a visit to Earth by extraterrestrials in UFOs. Furthermore, they submit that they could not be the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord Jesus, as the Catholic Church has supported and promulgated as "worth of belief" for close to the last 80 years. The authors and promoters strive to buildup interest and credibility for this particular book series by highlighting their document research at the Fatima archives in 1978, and by being repeated exponents of the yes but "we saw the original documents of Fatima" mantra.

A brief summary follows of these original Fatima apparition reports. There were reported to be 6 major apparitions by a beautiful young lady on a small holm-oak tree (Carrasqueira) purported to be witnessed by 3 very young shepherd children, Lucia 10, Francisco 9 and Jacinta 7, beginning on May 13, 1917 and ending on October 13, 1917. The children reported that the lady announced on her final visit that she was "The Lady of the Rosary", known by Catholics worldwide to be none other than the Virgin Mary herself. This last visit climaxed with a 15 minute series of totally spectacular cosmic and solar phenomena, that has come to be known as the "Miracle of the Sun", and was reportedly witnessed by approx. 70,000 people, up to 40 miles away. On the prior July 13th, statements were made by the seer children of the prediction given to them by the lady that she would perform a miracle on Oct 13th, so that all may believe. This prediction spread quickly throughout Portugal and thus...the vast crowd that was in attendance on October 13th, as reported by all of the major secular newspapers of Portugal on that day.

"Fatima Revisited..." represents a partial overview of many of the aspects of the Fatima, 1917 events from the point of view of the ardent UFOlogists mainly responsible for these 3 works, so not a whole lot of new ground has been plowed by them in this particular volume. This last volume is mainly a compilation of essays from several of other top UFOlogists, an anthology of the world of the paranormal phenomena if you will, especially as it relates to the murky subject of UFOs and E.T.s. In some cases they might particularly try to supplant the existing religious conceptions of these very unusual Fatima events.

Some of the authors try to present a balanced view of their theories as they apply to the events of Fatima itself are concerned, but several of them also have a literary style that is consistent with the fundamental construction of the overall trilogy itself. This means that some sections are fraught with opinions, perceptions, and possibilities that are stated in a manner as if they are indisputable facts. Something reminiscent is often treated as something akin to empirical evidence that guarantees their own versions of the events. Not all, but a significant portion of the essays are an effort to take their own long held biased notions on UFOs and E.T.s and then do everything possible to mold and shoe-horn their own pre-conceived paranormal theories into a new ground-breaking reinterpretation of what had actually occurred at Fatima in 1917.

This opinion of mine above is similar to statements that authors Dr Jacques F. Vallee and Dr Eric W. Davis have offered in their essay chapter of this very volume; namely, (paraphrasing) that UFOlogists have consistently ignored or minimized seemingly absurd behaviors that contradict the view of an extraterrestrial involvement and have selectively used data that fits their own plans or versions of the event's theory. Well said!...Drs. Vallee and Davis. This captures one of the main points of all of my critical reviews of this trilogy set; there is nothing in this entire set of volumes that I have read that I have agreed with more.!!

"Celestial Secrets..." was a perfect example of the literary style described by myself above, and I have offered several examples of exactly that kind of behavior in my previous review of that volume.

To any believers of UFOlogy reading this, my critical review is not directed toward those who steadfastly embrace a belief system of extraterrestrials visiting Earth in UFOs, as I sincerely believe that everyone deserves a right to believe in whatever system he or she embraces. My main point has been that the principal authors of this trilogy have not produced any credible or compelling evidence that E.T.s were responsible for the well-known events of Fatima in 1917, but have instead used sloppy, sophistic, and distortion producing methods in an attempt to do so.

On a positive note, "Fatima Revisited..." could prove to be a useful mother lode of paranormal theories for UFOlogy aficionados around the world, taken from writers who are well schooled in the fields of currently unexplainable events and paranormal behaviors. Sincerely, if this is the case, then I would hope that they all would enjoy reading it. However, I would then strongly issue a caveat to do so with the understanding that it is definitely not a work of careful, straightforward, definitive research that begins by assuming nothing as established fact and allows empirical evidence to build its way to the truth, as regards the stupendous events that occurred at Fatima in 1917.

(Please check my earlier reviews on this site for both "Heavenly Lights..." and "Celestial Secrets...").

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