What a misuse of the word “objective!”
The web site objectiveministries.org, I have concluded, is an elaborate hoax. I conclude that there is no such educational facility as “Fellowship University,” and there is no such creationist “Richard Paley” affiliated with “objective ministries.” All the supposed plans for an expedition “to locate and bring back to the United States living specimens of pterosaurs or their fertile eggs” are fictional. Although there are a few references to real persons in other associations, most of this site is a huge joke, apparently created to ridicule Christians of a particular kind of beliefs. I have found no reasonable way that the person or persons who created this hoax would themselves believe in what is portrayed on the site.
This should not reflect negatively on my “objectiveness” site (see Objective Ministries NOT), but the name similarity is unfortunate, for some of my pages promote research or investigations into reports of living pterosaurs. Those who look only deep enough to note that outward similarity may assume they are the same or from the same source; they are not. I do not hold a grudge against the person or persons who manufactured this hoax, but it was surely wrong to do that.
How sad that somebody would spend so much time to ridicule those of a particular belief system! And how sad that somebody would create such an elaborate hoax! In places, some statements resemble (at least somewhat) statements on sites that portray the actual beliefs of the writers. If there is a problem with those actual beliefs, why not openly bring up the subject? Why not simply question those statements?
I first noticed the objective ministries site around 2004, and assumed that things like the “Pterosaur Rookery“ and “Project Pterosaur” expedition to Africa were simply naive goals by a serious but unprepared minister. Since looking deeper into this, I conclude that there is no creationist minister named Richard Paley; others have come to the same conclusion.
I think that this kind of thing should be illegal. Just as we outlaw frauds and other miscreants from perpetuating their hoaxes on us (such as PT Barnum, the Balloon Boy, Bernie Madoff, and the Weekly World News), we should outlaw those who purport to express Christianity, but in reality are deviants who attempt to give us a bad name.
By the way, I love your website. I have never seen a pterosaur in the wild, and have no idea where to begin looking. As my residence is in the Southeast, would I be likely to find a pterosaur? Do I need to go up into the mountains, or search in the warmer valleys?
Thank you, Pokey, for your comment.
I wish I knew a good easy place to find pterosaurs, I would be on my way there. If you don’t mind waiting and don’t mind only seeing them from a distance: There is a good chance that the mystery lights of Marfa, Texas, are actually ropen-like creatures. Part of the problem there is that they fly over private property and only at night and only a few times a year. Nevertheless, there is a fair chance that those lights are the biouminescent glow of living pterosuars.
Yeah, I came across Richard Paley of Objective Ministries several years back. I emailed him to get more information about a supposed “giant human skeleton” found in Saudi Arabia, and he replied that he knew nothing more. The entire site is an elaborate hoax, a complete disinformation campaign intended to fool gullible Christians. There used to be a Wikipedia article about objective ministries, but apparently they have deleted the article.
In short, you have a huge spoof operating with a small staff who are dedicated to creating lies and spreading false hoods in the name of jest.
SOB I can’t believe the site was fake :'( I was really excited to go and visit the pterosaurs rookery. Just damn I’m so disappointed, I checked back daily to that website for almost a decade an just because there’s been absolutely no update doesn’t mean its fake….right?….right…..anyone? lol just kidding, I have met christian’s such as myself, although they believe in really weird things and that whole pterosuaurs expedition wasn’t out of the realm of possibility but I was excited to see them fail =( guess not, however I do wonder exactly whose paying for the site now
We need to take this in perspective. During the years when the “Objective Ministries” web pages were deceiving people, real Christian cryptozoologists were going on expeditions searching for living pterosaurs. My own expedition in 2004 was in the middle of many expedition years. Ropen searches in Papua New Guinea took place in 1994, 1996, 2002, 2004 (two), 2006, and afterwards. (Much of the deception from “Objective Ministries” web pages happened around 2005-2007.)
What is more disturbing to me is the timing of the hoax. It could have led some people to believe that nobody ever actually trudged through jungles to search for living pterosaurs. Let me make this clear: I myself walked up the jungle trail from Opai Beach to Gomlongon, on Umboi Island. I interviewed many eyewitnesses, including several who had a clear view of the form and features of the giant ropen. I have video footage of many interviews and much of it has been put up onto Youtube. A few weeks after my expedition, two other Americans (Garth Guessman and David Woetzel) explored that same island, interviewing many eyewitnesses. They were told that another American (me) had recently been there for the same purpose: to learn about the ropen and maybe observe it. Guessman and Woetzel also recorded much video footage, although the results are not as well published. I have watched their videos and know that they also explored on Umboi Island.
My own expedition was just one of many, as people have searched for living pterosaurs. In those endeavors, there is no hoax.