The Admiral

I just read Richard Carriers essay "Why I Don't Buy the Ressurection Story". It is very good but I would like to make one comment.

Near the bottom of page four he is talking about the speed with which myth making can begin and he mentions the Roswell incident and says that the myths concerning Roswell began only 30 years after the incident. I can assure you that it started much earlier. Within 5 years or less. I can pin the time that I first heard of it, the myth, not the incident, to within less than 3 years. I remember where I was, what I was doing and even the name of the person I was listening too. I never saw him before and have never seen him since but he was a spellbinding talker. I personally believe that myths can begin to form almost immediately after an event.

The Admiral

diana

Interesting point. I suspect Mr. Carrier was giving an outside figure to be on the safe side. It probably depends on the myth.

In the case of Roswell, there was a lot of government cover-up involved, and when that happens, people's imaginations go crazy. Quite the fertile ground for a good alien myth.

In the case of a guy being hanged on a cross, where there were supposedly hundreds of eyewitnesses to his resurrection, I'd say you might have to wait a little longer.

d

Kosh

But.... the government says the myths about Roswell didn't start until the 70s. Why would they lie?

Rusting Car Bumper

I'll have to read his article but I think he is refering to specific aspects of the myth about Roswell. Specifically Carrier talks about alien bodies.

However, I am confident you will not find any literary references to alien bodies at Roswell unti well afterward. This shows how myths grow over time. Many people take as fact that the Roswell incident has always been about the debris and alien bodes when in fact that is not the case.

DC

[ December 05, 2002: Message edited by: DigitalChicken ]</p>

The Admiral

slip of the finger. edited by me.

[ December 06, 2002: Message edited by: The Admiral ]</p>

The Admiral

Digital

&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;I'll have to read his article but I think he is refering to specific aspects of the myth about Roswell. Specifically Carrier talks about alien bodies. &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

Yes, but I heard about those alien bodies in the incident I described above which occurred no later than 1953, more likely 1952.

The Admiral

Rusting Car Bumper

Why aren't they in any of the literature including the UFO "research" group literature? In fact UFO "research" groups in the 60s never rated Roswell as one of their top cases. What a minute? Actual physical debris and an alien body doesn't count as one of the top incidents?

In fact, you don't even read this in the few press accounts that exist from the day. This demonstrates how these get started or believed.

"I *know* I heard about that back in &lt;whatever year&gt;." Its all in the storytelling and it's not in any of the printed reports that started it all to begin with.

Carrier gave an excellent list of references in that article. I might suggest investigating them.

DC

The Admiral

Digital

I do not know the answers to your questions. I do know that the story of the alien bodies and other items was circulating orally within a very short time after the incident. The more thought I give to it I think it must have been 1951 that I heard it but 1952 at the latest. Does that sound like myth making or not?

You seem to feel that I am being critical of Richard Carrier, which is not my intention at all.

The Admiral