Raëlism: The UFO Religion That Believes in Extra-Terrestrial Beings Called Elohim

BY Sonal Panse • June 11, 2019

The symbol of Raëlism. (Sarang / Wikimedia Commons)

All religions are not formed equal. Some have earthly origins, while others, like Raëlism, come to us from extra-terrestrial sources. The followers of Raëlism believe that all the living beings on earth are the creations of a highly intelligent and advanced race of aliens known as Elohim. They zoom around the earth in their UFOs and keep a watch over us. If we can overcome our baser natures, we may become eligible to become part of the great Elohim civilization on their far away planet.

The UFO religion of Raëlism

Raëlism is not a monotheistic religion. Its followers believe in different Elohim, but since they don’t believe in God, they often call themselves an atheist religion. There is a seven-level clerical hierarchy, and followers must officially renounce their beliefs in all other religions. They must believe, instead, in world peace, non-violence, democracy, and sexual permissiveness.

The founder of Raëlism

Claude Vorilhon, a Frenchman who was born in 1946, is the founder of Raëlism. Before he became a self-made prophet, he worked as a journalist and was also a race-car driver.

When he was 27 years old, on 13 December 1973, he had his first alleged “alien encounter” in the Puy de Lassolas volcano park in France. According to him, he was beamed up to a spaceship belonging to the Elohim. They informed him that he was half-Elohim and gave him the details of the entire history of humankind on earth. They also told him that they had selected him to bring enlightenment to the human race. After that first meeting, he met with them in the park six more times and decided to give up his dual careers and become their full-time representative on earth.

He began calling himself by his Elohim name, Raël, travelled around the world to promote his new religion, and wrote several books about his experiences with the aliens—”The Book Which Tells the Truth”, “Extraterrestrials Took Me to their Planet”, “Intelligent Design”, “Sensual Meditation”, “Geniocracy”, and “Yes To Human Cloning”. He has also appeared on many TV shows, addressed the American Congress, and hobnobbed with international politicians and celebrities.

Raël has been married three times, including to a 16-year old girl.

The beginnings of Raëlism

On 19 September 1974, Claude Vorilhon addressed an audience of 2000 people at a conference in Paris in France. He made a sufficient enough impression to gain 170 adherents for his new faith and went on to form an organization called “Mouvement pour l‘accueil des Elohim, créateurs de l’humanité” (Movement for the Welcoming of the Elohim, Creators of Humanity) or MADECH. Later, in 1976, this became the International Raëlian Movement.

The key tenets of Raëlism

According to Raëlism, there are human-like aliens known as Elohim that came to earth in UFOs from a distant galaxy. They are scientifically and technologically advanced beings, and they created the human race as clones of themselves. We are, in fact, a scientific experiment that they are conducting on earth.

The Elohim have been trying to uplift humanity for centuries. To achieve this goal, they sent enlightened prophets in our midst. All those prophets that started all those other religions—Buddha, Mahavir, Jesus, and so on—they were all sent by the Elohim for our benefit. Apparently, when the Elohim made us, they were not able to create totally non-defective specimens.

The prophets chosen by the Elohim, including Claude Vorilhon, are half-Elohim, the result of the mating of the Elohim with human women.

Raëlism believes in liberal sexual mores and free love for everybody. They call it sex positivity.

Controversies of Raëlism

Sexual parties

Given the free love beliefs of Raëlism, its followers participate in orgies and engage in liberating and non-traditional and non-monogamous sexual acts. According to Raëlism, engaging in free love helps to replenish the brain cells and, thus, expands the human intellect. It is a form of meditation that allows the adherents to communicate with the Elohim. To promote this erotic meditation, Claude Vorilhon has made a point of distributing condoms to school students and encouraging them to engage in masturbation.

White and pink angels

The White Angels and the Pink Angels are young women selected for their extraordinary beauty. The Pink Angels are the elite of the elite. These young ladies take a vow of earthly celibacy that they will hold on to until the Elohim arrive to offer salvation to all of us. So, they don’t engage in physical relationships with anyone, except the founder Claude Vorilhon; he is half-Raël, so that is quite alright. The Pink Angels made a splash in larger human society when they posed with Claude Vorilhon for the porn magazine, Playboy, in October 2004.

Go topless day

The followers of Raëlism believe that the human body is nothing to be ashamed about and that there should be equality between men and women. That means, if men can go topless in public without any qualm, women should be able to do so too. To protest a state law that banned women from exposing their areolae and nipples in public and to create a safe public environment for women wishing to expose their breasts, they announced the Go Topless Day. They arranged a public parade of half-naked women outside the Arizona State University. They also paraded through New York City in 2014. While their cause has garnered some support from the ‘Free the Nipple’ crowd, the larger public doesn’t seem to be falling in line.

Clitoraid

Raëlism is also concerned about other social justice issues in other countries. They have set up an independent organization called Clitoraid in 2006. It is active in Burkina Faso and many other African countries to help victims of female genital mutilation. The doctors and surgeons that work with Clitoraid in these countries use reconstructive surgery to rebuild the clitoris. While this is certainly humanitarian work, the locals in many of the countries have accused the organization of promoting degenerate Western sexual mores alongside.

Human cloning

According to Raëlism, the human gene pool needs purification, and this can happen only through human cloning. The adherents of Raëlism are keeping their fingers crossed that cloning techniques will soon become so advanced that actual human childbearing will become a thing of the past.

In September 2000, the Raëlism organization announced a new upcoming company called Clonaid to work on human cloning. At the press conference, the Angels said they would be willing to act as surrogates for their religion’s cloning venture. In 2003, Clonaid made the startling announcement that they had been successful in cloning the world’s first human clone. However, after causing a stir, the company did not bring forth the proof.

Religious suppression

While advocating sexual liberation, world peace, and democracy, Raëlism is remarkably close-minded about tolerating other religions. The organization demands their followers must renounce all other beliefs. Furthermore, they also want all other religious texts to be censured for failing to live up to their definition of human rights.

The future of Raëlism

There are, reportedly, around 100, 000 adherents of Raëlism in 97 countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, South Korea, and Australia. The United States boasts the largest number of Raëlism followers. Given the adaptability of the religion and the credulity of human beings, it is likely it will continue to find followers and grow.

The Raëlism organization is hoping to build an official embassy in readiness for the arrival of the Elohim and would like some of the leading countries to volunteer land for the purpose.

In conclusion

Many of us associate religions with centuries-old philosophies and ancient prophets or godmen. However, as Raëlism shows, religions can be pretty modern. You too can be the founder of one, if you put your mind to it. The first requisite is coming up with an original philosophy—or having the skill to mix up several existing philosophies to come up with something that sounds new. The second requisite is getting other people to believe in it. If you can get past that barrier and gather followers, you are all set to become a revered prophet. Just like Claude Vorilhon.

Human beings are pliable beings that—with sufficient marketing as well as social and legal coercion— can be made to believe absolutely anything.

Raëlism might have seemed radical in the 1970s, but it comes across as quite tame in comparison to some of the “social justice” issues of the present century. Perhaps those explain why the Elohim haven’t landed yet.

Enjoyed this article? Also, check out “Zoroastrianism: The Oldest Monotheistic Faith is Now on the Verge of Extinction“.

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