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Raëlism

April 27, 2024

Not to be confused with Realism.

Raëlism,[a] also known as Raëlianism, is a UFO movement founded in 1970s France by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël.[b] Scholars of religion classify Raëlism as a new religious movement. The group is formalised as the International Raëlian Movement (IRM) or Raëlian Church, a hierarchical organisation under Raël's leadership. It is considered a cult by French and Belgian authorities.

Raëlism
The Raëlian symbol
TypeNew religious movement
ClassificationUFO religion
Scripture
PolityEpiscopal
Planétaire guiderRaël
Associations
RegionWorldwide
HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland[2]
FounderRaël
Origin19 September 1974
Auvergne, France
Embassy50+
Other name(s)Raëlianism and Raëlian movement
Official websitewww.rael.org

Raëlism teaches that an extraterrestrial species known as the Elohim created humanity using their advanced technology. An atheistic religion, it holds that the Elohim have historically been mistaken for gods. It claims that throughout history the Elohim have created 40 Elohim/human hybrids who have served as prophets preparing humanity for news about their origins. Among them are The Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, with Raël himself the 40th and final prophet. Raëlists believe that since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, humanity has entered an Age of Apocalypse in which it threatens itself with nuclear annihilation. Raëlism holds that humanity must find a way to harness new scientific and technological development for peaceful purposes, and that when this has been achieved the Elohim will return to Earth to share their technology with humanity and establish an utopia. To this end, Raëlians have sought to build an embassy for the Elohim that incorporates a landing pad for their spaceship. Raëlians engage in daily meditation, hope for physical immortality through human cloning, and promote a liberal ethical system with a strong emphasis on sexual experimentation.

Raël first published his claims to have been contacted by the Elohim in his 1974 book Le Livre Qui Dit La Verité (The Book that Tells the Truth). He subsequently established an organisation devoted to promoting his ideas, MADECH, which in 1976 disbanded and was replaced by the Raëlian Church. Raël headed the new organisation, which was structured around a hierarchy of seven levels. Attracting more followers, the group obtained a country estate in France before relocating its operations to Quebec. In 1998, Raël established the Order of Angels, an internal all-female group whose members are largely sequestered from wider society and tasked with training themselves to become the Elohim's consorts. In 1997 Raël initiated Clonaid, an organisation engaged in research in human cloning directed by senior Raëlian Brigitte Boisselier. In 2002, the company claimed to have produced a human clone, a baby named Eve, bringing much critical scrutiny and media attention. The Movement has attracted further attention through its public protests endorsing causes such as women's and gay rights and against nuclear testing.

The International Raëlian Movement claims tens of thousands of members, the majority in Francophone areas of Western Europe and North America and parts of East Asia. Criticism of the philosophy has come from journalists, ex-Raëlians, and anti-cultists, while it has also been studied by scholars of religion.

Definition and classification edit

Raëlism is classified as a new religious movement by scholars of religion.[3] It has also been described as a UFO religion,[4] a UFO movement,[5] and an ETI (extra-terrestrial intelligence) religion.[6] The organization promoting Raëlianism is the International Raëlian Movement (IRM),[7] or the Raëlian Church.[8] In France, where the religion originated, the government's Parliamentary Commission on Cults labels it a "secte", a French term with negative connotations similar to the English word "cult".[9][10] In 1997, a parliamentary inquiry commission issued a report through the Belgian Chamber of Representatives that also categorized the Belgian Raelian Movement (Mouvement Raëlien Belge) as a secte.[9][11]

 
A public gathering of Raëlists in 2006 in the Insa-dong neighbourhood of Seoul, South Korea, protesting their government's 2003 ban on Raël entering the country

Raëlism is possibly the largest UFO religion in existence,[12] and in the mid-2000s, the scholar of religion Andreas Grünschloß called it "one of the most consolidated UFO groups internationally active today."[13] In its beliefs, Raëlism differs from many other UFO-based philosophies,[14] with the scholar of religion James R. Lewis terming it "the most thoroughly secular of all the UFO religions."[15] Most other UFO religions, such as the Aetherius Society, Ashtar Command, and Heaven's Gate, use many of the beliefs of the late-19th-century religion theosophy; Raëlism does not.[16] Raëlists have also been characterised as having a "belief in ufology",[17] but Raëlians often stress that they do not regard themselves as ufologists.[18]

Raëlism is materialistic and rejects the existence of the supernatural,[19] endorsing atheism and rejecting the idea that gods exist.[20] The religion's founder, Raël, characterises traditional religion as irrational and unscientific,[15] presenting his alternative as a philosophy free from "obscurantism and mysticism".[21] Raëlians call their belief system a "scientific religion",[22] with the International Raëlian Movement using the motto "Science is our religion; religion is our science."[23] The religion emphasizes the use of science to solve the world's problems,[24] and practitioners regard Raël as a pioneer of science who will one day be regarded as a peer of Galileo and Copernicus.[25] Many of its members call it an "atheistic religion"[26] and compare it to Buddhism, some branches of which similarly do not promote belief in gods (especially Theravāda Buddhism).[27]

Along with science, the other main basis of Raël's ideas is the Bible.[28] Noting the "central role" of the Bible in Raëlism, the scholar of religion Eugene V. Gallagher suggested that it was a "thoroughly biblical and thoroughly Christian" philosophy.[29] Similarly, the sociologist of religion Susan J. Palmer characterised Raëlism as both fundamentalist and Abrahamic in its reliance on the Bible.[30] Raël nevertheless criticised Christianity for what he believed was its role in perverting the Bible's message, presenting himself as an opponent of the Roman Catholic Church.[31] Raëlism is not inclusive of other religions, with new members expected to formally renounce any previous religious affiliations.[32]

Beliefs edit

See also: Raëlian beliefs and practices

During the early 2000s, the scholar of religion George D. Chryssides said that Raëlism exhibits "a coherent worldview",[17] but added that the movement remained in the "very early developmental stage".[33] The religion is based on the teachings of Raël. Raël's claims are taken literally by practitioners of Raëlism,[34] who regard his writings as scripture.[35] From Palmer's extensive study of the philosophy and Raël himself, she thought that he genuinely believed his claims.[36] The sociologist of religion Christopher Partridge noted that Raëlianism exhibits "a strong physicalist belief system".[37]

Raëlism presents a form of the ancient astronauts theory which was well known at the time that the religion was formed.[38] Several French authors, such as Jean Sendy, Serge Hutin, and Jacques Bergier, had already published books during the late 1960s and early 1970s stating that Earth was the outpost of an ancient extraterrestrial society.[39] Swiss writer Erich von Däniken presented the same idea in his 1968 book Chariots of the Gods?[40][41][38] Similar ideas had also been put forward in science fiction, such as the U.S. television series Star Trek.[42] Raëlians often deny the effect of von Däniken on the philosophy, instead believing that it derives entirely from Raël's revelations.[43]

The Elohim edit

 
A medallion displaying the Raëlian symbol; practitioners typically wear these medallions to identify their beliefs[44]

Raëlism teaches that there exists an extraterrestrial species known as the Elohim.[45] Raël has said that the word "Elohim", which is used for God in the Old Testament, is actually a plural term which he translates as "those who came from the sky."[46] Raël calls individual members of the Elohim "Eloha".[47] He claims that the Elohim gave him the honorific name "Raël",[48] a term deriving from "Israel",[49] which he translates as "the messenger of those who come from the sky."[50]

In his first book, Le Livre Qui Dit La Verité, published in 1974, Raël claimed that he initially encountered these alien beings on 13 December 1973, when he was 27 years old.[51] He wrote that he was walking along the Puy de Lassolas volcanic crater in the Clermont-Ferrand mountains when one of their spaceships appeared and an Eloha emerged,[52] who asked him to return the next day and bring a Bible. Raël did so, and the over six days Eloha explained to him the true meaning of its contents, revealing more about the Elohim's involvement in human history.[53] In his 1976 book Les Extra-Terrestres M'ont Emmené sur Leur Planète (The Extraterrestrials Took Me to Their Planet), Raël added that he was contacted by the Elohim again on 7 October 1975, when they took him aboard their spaceship and transported him to their home planet.[54] Here he was offered six biological robot women with which to have sex, saw the Elohim create his clone, and taught the techniques of sensual meditation.[55] The scholar of religion James R. Lewis noted that Raël's account of encountering the Elohim was similar to those of the "classic UFO contactees" of the 1950s and 1960s.[56]

The Elohim are described as physically smaller than humans, with pale green skin and almond-shaped eyes,[57] and divide into seven different races.[58] Raëlians are forbidden from painting or sketching them.[24] According to Raël, their planet is outside the Solar System but within the Milky Way.[59] Raël says there are 90,000 Elohim on their planet, that they are all quasi-immortal,[60] and that they do not wear clothes.[8] All are permitted to engage in free love with one another, and sexual jealousy has been eliminated.[60] All are regarded as feminine in manner;[61] "the most feminine woman on Earth is only 10% as feminine as the Elohim."[21] They are not allowed to procreate, and many undergo a sterilisation operation to ensure this.[60] Raël also reports that the Elohim can communicate with humans because they understand all human languages.[62]

The Elohim on Earth edit

Raëlism teaches that about 25,000 years ago the Elohim arrived at the Earth and transformed it so that life could develop. It states that the Elohim used their advanced technology to establish all life on the planet.[63] Raël characterises humans as "biological robots" that have been created and programmed by the Elohim.[64] Raëlism teaches that humanity is modelled physically on the Elohim;[65] for practitioners, this is indicated by the passage at Genesis 1:26.[13] Also representing his own interpretation of Genesis, Raël teaches that the Elohim scientist responsible for creating humanity was named Yahweh and that the first two humans to be created were named Adam and Eve.[66] Raëlians believe that there were originally seven human races, modelling the seven Elohim races, but that the purple, blue, and green races have died out.[58] In believing humanity was created by the Elohim, Raëlians reject Darwinian evolution and espouse creationism and intelligent design;[67] Raëlians term their beliefs "scientific creationism."[68] Raëlians believe that the Elohim were also created by an earlier species, and they before them, ad infinitum.[23] They believe that the cosmos expands indefinitely, both in time and space;[23] infinity is an important concept for them.[69]

 
Raëlians promoting their religion on a street in Japan; one is dressed as an alien character mascot.

Raëlians believe that accounts of gods in various mythologies around the world are misinterpretations of memories about the Elohim.[70] The philosophy states that the sacred scriptures of many other religions describe the ongoing activities of the Elohim on Earth.[71] The tale of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, recounted in Genesis, is, for instance, interpreted as representing humanity's difficult transition from the Elohim's laboratories to life on Earth, where they had to become self-sufficient.[71] The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, as presented in the Gospels, is described as representing how the Elohim cloned Jesus to restore him to life after death.[71] References to Satan are interpreted as referring to the chief of a group on the Elohim's planet who were opposed to genetic experiments on Earth and who argued that humanity should be destroyed as a potential threat.[72] According to the Raëlians, the Great Flood narrative recounts an attempt by the anti-human aliens to wipe out humanity, but that humanity was rescued by an alien spacecraft which provided the basis for the story of Noah's Ark.[73]

Various figures who established or inspired religions throughout human history, including Jesus, the Buddha, Muhammad, and Joseph Smith, are portrayed by the Raëlians as having been guided by the Elohim.[71] These are characterised as being 39 prophets sent to humanity at various times.[74] Each is believed to have revealed information to humanity that they could comprehend at the given time, and Raëlism, therefore, emphasises the idea of progressive truth.[74] Raël claims that he is the fortieth and final prophet of the Elohim,[75] sent because humanity is now sufficiently developed to understand the truth about the Elohim.[76] He initially claimed that he was chosen for this role because he had a Roman Catholic mother and a Jewish father and was thus "an ideal link between two very important peoples in the history of the world."[45] He added that he was also selected because he lived in France, which the Elohim considered a more open-minded country than most others.[45]

Raël subsequently stated that these prophets are themselves the result of a human mother breeding with an Eloha father,[77] with the human mothers having been chosen for the purity of their genetic code, beamed onto an Elohim spacecraft, impregnated, and then returned to Earth with their memory of the event erased.[78] In his 1979 book, Let's Welcome Our Fathers from Space, Raël added that he was the biological son of the Eloha whom he first encountered, Yahweh.[79] He noted that Yahweh was also the father of Jesus, making the latter Raël's half-brother.[80] In 2003, Raël publicly identified himself as Maitreya, the prophesied future bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism.[59] He maintains that he continues to be in telepathic contact with the Elohim, hearing Yahweh's voice guiding him in making decisions affecting Raëlianism.[81]

The religion also teaches that the Elohim continue to monitor every human individual on Earth, remotely, from their planet.[18] This is done so that the Elohim can decide which individuals merit being offered the opportunity of eternal life.[82] It argues that the Elohim continue to visit the Earth, as evidenced by crop circles, which adherents regard as the landing spaces of the Elohim's spacecraft.[74] Raëlians generally understand sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) as confirmation of their belief in the Elohim, although their opinion of Ufology is ambiguous.[83] Raëlians also consider the appearance of "angel hair" as evidence of the Elohim's presence, stating that it has appeared at various Raëlian summer gatherings.[84] They typically express scepticism regarding claims by alleged alien contactees other than Raël.[83] Raëlians believe that they are all capable of linking telepathically with the Elohim but that only Raël is permitted to meet with them physically or receive their revelations.[84]

The Age of Apocalypse and the Elohim's Return edit

 
A small-scale tent copy of the proposed Elohim embassy erected at a Raëlian seminar in Colombia

Raëlism is a millenarian philosophy.[85] Raël claims that since the U.S. military's use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, humanity have been living in the "Age of Apocalypse" or "Revelation".[86] It states that the human species must now choose whether to use science and technology to enhance life or to use it to bring about nuclear annihilation.[87] It claims that if humans successfully get through this present age, they will live in an era of advanced technology in which society will be tolerant and sexually liberated.[42] Raël claimed that he was destined to help lead humanity away from its path of destruction.[88]

According to Raël, beginning a peaceful age will cause the return of the Elohim to Earth.[88] He added that they will bring them the 39 immortal prophets whom they had previously sent to guide humanity.[89] Raël stated that humanity has to build an embassy for the Elohim prior to their arrival on Earth and that it must include a landing pad for their spaceship.[90] He stated that it needed to be located on internationally recognised neutral territory so as not to indicate favour towards any one particular nation-state.[76] Initially, Raël sought permission to build it in Israel,[91] explaining this by reference to how the ancient Israelites were once in contact with the Elohim.[76] He also stated that this embassy would constitute the "Third Temple" referred to in Jewish prophecy.[92]

