Should We as Christians Be Taking These Things More Seriously?
Matt S – Guest Writer AMTM – December 10 – 2024.
All scriptural references will be the New American Standard Bible 1995 unless otherwise stated.
Introduction.
The idea of discussing UFOs (UAPs), Cryptids and the Bible is a very big topic. In this discussion I need you as the reader to understand that this is my opinion, observations and commentary in this area. So, I will need to break it down into a number of parts in order to avoid lulling the most steadfast reader into a state of semi-consciousness. Heaven forbid that I would be responsible for having poor Tony overwhelmed with a multitude of complaints about the unwieldy length of Matt’s first article for a while. Hmm….. maybe Tony is going to cop some flak!!
On a more serious note, the topic of cryptids, sasquatch and UFOs are not a topic that I would normally write about. I would also add that I am not an academic or a Biblical scholar, I do the best that I can with the resources available to me, however, handling Biblical truth is very important to me. If I discuss an idea that is speculative or opinion, I will generally state that. For me, this has been more of a fringe interest area, however, of late I have been aware that many more Christians seem to be taking an interest in cryptids and UFOs (or the new acronym UAPs currently being used), and I do have some concerns about how Christians are dealing with the area of Sasquatch, UFOs and Cryptids in general.
Cryptids.
I thought it best to start with cryptids, and more specifically the Sasquatch, most commonly known as Bigfoot. I prefer the name Sasquatch as, in my humble opinion, Bigfoot, even though it might be an apt description, sounds a bit goofy!! The word Sasquatch means “Wild Men” from the American Indian Salish word se’sxac. That’s also an apt description.
In this article I want to focus on the Sasquatch. The topic of cryptids is a rather large one, and it seems that Sasquatch is the most well-known of the cryptid family. There are several suggestions I would like to make, regarding how Christians may approach the subject of Sasquatch from a biblical perspective. As already stated, these suggestions are based on my observations of how I see Christians approaching, and dealing with information on cryptids in the online community.
A quick search of the internet will reveal that there are a great many creatures listed as cryptids, creatures such as the goat man, the dog man, the moth man, sea serpents, marine dinosaur like creatures, terrestrial dinosaur like creatures, apelike creatures and many other very strange creatures. For the sake of keeping things focused, I will discuss cryptids in more general terms in the next article on cryptids.
Sasquatch is a cryptid, and what is a cryptid you may ask? A very simple definition from Dictionary.com describes cryptids as “a creature whose reported existence is unproved, such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster: the subject of cryptozoology:” For the most part the Sasquatch seems to fit neatly into this definition.
The Sasquatch.
Sasquatch seem to be mostly reported in the northern Americas (USA, Canada & Alaska) although Sasquatch-like creatures are reported in other countries in the world. We even have a Sasquatch-like creature reported here in my home country of New Zealand, it is referred to as the Moehau man. The pre-European Maori of New Zealand had accounts of a very large aggressive hairy bipedal creature that had no love for them. Australia has the Yowie, a Sasquatch-like creature known in Aboriginal folklore for possibly thousands of years, (thanks Louise B for the info on this)
Burgeoning Interest.
As I have stated I have had a fleeting interest in cryptids over the years, however, about nine months ago I decided to go back and have a look at what was happening with the online Sasquatch community, and was surprised to find that interest had increased significantly, there was a veritable explosion in reports, information and documentaries on the Sasquatch. What surprised me more (as mentioned) were the number of Christians becoming involved in doing videos, podcasts, documentaries and research into the Sasquatch. Around eight to ten years ago there were maybe two to three Christians that I was aware of, discussing the Sasquatch and other cryptids, now there are dozens and dozens of Christians taking an interest in this area.
The knowledge base and sophistication around reporting, verification and gathering of potential biological scientific evidence has increased considerably in the last few years. Those taking an interest in cryptids are still ridiculed to some degree, especially those who are scientists. One that comes to mind is Dr Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University. Jeff has taken an interest in examining the foot patterns & biomechanical attributes of alleged Sasquatch footprints, handprints and other bodily impressions. He has been able to determine footprints that are hoaxes and much more, including the approximate weight, sex, age-group, gait and posture of alleged Sasquatch individuals. It is this type of evidence that is making the Sasquatch and other cryptids more credible entities.
I Want to Believe.
