FACT OR FAITH

A quantum leap of faith

Christopher Bader, a sociology professor at the conservative Baptist Baylor University, has a particular interest in people who say they are UFO abductees or victims of religion-linked ritual abuse.
His study of the two groups was published in a recent issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Bader, a Presbyterian, was able to get 55 of the UFO folks and 51 ritual-abuse survivors to anonymously fill out forms detailing their ages, education levels and other demographic information.
Of the 51 UFO abductees, 32 were women; 48 said they were white, six identified themselves as Native American (three chose both categories), 34 attended some college and 29 were white-collar workers. Most said they found some positive aspects to their experience.
Of the 48 ritual-abuse survivors, all were white women; 44 had attended college; and of the 21 then employed, 18 were white-collar workers. This was an unhappy population, and most reported that they had dozens of personalities.