Pastor and YouTuber Larry Ragland has apologized after suggesting that a Missouri congressman told church leaders in a private meeting that aliens created humanity and invented Christianity.
In a video that circulated widely on social media, Ragland claimed a “very well-known congressman from Missouri” had warned pastors that authorities were preparing to reveal that extraterrestrial beings were humanity’s creators.
“On speakerphone, this sitting, powerful member of Congress said... They are preparing to tell us that they are from another dimension, that they are our creator, and that these beings—these aliens, whatever you want to call them—they were the ones that seeded us here, there is no such thing as God, Jesus was invented by them, the Bible was invented by them,” Ragland said.
Ragland later issued a statement retracting the claim and apologizing to Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri, who had participated in the call.
“In this video, I stated that a congressman from Missouri had called in to speak to the pastors. And of course, it's being revealed now that this is Congressman Eric Burlison,” Ragland said. “He did call in. But he called in to encourage us and to thank us pastors for the work that we're doing.”
Ragland said he had mistakenly blended his own opinions into his account of the meeting.
“In that moment, I began to state things that I have always said—that is my opinion ... and all it is, is my opinion—that when this disclosure comes out, it will be spun that the aliens have always been here, that they seeded us, that they created the first religion and all of that,” he said.
“I should have stopped and paused and said, ‘And this part is my opinion,’ and in the heat of that, I didn't.”
He added: “I want to make it very clear that Eric Burlison did not say those words. Those were my words, and I want to own it, and I want to apologize directly to Congressman Burlison.”
Burlison, who has publicly advocated for greater government transparency around unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), responded on X by distancing himself from the claims.
“I would remind people to listen to what I have already stated publicly. Which is basically the following: I do NOT know what the strange objects in the skies are and I certainly do NOT know their origins,” he wrote.
“I was asked to call in by phone to a conference/meeting of theologians.”
Burlison said he had encouraged pastors during the discussion and reflected on how Christians can become attached to personal interpretations.
“When I had a chance to speak, I expressed my views which is that we Christians tend to get dug into our personal world views even if they have nothing to do with what has actually been written in the Bible,” he wrote.
The controversy comes amid renewed public and political interest in UFO disclosure in the United States. Congress has held hearings examining unexplained aerial sightings, while President Donald Trump recently said the government would release more UFO-related material.
“Anything having to do with UFO or related material we are going to be releasing a lot of things that we have,” Trump told reporters last week.
Ragland initially claimed pastors had attended “a private meeting with a group of men who are connected to the intelligence world that are believers but still have very high security clearance.”
Other evangelical figures have also publicly referenced similar gatherings. Tennessee evangelist Perry Stone said in a recent YouTube video that pastors were warned possible disclosure about extraterrestrial life could cause some Christians to question their faith.
North Carolina pastor Alan DiDio also claimed such a meeting took place, writing on X: “The news is true.”
“I was brought into a private meeting with other pastors. Phones off. No recordings. We were warned: Disclosure is coming… and many will be unprepared for what follows,” he wrote.
Despite mounting speculation, U.S. officials have not confirmed any verified evidence of extraterrestrial life or alien involvement in unexplained aerial phenomena.