Receiving little help for this venture from the Israeli government, Raël instead suggested that a neighbouring country might be suitable, proposing Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt as possible locations. None of the governments of these countries were favorable.[76] Senior people of the Raëlian Movement suggested Hawaii as a possible alternative, and in 1998 Raël stated that he had received a new revelation from the Elohim stating that this location would be acceptable.[21] Chryssides noted that should the Elohim not arrive in 2035, the Raëlians will have to adapt to the new circumstance in which their eschatology remains unfulfilled.[93] On 16 April 1987, the Chicago Sun-Times estimated the funding for the "cosmic kibbutz" at $1 million. In 1997–1998, the funding had risen to $7 million.[94][95][96] In 2001, group members claimed they had saved $9 million for the embassy;[97] and in October 2001, the funding had reached $20 million.[98]

Once on Earth, Raël claims, the Elohim will share their advanced technology and scientific understanding with humanity and will help to usher in a utopia.[88] Raël teaches that the Elohim's arrival will herald a new and improved political system on Earth.[82] This will be a single world government that Raël terms a "geniocracy,"[99] or "rule of geniuses,"[100] and which he discusses in his fifth book, Geniocracy.[69] According to this system, only those who are fifty percent more intelligent that the average person will be permitted to rule.[101] Raël's proposed geniocratic system bears similarities with the style of governance that Plato promoted in his work Republic.[102] Raëlians thus reject democracy, believing that it fails to ensure that society has the best leadership.[101] Raël claims that this future society will have no war, and crime will have been ended through genetic engineering.[101] In this future, Raël states, humanity will be able to travel beyond the Earth to colonise other planets.[103] He claims that robots will assume menial tasks, allowing humans to devote their time to pleasurable pursuits.[104] He also argued that there would be biological robots which would serve as sex slaves, akin to those which Raël states he encountered on his visit to the Elohim planet.[105] A single world currency will be introduced, as a prelude to the total abolition of money, while a unified world calendar will also be adopted.[101]

Cloning and survival after death edit

Raëlians reject the existence of the ethereal soul that survives physical death,[106] and instead argue that the only hope for immortality is through scientific means.[103] The Raëlians claim that the Elohim will clone and thus recreate dead individuals, but only those particular individuals who they deem merit this recreation.[107] In this, they believe in a "conditional immortality", with immortality for a minority and oblivion for the majority.[107] The resurrection of Jesus, as recounted in the Gospels, is for instance explained as an example of Elohim cloning.[107]

Raëlists advocate for the development of human cloning technology on Earth.[105] Raëlians also believe that deceased individuals can be cloned so that they could be tried and punished for their crimes.[107] After the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, in which the attackers killed themselves, the Raëlists proposed that they could be resurrected through cloning to be tried for their actions.[108][109] Due to its emphasis upon attaining immortality, Raëlism deplores suicide; after the Heaven's Gate group engaged in a mass suicide in 1997, the Raëlian Church was among the new religions that issued press releases condemning suicide.[110]

As opposed to the scientific definition of reproductive cloning, which is simply the creation of a genetically identical living organism, Raëlians seek to both genetically clone individuals, rapidly accelerate growth of the clone to adulthood through a process like guided self-assembly of rapidly expanded cells or even nanotechnology.[111] Raël told lawmakers that banning the development of human cloning was comparable to outlawing medical advances such "antibiotics, blood transfusions, and vaccines".[112]

Morality, ethics, and gender roles edit

 
A woman on a bed adorned with the Raëlian symbol

Raëlism insists on a strict ethical code for its followers.[113] Members are expected to take responsibility for their own actions, respect cultural and racial difference, promote non-violence, strive for world peace, and share wealth and resources.[113] They are also encouraged to uphold democracy, in the belief that humanity will ultimately make a democratic choice to introduce geniocracy.[113] The Raëlian opinion is that everything should be permitted so long as it harms no one and does not impede scientific and technological advance.[101] Members are nevertheless advised against using recreational drugs or stimulants so as not to harm their health,[114] although some practitioners have acknowledged that they use alcohol and cigarettes.[115]

John M. Bozeman characterized the religion's morality as "progressive,"[116] while Palmer referred to the group's "liberal social values",[117] and Chryssides called Raëlist values "worldly and hedonistic".[118] The scholar of religion Paul Oliver said that the philosophy's ethics are "relativistic" in that practitioners are encouraged to act in a manner that they feel appropriate to the context.[32] Several scholars have also argued that it is a "world-affirming" religion, using the typology established by Roy Wallis.[119]

Raël considered gender as an artificial construct and emphasized its fluidity.[120] Raël avoided a macho persona and is instead often described by his followers as being "gentle" and "feminine".[121] Palmer suggested that Raël regarded women as being superior to men because they were described as being more like the Elohim.[61] In Raël's account, the inhabitants of the Elohim planet "have 10 percent of masculinity and 90 percent of femininity."[61] Raël also proposed that if women were in positions of political power across the world, there would be no war.[61] The Raëlians have participated with public protests for women's rights.[122] At its June 2003 "Joy of Being Woman" demonstration, Raëlian women danced naked through the streets of Paris.[122] Palmer described the Raëlians as feminists,[123] although Raël criticized mainstream feminism, arguing that it "copied the shortcomings of men".[124] Generally adopting the belief that the human body is malleable,[125] Raëlism has a positive opinion of plastic surgery to improve physical appearance.[126]

 
A Raëlist contingent on the street at the "Korea Queer Culture Festival" held in Seoul in 2014

Raëlism teaches that the Elohim created humanity to feel sexual desire as a panacea for their violent impulses.[127] It states that through the pursuit of sexual pleasure, new pathways between the neurons in the brain are forged, thus enhancing an individual's intelligence.[128] Raëlism encourages its members to explore their sexuality;[60] while Raël is often photographed with beautiful women and appears to be heterosexual, he encourages homosexual experimentation.[129] Adopting an accepting attitude towards different forms of sexual orientation and expression,[69] Raëlism teaches that differences in sexual orientation are rooted in the Elohim's primordial genetic programming and are something to be celebrated.[130] Researching about the Raëlians of Quebec, Palmer found that many of them avoided categorizing themselves by using terms like "heterosexual", "homosexual", or "bisexual", finding those labels to be too limiting.[131]

The Raëlians have stressed the need for respect and mutual consent in sexual behaviour.[132] The group places a strong taboo on incest, rape, and sexual activities involving children.[132] Anyone involved in the Movement who is found to have been involved in these latter activities is excommunicated,[133] while Raël has recommended that paedophiles be castrated or placed in mental institutions.[133] Those believed to have forced unwelcome sexual attention upon another person are excommunicated from the Movement for seven years– the amount of time Raëlians believe it takes for all of a person's biological cells to be regenerated.[132]

The Raëlists reject both enforced monogamy and marriage, regarding these as institutions that have been enforced to enslave women and suppress sexual expression.[134] The religion discourages its members from marrying.[60] Members are also discouraged from contributing to global overpopulation;[60] members are urged not to have more than two children, and ideally none at all.[135] Raël states that should two individuals wish to procreate, their psychic control during the act of conception can affect any child resulting.[136] The Raëlists also believe that once human cloning has been developed, biological reproduction will be obsolete.[127] As well as endorsing the use of birth control and contraceptives,[137] Raëlists endorse the use of abortion to terminate unwanted pregnancies.[138] Raël has also argued that if a woman does not want a child who has been born then she should give it up to be raised by society.[133]

Some Swiss government authorities responded to Raëlians' opinions about Sensual Meditation with a fear that Raëlians are a threat to public morals for supporting liberalized sex education for children. They argue that such liberalized sex education that teaches children how to obtain sexual gratification would encourage sexual abuse of underage children.[139]

Religious symbol edit

 
 
The two variants of the Raëlian logo; the former uses the swastika in the centre and the latter a swirl representing the shape of a galaxy. The latter was adopted to avoid the connotations of Nazism that the swastika has in Western countries and was used between 1991 and 2007.

The symbol initially used to signify Raëlism was a six-pointed star with a swastika in the centre.[140] Raël stated that this was the symbol he originally saw on the hull of the Elohim's spaceship.[141] Raëlians regard this as a symbol of infinity.[142] Practitioners also believe that this symbol helps facilitate their own telepathic contact with the Elohim.[143] Raëlists typically wear a medallion of the symbol around their neck.[44]

The Raëlian use of the swastika, a symbol that had been prominently used by Germany's Nazi Party during the 1930s and 1940s, resulted in accusations from the Montreal anti-cult organization Info-Cult that the Raëlians promoted fascism and racism.[112] Outside Info-Cult's office, Raëlians spoke against the act of discriminating against a religious minority.[112] On 2 January 1992, a dozen people protested against the use of the swastika in the Raëlian logo in Miami's Eden Roc Hotel. The use of the swastika and other Raëlian practices has resulted in criticism from the group Hineni of Florida, an Orthodox Jewish organization.[144]

In 1992, the Raëlian Movement altered their symbol, replacing the central swastika with a swirling shape. They explained that this was due to a request from the Elohim to change the symbol in order to help in negotiations with Israel for the building of the Extraterrestrial Embassy, although the country continued to deny their request.[145][146] Raël also stated that the change was made to show respect to the victims of the Holocaust.[100] The newly added swirling shape was explained as a depiction of a swirling galaxy.[100] In 2005, the Israeli Raëlian Guide Kobi Drori stated that the Lebanese government was discussing proposals by the Raëlian movement to build their interplanetary embassy in Lebanon. However, one condition was that the Raëlians not display their logo on top of the building because it mixes a swastika and a Star of David. According to Drori, the Raëlians involved refused this offer, as they wished to keep the symbol as it was.[147] From 1991 to 2007, the official Raëlian symbol in Europe and America did not have the original swastika, but Raël decided to make the original symbol, the Star of David intertwined with a swastika, the only official symbol of the Raëlian Movement worldwide.[148]

Practices edit

Raëlism involves a series of monthly meetings, initiations, and meditation rituals.[58] Where possible, Raëlians congregate with fellow practitioners on the third Sunday of the month.[149] It is the group's policy that these events occur in rented rooms rather than property that the Raëlian Movement itself has purchased.[8] At the monthly meetings in Montreal, Raël himself often appeared.[150]

 
Raëlians drawing with sand.

The main ritual in Raëlism is the "transmission of the cellular plan", in which a Raëlian Guide placed their hands upon another individual's head, through which the Guide is believed to receive the individual's cellular code and then telepathically transmit it to the Elohim.[151] Doing so denotes the initiate's formal recognition of the Elohim as the creators of humanity.[152] This is used as part of the "baptism", or initiation ceremony for new members joining the Movement.[153] Those in the Movement who hold the rank of bishop and priest are permitted to conduct these initiation ceremonies.[154] In some instances, when the necessary individuals are present, Raël touches the head of a Raëlian bishop, who in turn touches that of a Raëlian priest, who touches the head of the initiate to ensure the "transmission".[152] These "transmissions" are permitted to take place on one of four days in the year that play prominent role in the Raëlian calendar.[155] The first examples took place in April 1976, when Raël carried out the "transmission" ceremonies of forty initiates on the Roc Plat.[154]

The Raëlian calendar begins with the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.[156] Each year after this date is referred to as "AH" or "après Hiroshima" ("after Hiroshima").[157] The Raëlians celebrate four religious festivals each year, two of which mark Raël's claimed encounters with the Elohim.[153] These are the first Sunday in April, which is the date on which Raëlians believe the Elohim created the first humans; August 6th, which marks the day of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in 1945; October 7th, which is the day in which Raël claims that he encountered the Elohim for the second time, in 1974; and December 13th, which is the day that Raël allegedly first encountered the Elohim in 1973.[113]

Sensual meditation edit

A major practice in Raëlism is "sensual meditation", something that Raël outlined in his 1980 book La méditation sensuelle.[100] Raëlians are encouraged to take part in this guided meditation or visualisation on a daily basis, with the intent of transmitting love and telepathic links to the Elohim and achieving harmony with infinity.[158] In this, practitioners are often assisted in this meditation through listening to an instruction tape.[159] Sensual meditation sessions also take place communally at the group's monthly meetings, during which the assembled adherents sit or lie on the floor in a dimly lit room. They are then guided through it by a Raëlian Guide speaking through a microphone;[160] the meditation may be accompanied by New Age music.[161]

Sensual meditation begins with a relaxation exercise known as harmonisation avec l'infini ("harmonization with the infinite").[160] One stage of this process is "oxygenation", which entails deep breathing.[162] Practitioners are taught to relax and then envision themselves expanding their frame of reference until the self becomes only a tiny speck within the universe.[163] They are then tasked with visualising the bones and organs of the body, and ultimately the atoms within the body itself.[164] The guided meditation then encourages the meditators to imagine themselves being on the Elohim's planet and communicating telepathically with these aliens.[165]

Palmer found that Raëlians varyingly described a sense of physical well-being, psychic abilities, or sexual arousal during these meditations and interpreted these as evidence that they were in telepathic contact with the Elohim.[166] The goal of sensual meditation is to achieve a "cosmic orgasm",[167] which is characterised as the ultimate experience a person can have.[168] Palmer quoted one senior Raëlian as describing the "cosmic orgasm" as "the sensual experience of the unity between the self and the universe".[160]

Seminars edit

 
A Raëlian protest sign is raised at political rally demanding the return of U.S. troops from foreign military engagements.

