SIGHTINGS



Balanced Critique Of
Alford vs Sitchin &
Von Daniken
4-27-00

 
 
The following is a transcript of conversation with writer-researcher Ron Bach regarding hypotheses of Alan F. Alford, Zecharia Sitchin, and Erich von Daniken. Mr. Bach's earlier articles are available by entering 'Ron Bach' in our site search engine.
 
JR = Jeff Rense RB = Ron Bach
 
JR: Hi Ron, it has been more than one year since we talked about UFOs and comets/asteroids and the end of the world...
 
RB: Well, yes Jeff, true. Last we talked was what predicted... hits in November or August? Anyway, a lot has happened since. Firstly, as I noted in my previous articles at your site, neither the asteroids arrived nor was Y2K a serious issue. But I was rather intrigued by Alford's three-part article about ancient mystery schools, religion, God, heaven, and underworld. So I wanted to put things in their right perspective. So, here I am trying to be supportive as well as presenting a balanced critique to your audience.
 
JR: Do you mean you disagree with Alford's hypothesis?
 
RB: Well, yes and no. I am in a rather difficult position here as over these years I have become fond of Alan Alford, Erich von Daniken, and Zecharia Sitchin's writings. In fact, I myself have spent three decades researching ancient Sanskrit texts - what I fondly refer to as AST, and have come to a conclusion that all of us - humanity - have off-planet origins.
 
I would like to add that despite being critical of Richard Hoagland in my first article at your site, I support Hoagland's premise, amongst several other researchers, that we might have arrived here from Mars.
 
JR: Interesting. Please elaborate.
 
RB: Sure. If you remember, Alford's first book "The Gods of the New Millennium" was very supportive of both von Daniken and Sitchin's hypothesis. I might add that Sitchin only claims to be a reporter so I might be misusing the word hypothesis with his works, namely, "The Earth Chronicles" amongst others. However, in "The Phoenix Solution" and thereafter, Alford seems to have turned 180 degrees - by his own admission - of whatever he wrote or believed while compiling "The Gods of the New Millennium".
 
I personally believe that Alford was right on track with "The Gods of the New Millennium" but rather veered off course with his later works. However, I reiterate that this is my personal belief and I might be wrong, so please make your own decisions and judgments.
 
Now onto the Mars issue amongst other things, I am sure that your audience hears a lot about Mars and evidently after the "Face on Mars" issue, Mars is really getting hot. Ironically, ancient Sanskrit texts also refer to Mars as a hot planet and even the Chinese (Cantonese) call Mars "Fo Sing". Where "Fo" means fire and "Sing" means star.
 
As you know Jeff, I have lived in India, Nepal, China, and Hong Kong amongst several countries on all continents of our planet and I am very fluent with all these languages as well as their ancient literature. And my hobby or rather goal is similar to all researchers currently engaged in exploring mythology - meaning to explore our true origins.
 
Almost all cultures - especially Far East, Central Asia, as well as Middle East - that I have come across, strikingly bear the same parallels and same mythology, to the extent that even their creation stories as well as Gods are similar.
 
So when Alford says that the Gods were comets or what have you, I would have to totally disagree. For example, in his three-part article at your site, Alford allegorizes that:
 
"ONCE UPON A TIME, according to Sumerian lore, in the days before mankind had been created, a rogue demon known as Zu had stolen the so-called 'tablets of destiny' from the Earth, causing the crucial 'bond' between Heaven and Earth to be broken. As Zu flew off to his heavenly 'mountain', the gods on the Earth were plunged into darkness. Who would stand up to Zu and recover the magical tablets? The challenge was accepted by a god named Ningirsu, who soared up into the Sky and launched a fierce attack upon Zu, using seven mighty whirlwinds and fourteen storm-floods.
 
Zu was defeated. He was cast down to the Earth in the form of a 'Sling-Stone', and his heavenly 'mountain' was smashed into pieces, causing a huge flood of ice and rock to fall upon the Earth below. In triumph, Ningirsu returned to the Earth flying the 'Imdugud-bird' - the celestial vehicle of his defeated enemy Zu.
 
