Eric Burlison

Pastor and YouTuber Larry Ragland has apologized after suggesting that he was told in a secret meeting with U.S. officials that aliens had invented Christianity.

In a clip circulating on social media, Ragland said that a "very well-known congressman from Missouri" had called into the "private meeting" for pastors, adding: "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."

Republican Representative Eric Burlison of Missouri—who is among the more outspoken voices in Congress on the topic of UFO disclosure—responded to the clip on X: "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. I was asked to call in by phone to a conference/meeting of theologians."

He added: "I could not tell you all that was said at that meeting because I was not there and did not hear much of what was said. 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."

Why It Matters

The U.S. government has faced mounting pressure in recent months from lawmakers and the public to release information on sightings and investigations around unidentified flying objects (UFOs), amid an ongoing political push for greater transparency.

Congress has held hearings to examine the phenomena, and President Donald Trump has said the government would be "releasing as much as we can in the near future," stoking further interest.

Pastor Apologizes to Congressman Over Viral Claims

On Wednesday, Ragland issued a statement addressing the viral video and "setting the record straight."

"In this video, I stated that a congressmen from Missouri had called in to speak to the pastors. And of course, it's being revealed now that this is Congressman Eric Burlison," he 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 that in the heat of the moment, he conflated his own beliefs with Burlison's message.

The pastor said: "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.

"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."

Responding to the pastor's statement, Burlison wrote on X: "Greatly appreciate the pastor's comments here. I don't hold any blame on him. This kind of thing happens all the time.

"I have been in politics for a while, and have interviewed with countless media outlets on countless topics. But I have never had my words more scrutinized and dissected as when I talk about the topic of UAPs."

Alleged UFO Intelligence Meeting for Pastors

In his initial video, Ragland said that pastors had been invited to "come to 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." He said the men were connected to Washington, even to the administration and all branches of military.

Newsweek has contacted the White House to confirm whether the meeting took place.

Tennessee evangelist Perry Stone said in an April 27 YouTube video that he had been contacted by an unnamed friend regarding the meeting. "I'm not going to go into great detail, but there were a large number of pastors that had been invited to go to a certain state to hear some men in the United States government and others share with them a concern that they had," he said.

Stone said those present at the meeting were cautioned that any disclosure of UFOs and extraterrestrial life could lead some Christians to question their faith, while prompting nonbelievers to turn to religious leaders for answers.

Alan DiDio, a pastor in North Carolina, also said a meeting took place, writing on X on Tuesday that "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 said.

What Trump Has Said About UFO Disclosure

In February, Trump said he would task Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with starting the process of identifying and releasing government UFO files.

He told reporters last week: "Anything having to do with UFO or related material we are going to be releasing a lot of things that we have. And I think some of it is going to be very interesting to people.

"I've interviewed people [in] my first term primarily, but I interviewed some pilots, very solid people, and they said they saw things that you wouldn't believe. So you're going to be reading about it."

While officials have acknowledged unexplained incidents, they have not confirmed any verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial origin.

On a recent episode of Hang Out With Sean Hannity, FBI Director Kash Patel told the Fox News host that his agency had been looking into the topic of extraterrestrial life as part of an interagency effort.

"We already delivered our first tranche of information," Patel said, adding: "We are all for it."

"Our job at the FBI is to work with the White House and [Department of Defense], give them the information, and then they're going to put that out," he said.

Update 5/6/26, 12:24 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and a new headline.