Do I believe the Sasquatch exists? I would have to say yes, and in saying that, I have never seen a Sasquatch or gone looking for them. It would be nice to have “flesh and blood” scientifically proven evidence that these creatures do in fact really exist. Although it is my speculation, that we will not see any “flesh and blood” evidence of the Sasquatch any time in the near future. I have my reasons for this and believe that there is a spiritual basis for it.
The reason I believe the Sasquatch exists is due to the numerous accounts from very credible witnesses, the use of sophisticated monitoring and detection equipment, and the retrieval of some unusual biological samples in areas Sasquatch have been reported. Attempts are being made to try and retrieve DNA samples to build up a data base of information on the Sasquatch, although this is probably pretty tricky given that we don’t know where the DNA comes from. Some possible results have yielded what appears to be non-human primate e-DNA in areas that do not have known primates.
Gone are the days where Sasquatch sightings were relegated to the realm of fringe lunacy, where those reporting Sasquatch sightings were accused of smoking a bit too much “weed”, or dropping a little too much “acid”, or seeking attention and notoriety for the sake of making a quick dollar. I have no doubt that there were weed smokin’, acid droppin’ attention seeking hucksters wanting to make a quick buck on the Sasquatch phenomena, and those people still are still around today, but they don’t seem to last too long before someone from the Sasquatch community weeds them out (excuse the pun).
You had the famous Patterson-Gimlin movie footage in the late sixties that seemed to kick off burgeoning interest in the Sasquatch. Prior to that there were a smattering of reported Sasquatch encounters, (probably many more unreported encounters), however, those reporting these encounters were ridiculed, lost friends, jobs and good standing in the community. I believe that the real numbers of Sasquatch sighting are considerably more than those reported, simply because of scepticism and the fear of ridicule. These days people may roll their eyes behind your back if you mention you have an interest in the Sasquatch, but some may ask questions. With the advent of the internet, information is much more readily available now.
Much earlier in 1924 there was an event called the Battle for Ape Canyon in the area of Mt St Helens California, this incident was reported by a group of gold prospectors who said they were confronted by hairy ape men, they reported shooting one that subsequently fell into the canyon, after this they quickly made their way back to the cabin. During the night the prospectors were attacked in their cabin with rocks and boulders and physical charges on the cabin itself. The prospectors fought back, shooting at the large dark shapes assaulting and trying to gain entry to the cabin. The prospectors survived the night and fled the area the next morning.
Patterns of Behaviour.
In the last nine months I have watched and listened to hundreds of hours of interviews, documentaries and research programs about Sasquatch. Over time I have started to see patterns of behaviour attributed to these creatures. One that stands out is the reporting of what seems to be supernatural behaviour or supernatural events surrounding Sasquatch encounters. Those of you who regularly watch Sasquatch related material will know what I mean.
There is one word that seems to define Sasquatch for those actively researching them, and that word is “Elusive”. Reported encounters seem to indicate that Sasquatch, although curious about humans, tend to be impossible to track. Sasquatch, when detected by humans, seem to be expert at evading any efforts to engage them. Scott Carpenter, a Christian who carried out a great deal of research into Sasquatch (Scott recently passed away unexpectedly) used a novel method of recording video, he mounted a small video camera on his back to capture footage from behind him, as he walked the trails. Scott recorded what he believed to be images of Sasquatch watching him from dense foliage, he even appeared to have footage of a Sasquatch-like creature materialising on the path behind him. Scott’s son Travis has taken over posting Sasquatch information on his dad’s website “Sasquatch Awareness Project”.
Something that got my attention in several accounts about Sasquatch in face to face encounters, was that the individuals reported that the Sasquatch had a look of absolute murderous hate in its eyes, looking like it wanted to tear them limb from limb, however there seemed to be something restraining the Sasquatch (sorry, I don’t have the specific references to this material). If you have watched plenty of interviews, you may have heard of this also. Sasquatch have been reported to have been very aggressive toward dogs, some encounters report dogs being torn apart, apart from this being very gruesome and nasty, it would require great physical strength.
There are many accounts where Sasquatch will engage in nuisance behaviour and harassment, disrupting campers at night by throwing large rocks and branches, stealing food, running through and tearing up campsites, shrieking and howling, all without being clearly visually witnessed. There seems to be plenty of physical evidence and the odd grainy trail-cam photo, but these creatures seem to be agents of stealth and covert operations, masters of their environment.
