The Raëlian movement: the new religion that claims we are an alien experiment

Humans have always been fascinated by stories about UFOs and aliens. There are those who consider reports of sightings and encounters with creatures anecdotal. However, there are also those who truly believe in the existence not only of life outside Earth but also in its influence on ours. This is the case of the Raëlians.

The Raelian movement was founded in 1976, in France by the “prophet” Claude Vorilhon. He claimed to have met extraterrestrials, who made an important communication to him on December 13, 1973.

According to Claude Vorilhon, the message said that life on Earth had been created by beings very similar to men: the Elohim, or “those who came from the sky”, thanks to advanced genetic engineering techniques.

Therefore, the human beings would be the result of an ingenious experiment by advanced extraterrestrials, who used the DNA of the Elohim themselves. Furthermore, these beings named Vorilhon, as their Raël, or “messenger of the Elohim”.

Claude Vorilhon, journalist and former race car driver, later wrote two books on the subject: 'Le Livre Qui Dit la Vérité' ('The Book Which Tells the Truth'), in 1974, and 'Les Extra- terrestrial M'ont Emmené sur Leur Planète' (Extraterrestrials Took Me to Their Planet), in 1975. The latter was based on a hypothetical new encounter with the Elohim.

The Raël (i.e. Vorilhon) is located at the top of the six-level hierarchical structure of the Raëlian movement, which requires all its members to follow a healthy lifestyle and a vegetarian diet.

Those who have decided to join the Rëelian movement are invited to donate 10% of their income to the construction of an embassy of the Elohim in Jerusalem, for when they return to Earth.

The movement believes that the great return of the extraterrestrial Elohim to Earth will occur in the year 2035, as long as humans fulfill certain objectives, such as spreading Raëlian teachings and building the embassy.

According to Ezael De Marco, head of the Raëlian movement in Italy, interviewed by Messaggero, the embassy, with extraterritorial status, would be “a kind of headquarters in neutral territory, consisting of 24 apartments, a restaurant, a conference room and a swimming pool, to establish and found a new order based on the beginnings of science".

And he added: “A dozen or so individuals will come, accompanied by the great prophets (Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Muhammad), who will leave another planet where they live happily, thanks to a sophisticated cloning process, to be alongside their children".

Photo by (El Caminante) from Pixabay

According to the Raëlian movement, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha were prophets sent to Earth to help and guide human beings. All were born from the relationship between a human woman and an Elohim, aided by genetic engineering and DNA synthesis.

Falcon photo from Pixabay

To be part of the Raëlian movement one must go through an initiation rite, with characteristics similar to Christian baptism, carried out only by higher-level followers.

This ritual can only be performed four times a year: on the first Sunday in April (to commemorate the first time that Raël baptized the first members of the movement), on the 6th of August (to remember the atrocities of Horoshima), on the 7th of October (date on which Raël would have met Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha, during his second meeting with the Elohim) and December 13th (date of the first meeting).

During the initiation rite, according to the Raëlian movement, it is important to communicate telepathically with the Elohim, so that they record all the genetic information of the initiate.

As with most well-known religions, in the Raëlian movement there is a kind of reward for behaving in a dignified manner in this life. The Elohim, after having judged the actions of the members who have reached the end of their earthly existence, will be able to decide whether to guarantee them immortality. How? Through cloning.

Photo by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

“At the end of our life journey, they measure with a large space computer whether the personal balance was positive or negative. If we deserve it, we will be recreated and we will keep all the knowledge acquired in the previous life”,  Ezael De Marco told the Italian publication Messaggero.

Di Marco also described how the Elohim spend their days: “They don't work, they are happy and enjoy life. Everything that needs to be done is entrusted to biological robots.” This civilization also does not follow any laws: “Laws are for men, not for gods. The geniocratic government of the Elohim", he says.

Photo by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

The Raëlian movement is not exempt from strong controversies, which have accompanied it over the years, especially with regard to cloning and other types of alleged abuses.

Photo by Elias from Pixabay

In 1997, the Raëlians founded Clonaid, an organization that claims to have cloned a child named Eva and subsequently other individuals. Independent scientists have never had the opportunity to examine the alleged child or the technology used, which is why the scientific community claims it is a hoax.

In the Raëlian movement, sexuality also plays a decidedly important role: free love is promoted. Thus, its members have often been attacked by the media and accused of abusing women.

Another heated debate concerns its official symbol, made up of a Star of David and a swastika. After numerous public protests, the latter was replaced by a stylized flower, although the old symbol remains very present among the faithful.

The Raëlian movement has spread throughout the world over the years. To date, according to Di Marco, around 120,000 people in more than 100 countries have joined.

Most of the information in this gallery is taken from an article written by Anna Kira Hippert and published on the website Religionmediacentre.org.uk.