The Raëlian Church holds week-long summer seminars called "Stages of Awakening."[149][169] These involve daily lectures by Raël, sensual meditation sessions, periods of fasting and feasting, testimonials, and various alternative therapies.[8] Activities that have attracted press attention have include dressing in the clothes of the opposite gender as part of an exercise to play with the fluidity of gender expression,[161][170] and observing one's own genitals and masturbating.[171]

Raëlians use these seminars as an opportunity to form friendships or sexual relationships.[172] Attendees wear white togas with name tags;[8] they have also used colored bracelets to indicate whether they wanted to be alone, be in a couple, or simply meet people.[173] In 1991, a French journalist attended a seminar and taped couples having sexual intercourse in tents, something then much-publicised.[112] Following these seminars, a second seminar, this time restricted to members of the Structure, takes place.[172]

History edit

Further information: History of Raëlism

Origins edit

Claude Vorilhon was born in Ambert, France on 30 September 1946.[174] He was the illegitimate son of a 15-year-old mother; his father had been a Sephardi Jew then in hiding from the Nazi authorities.[174] Vorilhon later recounted being raised as an atheist by his grandmother and aunt, although for a time attended a Roman Catholic boarding school.[174] As a teenager, Vorilhon hitch-hiked to Paris where he pursued a career as a singer, having several successful [dubious – discuss] singles using the name "Claude Celler."[175] He then married a nurse and had two children with her.[176] In 1973, he founded the racing car magazine Auto Pop and also worked as a test driver for such vehicles.[176] In November 1973, a new law was introduced in France banning speeding on the highway, ending his work as a test driver.[176] Auto Pop ceased publication in September 1974.[177]

 
The Puy Lassolas, the mountain where Raël claimed he first encountered the Elohim in 1973

There had been a range of reported UFO sightings in 1970s France,[178] and the ancient astronaut theory was "very much in vogue" in the country by the middle of that decade.[179] In early 1974, Vorilhon announced that in December 1973 he had been contacted by the Elohim while walking along the Puy Lassolas mountain. He began promoting these ideas in interviews on French television and radio.[180] He began lecturing on his alleged experiences in Paris, where he attracted a group of followers,[181] many of whom were science-fiction fans or amateur ufologists.[179] In December 1974 an organisation based on his ideas, the Mouvement pour l'accueil des Elohims créateurs de l'humanité (MADECH; "Movement for the Welcoming of the Elohim, Creators of Humanity"), was launched.[181] Vorilhon began referring to himself as "Raël."[181] A newsletter, Apocalypse, began publication in October 1974.[181] MADECH began raising money for the self-publication of Vorilhon's first book,[181] which appeared as Le livre qui dit la verité that year.[45] Raëlians treat his first book with reverence, often referring to it simple as Le livre ("the book").[182]

Some members of MADECH wanted the organisation to take a broader interest in Ufology beyond Raël's own claims and also desired to restrict his authority within the group.[181] Amid an internal power struggle, Raël called an emergency meeting in April 1975; the feud continued and in July he dismissed MADECH's executives and replaced them with seven of his own supporters.[183] Raël also announced that he had been contacted by the Elohim for a second time and that on this occasion they had taken him to visit their planet. He outlined these claims in his 1975 book Les Extra-Terrestres M'ont Emmené sur Leur Planète.[184] Opposition to Raël remained evident in MADECH and in 1976 he disbanded the group, beginning the Raëlian Movement as a replacement in February 1976.[185] It operated along a strict hierarchy, with Raël as its director, referred to as the "Guide of Guides."[186] Unlike MADECH, it promoted a broader religious structure, including ritual practices.[187] It continued publication of Apocalypse to spread its message.[186]

In 1976, the Raëlians sent a mission to the Canadian province of Quebec to attract converts in the Francophone region.[188] The next year a Quebecois branch of the Movement was established.[189] Raël's first two books were then published in a single English edition, titled Space Aliens Took Me to Their Planet in 1978 and republished as The Message Given To Me By Extra-Terrestrials: They Took Me to their Planet in 1986 and, in a new translation, as The Final Message in 1998.[45] He expanded on his ideas with several additional books: Accueiller Les Extra-Terrestes in 1979 (translated as Let's Welcome Our Fathers from Space in 1986),[45] La Méditation Sensuelle in 1980 (translated as Sensual Meditation in 1986), and Geniocracy.[45]

Later development edit

 
Two Raëlians visiting UFOLand, the Quebec museum which the Raëlians established in 1997

In 1980, the Raëlians sent a mission to Japan, followed by another to Africa in 1982 and to Australia in 1990.[97] In the early 1980s the Movement bought a campground near Albi in southern France, which they named Eden.[172] In 1984, Raël underwent a year's retreat in which he avoided public appearance.[190] The following year, his first wife left both him and the movement;[133] he subsequently began a relationship with a Japanese Raëlian, Lisa Sunagawa, for several years.[191] During the mid-1990s, Raël returned to his hobby of motor racing, competing in rounds two and three of the 1995 Magna Enduro Racing Championship and the 1998 Motorola Cup in Miami before retiring from the sport in 2001.[192] In 1992, a schism appeared in the religion as a group of about forty practitioners were expelled. They formed a rival, smaller group, the Apostles of the Last Days, espousing the belief that Raël had been the original spokesman of the Elohim but had been taken over by Satan.[193]

In 1992, the Raëlian Movement bought 115 hectares near Valcourt in Quebec, naming this property Le Jardin du Prophète ("the Garden of the Prophet").[172] It was here in 1997 that the organisation opened UFOLand, a museum about ufology. Its purpose was to raise money for the Elohim Embassy, but in 2001 it closed to the public, having proved financially unviable.[194] It was also during 1997, a month after Ian Wilmut announced the birth of Dolly the Sheep, a successful clone, that Raël established the company Valiant Venture to explore the commercial applications of cloning.[195] Through it came Clonaid, of which the Raëlian Bishop Brigitte Boisselier was co-founder, director, and spokesperson.[9] The initiation of this group and its promotion of human cloning incited much debate among other religious figures, scientists, and ethicists.[9] Raël and Boisselier both spoke before US President Bill Clinton's Congress hearing on human cloning in March 2001.[196]

At the July 1998 training camp in the Jardins des Prophètes, Raël announced that in December 1997 he had received another revelation from the Elohim, commanding him to form a new grouping within the Raëlian Movement, the Order of Raël's Angels.[197] This was to be a secret society,[130] open only to women who would become the consorts of the Elohim after their arrival on Earth.[197] A newsletter, Plumes d'Anges (Angel Feathers), was issued containing information about the Order.[156] Palmer noted that by emphasizing the unique qualities of women, this group challenged the established Raëlian doctrine that men and women are wholly equal and interchangeable.[130]

 
Brigitte Boisselier (left) took on a senior role in the Raëlian Movement.

In 2001, Raël toured Asia, giving seminars.[198] That year he married for a second time, to a 16-year-old ballet student. Raëlism discourages marriage, and this instance was done for expediency, because he had been questioned by customs officials when traveling with her across borders. They subsequently divorced but remained a couple.[199] In November 2002, a local man vandalised the group's Jardins des Prophètes property, causing significant damage.[200] Raël stated that this had been a preliminary test of the "Abraham Project," a joint operation between the Central Intelligence Agency and the French intelligence agencies to assassinate him using schizophrenics directed through mind control.[201]

In December 2002, Boisselier announced that Clonaid's work had resulted in the birth of a baby, Eve, which she claimed was the world's first human clone.[202] The child was not presented for scrutiny by scientists;[203] the IRM's allegations regarding Baby Eve were never substantiated by the scientific community.[93] Many commentators believed the announcement had been a hoax.[204] In January 2003 the Raëlians declared that Eve's parents had hidden themselves to evade attention.[205] Baby Eve's appearance gained the Raëlians much international press coverage,[93] and also much ridicule.[206] The group claimed this publicity generated around 5000 new members.[207] Boisellier announced periodically that further clone infants had been born, in the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, although the press increasingly deemed these hoaxes and stopped attending Raëlian press conferences.[203]

In January 2003, Raël announced Boisellier as his appointed successor,[203] and also published The Maitreya, in which he identified himself with the eponymous figure from Buddhist prophecy.[59] In response to Raël's association with Clonaid, South Korean immigration authorities denied him entry to their country in 2003.[208] The group then protested near South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare that ordered him to leave.[208] Raël appeared alongside a group of women, "Raël's Girls", in the October 2004 issue of Playboy.[6][209] In 2005, two amateur documentary makers, Abdullah Hashem and Joseph McGowen, attended and filmed a Raëlian seminar in Las Vegas, claiming that they were making a student film. They then used the footage as the basis of a documentary, which they presented as an exposé of the group.[210][211] A court case followed in 2008, initiated by the IRM, which claimed the filmmakers had gained entry through misrepresentation.[212] A default judgement was made against Hashem in 2011, and he was ordered to return his footage to the IRM.[213] In 2009, the Church announced plans for a new UFOLand in Las Vegas.[6]

Organization and structure edit

A strictly hierarchical organization,[186] there are two levels of membership.[214] The majority of members are referred to simply as "Raëlians",[8] while those who are in the higher levels controlling the Movement are referred to as the "Structure."[215]

Member hierarchy edit

Level 6:
Guide of Guides
Planetary guide
Level 5:
Bishop 		Level 4:
Priest 		Level 3:
Assistant Priest
Continental head
National guide
Regional guide 		National guide
Regional guide 		Regional guide
Level 2:
Organizer 		Level 1:
Assistant Organizer
Level 0:
Trainee
Sources[216][217]

The Structure is divided along a six-tiered system.[218] Raël is at the top of the Raëlian Church, being referred to as the "Guide of Guides."[186] Senior members of the Structure re-elect him to that position each seven years.[154] Below Raël are the "Bishop Guides", then the "Priest Guides", then the "Animators", then the "Assistant Animators", and finally the "Probationers".[8] Those characterised as "Guides" are expected to be exemplars for the rest of the movement, for instance by strictly adhering to the avoidance of alcohol, caffeine, and recreational drugs.[110] Race, gender, and sexual orientation are no barrier to rising through the ranks of the group's leadership structure.[130] However, Palmer noted that by the mid-1990s there were few women in leadership positions within the organisation.[219]

Members of the Raëlian structure begin as level 0 "trainees" during annual seminars. The Raelian structure said in 2007 to have about 2,300 members,[220] 170 "Raëlian guides",[221] and 41 bishops.[222]

Three Raëlian Bishops sit on a "Council of the Wise" which monitors heresy and arranges punishment for transgressors.[223] When they seek to punish an individual it is usually for a seven-year "excommunication"; it lasts seven years because Raëlians believe that it takes this long for every cell in the human body to be replaced.[8] In more severe cases, the council can oversee a "demarking", by which they cancel the transmission of the cellular code, believing that this revokes the individual's hope for immortality through cloning.[8]

Members pay an annual membership fee to the Raëlian Movement.[154] Full members of the Movement are encouraged to tithe 10% of their income to the organisation.[224] This tithe is then divided up, with 3% going to the national branch and 7% to the International Movement's central administration.[225] An additional 1% may go to Raël himself.[97] Tithing is however not enforced.[226] In her research, Palmer found many practitioners who admitted to not paying the tithe;[115] a 1991 survey of Raëlians found that a third of respondents did not pay,[227] while in an interview, Raël suggested that over 60 percent do not.[97] It is these tithes and membership fees, coupled with the sales of Raël's books, that represent the International Raëlian Movement's main income.[132] This money is then saved toward the construction of the Elohim Embassy or spent on the production of flyers, books, videos, and other material used to disseminate the Raëlian message.[97]

The group initially owned a country estate in Albi, France, before later obtaining one in Valcourt, Quebec.[8]

Order of Angels edit

In 1998, Raël established an internal all-female group, the Order of Raël's Angels, whose members are trained to become the consorts of the Elohim.[127] He stated that these women would be the only humans permitted contact with the Elohim after the latter arrive on Earth.[228] He further claimed that they will serve as the Elohim's liaisons with human politicians, scientists, and journalists.[228] Raël stated that it was only women who could be Angels because men were not feminine enough for the extremely gentle, delicate, and sensitive Elohim.[228] Trans women were permitted entry; Raël praised one transgender member for "choosing to be a woman".[126]

 
Raëlian women at the "Korea Love Hug" festival in Seoul, South Korea

The Angels are meant to cultivate their feminine and nurturing side.[229] They are tasked with pursuing self-transformation, striving to please the Elohim and to resemble them more closely by cultivating discipline, serenity, harmony, purity, humility, charisma, and both internal and external beauty.[230] The Angels are instructed to regularly pray to the Elohim and regularly meditate.[198] They are encouraged to limit their meat consumption and to avoid carbohydrates and sugar so as to maintain their physical beauty.[126] They have proved useful for the group's public relations and have also provided volunteers for its human cloning experiments.[231][232] The Order has also engaged in the selling of human ova on the internet, launching a website to do so in 1999.[233] Raël stated that this would help the Angels achieve financial independence.[122]

The Order of Raël's Angels has a six-tiered structure, symmetrical with the six-tiered structure of the Raëlian Movement as a whole.[234] Raël divides the Angels into three groups: the White, Pink, and Golden Ribbon Angels.[234] White Angels wear white feathers on a necklace, can choose human lovers, and are tasked with operating in the world to attract more women into the Raëlian movement.[235] Pink Angels wear a pink feather on a necklace and are considered by Raël to be the "Chosen Ones" who will become the consorts of the Elohim. They are expected to live a sequestered life, initially in the Jardins des Prophètes community, and are expected to reserve their sexual activity for the extraterrestrials.[236] The Gold Ribbon Angels are characterised by a gold cord worn around the neck. They are handpicked by Raël for their physical beauty, and are described as being the first humans who will approach the Elohim on the latter's arrival on Earth.[236] The Pink and Gold Ribbon Angels are expected to abstain from sexual activity with most other humans but should receive instruction in alien lovemaking from Raël himself as well as engaging in sexual acts alone or with other Angels.[237]

The Order was insulated from the rest of the religion, with the Angels' living quarters for instance being off-limits to non-Angels.[238] Access to the Angels is strictly limited for both journalists and scholars.[239] Gold Ribbon Angels have been demoted from this status as they have aged, on the explanation that as their physical beauty has deteriorated they are no longer suited to greeting the Elohim. These demoted individuals are then tasked with training younger replacements.[240] Other individuals have been deprived of their status as Angels altogether, when they are perceived to have acted in contravention of the group's ethos.[241]

The initiation rites include declaring an oath or making a contract in which one agrees to become defender of the Raëlian ideology and its founder Raël.[170][242] A few days later, Time magazine wrote that French chemist Brigitte Boisselier was an Order of Angels member.[243] Around this time, cult specialist Mike Kropveld termed the Order of Angels "one of the most transparent movements" he had witnessed, though he was alarmed by the women's promise to defend Raël's life with their own bodies.[242]

Raël has instructed some women members to play a pro-sex feminist role in the Raëlian Church. "Rael's Girls" is another group of women in the religion which are against the suppression of feminine acts of pleasure, including sexual intercourse with men or women. Rael's Girls consists solely of women who work in the sex industry.[244] The women of Rael's Girls say there is not any reason to repent for performing striptease or being a prostitute.[244][245] This organization was established "to support the choice of the women who are working in the sex industry".[246]

Outreach and advocacy edit

 
Raëlians protesting the South Korean government's 2003 ban on Raël entering the country

The International Raëlian Movement has established various projects through which to promote its ideology.[247] In 1997 it created Clonaid, a company devoted to human cloning.[247] Clients can bank a sample of their DNA with the group, which offers to then produce a single clone of the individual after they die.[247] Another Raëlian company, Ovulaid, seeks to provide ovaries for individuals and couples who cannot biologically produce their offspring.[247] It expresses its intention to develop technologies that can create "designer babies" to the desired specification of their client.[247] An additional project, Insuraclone, is designed to clone organs for an individual in the event of future organ failure,[248] while Clonapet intended to clone people's pets after the latter died.[247]

The Raëlians are known for their socio-political activism, specifically for women's rights, gay rights, opposition to racism, banning nuclear testing, and promoting genetically-modified foods.[133] Throughout the history of Raëlism, members of the Raëlian Church have toured public settings advocating masturbation, condoms, and birth control.[232] Through its activities, Palmer stated that the Raëlian Movement was involved in "concocting, then carefully monitoring, a mild level of cultural conflict" to generate publicity for the group,[249] something coupled with "blatant courtship of the media".[250] She compared these tactics to those of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan in the 1960s and 1970s.[249] When media has adopted a mocking tone toward the religion, Raël has urged its followers to defend their beliefs, resulting in letter-writing campaigns and sometimes lawsuits.[250]