Sasquatch seem to be unpredictable in temperament, they are called wild men for a reason. When observed they will mostly depart the area and evade detection, however, they are reported to often behave in a very violent and aggressive behaviour if confronted, some areas of the US report more aggression from Sasquatch than other regions. They may perhaps react defensively when encountered, but they may be showing territorial behaviour, “get off my land” type stuff. There are other behaviours that suggest that they are vindictive with groups of Sasquatch harassing campers and hikers. There are more sinister reports of Sasquatch carrying off children and potentially killing people, and these incidents may account for missing people. There are also reports from the American Indian tribes that Sasquatch will indulge in eating the people they catch, particularly children.
Sasquatch are thought to build nests like gorillas and other apes. Stick and branch arrangements are also found around nesting and possible Sasquatch territories, these stick arrangements may be some form of non-verbal communication and markers. Sasquatch are regarded as being somewhat nocturnal with excellent night vision given their escapades through camping areas in the dark of night.
Sasquatch Physical Stature.
Sasquatch also seem to attain great physical size. Compared to humans they are reported to be huge, ranging from 6 to 15 foot tall, this is around 2 to 4.5 meters tall, that is a big beastie. It reminds me of descriptions of giants in the Bible that were comparable in size (more on that later). Sasquatch are described as very muscular and broad shouldered, covered in thick black or dark brown, reddish brown to light blonde coloured hair. They are reported to be incredibly athletic and have demonstrated great feats of strength. Sasquatch have been witnessed running up steep hillsides with ease, or bounding across roads in just a few strides, tearing down small trees or throwing large logs, tossing large boulders that you and I would struggle to budge.
Sasquatch are reported to have facial features that are described as somewhere between a man and an ape. They also seem to have a huge vocal range with fear and panic inducing screams, to animal mimicry. They can apparently imitate the sound of a crying child or babies, it is not clear why they do this, but perhaps a little sinister. They seem to have some type of language as evidenced by the Sierra Sounds recordings from Ron Moorhead. Ron has a Part 2 recordingwhere it sounds like they are speaking Japanese. It does sound like vocalised language, and complex sentence structure with questioning tones.
My take on Ron’s second recording is that Ron interrupted a Sasquatch domestic dispute where Mr Sasquatch has arrived home with the wild boar for dinner, but he forgot to pick up the Sasquatch brand nut milk infant formula, so, he’s copping a serious telling off from Mrs Sasquatch…….. Well…….it could be that!!
As heard in the first recording it appears that they also communicate with “tree knocks”, this sounds a bit like a morse code to communicate over longer distances. Sasquatch seem to have a wide range of whoops and howls to add into the mix. There are reports of mysterious aspects to their vocalisations, but more on this later.
Another physical characteristic is a foul smell associated with Sasquatch encounters. Tom Sewid, a First Nations Sasquatch investigator believes that Sasquatch have musk glands in their armpits, much like Skunks have these glands to use as a repellent. The odour emitted by Sasquatch is described as exceedingly foul, like skunk and rotting meat, rotten eggs and wet dog smell, not a great combination at all. It would be enough to put you off your lunch for a week or two.
We could not conclude this section without reference to the very large footprints that have been found in the reported areas of Sasquatch encounters and reported activity. In some ways this might be some of the best tangible evidence of Sasquatch. Dr Jeff Meldrum (previously mentioned in this article) has done extensive scientific study of alleged Sasquatch plaster footcasts, and has been able to find evidence that would be incredibly difficult to reproduce in the form of a hoax footprint. These footprints appear to show dermal ridges (photo of dermal ridge on finger), these footcasts were examined by Police Forensic Expert Jimmy Chilcutt and found to have evidence of dermal ridges. The depth of these tracks also indicate a creature of considerable weight, with a range of lengths from 13 in or 33cm up to 24in or 60cm, averaging 17in or 43cm, that is a seriously big footed entity.
Sasquatch Encounters From Native American Indians and First Nations People.
I cannot complete this article without a mention of the Native American Indians and the First Nations People of the Canada/Alaska regions. They have a long history of encounters (many hundreds if not thousands of years) with Sasquatch, and indeed Sasquatch are enshrined into their lore and spirituality. There are many articles and videos on this subject. Tom Sewid (already mentioned) is a good source of information on Sasquatch and Native Peoples Lore in North America. I refer you to an interview Tom did with Blurry Creatures that delves into this area (if you watch it, be prepared for some language).
That concludes Part One of this series of Four, be sure to watch for the next instalment coming soon. In Part Two I will delve into the Supernatural Paranormal aspects of Sasquatch that I believe you will find interesting, but perhaps very concerning.
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