Steven Spielberg’s latest film “Disclosure Day,” released Friday, explores familiar territory for the legendary director: extraterrestrial life and its potential impact on human civilization, particularly religion. But this time, the filmmaker’s fictional exploration arrives amid a broader cultural moment where discussions about UFOs have shifted from the margins to the mainstream, touching everything from government policy to theological debate.

What was once dismissed as fringe conspiracy theory has recently emerged in unexpected places. The Pentagon released extensive UFO files in May with minimal explanation, leaving the public to draw their own conclusions about unidentified anomalous phenomena, the government’s preferred term for what people commonly call UFOs. Just weeks earlier, former President Barack Obama sparked widespread media attention by stating that aliens are real, though he later clarified his position on social media.

“Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,” Obama posted, adding that he made a surprise visit to the “Disclosure Day” set. However, he emphasized: “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

The growing mainstream acceptance of UAP discussions has created an unusual intersection between science, religion, and popular culture. Some worry that confirming extraterrestrial life would undermine religious teachings about human uniqueness. Others see the phenomenon differently.

Diana Walsh Pasulka, a religion scholar at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, argues that UFO belief actually strengthens religious worldviews. “Belief in UFOs is really one of the best things that’s happened to religion in a long time,” she said. “It’s a blow to the secular, materialist worldview.”

Yet not everyone within religious communities views potential extraterrestrial contact positively. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, recently stated his skepticism bluntly during a podcast interview: “I don’t think they’re aliens. I think they’re demons.”

This perspective found support from Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, formerly an exorcist with the Archdiocese of Washington, who was removed from his position last week after making similar claims. The archbishop said Rossetti’s statements “gravely undermine” Catholic teaching on demons and the devil.

In a May 29 video posted on Facebook, Rossetti had declared: “It’s my personal belief that probably many, if not most, of these UFO sightings are in fact demons. Aliens, if there are aliens, don’t possess people.” Following his removal, Rossetti issued an apology, asking “forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium.”

Christopher Baglow, who leads a science and religion initiative at the University of Notre Dame, expressed surprise at the firing, noting that Rossetti clearly presented his views as personal opinion. Despite the demon theories from Vance and Rossetti, Baglow maintains the Catholic Church has historically remained open to extraterrestrial possibilities.

“Theologians have been speculating about this for centuries and the church has never ever taught one way or the other,” Baglow explained. He pointed to recent remarks by Pope Leo XIV during a meeting with astronomy students at the Vatican, where the pontiff spoke about the “ancient light of distant galaxies” and the “mysterious joy” provoked by studying outer space. Some interpreted these comments as subtle acknowledgment of potential extraterrestrial life.

The concept of otherworldly beings visiting Earth isn’t new. Walsh Pasulka noted that ancient Greek philosophers, including contemporaries of Socrates and Aristotle, discussed what they called the “plurality of worlds” and the possibility of beings on other planets and stars.

However, modern UFO concepts emerged after 1945, according to Jeffrey Kripal, a historian of religions at Rice University. “The flying saucer and the alien and the UFO — it’s definitely a Cold War invasion narrative,” he said. This historical context explains why UAPs are often perceived as threatening.

Over time, this narrative has evolved and spawned new religious movements. Scientology, which counts numerous Hollywood celebrities among its followers, incorporates extraterrestrial elements into its theology. The Nation of Islam teaches that its founder will return to Earth on a spaceship to inaugurate an apocalyptic event.

The International Raëlian Movement, founded in France during the 1970s, remains active today with followings in Asia, Africa, and Canada. Its founder, Raël, claims descent from Yahweh and asserts that Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and himself are all human-extraterrestrial hybrids. Unlike hostile invasion narratives, Raëlism presents extraterrestrials positively.

Susan Palmer, a sociologist studying new religious movements at Concordia University in Montreal, noted that Raëlism stands out for its benevolent view of UFOs. “They’re not interested in extraterrestrial wars,” she said.

Kripal, who heads Rice University’s Center for the Impossible, an archive documenting reported paranormal experiences, perceives growing openness to UFO discussions across society. “People are reporting these experiences or these encounters with entities and they’re religious through and through,” he said. “My colleagues in the academy, they’re really starting to listen in a different way.”