In 1992, the IRM launched protests against the Montreal Catholic School Commission's decision to veto the addition of condom machines to the bathrooms of Roman Catholic high schools in Quebec. The Raëlians parked a "condom-mobile" outside Roman Catholic high schools in Quebec and Ontario from which they dispensed contraceptives to the pupils.[251] In 1993, the Raëlians organized a conference on masturbation in Quebec, at which speeches were given by Raël and Betty Dodson. Advertising this cause, Raëlians handed out badges with "Oui à la masturbation (Yes to masturbation)" on them at the Montreal Jazz Festival.[252]

 
Raëlians promoting "Go Topless Day" in Paris in 2018

In 2000, the Raëlians launched NOPEDO, a group to combat paedophilia.[133] In 2001, they publicly distributed leaflets in Italy and Switzerland protesting the existence of over a hundred child molesters among Roman Catholic clergy in France. Geneva's Episcopal vicar sued the Raëlian Church for libel but the judge dismissed the charges as the Raëlian accusation was deemed to only target convicted priests and not the Roman Catholic Church as a whole.[253] In 2002, Raëlians held an anti-clerical parade in Montreal, where they gave high school students Christian crosses and invited the students to both burn them and sign letters of apostasy to the Roman Catholic Church. The Quebec Association of Bishops called this "incitement to hatred", and several school boards attempted to prevent their students from meeting Raëlians.[254]

The movement supports genetically-modified foods.[107] In 2003, naked members arranged themselves into the shape of the phrases "J'aime OGM" and "I love GM" in a Quebec field.[255] In 2006, about 30 Raëlians, some of them topless, took part in an anti-war demonstration in Seoul, South Korea.[256] In 2003, Raëlians in white alien costumes bore signs bearing the message "NO WAR ... ET wants Peace, too!" to protest the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.[257] In 2009 it launched its "Adopt a Clitoris" project to raise money to create a hospital in Africa to reverse damage caused by female genital mutilation (FGM);[258] it has also established Clitoraid, an organization whose mission is to oppose FGM.[259][260] Another of the groups established by the Raëlian Church is ARAMIS (Active Raelian Association for Multiplicity In Sexuality),[1] which is the Raëlian Association of Sexual Minorities and an LGBT rights group.[133]

Several Raëlian groups in the United States have organized annual protests, claiming that women should have the same legal right to go topless in public that men enjoy without fear of arrest for indecent exposure.[261] Some people have called this a publicity stunt designed to recruit members.[262] Go Topless Day is their annual event, with women protesting topless except for nipple pasties to avoid arrest. It is held near 26 August, the anniversary of Women's Equality Day.[263]

Demographics edit

Main article: Demographics of Raëlism

Established in France, Raëlism initially spread in Francophone areas of Europe, Africa, and North America.[76] As of the mid-1990s, membership clustered predominantly in France, Quebec, and Japan.[103] Palmer noted that in Canada, Raëlism had faced difficulty spreading from Quebec and into the country's Anglophone provinces.[161] In 1999, Bozeman said that the Movement had around 35,000 members,[42] while in 2003 Chryssides said it had about 55,000 members worldwide.[19] By the early 2010s, the group was claiming 60,000 members internationally, a number Palmer and Sentes thought was "probably inflated".[264] In Britain, the sociologist Eileen Barker said that there were "only a dozen or so" committed members of the religion in 1989.[265] By 2001, the sociologist David V. Barrett suggested that there were around 40 to 50 committed members in the country and around 500 sympathisers;[76] two years later, Chryssides thought there were about 40 members and 200 sympathisers in Britain.[19]

An internal survey of the group's members in 1988 found that there were almost double as many men as women in the Movement.[266] Similarly, based on her attendance at Raëlian events in Quebec, Palmer noted that men usually outnumbered women.[161] She observed that many of the men acted in an effeminate fashion,[161] and were often attracted to other men.[131] Palmer also observed several transvestites at the meetings,[267] and found that a significant number of the women present worked as strippers.[131] On these grounds, she suggested that Raëlism had a particular appeal for "people who define themselves as sexually marginal".[267] Palmer also suggested that Raëlism had an appeal for "committed atheists who are hopelessly secularized yet suffering from the existential angst of living in a world devoid of order and higher values".[268]

Conversion edit

 
A Raëlian lecturing on his religion at Onyang High School in South Korea

Raëlians engage in missionary activities to attract converts.[97] Members buy Raël's books to sell on the street, hoping to recoup their original costs.[132] They often encounter much resistance to their attempts to convert others; Raël explains that this is to be expected, for the Elohim told him that only 4% of humanity is intelligent enough to be receptive to the Raëlian message.[97] Any Raëlian found trying to force someone to convert is banned from the organisation for seven years, the period which Raëlians believe it takes for every cell in the body to be replaced.[103]

Since 1979, new members of the Raëlian Movement have been expected to sign an "Act of Apostasy,"[269] and send a letter of apostasy to any religious organisation that they were previously involved with.[270] They also sign a contract permitting a mortician to cut a piece of bone from their forehead after death, which they understand as the "Third Eye." This specimen will be stored in ice at a Swiss facility until the Elohim return, at which time it may be used to clone the deceased individual.[271] This process is known as the "lifting of the frontal bone."[160] In addition, those joining are expected to bequeath their assets to the local Raëlian group,[59] although this is not obligatory.[160]

Some former Christian clergy have joined the Raëlians, sometimes being swiftly promoted to the level of Priest or Bishop due to the skills brought with them from their previous religious organisation.[272] In 2004, for example, Ron Boston, a former bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joined the Raëlian Movement, stating that doing so would allow him to embrace his homosexuality.[273]

Reception edit

According to sociologist Susan J. Palmer, in society, Raëlism is "universally mocked",[274] and even at conferences of scholars of religion, where individuals are accustomed to studying a diverse range of belief systems, attendees have treated Raëlian beliefs with "incredulity or even mirth".[19] Non-members often regard Raël's claims as a deliberate forgery to fool his followers.[275] An especially critical reception has come from ex-Raëlians and the anti-cult movement.[88] Jean-Denis Saint-Cyr, a high-ranking member of the Raëlian movement, for instance accused Raël of plagiarising the earlier writings of Sendy in creating his religion.[88] Another prominent apostate, the Quebecois Erick Lamarche – who calls himself Exraël – quit while claiming that too much money was being donated to Raël and the senior members so that they could have luxurious lifestyles.[276] Critics repeatedly drew comparisons between Raëlism and Nazism, for instance for its promotion of a governance system where people are graded by their intelligence,[277] its emphasis on genetic engineering,[277] and its use of the swastika.[278]

 
A group of Raëlians protesting for gay rights in Vienna, Austria

Raëlism has undergone academic research from scholars of religion, especially from Palmer, who first encountered the religion in Montreal in 1987.[279] She initially thought that she "had never encountered an NRM that was so cooperative, that actually liked being studied."[280] Between 2002 and 2003, Palmer was blacklisted by the group; they banned her from their meetings and told her she had lost the opportunity to meet the Elohim on their arrival.[281] Palmer then drew upon both her interviews with active members and Raël's publications for her 2004 book on Raëlism, Aliens Adored.[282]

Palmer related that journalists she had encountered were often "fishing" for "bad things" to say about the Raëlians.[283] Many journalists sought to portray Raël as a danger to his followers, akin to David Koresh or Jim Jones, although Palmer thought this "ludicrous", stating that Raël was "not prone to violence".[36] Journalists also sought to present him as someone who sexually exploited his female members, which again Palmer found no evidence for.[284] Following statements that the Order of Raël's Angels would do anything for Raël, there was also press speculation that the group would engage in mass suicide akin to that of the Order of the Solar Temple.[285] Palmer argued that the Raëlians lacked the paranoid mentality and demonization of the outside world that had been common to new religious movements that resorted to violence.[286]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ /ˈreɪlɪzəm/[citation needed]
  2. ^ /reɪl/[citation needed]

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b "Aramis". aramis international.
  2. ^ International Headquarters: Raelian Movement 2 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Rael.org. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  3. ^ Barker 1989, p. 10; Palmer 1995, p. 105; Barrett 2001, p. 394; Chryssides 2003, p. 45; Gallagher 2010, p. 15.
  4. ^ Bozeman 1999, p. 155; Lewis 2003, p. 99; Palmer 2004, p. 3; Thomas 2010, p. 6; Palmer 2014, p. 204.
  5. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 3; Oliver 2012, p. 22.
  6. ^ a b c Thomas 2010, p. 6.
  7. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 16; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 167.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 176.
  9. ^ a b c d Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 179.
  10. ^ Assemblée Nationale (10 June 1999). "Les sectes et l'argent – Annexes (Cults and money – Appendices)" (in French). République Française. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  11. ^ Human Rights Without Frontiers International: Human Rights in Belgium Annual Report (Events in 2005).
  12. ^ Bozeman 1999, p. 155; Palmer 2004, p. 32; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 167.
  13. ^ a b Grünschloß 2004, p. 432.
  14. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 16.
  15. ^ a b Lewis 2010, p. 31.
  16. ^ Palmer 2004, pp. 20–21.
  17. ^ a b Chryssides 2003, p. 57.
  18. ^ a b Barrett 2001, p. 392.
  19. ^ a b c d Chryssides 2003, p. 45.
  20. ^ Palmer 1995, p. 107; Barrett 2001, p. 392.
  21. ^ a b c Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 170.
  22. ^ Lewis 2003, p. 102; Palmer 2004, p. 2.
  23. ^ a b c Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 171.
  24. ^ a b Palmer 2004, p. 24.
  25. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 47.
  26. ^ Barker 1989, p. 146; Chryssides 2003, p. 47; Grünschloß 2004, p. 433.
  27. ^ Grünschloß 2004, p. 433.
  28. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 23.
  29. ^ Gallagher 2010, p. 15.
  30. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 30.
  31. ^ Gallagher 2010, p. 24.
  32. ^ a b Oliver 2012, p. 23.
  33. ^ Chryssides 2003, p. 46.
  34. ^ Chryssides 2003, p. 58.
  35. ^ Gallagher 2010, p. 27.
  36. ^ a b Palmer 2004, p. 49.
  37. ^ Partridge 2003, p. 21.
  38. ^ a b Palmer 2004, p. 26; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 168.
  39. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 28; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 168.
  40. ^ Bozeman 1999, p. 155; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 168.
  41. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 26.
  42. ^ a b c Bozeman 1999, p. 155.
  43. ^ Chryssides 2003, p. 52.
  44. ^ a b Barker 1989, p. 201; Palmer 1995, p. 115; Barrett 2001, p. 394; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 174.
  45. ^ a b c d e f g Barrett 2001, p. 390.
  46. ^ Chryssides 2003, p. 50; Lewis 2003, p. 99.
  47. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 31; Gallagher 2010, p. 15; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 168.
  48. ^ Barker 1989, p. 200; Barrett 2001, pp. 390–391; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 169.
  49. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 31.
  50. ^ Barker 1989, p. 200; Barrett 2001, pp. 390–391; Chryssides 2003, p. 50.
  51. ^ Barrett 2001, p. 390; Palmer 2004, p. 35; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 168.
  52. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 35; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 168.
  53. ^ Chryssides 2003, p. 49; Palmer 2004, pp. 35–36; Gallagher 2010, pp. 14–15.
  54. ^ Barrett 2001, p. 390; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 173.
  55. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 38; Palmer & Sentes 2012, pp. 173–174.
  56. ^ Lewis 2003, p. 99.
  57. ^ Palmer 1995, p. 106; Barrett 2001, p. 390; Palmer 2004, p. 35.
  58. ^ a b c Palmer 2004, p. 20.
  59. ^ a b c d Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 175.
  60. ^ a b c d e f Palmer 1995, p. 110.
  61. ^ a b c d Palmer 2014, p. 197.
  62. ^ Chryssides 2003, p. 49.
  63. ^ Bozeman 1999, p. 154; Palmer & Sentes 2012, p. 171.
  64. ^ Palmer 2014, p. 183.
  65. ^ Barker 1989, p. 1989; Barrett 2001, p. 391; Grünschloß 2004, p. 432; Palmer 2004, p. 35.
  66. ^ Palmer 2004, p. 35.
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Further reading edit

Secondary sources edit

  • ^ Alexander, Brian, Rapture: A Raucous Tour of Cloning, Transhumanism, and the New Era of Immortality[permanent dead link] Basic Books, 2005. ISBN 1560256958.
  • ^ Bates, Gary, Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection New Leaf Press, 2005. ISBN 0890514356.
  • ^ Colavito, Jason, The Cult of Alien Gods: H. P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture. Prometheus, 2005. ISBN 978-1591023524.]
  • ^ Edwards, Linda, A Brief Guide to Beliefs: Ideas, Theologies, Mysteries, and Movements. Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. ISBN 0664222595.
  • ^ Genta, Giancarlo, Lonely Minds in the Universe: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Springer, 2007. ISBN 978-0387339252.
  • ^ Palmer, Susan J., Women in Controversial New Religions, in New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America, ed. Derek H. Davis & Barry Hankins, p. 66. Baylor University Press, 2004. ISBN 0918954924
  • ^ Shanks, Pete, Human genetic engineering:a guide for activists, skeptics, and the very perplexed[permanent dead link] Nation Books, 2005. ISBN 1560256958.
  • ^ Stock, Gregory, Redesigning Humans: Choosing our Genes, Changing our Future. Houghton Mifflin Books, 2002. ISBN 061806026X.
  • ^ Tandy, Charles, Doctor Tandy's First Guide to Life Extension and Transhumanity Universal-Publishers.com, 2001. ISBN 1581126506.
  • ^ United States Congress, Medical science and bioethics: attack of the clones? Hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, second session, 15 May 2002. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2003. Government Documents. Y 4.G 74/7:B 52/7.

