Alien Encounter

 

Religious author Sharon Gilbert has claimed an "alien" visited her in the form of her husband and asked to have sex with her. She discussed the encounter in detail while speaking on the Jim Bakker Show, a self-described Christian "prophetic Bible show."

 A clip from the show of Gilbert's story was posted on Twitter at pic.twitter.com/aBqC2IMSqn by writer and Friendly Atheist contributor Hemant Mehta. He posted the video with the caption: "End Times
preacher Sharon Gilbert says that an alien imitated her husband, and then it tried to have sex with her. "Then it claimed to be Xerxes, and then Jesus got involved, and then the alien turned out to over 2.6 million times, with
many noting their disbelief in the replies.

Speaking on the show, Gilbert said: "After Derek and I got married this other Derek appears in our bed. "The real Derek is lying down next to me, other Derek sits right up out of him. It startled me. "I knew that was not Derek and so I asked this critter, who are you? Because he clearly wanted to have sexual relations. "He said: 'I am your husband.' I said: 'Who are you?' "He had the nerve to claim to be, Xerxes. Other Derek seriously wanted to invite me, to use my free will to do something that was going to pull me away from God." 

She also noted that this "other Derek" was joined by other smaller creatures. She continued: "This last time I knew he was really desperate and I asked him again 'who are you?.' He told me the same answer and I said 'I am not going with you.'

"This was an internal dialogue, finally I said I have had enough, in my mind. "I reached up, I grabbed his face and I said: 'You are a liar and Jesus is real.' I pulled that face off and beneath it was a reptile. "He had little creatures with him this time, he brought these little halfling creatures
and they looked like, gargoyles and they were very reptilian as well. Beneath the face of Derek was a reptilian serpentine creature." 

The hosts then moved the conversation on and it is not clear whether Gilbert meant this story metaphorically or literally. [Oplendia, 11/29/21]

Five More Untruths You Learned in School

Washington Admitted He Chopped Down a Cherry Tree
For generations, teachers have been telling students that George Washington was so virtuous that he couldn't tell a lie. The author of Washington's bestselling original biography was not bound by
such moral hang-ups, and took significant artistic license with the facts. The cherry tree story is among the biggest whoppers.

Chameleons Change Color for Camouflage
Chameleons have the remarkable ability to change color, but it's not to blend in with surroundings while hiding from predators. Some chameleons change with the temperature or amount of stress they're experiencing. Others change colors to warn other lizards of danger. And of course, some
males brighten things up to attract female chameleons.

You Can't End Sentences with Prepositions
The question "Where are you at?" would make any English teacher cringe — and for good reason. It's grammatically incorrect to end sentences with prepositions when the sentence would have the same meaning without it. But otherwise, it's perfectly fine. Not only is there no rule anywhere that says you can't, but sometimes not ending sentences with prepositions makes writing clumsy and unnatural ("On what did you step?" vs. "What did you step on?").

An Apple Fell on Newton's Head
Kids learn in school that scientific pioneer Isaac Newton had his eureka moment about gravity when an apple fell on his head. It never happened. Newton did observe apples falling in his family's orchard, but there's no evidence one bonked him on the head and turned on a light bulb.

The Tongue Map
One part of the tongue senses bitter tastes. Another detects sweetness, and others sense salty and bitter tastes, according to the tongue map. The tongue map drawn back in 1901 is a lie. Scientists now know that the tongue works in concert to detect all tastes and sensations.

Five Untruths You Learned in School

 
Mark Twain famously said, "Don't let school interfere with your education." Although the famed author who quit school at age 12 had more meanings in mind than calling out specific educational untruths, it turns out plenty of the "facts" learned in school are actually myths, propaganda, misinformation, or downright lies.

Touching Frogs or Toads Gives You Warts
You should definitely avoid touching frogs or toads, some of which secrete powerful toxins from their skin. But if the poison doesn't kill you, you're not going to have to worry about getting warts. In fact, the bumps that cover some frogs and toads aren't warts at all, and even if they were, warts can only be caused by a human virus.

The Great Wall of China Is Visible From Space
Since it's the same color, texture and made from the same materials as the surrounding landscape, the Great Wall of China is nearly impossible to see with the unaided eye in low-Earth orbit. It is absolutely not visible from the moon, as many kids were taught in school. A 2004 image from the
International Space Station might appear to show a tiny segment of the world's longest defensive fortification, but even Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei confirmed he couldn't see it while in orbit.

Elephants Have Graveyards
There is a common schoolhouse misconception that old elephants nearing death instinctively wander away from the herd to meet their end at the same site that their ancestors went to die. According to the BBC, "elephants clearly show interest in the remains of the dead," but there is
no instinctive homing device that draws them toward collective staging areas for death, or elephant graveyards — and also, elephants are not afraid of mice.

In Australia, Water Swirls Down Drains in Reverse
It's likely you were told growing up that in Australia, water runs down sink, toilet and bathtub drains in the opposite direction — and even that storms swirl in reverse — because Coriolis forces tug in the opposite direction on different sides of the Earth. Coriolis forces are real, but they apply only on a scale much larger than toilets or even hurricanes can produce. According to a tweet from superstar astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, "toilet bowls drain however they're designed to circulate water. It's irrelevant whether you live above or below the equator."

George Washington Sported Wooden Dentures
When he gave his first inaugural address in 1789, George Washington had just one remaining natural tooth. It is a fact he wore a series of dentures, some made from ivory, gold, and even lead. The common schoolhouse myth that the first president wore wooden teeth, however, is exactly
that — a myth.