Raelians

[Mighty_Emperor]

Raelian sex and paranoia

Two articles came up at the same time (it seemed more cult than UFO-related so I but it in here):

Cult leader predicts attempts on his life

October 7, 2003

BY BRIGITTE MCCANN Advertisement



Constantly surrounded by bodyguards, Claude Vorilhon is convinced he's the target of numerous assassination plots.

The prophet known to his followers as Rael wants his disciples to share his paranoia that George Bush and Jacques Chirac themselves want his skin.

"There's a strong chance I'll be the next victim of an assassination attempt," proclaims Vorilhon in the weekly Contact magazine published for Raelian members.

"And the fact that we're talking about it here today is one of the means of trying to avoid it," he continues.

Vorilhon is a former race car driver and journalist who created the Raelian Movement, which he calls "an atheistic religion," in 1973. He says he was visited by aliens in France who told him they were the "Elohim" mentioned in the Bible and had created the human race through cloning. Today his movement boasts 55,000 members in 84 countries.

Vorilhon claims the secret service of France and the CIA have been trying to eliminate him because he's dangerous. The name of their secret extermination operation: the Abraham Project.

According to his theory, the mentally ill would be used as agents to assassinate him and carry out other crimes. Schizophrenics would obey voices emitted by audio systems secretly installed in their homes.

That would explain why a mentally ill person ransacked the Raelian church campground in November 2002, according to the guru. It was a test of their methods.

The former journalist goes as far as citing an alleged directive of President Bush: "I want the skin of this Rael who preaches atheism at all costs."

"If I'm assassinated next by a mentally ill person," concludes Rael, "you must cry out loud and strong what's behind all that and that you've made investigations that unmask those responsible who are extremely high-placed in France and the United States."

The Raelians don't bat an eye hearing about such presumed plots. There is even one who hopes that it will happen.

"That would be good if one day Rael was killed or died," says Pierre Bolduc, a friend of Rael's since his arrival in Quebec 25 years ago.

"Because if he died, there wouldn't be any further chance that one day he would deny all that he's taught the last 20 years -- his meeting with the Elohims and all that. Jesus wasn't crucified for nothing!" he says.

Sun Media




Leader's shaky mental state worrisome


The Raelian movement already shows signs of going off the rails.

That's the opinion of Dianne Casoni, a renowned psychologist and criminologist who specializes in religious sects, after reviewing material gathered by Sun Media.

"Generally, it's the mental health and the moral judgment of the leader that's the greatest protection against loss of control," says the University of Montreal professor.

Rael is already showing signs of paranoia -- security guards are omnipresent and he has written about his fear of assassination.

"What worries me the most is when conspiracy theories develop," Casoni explains. "The group says to itself, 'We're in danger, we have to protect ourselves,' and sometimes it becomes, 'We have to fight back' and that's when things can go on the skids."

She recalls that religious cult leader Jim Jones constantly obliged his disciples to move before his paranoia resulted in the collective suicide of 912 members of his sect, the Temple of the People, in Guyana in 1978.

Another disturbing fact is that Claude Vorilhon, Rael, is tightening his hold over his disciples. The creation of the Order of the Angels, the women in his service, is an example.

"From year to year we see an increase in the assertion of Rael's authority," says Alain Bouchard, a sociologist observing the Raelian movement.

"He's really starting to take himself more seriously," he adds. "His ego's growing."

"It worries me to see that there's a growth in the level of control and unreasonable demands," says Mike Kropveld, director of Info-Sect.

Claude Vorilhon himself admitted the potential danger of a movement going in the wrong direction, after the first collective suicides of the Order of the Sun Temple in 1994.

"No one is protected from a loss of control," he told Le Journal de Montreal at the time. "Jesus said: 'Love one another' and Catholicism produced the Inquisition. We shouldn't be shocked by anything then."

Seventy-four members of the Order of the Sun Temple were killed or committed suicide in three countries from 1994 to 1997. Ten died in Quebec.

For now, the effects on the members of the leader's paranoia is limited to the sort of feelings you'd get from a horror film, according to Bouchard.

"The members are afraid; it's created a thrill and a cohesion in the group so everyone is satisfied," he says. "When they begin to construct bunkers, that's when we should be worried."