Primary sources edit

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raëlism.
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April 27, 2024
raëlism, confused, with, realism, also, known, raëlianism, movement, founded, 1970s, france, claude, vorilhon, known, raël, scholars, religion, classify, religious, movement, group, formalised, international, raëlian, movement, raëlian, church, hierarchical, o. Not to be confused with Realism Raelism a also known as Raelianism is a UFO movement founded in 1970s France by Claude Vorilhon now known as Rael b Scholars of religion classify Raelism as a new religious movement The group is formalised as the International Raelian Movement IRM or Raelian Church a hierarchical organisation under Rael s leadership It is considered a cult by French and Belgian authorities RaelismThe Raelian symbolTypeNew religious movementClassificationUFO religionScriptureMain Intelligent Design Message from the DesignersMinor Sensual Meditation Let s Welcome the Extra terrestrials Geniocracy Yes to Human Cloning and The MaitreyaPolityEpiscopalPlanetaire guiderRaelAssociationsARAMIS 1 ClitoraidClonaidNOPEDOOrder of AngelsRegionWorldwideHeadquartersGeneva Switzerland 2 FounderRaelOrigin19 September 1974 Auvergne FranceEmbassy50 Other name s Raelianism and Raelian movementOfficial websitewww wbr rael wbr org Raelism teaches that an extraterrestrial species known as the Elohim created humanity using their advanced technology An atheistic religion it holds that the Elohim have historically been mistaken for gods It claims that throughout history the Elohim have created 40 Elohim human hybrids who have served as prophets preparing humanity for news about their origins Among them are The Buddha Jesus and Muhammad with Rael himself the 40th and final prophet Raelists believe that since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 humanity has entered an Age of Apocalypse in which it threatens itself with nuclear annihilation Raelism holds that humanity must find a way to harness new scientific and technological development for peaceful purposes and that when this has been achieved the Elohim will return to Earth to share their technology with humanity and establish an utopia To this end Raelians have sought to build an embassy for the Elohim that incorporates a landing pad for their spaceship Raelians engage in daily meditation hope for physical immortality through human cloning and promote a liberal ethical system with a strong emphasis on sexual experimentation Rael first published his claims to have been contacted by the Elohim in his 1974 book Le Livre Qui Dit La Verite The Book that Tells the Truth He subsequently established an organisation devoted to promoting his ideas MADECH which in 1976 disbanded and was replaced by the Raelian Church Rael headed the new organisation which was structured around a hierarchy of seven levels Attracting more followers the group obtained a country estate in France before relocating its operations to Quebec In 1998 Rael established the Order of Angels an internal all female group whose members are largely sequestered from wider society and tasked with training themselves to become the Elohim s consorts In 1997 Rael initiated Clonaid an organisation engaged in research in human cloning directed by senior Raelian Brigitte Boisselier In 2002 the company claimed to have produced a human clone a baby named Eve bringing much critical scrutiny and media attention The Movement has attracted further attention through its public protests endorsing causes such as women s and gay rights and against nuclear testing The International Raelian Movement claims tens of thousands of members the majority in Francophone areas of Western Europe and North America and parts of East Asia Criticism of the philosophy has come from journalists ex Raelians and anti cultists while it has also been studied by scholars of religion Contents 1 Definition and classification 2 Beliefs 2 1 The Elohim 2 1 1 The Elohim on Earth 2 2 The Age of Apocalypse and the Elohim s Return 2 3 Cloning and survival after death 2 4 Morality ethics and gender roles 2 5 Religious symbol 3 Practices 3 1 Sensual meditation 3 2 Seminars 4 History 4 1 Origins 4 2 Later development 5 Organization and structure 5 1 Member hierarchy 5 2 Order of Angels 6 Outreach and advocacy 7 Demographics 7 1 Conversion 8 Reception 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 11 1 Citations 11 2 Sources 12 Further reading 12 1 Secondary sources 12 2 Primary sources 13 External linksDefinition and classification editRaelism is classified as a new religious movement by scholars of religion 3 It has also been described as a UFO religion 4 a UFO movement 5 and an ETI extra terrestrial intelligence religion 6 The organization promoting Raelianism is the International Raelian Movement IRM 7 or the Raelian Church 8 In France where the religion originated the government s Parliamentary Commission on Cults labels it a secte a French term with negative connotations similar to the English word cult 9 10 In 1997 a parliamentary inquiry commission issued a report through the Belgian Chamber of Representatives that also categorized the Belgian Raelian Movement Mouvement Raelien Belge as a secte 9 11 nbsp A public gathering of Raelists in 2006 in the Insa dong neighbourhood of Seoul South Korea protesting their government s 2003 ban on Rael entering the country Raelism is possibly the largest UFO religion in existence 12 and in the mid 2000s the scholar of religion Andreas Grunschloss called it one of the most consolidated UFO groups internationally active today 13 In its beliefs Raelism differs from many other UFO based philosophies 14 with the scholar of religion James R Lewis terming it the most thoroughly secular of all the UFO religions 15 Most other UFO religions such as the Aetherius Society Ashtar Command and Heaven s Gate use many of the beliefs of the late 19th century religion theosophy Raelism does not 16 Raelists have also been characterised as having a belief in ufology 17 but Raelians often stress that they do not regard themselves as ufologists 18 Raelism is materialistic and rejects the existence of the supernatural 19 endorsing atheism and rejecting the idea that gods exist 20 The religion s founder Rael characterises traditional religion as irrational and unscientific 15 presenting his alternative as a philosophy free from obscurantism and mysticism 21 Raelians call their belief system a scientific religion 22 with the International Raelian Movement using the motto Science is our religion religion is our science 23 The religion emphasizes the use of science to solve the world s problems 24 and practitioners regard Rael as a pioneer of science who will one day be regarded as a peer of Galileo and Copernicus 25 Many of its members call it an atheistic religion 26 and compare it to Buddhism some branches of which similarly do not promote belief in gods especially Theravada Buddhism 27 Along with science the other main basis of Rael s ideas is the Bible 28 Noting the central role of the Bible in Raelism the scholar of religion Eugene V Gallagher suggested that it was a thoroughly biblical and thoroughly Christian philosophy 29 Similarly the sociologist of religion Susan J Palmer characterised Raelism as both fundamentalist and Abrahamic in its reliance on the Bible 30 Rael nevertheless criticised Christianity for what he believed was its role in perverting the Bible s message presenting himself as an opponent of the Roman Catholic Church 31 Raelism is not inclusive of other religions with new members expected to formally renounce any previous religious affiliations 32 Beliefs editSee also Raelian beliefs and practices During the early 2000s the scholar of religion George D Chryssides said that Raelism exhibits a coherent worldview 17 but added that the movement remained in the very early developmental stage 33 The religion is based on the teachings of Rael Rael s claims are taken literally by practitioners of Raelism 34 who regard his writings as scripture 35 From Palmer s extensive study of the philosophy and Rael himself she thought that he genuinely believed his claims 36 The sociologist of religion Christopher Partridge noted that Raelianism exhibits a strong physicalist belief system 37 Raelism presents a form of the ancient astronauts theory which was well known at the time that the religion was formed 38 Several French authors such as Jean Sendy Serge Hutin and Jacques Bergier had already published books during the late 1960s and early 1970s stating that Earth was the outpost of an ancient extraterrestrial society 39 Swiss writer Erich von Daniken presented the same idea in his 1968 book Chariots of the Gods 40 41 38 Similar ideas had also been put forward in science fiction such as the U S television series Star Trek 42 Raelians often deny the effect of von Daniken on the philosophy instead believing that it derives entirely from Rael s revelations 43 The Elohim edit nbsp A medallion displaying the Raelian symbol practitioners typically wear these medallions to identify their beliefs 44 Raelism teaches that there exists an extraterrestrial species known as the Elohim 45 Rael has said that the word Elohim which is used for God in the Old Testament is actually a plural term which he translates as those who came from the sky 46 Rael calls individual members of the Elohim Eloha 47 He claims that the Elohim gave him the honorific name Rael 48 a term deriving from Israel 49 which he translates as the messenger of those who come from the sky 50 In his first book Le Livre Qui Dit La Verite published in 1974 Rael claimed that he initially encountered these alien beings on 13 December 1973 when he was 27 years old 51 He wrote that he was walking along the Puy de Lassolas volcanic crater in the Clermont Ferrand mountains when one of their spaceships appeared and an Eloha emerged 52 who asked him to return the next day and bring a Bible Rael did so and the over six days Eloha explained to him the true meaning of its contents revealing more about the Elohim s involvement in human history 53 In his 1976 book Les Extra Terrestres M ont Emmene sur Leur Planete The Extraterrestrials Took Me to Their Planet Rael added that he was contacted by the Elohim again on 7 October 1975 when they took him aboard their spaceship and transported him to their home planet 54 Here he was offered six biological robot women with which to have sex saw the Elohim create his clone and taught the techniques of sensual meditation 55 The scholar of religion James R Lewis noted that Rael s account of encountering the Elohim was similar to those of the classic UFO contactees of the 1950s and 1960s 56 The Elohim are described as physically smaller than humans with pale green skin and almond shaped eyes 57 and divide into seven different races 58 Raelians are forbidden from painting or sketching them 24 According to Rael their planet is outside the Solar System but within the Milky Way 59 Rael says there are 90 000 Elohim on their planet that they are all quasi immortal 60 and that they do not wear clothes 8 All are permitted to engage in free love with one another and sexual jealousy has been eliminated 60 All are regarded as feminine in manner 61 the most feminine woman on Earth is only 10 as feminine as the Elohim 21 They are not allowed to procreate and many undergo a sterilisation operation to ensure this 60 Rael also reports that the Elohim can communicate with humans because they understand all human languages 62 The Elohim on Earth edit Raelism teaches that about 25 000 years ago the Elohim arrived at the Earth and transformed it so that life could develop It states that the Elohim used their advanced technology to establish all life on the planet 63 Rael characterises humans as biological robots that have been created and programmed by the Elohim 64 Raelism teaches that humanity is modelled physically on the Elohim 65 for practitioners this is indicated by the passage at Genesis 1 26 13 Also representing his own interpretation of Genesis Rael teaches that the Elohim scientist responsible for creating humanity was named Yahweh and that the first two humans to be created were named Adam and Eve 66 Raelians believe that there were originally seven human races modelling the seven Elohim races but that the purple blue and green races have died out 58 In believing humanity was created by the Elohim Raelians reject Darwinian evolution and espouse creationism and intelligent design 67 Raelians term their beliefs scientific creationism 68 Raelians believe that the Elohim were also created by an earlier species and they before them ad infinitum 23 They believe that the cosmos expands indefinitely both in time and space 23 infinity is an important concept for them 69 nbsp Raelians promoting their religion on a street in Japan one is dressed as an alien character mascot Raelians believe that accounts of gods in various mythologies around the world are misinterpretations of memories about the Elohim 70 The philosophy states that the sacred scriptures of many other religions describe the ongoing activities of the Elohim on Earth 71 The tale of Adam and Eve s expulsion from the Garden of Eden recounted in Genesis is for instance interpreted as representing humanity s difficult transition from the Elohim s laboratories to life on Earth where they had to become self sufficient 71 The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the Gospels is described as representing how the Elohim cloned Jesus to restore him to life after death 71 References to Satan are interpreted as referring to the chief of a group on the Elohim s planet who were opposed to genetic experiments on Earth and who argued that humanity should be destroyed as a potential threat 72 According to the Raelians the Great Flood narrative recounts an attempt by the anti human aliens to wipe out humanity but that humanity was rescued by an alien spacecraft which provided the basis for the story of Noah s Ark 73 Various figures who established or inspired religions throughout human history including Jesus the Buddha Muhammad and Joseph Smith are portrayed by the Raelians as having been guided by the Elohim 71 These are characterised as being 39 prophets sent to humanity at various times 74 Each is believed to have revealed information to humanity that they could comprehend at the given time and Raelism therefore emphasises the idea of progressive truth 74 Rael claims that he is the fortieth and final prophet of the Elohim 75 sent because humanity is now sufficiently developed to understand the truth about the Elohim 76 He initially claimed that he was chosen for this role because he had a Roman Catholic mother and a Jewish father and was thus an ideal link between two very important peoples in the history of the world 45 He added that he was also selected because he lived in France which the Elohim considered a more open minded country than most others 45 Rael subsequently stated that these prophets are themselves the result of a human mother breeding with an Eloha father 77 with the human mothers having been chosen for the purity of their genetic code beamed onto an Elohim spacecraft impregnated and then returned to Earth with their memory of the event erased 78 In his 1979 book Let s Welcome Our Fathers from Space Rael added that he was the biological son of the Eloha whom he first encountered Yahweh 79 He noted that Yahweh was also the father of Jesus making the latter Rael s half brother 80 In 2003 Rael publicly identified himself as Maitreya the prophesied future bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism 59 He maintains that he continues to be in telepathic contact with the Elohim hearing Yahweh s voice guiding him in making decisions affecting Raelianism 81 The religion also teaches that the Elohim continue to monitor every human individual on Earth remotely from their planet 18 This is done so that the Elohim can decide which individuals merit being offered the opportunity of eternal life 82 It argues that the Elohim continue to visit the Earth as evidenced by crop circles which adherents regard as the landing spaces of the Elohim s spacecraft 74 Raelians generally understand sightings of unidentified flying objects UFOs as confirmation of their belief in the Elohim although their opinion of Ufology is ambiguous 83 Raelians also consider the appearance of angel hair as evidence of the Elohim s presence stating that it has appeared at various Raelian summer gatherings 84 They typically express scepticism regarding claims by alleged alien contactees other than Rael 83 Raelians believe that they are all capable of linking telepathically with the Elohim but that only Rael is permitted to meet with them physically or receive their revelations 84 The Age of Apocalypse and the Elohim s Return edit nbsp A small scale tent copy of the proposed Elohim embassy erected at a Raelian seminar in Colombia Raelism is a millenarian philosophy 85 Rael claims that since the U S military s use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 humanity have been living in the Age of Apocalypse or Revelation 86 It states that the human species must now choose whether to use science and technology to enhance life or to use it to bring about nuclear annihilation 87 It claims that if humans successfully get through this present age they will live in an era of advanced technology in which society will be tolerant and sexually liberated 42 Rael claimed that he was destined to help lead humanity away from its path of destruction 88 According to Rael beginning a peaceful age will cause the return of the Elohim to Earth 88 He added that they will bring them the 39 immortal prophets whom they had previously sent to guide humanity 89 Rael stated that humanity has to build an embassy for the Elohim prior to their arrival on Earth and that it must include a landing pad for their spaceship 90 He stated that it needed to be located on internationally recognised neutral territory so as not to indicate favour towards any one particular nation state 76 Initially Rael sought permission to build it in Israel 91 explaining this by reference to how the ancient Israelites