Remote Viewing
Remote viewing is the remarkable ability to perceive or gather intelligence about distant geographic locations without being physically present. Historically, the CIA employed this technique, identifying individuals with inherent remote viewing capabilities to collect intelligence. These individuals were not trained to acquire the skill but were chosen because they naturally possessed it. This practice provides an intriguing parallel to faith and the Christian walk, where believers, much like remote viewers, navigate the unseen and place their trust in what they cannot physically observe.
In a podcast with Shawn Ryan, Skip Atwater—a key figure in the CIA’s remote viewing program—explained that participants were selected based on their existing ability. Training was unnecessary; either the skill was present, or it wasn’t. This process resonates with the concept of faith in Christianity. Faith, like remote viewing, cannot be taught or trained. It is an intrinsic quality—something either present or absent within an individual. As Hebrews 11:1 states, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Believers trust in God’s promises, despite the inability to physically see them. Faith becomes the spiritual lens through which unseen truths become tangible in the heart.
Faith and the Unseen
In remote viewing, participants describe events or locations far removed from their immediate reality. For Christians, faith functions in a similar way. Believers accept that God is active and present, even when they cannot see Him. They trust in an eternal kingdom, unseen spiritual battles, and divine interventions happening beyond their visible surroundings. This trust requires a willingness to embrace the unknown and step into the realm of the unseen, relying on the Spirit to guide and affirm what they perceive.
The parallel deepens when considering how both remote viewing and faith require a surrender of conventional limitations. A remote viewer steps beyond the physical confines of their location, relying on their unique, innate ability. Similarly, Christians move beyond the constraints of human understanding, leaning into God’s wisdom and promises. Faith bypasses the need for empirical evidence, much like remote viewers bypass the need for physical proximity.
The Gift of Faith
Ultimately, the lesson in both disciplines is this: not everything of value can be seen, touched, or taught. For the CIA, selecting remote viewers meant identifying individuals already gifted with the ability to access hidden truths. In Christianity, faith is the divine gift through which believers access spiritual truths. It cannot be taught, trained, or forced. It simply exists as a gift from God, offered freely to those who are willing to receive it.
In a world increasingly reliant on the tangible and the teachable, the essence of faith—like the essence of remote viewing—reminds us of the power of the unseen. Faith calls us to believe in what we cannot see but know to be true.
Faith as Spiritual Remote Viewing
As believers, we are remote viewers of God’s kingdom, trusting that though we see dimly now, one day we will see fully (1 Corinthians 13:12). Until then, faith bridges the gap, connecting the visible and invisible, the known and the unknown, in ways only God can orchestrate. It invites us to trust in what transcends our understanding, offering a glimpse of the divine reality that awaits us.
Faith, like remote viewing, requires courage to step beyond what is immediately visible. It invites us to lean into the unseen, to trust in the eternal, and to live by the substance of hope and the evidence of God’s truth.