But things could become complicated the day the leader faces the crumbling of his movement, warns Casoni.

That could already be happening, for in spite of the pretensions of Rael, "the membership of the movement has been stagnating for the past 20 years," Bouchard points out.

The leader will then have two choices -- to accept the dissolution of his group or to adopt the hard line, only keeping the core of his group.

"In the end with the Order of the Sun Temple, only the most committed members killed themselves," recalls Casoni.



Sect squeezes members for their money


A group headed by manipulators thirsting for media attention. A guru who is on the verge of losing his grip. Followers who are ready to give up their lives.

If you think the Raelians are inoffensive clowns, you'd better think again.

This is what Canadian newspaper company Sun Media discovered when it infiltrated the Raelian religious sect for nine months. No reporters have gone this far to uncover what this organization is all about.

In the coming days, we will take you inside this so-called atheist religion.

The Raelian movement captured world attention last December with bold claims its scientists would soon deliver the first human clone -- a girl, named Eve -- within weeks. No proof was ever furnished.

Claude Vorilhon, a former race-car driver and founder of the Raelians, later boasted that media coverage garnered his organization about 0 million worth of publicity.

"This event saved me 20 years of work," he said.

But the guru known as Rael tells his indoctrinated disciples that his own life is constantly threatened by conspiracies fomented by the CIA and the French secret service.

Sun Media learned through confidential documents and interviewing one of Rael's "angels" that several women have committed themselves to die if needed to protect their "beloved prophet."

The results of our investigation alarmed Dianne Casoni, a psychologist/criminologist specializing in cult organizations.

"We mustn't be naive and believe that the Raelians form a run-of-the-mill group," says the University of Montreal professor.

The "paranoid attitude" recently adopted by the cult leader prompts Casoni to fear the worst.

Reporter Brigitte McCann and photographer Chantal Poirier got a taste of the Raelians' siege mentality during a two-week "awakening" seminar last summer at the movement's headquarters in Maricourt, Quebec.

They succeeded in mingling with women ready to offer their eggs to help Brigitte Boisselier, head of the Raelians' Clonaid organization, launch so-called new experiments in the area of human cell culture.

Our reporters went as far as their sense of decency would allow to witness the Raelians' strange custom of "sensual meditation."

Always incognito, McCann and Poirier were submitted to a troubling secret interrogation aimed at testing their faith in "their prophet." According to Casoni, this was clearly an intimidation and control tactic targeting the disciples.

Essentially, the objective of these control measures is to get the most money possible out of their followers. In less than 10 months, living as a Raelian cost the reporter more than

Cult leader predicts attempts on his life

October 7, 2003

BY BRIGITTE MCCANN Advertisement



Constantly surrounded by bodyguards, Claude Vorilhon is convinced he's the target of numerous assassination plots.

The prophet known to his followers as Rael wants his disciples to share his paranoia that George Bush and Jacques Chirac themselves want his skin.

"There's a strong chance I'll be the next victim of an assassination attempt," proclaims Vorilhon in the weekly Contact magazine published for Raelian members.

"And the fact that we're talking about it here today is one of the means of trying to avoid it," he continues.

Vorilhon is a former race car driver and journalist who created the Raelian Movement, which he calls "an atheistic religion," in 1973. He says he was visited by aliens in France who told him they were the "Elohim" mentioned in the Bible and had created the human race through cloning. Today his movement boasts 55,000 members in 84 countries.

Vorilhon claims the secret service of France and the CIA have been trying to eliminate him because he's dangerous. The name of their secret extermination operation: the Abraham Project.

According to his theory, the mentally ill would be used as agents to assassinate him and carry out other crimes. Schizophrenics would obey voices emitted by audio systems secretly installed in their homes.

That would explain why a mentally ill person ransacked the Raelian church campground in November 2002, according to the guru. It was a test of their methods.

The former journalist goes as far as citing an alleged directive of President Bush: "I want the skin of this Rael who preaches atheism at all costs."

"If I'm assassinated next by a mentally ill person," concludes Rael, "you must cry out loud and strong what's behind all that and that you've made investigations that unmask those responsible who are extremely high-placed in France and the United States."