were once in contact with the Elohim 76 He also stated that this embassy would constitute the Third Temple referred to in Jewish prophecy 92 Receiving little help for this venture from the Israeli government Rael instead suggested that a neighbouring country might be suitable proposing Jordan Syria Lebanon and Egypt as possible locations None of the governments of these countries were favorable 76 Senior people of the Raelian Movement suggested Hawaii as a possible alternative and in 1998 Rael stated that he had received a new revelation from the Elohim stating that this location would be acceptable 21 Chryssides noted that should the Elohim not arrive in 2035 the Raelians will have to adapt to the new circumstance in which their eschatology remains unfulfilled 93 On 16 April 1987 the Chicago Sun Times estimated the funding for the cosmic kibbutz at 1 million In 1997 1998 the funding had risen to 7 million 94 95 96 In 2001 group members claimed they had saved 9 million for the embassy 97 and in October 2001 the funding had reached 20 million 98 Once on Earth Rael claims the Elohim will share their advanced technology and scientific understanding with humanity and will help to usher in a utopia 88 Rael teaches that the Elohim s arrival will herald a new and improved political system on Earth 82 This will be a single world government that Rael terms a geniocracy 99 or rule of geniuses 100 and which he discusses in his fifth book Geniocracy 69 According to this system only those who are fifty percent more intelligent that the average person will be permitted to rule 101 Rael s proposed geniocratic system bears similarities with the style of governance that Plato promoted in his work Republic 102 Raelians thus reject democracy believing that it fails to ensure that society has the best leadership 101 Rael claims that this future society will have no war and crime will have been ended through genetic engineering 101 In this future Rael states humanity will be able to travel beyond the Earth to colonise other planets 103 He claims that robots will assume menial tasks allowing humans to devote their time to pleasurable pursuits 104 He also argued that there would be biological robots which would serve as sex slaves akin to those which Rael states he encountered on his visit to the Elohim planet 105 A single world currency will be introduced as a prelude to the total abolition of money while a unified world calendar will also be adopted 101 Cloning and survival after death edit Raelians reject the existence of the ethereal soul that survives physical death 106 and instead argue that the only hope for immortality is through scientific means 103 The Raelians claim that the Elohim will clone and thus recreate dead individuals but only those particular individuals who they deem merit this recreation 107 In this they believe in a conditional immortality with immortality for a minority and oblivion for the majority 107 The resurrection of Jesus as recounted in the Gospels is for instance explained as an example of Elohim cloning 107 Raelists advocate for the development of human cloning technology on Earth 105 Raelians also believe that deceased individuals can be cloned so that they could be tried and punished for their crimes 107 After the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States in which the attackers killed themselves the Raelists proposed that they could be resurrected through cloning to be tried for their actions 108 109 Due to its emphasis upon attaining immortality Raelism deplores suicide after the Heaven s Gate group engaged in a mass suicide in 1997 the Raelian Church was among the new religions that issued press releases condemning suicide 110 As opposed to the scientific definition of reproductive cloning which is simply the creation of a genetically identical living organism Raelians seek to both genetically clone individuals rapidly accelerate growth of the clone to adulthood through a process like guided self assembly of rapidly expanded cells or even nanotechnology 111 Rael told lawmakers that banning the development of human cloning was comparable to outlawing medical advances such antibiotics blood transfusions and vaccines 112 Morality ethics and gender roles edit nbsp A woman on a bed adorned with the Raelian symbol Raelism insists on a strict ethical code for its followers 113 Members are expected to take responsibility for their own actions respect cultural and racial difference promote non violence strive for world peace and share wealth and resources 113 They are also encouraged to uphold democracy in the belief that humanity will ultimately make a democratic choice to introduce geniocracy 113 The Raelian opinion is that everything should be permitted so long as it harms no one and does not impede scientific and technological advance 101 Members are nevertheless advised against using recreational drugs or stimulants so as not to harm their health 114 although some practitioners have acknowledged that they use alcohol and cigarettes 115 John M Bozeman characterized the religion s morality as progressive 116 while Palmer referred to the group s liberal social values 117 and Chryssides called Raelist values worldly and hedonistic 118 The scholar of religion Paul Oliver said that the philosophy s ethics are relativistic in that practitioners are encouraged to act in a manner that they feel appropriate to the context 32 Several scholars have also argued that it is a world affirming religion using the typology established by Roy Wallis 119 Rael considered gender as an artificial construct and emphasized its fluidity 120 Rael avoided a macho persona and is instead often described by his followers as being gentle and feminine 121 Palmer suggested that Rael regarded women as being superior to men because they were described as being more like the Elohim 61 In Rael s account the inhabitants of the Elohim planet have 10 percent of masculinity and 90 percent of femininity 61 Rael also proposed that if women were in positions of political power across the world there would be no war 61 The Raelians have participated with public protests for women s rights 122 At its June 2003 Joy of Being Woman demonstration Raelian women danced naked through the streets of Paris 122 Palmer described the Raelians as feminists 123 although Rael criticized mainstream feminism arguing that it copied the shortcomings of men 124 Generally adopting the belief that the human body is malleable 125 Raelism has a positive opinion of plastic surgery to improve physical appearance 126 nbsp A Raelist contingent on the street at the Korea Queer Culture Festival held in Seoul in 2014 Raelism teaches that the Elohim created humanity to feel sexual desire as a panacea for their violent impulses 127 It states that through the pursuit of sexual pleasure new pathways between the neurons in the brain are forged thus enhancing an individual s intelligence 128 Raelism encourages its members to explore their sexuality 60 while Rael is often photographed with beautiful women and appears to be heterosexual he encourages homosexual experimentation 129 Adopting an accepting attitude towards different forms of sexual orientation and expression 69 Raelism teaches that differences in sexual orientation are rooted in the Elohim s primordial genetic programming and are something to be celebrated 130 Researching about the Raelians of Quebec Palmer found that many of them avoided categorizing themselves by using terms like heterosexual homosexual or bisexual finding those labels to be too limiting 131 The Raelians have stressed the need for respect and mutual consent in sexual behaviour 132 The group places a strong taboo on incest rape and sexual activities involving children 132 Anyone involved in the Movement who is found to have been involved in these latter activities is excommunicated 133 while Rael has recommended that paedophiles be castrated or placed in mental institutions 133 Those believed to have forced unwelcome sexual attention upon another person are excommunicated from the Movement for seven years the amount of time Raelians believe it takes for all of a person s biological cells to be regenerated 132 The Raelists reject both enforced monogamy and marriage regarding these as institutions that have been enforced to enslave women and suppress sexual expression 134 The religion discourages its members from marrying 60 Members are also discouraged from contributing to global overpopulation 60 members are urged not to have more than two children and ideally none at all 135 Rael states that should two individuals wish to procreate their psychic control during the act of conception can affect any child resulting 136 The Raelists also believe that once human cloning has been developed biological reproduction will be obsolete 127 As well as endorsing the use of birth control and contraceptives 137 Raelists endorse the use of abortion to terminate unwanted pregnancies 138 Rael has also argued that if a woman does not want a child who has been born then she should give it up to be raised by society 133 Some Swiss government authorities responded to Raelians opinions about Sensual Meditation with a fear that Raelians are a threat to public morals for supporting liberalized sex education for children They argue that such liberalized sex education that teaches children how to obtain sexual gratification would encourage sexual abuse of underage children 139 Religious symbol edit nbsp nbsp The two variants of the Raelian logo the former uses the swastika in the centre and the latter a swirl representing the shape of a galaxy The latter was adopted to avoid the connotations of Nazism that the swastika has in Western countries and was used between 1991 and 2007 The symbol initially used to signify Raelism was a six pointed star with a swastika in the centre 140 Rael stated that this was the symbol he originally saw on the hull of the Elohim s spaceship 141 Raelians regard this as a symbol of infinity 142 Practitioners also believe that this symbol helps facilitate their own telepathic contact with the Elohim 143 Raelists typically wear a medallion of the symbol around their neck 44 The Raelian use of the swastika a symbol that had been prominently used by Germany s Nazi Party during the 1930s and 1940s resulted in accusations from the Montreal anti cult organization Info Cult that the Raelians promoted fascism and racism 112 Outside Info Cult s office Raelians spoke against the act of discriminating against a religious minority 112 On 2 January 1992 a dozen people protested against the use of the swastika in the Raelian logo in Miami s Eden Roc Hotel The use of the swastika and other Raelian practices has resulted in criticism from the group Hineni of Florida an Orthodox Jewish organization 144 In 1992 the Raelian Movement altered their symbol replacing the central swastika with a swirling shape They explained that this was due to a request from the Elohim to change the symbol in order to help in negotiations with Israel for the building of the Extraterrestrial Embassy although the country continued to deny their request 145 146 Rael also stated that the change was made to show respect to the victims of the Holocaust 100 The newly added swirling shape was explained as a depiction of a swirling galaxy 100 In 2005 the Israeli Raelian Guide Kobi Drori stated that the Lebanese government was discussing proposals by the Raelian movement to build their interplanetary embassy in Lebanon However one condition was that the Raelians not display their logo on top of the building because it mixes a swastika and a Star of David According to Drori the Raelians involved refused this offer as they wished to keep the symbol as it was 147 From 1991 to 2007 the official Raelian symbol in Europe and America did not have the original swastika but Rael decided to make the original symbol the Star of David intertwined with a swastika the only official symbol of the Raelian Movement worldwide 148 Practices editRaelism involves a series of monthly meetings initiations and meditation rituals 58 Where possible Raelians congregate with fellow practitioners on the third Sunday of the month 149 It is the group s policy that these events occur in rented rooms rather than property that the Raelian Movement itself has purchased 8 At the monthly meetings in Montreal Rael himself often appeared 150 nbsp Raelians drawing with sand The main ritual in Raelism is the transmission of the cellular plan in which a Raelian Guide placed their hands upon another individual s head through which the Guide is believed to receive the individual s cellular code and then telepathically transmit it to the Elohim 151 Doing so denotes the initiate s formal recognition of the Elohim as the creators of humanity 152 This is used as part of the baptism or initiation ceremony for new members joining the Movement 153 Those in the Movement who hold the rank of bishop and priest are permitted to conduct these initiation ceremonies 154 In some instances when the necessary individuals are present Rael touches the head of a Raelian bishop who in turn touches that of a Raelian priest who touches the head of the initiate to ensure the transmission 152 These transmissions are permitted to take place on one of four days in the year that play prominent role in the Raelian calendar 155 The first examples took place in April 1976 when Rael carried out the transmission ceremonies of forty initiates on the Roc Plat 154 The Raelian calendar begins with the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 1945 156 Each year after this date is referred to as AH or apres Hiroshima after Hiroshima 157 The Raelians celebrate four religious festivals each year two of which mark Rael s claimed encounters with the Elohim 153 These are the first Sunday in April which is the date on which Raelians believe the Elohim created the first humans August 6th which marks the day of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 October 7th which is the day in which Rael claims that he encountered the Elohim for the second time in 1974 and December 13th which is the day that Rael allegedly first encountered the Elohim in 1973 113 Sensual meditation edit A major practice in Raelism is sensual meditation something that Rael outlined in his 1980 book La meditation sensuelle 100 Raelians are encouraged to take part in this guided meditation or visualisation on a daily basis with the intent of transmitting love and telepathic links to the Elohim and achieving harmony with infinity 158 In this practitioners are often assisted in this meditation through listening to an instruction tape 159 Sensual meditation sessions also take place communally at the group s monthly meetings during which the assembled adherents sit or lie on the floor in a dimly lit room They are then guided through it by a Raelian Guide speaking through a microphone 160 the meditation may be accompanied by New Age music 161 Sensual meditation begins with a relaxation exercise known as harmonisation avec l infini harmonization with the infinite 160 One stage of this process is oxygenation which entails deep breathing 162 Practitioners are taught to relax and then envision themselves expanding their frame of reference until the self becomes only a tiny speck within the universe 163 They are then tasked with visualising the bones and organs of the body and ultimately the atoms within the body itself 164 The guided meditation then encourages the meditators to imagine themselves being on the Elohim s planet and communicating telepathically with these aliens 165 Palmer found that Raelians varyingly described a sense of physical well being psychic abilities or sexual arousal during these meditations and interpreted these as evidence that they were in telepathic contact with the Elohim 166 The goal of sensual meditation is to achieve a cosmic orgasm 167 which is characterised as the ultimate experience a person can have 168 Palmer quoted one senior Raelian as describing the cosmic orgasm as the sensual experience of the unity between the self and the universe 160 Seminars edit nbsp A Raelian protest sign is raised at political rally demanding the return of U S troops from foreign military engagements The Raelian Church holds week long summer seminars called Stages of Awakening 149 169 These involve daily lectures by Rael sensual meditation sessions periods of fasting and feasting testimonials and various alternative therapies 8 Activities that have attracted press attention have include dressing in the clothes of the opposite gender as part of an exercise to play with the fluidity of gender expression 161 170 and observing one s own genitals and masturbating 171 Raelians use these seminars as an opportunity to form friendships or sexual relationships 172 Attendees wear white togas with name tags 8 they have also used colored bracelets to indicate whether they wanted to be alone be in a couple or simply meet people 173 In 1991 a French journalist attended a seminar and taped couples having sexual intercourse in tents something then much publicised 112 Following these seminars a second seminar this time restricted to members of the Structure takes place 172 History editFurther information History of Raelism Origins edit Claude Vorilhon was born in Ambert France on 30 September 1946 174 He was the illegitimate son of a 15 year old mother his father had been a Sephardi Jew then in hiding from the Nazi authorities 174 Vorilhon later recounted being raised as an atheist by his grandmother and aunt although for a time attended a Roman Catholic boarding school 174 As a teenager Vorilhon hitch hiked to Paris where he pursued a career as a singer having several successful dubious discuss singles using the name Claude Celler 175 He then married a nurse and had two children with her 176 In 1973 he founded the racing car magazine Auto Pop and also worked as a test driver for such vehicles 176 In November 1973 a new law was introduced in France banning speeding on the highway ending his work as a test driver 176 Auto Pop ceased publication in September 1974 177 nbsp The Puy Lassolas the mountain where Rael claimed he first encountered the Elohim