Thus it was that the Sumerian king Gudea came to build the Eninnu temple - commemorating not only the capture of the Imdugud-bird, but also the act of creation by Ningirsu, which fecundated the Earth and turned it into a lush garden of paradise."
 
I could cite you the Vedic references and specifically Markandya Purana - where Purana means genealogy and Markandya was a sage, which describes the exact same story. Only the name Zu is changed to Shumbh and Nishumbh in Sanskrit - notice the similarity to the pronunciation Zu in Sanskrit? And instead of Ningirsu it was Navdurga - where in Sanskrit Nav means nine and Durga means the Goddess mother. In fact if instead of reading the entire Markandya Purana in Sanskrit, if you only read the Chandi Paath - a religious text even read today in sub-continent India, you could basically get the same story in details that Alford is talking about. Although I doubt there is any English translation of that story and I will be happy to translate that mythological story in English on my upcoming web site if your audience so desires.
 
JR: You bring up the term God and these so-called beings, namely Zu and Ningirsu. Alford seems to suggest that God is a celestial or heavenly body that descended upon Earth. How do you see God and are you religious, if I may ask?
 
RB: Good question Jeff. First let me tell you that I am not religious in a conventional way. However, I am adamant that von Daniken and Sitchin are much closer to the truth about "Gods" being flesh and blood beings. However, I am puzzled that all of them, Alford, von Daniken, and Sitchin, ignore the Vedic literature and mythology. Sitchin has given some insights on Vedic cultures but in my opinion that is barely a preview. Vedic literature refers to what some believe are the oldest texts - for example Rg Veda - that we as humans possess. Vedic literature is written in Sanskrit and currently Sanskrit is written in Devanagri script whereas in the past Sanskrit was written in several rather outdated scripts one of which being the Brahmi script. I must add that Sanskrit is thought of predating the Sumerian clay tablets.
 
If you were to explore and exploit - and I consciously use the term exploit - Vedic literature scientifically, then you will realize that we humans were not as primitive as portrayed and Sumeria or Sumer certainly was not the first civilization as accredited by major universities around the world. In fact, "Sumeru Parvat" or rather Mount Sumeru in English is constantly mentioned in Vedas alongside the Saraswati River. And it is this mountain - as in mountains mentioned in ancient religious texts - that was part of the "Gods" abode, another mountain being "Kailas Parvat" or Mount Kailas in English.
 
The very fact that both Sumeru and Kailas mountains are extensively mentioned in Vedic texts indicate that the Vedic cultures were not descendants of Sumerian cultures but rather coexisted simultaneously. This, due to the proven fact that Saraswati River dried up around 2000 BCE
 
For example, let me highlight a place called Lothal that existed in what now is Gujarat State of India. All the Gujaratis are believed to be descendents of Lothal. However, Lothal was a port that traded in those days with what we refer to as Sumer or Mesopotamia and people from Lothal migrated to all places including Middle East and what is now known as Sri Lanka. Even the pottery, the inscriptions, the insignia, etc. found in Sumer bear a striking resemblance to what was discovered in the Harappa and Mohen Jo Daro civilizations. Apart from Lothal, another place of significance not faraway is Dwarka or rather Bet Dwarka which is now under sea and Dwarka the new Dwarka city is an exact replica of Bet Dwarka. And I must add that the now dried up Saraswati river used to flow in branches through all the above places and reached as far as Middle East via Rajasthan and Gulf of Cambay - both in Gujarat State of India.
 
These places bear great significance in our origins including that of Caucasians as you will see later in my book - The Star Federations - which will not be published anytime soon.
 
I am rather disappointed by the fact that Sitchin gives so little consideration to Vedic India or Indian sub-continent of that time and in doing so has accidentally ignored the most important clue to our origins. While Sitchin talks about Sumerians, Akkadians, etc., he is either unaware or forgot to mention that Akkadians were a wandering tribe that traveled between Vedic India and Sumer of those days. Perhaps Dr. David Frawley can throw more light on this subject, as he is one man who has certainly done his Vedic homework.
 