in 1973 There had been a range of reported UFO sightings in 1970s France 178 and the ancient astronaut theory was very much in vogue in the country by the middle of that decade 179 In early 1974 Vorilhon announced that in December 1973 he had been contacted by the Elohim while walking along the Puy Lassolas mountain He began promoting these ideas in interviews on French television and radio 180 He began lecturing on his alleged experiences in Paris where he attracted a group of followers 181 many of whom were science fiction fans or amateur ufologists 179 In December 1974 an organisation based on his ideas the Mouvement pour l accueil des Elohims createurs de l humanite MADECH Movement for the Welcoming of the Elohim Creators of Humanity was launched 181 Vorilhon began referring to himself as Rael 181 A newsletter Apocalypse began publication in October 1974 181 MADECH began raising money for the self publication of Vorilhon s first book 181 which appeared as Le livre qui dit la verite that year 45 Raelians treat his first book with reverence often referring to it simple as Le livre the book 182 Some members of MADECH wanted the organisation to take a broader interest in Ufology beyond Rael s own claims and also desired to restrict his authority within the group 181 Amid an internal power struggle Rael called an emergency meeting in April 1975 the feud continued and in July he dismissed MADECH s executives and replaced them with seven of his own supporters 183 Rael also announced that he had been contacted by the Elohim for a second time and that on this occasion they had taken him to visit their planet He outlined these claims in his 1975 book Les Extra Terrestres M ont Emmene sur Leur Planete 184 Opposition to Rael remained evident in MADECH and in 1976 he disbanded the group beginning the Raelian Movement as a replacement in February 1976 185 It operated along a strict hierarchy with Rael as its director referred to as the Guide of Guides 186 Unlike MADECH it promoted a broader religious structure including ritual practices 187 It continued publication of Apocalypse to spread its message 186 In 1976 the Raelians sent a mission to the Canadian province of Quebec to attract converts in the Francophone region 188 The next year a Quebecois branch of the Movement was established 189 Rael s first two books were then published in a single English edition titled Space Aliens Took Me to Their Planet in 1978 and republished as The Message Given To Me By Extra Terrestrials They Took Me to their Planet in 1986 and in a new translation as The Final Message in 1998 45 He expanded on his ideas with several additional books Accueiller Les Extra Terrestes in 1979 translated as Let s Welcome Our Fathers from Space in 1986 45 La Meditation Sensuelle in 1980 translated as Sensual Meditation in 1986 and Geniocracy 45 Later development edit nbsp Two Raelians visiting UFOLand the Quebec museum which the Raelians established in 1997 In 1980 the Raelians sent a mission to Japan followed by another to Africa in 1982 and to Australia in 1990 97 In the early 1980s the Movement bought a campground near Albi in southern France which they named Eden 172 In 1984 Rael underwent a year s retreat in which he avoided public appearance 190 The following year his first wife left both him and the movement 133 he subsequently began a relationship with a Japanese Raelian Lisa Sunagawa for several years 191 During the mid 1990s Rael returned to his hobby of motor racing competing in rounds two and three of the 1995 Magna Enduro Racing Championship and the 1998 Motorola Cup in Miami before retiring from the sport in 2001 192 In 1992 a schism appeared in the religion as a group of about forty practitioners were expelled They formed a rival smaller group the Apostles of the Last Days espousing the belief that Rael had been the original spokesman of the Elohim but had been taken over by Satan 193 In 1992 the Raelian Movement bought 115 hectares near Valcourt in Quebec naming this property Le Jardin du Prophete the Garden of the Prophet 172 It was here in 1997 that the organisation opened UFOLand a museum about ufology Its purpose was to raise money for the Elohim Embassy but in 2001 it closed to the public having proved financially unviable 194 It was also during 1997 a month after Ian Wilmut announced the birth of Dolly the Sheep a successful clone that Rael established the company Valiant Venture to explore the commercial applications of cloning 195 Through it came Clonaid of which the Raelian Bishop Brigitte Boisselier was co founder director and spokesperson 9 The initiation of this group and its promotion of human cloning incited much debate among other religious figures scientists and ethicists 9 Rael and Boisselier both spoke before US President Bill Clinton s Congress hearing on human cloning in March 2001 196 At the July 1998 training camp in the Jardins des Prophetes Rael announced that in December 1997 he had received another revelation from the Elohim commanding him to form a new grouping within the Raelian Movement the Order of Rael s Angels 197 This was to be a secret society 130 open only to women who would become the consorts of the Elohim after their arrival on Earth 197 A newsletter Plumes d Anges Angel Feathers was issued containing information about the Order 156 Palmer noted that by emphasizing the unique qualities of women this group challenged the established Raelian doctrine that men and women are wholly equal and interchangeable 130 nbsp Brigitte Boisselier left took on a senior role in the Raelian Movement In 2001 Rael toured Asia giving seminars 198 That year he married for a second time to a 16 year old ballet student Raelism discourages marriage and this instance was done for expediency because he had been questioned by customs officials when traveling with her across borders They subsequently divorced but remained a couple 199 In November 2002 a local man vandalised the group s Jardins des Prophetes property causing significant damage 200 Rael stated that this had been a preliminary test of the Abraham Project a joint operation between the Central Intelligence Agency and the French intelligence agencies to assassinate him using schizophrenics directed through mind control 201 In December 2002 Boisselier announced that Clonaid s work had resulted in the birth of a baby Eve which she claimed was the world s first human clone 202 The child was not presented for scrutiny by scientists 203 the IRM s allegations regarding Baby Eve were never substantiated by the scientific community 93 Many commentators believed the announcement had been a hoax 204 In January 2003 the Raelians declared that Eve s parents had hidden themselves to evade attention 205 Baby Eve s appearance gained the Raelians much international press coverage 93 and also much ridicule 206 The group claimed this publicity generated around 5000 new members 207 Boisellier announced periodically that further clone infants had been born in the Netherlands Japan South Korea and Australia although the press increasingly deemed these hoaxes and stopped attending Raelian press conferences 203 In January 2003 Rael announced Boisellier as his appointed successor 203 and also published The Maitreya in which he identified himself with the eponymous figure from Buddhist prophecy 59 In response to Rael s association with Clonaid South Korean immigration authorities denied him entry to their country in 2003 208 The group then protested near South Korea s Ministry of Health and Welfare that ordered him to leave 208 Rael appeared alongside a group of women Rael s Girls in the October 2004 issue of Playboy 6 209 In 2005 two amateur documentary makers Abdullah Hashem and Joseph McGowen attended and filmed a Raelian seminar in Las Vegas claiming that they were making a student film They then used the footage as the basis of a documentary which they presented as an expose of the group 210 211 A court case followed in 2008 initiated by the IRM which claimed the filmmakers had gained entry through misrepresentation 212 A default judgement was made against Hashem in 2011 and he was ordered to return his footage to the IRM 213 In 2009 the Church announced plans for a new UFOLand in Las Vegas 6 Organization and structure editA strictly hierarchical organization 186 there are two levels of membership 214 The majority of members are referred to simply as Raelians 8 while those who are in the higher levels controlling the Movement are referred to as the Structure 215 Member hierarchy edit Level 6 Guide of GuidesPlanetary guide Level 5 Bishop Level 4 Priest Level 3 Assistant Priest Continental headNational guideRegional guide National guideRegional guide Regional guide Level 2 Organizer Level 1 Assistant Organizer Level 0 Trainee Sources 216 217 The Structure is divided along a six tiered system 218 Rael is at the top of the Raelian Church being referred to as the Guide of Guides 186 Senior members of the Structure re elect him to that position each seven years 154 Below Rael are the Bishop Guides then the Priest Guides then the Animators then the Assistant Animators and finally the Probationers 8 Those characterised as Guides are expected to be exemplars for the rest of the movement for instance by strictly adhering to the avoidance of alcohol caffeine and recreational drugs 110 Race gender and sexual orientation are no barrier to rising through the ranks of the group s leadership structure 130 However Palmer noted that by the mid 1990s there were few women in leadership positions within the organisation 219 Members of the Raelian structure begin as level 0 trainees during annual seminars The Raelian structure said in 2007 to have about 2 300 members 220 170 Raelian guides 221 and 41 bishops 222 Three Raelian Bishops sit on a Council of the Wise which monitors heresy and arranges punishment for transgressors 223 When they seek to punish an individual it is usually for a seven year excommunication it lasts seven years because Raelians believe that it takes this long for every cell in the human body to be replaced 8 In more severe cases the council can oversee a demarking by which they cancel the transmission of the cellular code believing that this revokes the individual s hope for immortality through cloning 8 Members pay an annual membership fee to the Raelian Movement 154 Full members of the Movement are encouraged to tithe 10 of their income to the organisation 224 This tithe is then divided up with 3 going to the national branch and 7 to the International Movement s central administration 225 An additional 1 may go to Rael himself 97 Tithing is however not enforced 226 In her research Palmer found many practitioners who admitted to not paying the tithe 115 a 1991 survey of Raelians found that a third of respondents did not pay 227 while in an interview Rael suggested that over 60 percent do not 97 It is these tithes and membership fees coupled with the sales of Rael s books that represent the International Raelian Movement s main income 132 This money is then saved toward the construction of the Elohim Embassy or spent on the production of flyers books videos and other material used to disseminate the Raelian message 97 The group initially owned a country estate in Albi France before later obtaining one in Valcourt Quebec 8 Order of Angels edit In 1998 Rael established an internal all female group the Order of Rael s Angels whose members are trained to become the consorts of the Elohim 127 He stated that these women would be the only humans permitted contact with the Elohim after the latter arrive on Earth 228 He further claimed that they will serve as the Elohim s liaisons with human politicians scientists and journalists 228 Rael stated that it was only women who could be Angels because men were not feminine enough for the extremely gentle delicate and sensitive Elohim 228 Trans women were permitted entry Rael praised one transgender member for choosing to be a woman 126 nbsp Raelian women at the Korea Love Hug festival in Seoul South Korea The Angels are meant to cultivate their feminine and nurturing side 229 They are tasked with pursuing self transformation striving to please the Elohim and to resemble them more closely by cultivating discipline serenity harmony purity humility charisma and both internal and external beauty 230 The Angels are instructed to regularly pray to the Elohim and regularly meditate 198 They are encouraged to limit their meat consumption and to avoid carbohydrates and sugar so as to maintain their physical beauty 126 They have proved useful for the group s public relations and have also provided volunteers for its human cloning experiments 231 232 The Order has also engaged in the selling of human ova on the internet launching a website to do so in 1999 233 Rael stated that this would help the Angels achieve financial independence 122 The Order of Rael s Angels has a six tiered structure symmetrical with the six tiered structure of the Raelian Movement as a whole 234 Rael divides the Angels into three groups the White Pink and Golden Ribbon Angels 234 White Angels wear white feathers on a necklace can choose human lovers and are tasked with operating in the world to attract more women into the Raelian movement 235 Pink Angels wear a pink feather on a necklace and are considered by Rael to be the Chosen Ones who will become the consorts of the Elohim They are expected to live a sequestered life initially in the Jardins des Prophetes community and are expected to reserve their sexual activity for the extraterrestrials 236 The Gold Ribbon Angels are characterised by a gold cord worn around the neck They are handpicked by Rael for their physical beauty and are described as being the first humans who will approach the Elohim on the latter s arrival on Earth 236 The Pink and Gold Ribbon Angels are expected to abstain from sexual activity with most other humans but should receive instruction in alien lovemaking from Rael himself as well as engaging in sexual acts alone or with other Angels 237 The Order was insulated from the rest of the religion with the Angels living quarters for instance being off limits to non Angels 238 Access to the Angels is strictly limited for both journalists and scholars 239 Gold Ribbon Angels have been demoted from this status as they have aged on the explanation that as their physical beauty has deteriorated they are no longer suited to greeting the Elohim These demoted individuals are then tasked with training younger replacements 240 Other individuals have been deprived of their status as Angels altogether when they are perceived to have acted in contravention of the group s ethos 241 The initiation rites include declaring an oath or making a contract in which one agrees to become defender of the Raelian ideology and its founder Rael 170 242 A few days later Time magazine wrote that French chemist Brigitte Boisselier was an Order of Angels member 243 Around this time cult specialist Mike Kropveld termed the Order of Angels one of the most transparent movements he had witnessed though he was alarmed by the women s promise to defend Rael s life with their own bodies 242 Rael has instructed some women members to play a pro sex feminist role in the Raelian Church Rael s Girls is another group of women in the religion which are against the suppression of feminine acts of pleasure including sexual intercourse with men or women Rael s Girls consists solely of women who work in the sex industry 244 The women of Rael s Girls say there is not any reason to repent for performing striptease or being a prostitute 244 245 This organization was established to support the choice of the women who are working in the sex industry 246 Outreach and advocacy edit nbsp Raelians protesting the South Korean government s 2003 ban on Rael entering the country The International Raelian Movement has established various projects through which to promote its ideology 247 In 1997 it created Clonaid a company devoted to human cloning 247 Clients can bank a sample of their DNA with the group which offers to then produce a single clone of the individual after they die 247 Another Raelian company Ovulaid seeks to provide ovaries for individuals and couples who cannot biologically produce their offspring 247 It expresses its intention to develop technologies that can create designer babies to the desired specification of their client 247 An additional project Insuraclone is designed to clone organs for an individual in the event of future organ failure 248 while Clonapet intended to clone people s pets after the latter died 247 The Raelians are known for their socio political activism specifically for women s rights gay rights opposition to racism banning nuclear testing and promoting genetically modified foods 133 Throughout the history of Raelism members of the Raelian Church have toured public settings advocating masturbation condoms and birth control 232 Through its activities Palmer stated that the Raelian Movement was involved in concocting then carefully monitoring a mild level of cultural conflict to generate publicity for the group 249 something coupled with blatant courtship of the media 250 She compared these tactics to those of Anton LaVey s Church of Satan in the 1960s and 1970s 249 When media has adopted a mocking tone toward the religion Rael has urged its followers to defend their beliefs resulting in letter writing campaigns and sometimes lawsuits 250 In 1992 the IRM launched protests against the Montreal Catholic School Commission s decision to veto the addition of condom machines to the bathrooms of Roman Catholic high schools in Quebec The Raelians parked a condom mobile outside Roman Catholic high schools in Quebec and Ontario from which they dispensed contraceptives to the pupils 251 In 1993 the Raelians organized a conference on masturbation in Quebec at which speeches were given by Rael and Betty Dodson Advertising this cause Raelians handed out badges with Oui a la masturbation Yes to masturbation on them at the Montreal Jazz Festival 252 nbsp Raelians promoting Go Topless Day in Paris in 2018 In 2000 the Raelians launched NOPEDO a group to combat paedophilia 133 In 2001 they publicly distributed leaflets