But to summarize this question, I will say that we all humanity are descendants or rather refugees from planet Mars and Alford has inadvertently supported my hypothesis in his three part article at your site as well as his book "When The Gods Came Down".
 
JR: You are opening Pandora's box here.
 
RB: Yes Jeff, I know what you mean. But let me start by saying that the search for Atlantis will be fruitless. That Mars is Atlantis. That the deluge story that Sitchin has detailed and so have other religious texts like Sumerians, Bible, Vedas, etc., are actually speaking about the exodus from Mars to Earth and not on Earth itself. That what Sitchin refers to as "splashed down on earth" and what Alford refers to as "the Gods who came down to Earth did so amidst fiery rocks and floodwaters" is nothing else but an emergency evacuation from Mars to Earth.
 
So now going back to whether I am criticizing Alford or supporting von Daniken and Sitchin, it is clearly evident that all of them are just looking at parts of what the real truth might be. I must admit that I too am a part of this and I am just the glue sticking these people together.
 
JR: Ron, in this field we want proof and evidence. Most readers will want hard evidence and might treat your hypothesis or story as hearsay. What proof or evidence do you offer and how or why should we believe what you say?
 
RB: Yes Jeff, your concern is very valid and I too am skeptical, as many of my readers already know. But let me ask you a counter question and then explain my premise. The question being, I have just lived on this planet for approximately 4 decades something and so has everyone else - at the most 8 or 9 decades - and these are events that occurred thousands if not millions of years ago. How can anyone have any factual evidence or proof? It isn't like going to a bank vault - even in Switzerland - and getting out tablets, although that is exactly what Sitchin has done by accessing materials from Museums and what have you. On the same count, everything I have mentioned above is openly available in public domain and if I might add in religious texts of several civilizations. Whether one takes it as mythology or as the basis of my premise is ones own choice.
 
Therefore, I will have to say that once again, Alford has half-truth and even that is worth reading and researching, as I have known Alford to be one thorough personality. Perhaps being a chartered accountant is what brings in the thoroughness and rigidity alongside discipline. But then even von Daniken and Sitchin are equally sincere and zealous in their goal or mission. I believe that such people are naturally born and no amount of training can ever gear anyone in these fields.
 
Further to the other part of your question about why people should believe in what I say, just think about this - How come we have so many varieties of life forms and species on this planet and are we to believe that apart from what we find on planet Earth, the rest of the Universe is barren? Moreover, as I have mentioned earlier, I have indisputable proof that we are from Mars, but I hope that you will accept that I am entitled to preserve those evidences and facts until the publication of my upcoming book -- The Star Federations.
 
JR: Fair enough and finally do you think NASA or others - let us say certain groups or individuals - are privy to what you say?
 
RB: Jeff, I do not subscribe to conspiracies and immaterial of all the hoopla about secret groups or agencies or what have you on the internet, all I have to say is that those in command and power are probably doing the best for our interests - humanity's interests - and further to that I have no comments. Even I myself was born on 19.5 Northern Hemisphere, and I am not associated with any secret societies so, go figure. In other words, we can get to be as paranoid as we want to be.
 
JR: Thanks Ron, it was nice talking to you. How can our audience get back to you if they have questions?
 
RB: You are most welcome Jeff. Yours is truly an inestimable show and site. From my past experiences, I rather not give out my new email address, as I am afraid I will be overwhelmed. But you do have my private email and if Alford, von Daniken, or Sitchin have any questions or comments you can forward them my address. And I do promise to come up with either an article or yet another interview where I will give out my new web site and email address as and when appropriate.
 
I would further say Jeff, that you are the lead personality in this field. Keep up that show as it is and we are all looking forward to it. Keep up the great work and I always listen to your show on the Internet and so does a great part of Asia Pacific from what I know. May the force be with you and give my best to all your loved ones ever. Bye now.
 
JR: Bye Ron.
 
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