in Italy and Switzerland protesting the existence of over a hundred child molesters among Roman Catholic clergy in France Geneva s Episcopal vicar sued the Raelian Church for libel but the judge dismissed the charges as the Raelian accusation was deemed to only target convicted priests and not the Roman Catholic Church as a whole 253 In 2002 Raelians held an anti clerical parade in Montreal where they gave high school students Christian crosses and invited the students to both burn them and sign letters of apostasy to the Roman Catholic Church The Quebec Association of Bishops called this incitement to hatred and several school boards attempted to prevent their students from meeting Raelians 254 The movement supports genetically modified foods 107 In 2003 naked members arranged themselves into the shape of the phrases J aime OGM and I love GM in a Quebec field 255 In 2006 about 30 Raelians some of them topless took part in an anti war demonstration in Seoul South Korea 256 In 2003 Raelians in white alien costumes bore signs bearing the message NO WAR ET wants Peace too to protest the 2003 Invasion of Iraq 257 In 2009 it launched its Adopt a Clitoris project to raise money to create a hospital in Africa to reverse damage caused by female genital mutilation FGM 258 it has also established Clitoraid an organization whose mission is to oppose FGM 259 260 Another of the groups established by the Raelian Church is ARAMIS Active Raelian Association for Multiplicity In Sexuality 1 which is the Raelian Association of Sexual Minorities and an LGBT rights group 133 Several Raelian groups in the United States have organized annual protests claiming that women should have the same legal right to go topless in public that men enjoy without fear of arrest for indecent exposure 261 Some people have called this a publicity stunt designed to recruit members 262 Go Topless Day is their annual event with women protesting topless except for nipple pasties to avoid arrest It is held near 26 August the anniversary of Women s Equality Day 263 Demographics editMain article Demographics of Raelism Established in France Raelism initially spread in Francophone areas of Europe Africa and North America 76 As of the mid 1990s membership clustered predominantly in France Quebec and Japan 103 Palmer noted that in Canada Raelism had faced difficulty spreading from Quebec and into the country s Anglophone provinces 161 In 1999 Bozeman said that the Movement had around 35 000 members 42 while in 2003 Chryssides said it had about 55 000 members worldwide 19 By the early 2010s the group was claiming 60 000 members internationally a number Palmer and Sentes thought was probably inflated 264 In Britain the sociologist Eileen Barker said that there were only a dozen or so committed members of the religion in 1989 265 By 2001 the sociologist David V Barrett suggested that there were around 40 to 50 committed members in the country and around 500 sympathisers 76 two years later Chryssides thought there were about 40 members and 200 sympathisers in Britain 19 An internal survey of the group s members in 1988 found that there were almost double as many men as women in the Movement 266 Similarly based on her attendance at Raelian events in Quebec Palmer noted that men usually outnumbered women 161 She observed that many of the men acted in an effeminate fashion 161 and were often attracted to other men 131 Palmer also observed several transvestites at the meetings 267 and found that a significant number of the women present worked as strippers 131 On these grounds she suggested that Raelism had a particular appeal for people who define themselves as sexually marginal 267 Palmer also suggested that Raelism had an appeal for committed atheists who are hopelessly secularized yet suffering from the existential angst of living in a world devoid of order and higher values 268 Conversion edit nbsp A Raelian lecturing on his religion at Onyang High School in South Korea Raelians engage in missionary activities to attract converts 97 Members buy Rael s books to sell on the street hoping to recoup their original costs 132 They often encounter much resistance to their attempts to convert others Rael explains that this is to be expected for the Elohim told him that only 4 of humanity is intelligent enough to be receptive to the Raelian message 97 Any Raelian found trying to force someone to convert is banned from the organisation for seven years the period which Raelians believe it takes for every cell in the body to be replaced 103 Since 1979 new members of the Raelian Movement have been expected to sign an Act of Apostasy 269 and send a letter of apostasy to any religious organisation that they were previously involved with 270 They also sign a contract permitting a mortician to cut a piece of bone from their forehead after death which they understand as the Third Eye This specimen will be stored in ice at a Swiss facility until the Elohim return at which time it may be used to clone the deceased individual 271 This process is known as the lifting of the frontal bone 160 In addition those joining are expected to bequeath their assets to the local Raelian group 59 although this is not obligatory 160 Some former Christian clergy have joined the Raelians sometimes being swiftly promoted to the level of Priest or Bishop due to the skills brought with them from their previous religious organisation 272 In 2004 for example Ron Boston a former bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints joined the Raelian Movement stating that doing so would allow him to embrace his homosexuality 273 Reception editAccording to sociologist Susan J Palmer in society Raelism is universally mocked 274 and even at conferences of scholars of religion where individuals are accustomed to studying a diverse range of belief systems attendees have treated Raelian beliefs with incredulity or even mirth 19 Non members often regard Rael s claims as a deliberate forgery to fool his followers 275 An especially critical reception has come from ex Raelians and the anti cult movement 88 Jean Denis Saint Cyr a high ranking member of the Raelian movement for instance accused Rael of plagiarising the earlier writings of Sendy in creating his religion 88 Another prominent apostate the Quebecois Erick Lamarche who calls himself Exrael quit while claiming that too much money was being donated to Rael and the senior members so that they could have luxurious lifestyles 276 Critics repeatedly drew comparisons between Raelism and Nazism for instance for its promotion of a governance system where people are graded by their intelligence 277 its emphasis on genetic engineering 277 and its use of the swastika 278 nbsp A group of Raelians protesting for gay rights in Vienna Austria Raelism has undergone academic research from scholars of religion especially from Palmer who first encountered the religion in Montreal in 1987 279 She initially thought that she had never encountered an NRM that was so cooperative that actually liked being studied 280 Between 2002 and 2003 Palmer was blacklisted by the group they banned her from their meetings and told her she had lost the opportunity to meet the Elohim on their arrival 281 Palmer then drew upon both her interviews with active members and Rael s publications for her 2004 book on Raelism Aliens Adored 282 Palmer related that journalists she had encountered were often fishing for bad things to say about the Raelians 283 Many journalists sought to portray Rael as a danger to his followers akin to David Koresh or Jim Jones although Palmer thought this ludicrous stating that Rael was not prone to violence 36 Journalists also sought to present him as someone who sexually exploited his female members which again Palmer found no evidence for 284 Following statements that the Order of Rael s Angels would do anything for Rael there was also press speculation that the group would engage in mass suicide akin to that of the Order of the Solar Temple 285 Palmer argued that the Raelians lacked the paranoid mentality and demonization of the outside world that had been common to new religious movements that resorted to violence 286 See also edit nbsp Religion portal nbsp Human sexuality portal Nontheistic religionsNotes edit ˈ r eɪ l ɪ z em citation needed r eɪ l citation needed References editCitations edit a b Aramis aramis international International Headquarters Raelian Movement Archived 2 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Rael org Retrieved 20 October 2010 Barker 1989 p 10 Palmer 1995 p 105 Barrett 2001 p 394 Chryssides 2003 p 45 Gallagher 2010 p 15 Bozeman 1999 p 155 Lewis 2003 p 99 Palmer 2004 p 3 Thomas 2010 p 6 Palmer 2014 p 204 Palmer 2004 p 3 Oliver 2012 p 22 a b c Thomas 2010 p 6 Palmer 2004 p 16 Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 167 a b c d e f g h i j Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 176 a b c d Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 179 Assemblee Nationale 10 June 1999 Les sectes et l argent Annexes Cults and money Appendices in French Republique Francaise Retrieved 20 April 2009 Human Rights Without Frontiers International Human Rights in Belgium Annual Report Events in 2005 Bozeman 1999 p 155 Palmer 2004 p 32 Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 167 a b Grunschloss 2004 p 432 Palmer 2004 p 16 a b Lewis 2010 p 31 Palmer 2004 pp 20 21 a b Chryssides 2003 p 57 a b Barrett 2001 p 392 a b c d Chryssides 2003 p 45 Palmer 1995 p 107 Barrett 2001 p 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Retrieved 13 March 2007 Translation Global anti war rallies map series Agence France Presse 15 March 2003 Retrieved 13 March 2007 Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 178 On s en est fait passer une p tite vite Cyberpresse ca 5 December 2006 Retrieved 21 September 2007 Raelian effort to promote sponsorship of clitorises Clitoraid org Retrieved 9 August 2006 1 Archived 23 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine gotopless org Retrieved 1 December 2019 https nationalpost com posted toronto where and when you can go topless in ontario and what it has to do with ufos Retrieved on 11 April 2024 Men Wear Bras So Women Can Go Topless Archived 23 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine gotopless com Retrieved 1 December 2019 Palmer amp Sentes 2012 pp 167 181 Barker 1989 p 151 Palmer 1995 p 106 a b Palmer 1995 p 119 Palmer 2004 p 194 Palmer 2004 p 60 Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 175 Palmer 1995 p 107 Palmer 2004 p 60 Palmer 1995 p 107 Palmer 2004 pp 59 60 Palmer amp Sentes 2012 p 175 Palmer 2004 p 79 Cult Lures Gay Bishop into Fold Religion News Blog 23 April 2004 Archived from the original on 8 October 2007 Retrieved 19 January 2022 Palmer 2004 p 15 Lewis 2014 pp 191 192 Palmer 2004 pp 171 175 a b Chryssides 2003 p 59 Palmer 1995 p 127 Palmer 2004 p 1 Palmer 2004 p 2 Palmer 2014 pp 186 187 Palmer 2014 p 187 Palmer 2004 p 6 Palmer 2004 p 42 Palmer 2014 p 203 Palmer 2004 p 158 Sources edit Barker Eileen 1989 New Religious Movements A Practical Introduction London Her Majesty s Stationery Office ISBN 978 0113409273 Barrett David V 2001 The New Believers A Survey of Sects Cults and Alternative Religions London Cassell and Co ISBN 978 0304355921 Botz Bornstein T 2017 How Would You Dress in Utopia Raelism and the Aesthetics of Genes A Philosophical Analysis Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 8 1 37 61 doi 10 5840 asrr201751134 Bozeman John M 1999 Field Notes The Raelian Religion Achieving Human Immortality Through Cloning Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 3 1 University of California Press 154 156 doi 10 1525 nr 1999 3 1 154 JSTOR 10 1525 nr 1999 3 1 154 Chryssides George D 2003 Scientific Creationism A Study of the Raelian Church In Partridge Christopher ed UFO Religions London and New York Routledge pp 45 61 ISBN 978 0415263245 Dericquebourg Regis 2021 Rael and the Raelians In Zeller Ben ed Handbook of UFO Religions Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion Vol 20 Leiden and Boston Brill Publishers pp 472 490 doi 10 1163 9789004435537 024 ISBN 978 9004434370 ISSN 1874 6691 S2CID 239738621 Gallagher Eugene V 2010 Extraterrestrial Exegesis The Raelian Movement as a Biblical Religion Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 14 2 14 33 doi 10 1525 nr 2010 14 2 14 JSTOR 10 1525 nr 2010 14 2 14 Gregg Stephen E September 2014 Queer Jesus straight angels Complicating sexuality and religion in the International Raelian Movement Sexualities 17 5 6 SAGE Journals 565 582 doi 10 1177 1363460714526129 hdl 2436 609871 ISSN 1461 7382 OCLC 474576878 S2CID 147291471 Retrieved 4 January 2021 Grunschloss Andreas 2004 Waiting for the Big Beam UFO Religions and Ufological Themes in New Religious Movements In James R Lewis ed The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements New York and Oxford Oxford University Press pp 419 444 ISBN 978 0195369649 Lewis James R 2003 Legitimating New Religions New Brunswick NJ Rutgers University Press ISBN 978 0813533230 Lewis James R 2010 How Religions Appeal to the Authority of Science In James R Lewis and Olav Hammer ed Handbook of Religion and the Authority of Science Leiden Brill Publishers pp 23 40 ISBN 978 9004187917 Lewis James R 2014 Using the F Word in Religious Studies Toward a General Model of Sacred Forgeries Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 5 2 188 204 doi 10 5840 asrr2015221 Oliver Paul 2012 New Religious Movements A Guide for the Perplexed London and New York Continuum International ISBN 978 1441101976 Palmer Susan J 1995 Women in the Raelian Movement New Religious Experiments in Gender and Authority In Lewis James R ed The Gods Have Landed New Religions from Other Worlds Albany New York SUNY Press pp 105 136 ISBN 0791423298 Palmer Susan J 2004 Aliens Adored Rael s UFO Religion New Brunswick NJ and London Rutgers University Press ISBN 0813534763 LCCN 2004000305 Palmer Susan J 2005 The Raelian Movement Concocting Controversy Seeking Social Legitimacy In Lewis James R Petersen Jesper Aagaard eds Controversial New Religions New York Oxford University Press pp 371 386 doi 10 1093 019515682X 003 0017 ISBN 019515682X S2CID 192799092 Palmer Susan J Sentes Bryan 2012 The International Raelian Movement In Hammer Olav Rothstein Mikael eds The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 167 183 doi 10 1017 CCOL9780521196505 012 ISBN 978 0521196505 LCCN 2012015440 S2CID 151563721 Palmer Susan J 2014 Rael s Angels The First Five Years of a Secret Order In Bogdan Henrik Lewis James R eds Sexuality and New Religious Movements Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities New York Palgrave Macmillan pp 183 211 doi 10 1057 9781137386434 9 ISBN 978 1349681464 Partridge Christopher 2003 Understanding UFO Religions and Abduction Spiritualities In Christopher Partridge ed UFO Religions London and New York Routledge pp 3 42 ISBN 978 0415263245 Sentes Bryan Palmer Susan J 2000 Presumed Immanent The Raelians UFO Religions and the Postmodern Condition Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 4 1 86 105 doi 10 1525 nr 2000 4 1 86 JSTOR 10 1525 nr 2000 4 1 86 Thomas Paul Brian 2010 Bible Lessons with Rael On Religious Appropriation in ET Inspired Religions Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 14 2 6 13 doi 10 1525 nr 2010 14 2 6 JSTOR 10 1525 nr 2010 14 2 6 Further reading editSecondary sources edit Alexander Brian Rapture A Raucous Tour of Cloning Transhumanism and the New Era of Immortality permanent dead link Basic Books 2005 ISBN 1560256958 Bates Gary Alien Intrusion UFOs and the Evolution Connection New Leaf Press 2005 ISBN 0890514356 Colavito Jason The Cult of Alien Gods H P Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture Prometheus 2005 ISBN 978 1591023524 Edwards Linda A Brief Guide to Beliefs Ideas Theologies Mysteries and Movements Westminster John Knox Press 2001 ISBN 0664222595 Genta Giancarlo Lonely Minds in the Universe The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Springer 2007 ISBN 978 0387339252 Palmer Susan J Women in Controversial New Religions in New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America ed Derek H Davis amp Barry Hankins p 66 Baylor University Press 2004 ISBN 0918954924 Shanks Pete Human genetic engineering a guide for activists skeptics and the very perplexed permanent dead link Nation Books 2005 ISBN 1560256958 Stock Gregory Redesigning Humans Choosing our Genes Changing our Future Houghton Mifflin Books 2002 ISBN 061806026X Tandy Charles Doctor Tandy s First Guide to Life Extension and Transhumanity Universal Publishers com 2001 ISBN 1581126506 United States Congress Medical science and bioethics attack of the clones Hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Drug Policy and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform House of Representatives One Hundred Seventh Congress second session 15 May 2002 Washington U S G P O 2003 Government Documents Y 4 G 74 7 B 52 7 Primary sources edit Rael Intelligent Design Nova Distribution 2005 ISBN 978 2940252220 Rael Geniocracy The Raelian Foundation 2004 Rael Maitreya The Raelian Foundation 2003 Rael Sensual Meditation Tagman Press 2002 Rael Yes to Human Cloning Immortality Thanks to Science Tagman Press 2001 ISBN 978 1903571057 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raelism Official website Other Raelian Truth Network Independent Information and Analysis of the Raelian Movement The Raelian books compared to Jean Sendy s Testimonies by ex Raelians RaelianLeaks Leaked documents of the International Raelian Movement and fact based background check Whittemore Faye Religious Movements Homepage Raelians link University of Virginia Archived from the original on 6 July 2007 Raelism Robert T Carroll s skeptic dictionary entry Rael The Masonic Messiah Archived 1 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Dunning Brian 4 August 2007 Skeptoid 59 Who Are the Raelians and Why Are They Naked Skeptoid Retrieved 22 June 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Raelism amp oldid 1218765092, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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