The Raelians don't bat an eye hearing about such presumed plots. There is even one who hopes that it will happen.

"That would be good if one day Rael was killed or died," says Pierre Bolduc, a friend of Rael's since his arrival in Quebec 25 years ago.

"Because if he died, there wouldn't be any further chance that one day he would deny all that he's taught the last 20 years -- his meeting with the Elohims and all that. Jesus wasn't crucified for nothing!" he says.

Sun Media




Leader's shaky mental state worrisome


The Raelian movement already shows signs of going off the rails.

That's the opinion of Dianne Casoni, a renowned psychologist and criminologist who specializes in religious sects, after reviewing material gathered by Sun Media.

"Generally, it's the mental health and the moral judgment of the leader that's the greatest protection against loss of control," says the University of Montreal professor.

Rael is already showing signs of paranoia -- security guards are omnipresent and he has written about his fear of assassination.

"What worries me the most is when conspiracy theories develop," Casoni explains. "The group says to itself, 'We're in danger, we have to protect ourselves,' and sometimes it becomes, 'We have to fight back' and that's when things can go on the skids."

She recalls that religious cult leader Jim Jones constantly obliged his disciples to move before his paranoia resulted in the collective suicide of 912 members of his sect, the Temple of the People, in Guyana in 1978.

Another disturbing fact is that Claude Vorilhon, Rael, is tightening his hold over his disciples. The creation of the Order of the Angels, the women in his service, is an example.

"From year to year we see an increase in the assertion of Rael's authority," says Alain Bouchard, a sociologist observing the Raelian movement.

"He's really starting to take himself more seriously," he adds. "His ego's growing."

"It worries me to see that there's a growth in the level of control and unreasonable demands," says Mike Kropveld, director of Info-Sect.

Claude Vorilhon himself admitted the potential danger of a movement going in the wrong direction, after the first collective suicides of the Order of the Sun Temple in 1994.

"No one is protected from a loss of control," he told Le Journal de Montreal at the time. "Jesus said: 'Love one another' and Catholicism produced the Inquisition. We shouldn't be shocked by anything then."

Seventy-four members of the Order of the Sun Temple were killed or committed suicide in three countries from 1994 to 1997. Ten died in Quebec.

For now, the effects on the members of the leader's paranoia is limited to the sort of feelings you'd get from a horror film, according to Bouchard.

"The members are afraid; it's created a thrill and a cohesion in the group so everyone is satisfied," he says. "When they begin to construct bunkers, that's when we should be worried."

But things could become complicated the day the leader faces the crumbling of his movement, warns Casoni.

That could already be happening, for in spite of the pretensions of Rael, "the membership of the movement has been stagnating for the past 20 years," Bouchard points out.

The leader will then have two choices -- to accept the dissolution of his group or to adopt the hard line, only keeping the core of his group.

"In the end with the Order of the Sun Temple, only the most committed members killed themselves," recalls Casoni.



Sect squeezes members for their money


A group headed by manipulators thirsting for media attention. A guru who is on the verge of losing his grip. Followers who are ready to give up their lives.

If you think the Raelians are inoffensive clowns, you'd better think again.

This is what Canadian newspaper company Sun Media discovered when it infiltrated the Raelian religious sect for nine months. No reporters have gone this far to uncover what this organization is all about.

In the coming days, we will take you inside this so-called atheist religion.

The Raelian movement captured world attention last December with bold claims its scientists would soon deliver the first human clone -- a girl, named Eve -- within weeks. No proof was ever furnished.

Claude Vorilhon, a former race-car driver and founder of the Raelians, later boasted that media coverage garnered his organization about $500 million worth of publicity.

"This event saved me 20 years of work," he said.

But the guru known as Rael tells his indoctrinated disciples that his own life is constantly threatened by conspiracies fomented by the CIA and the French secret service.

Sun Media learned through confidential documents and interviewing one of Rael's "angels" that several women have committed themselves to die if needed to protect their "beloved prophet."

The results of our investigation alarmed Dianne Casoni, a psychologist/criminologist specializing in cult organizations.

"We mustn't be naive and believe that the Raelians form a run-of-the-mill group," says the University of Montreal professor.

The "paranoid attitude" recently adopted by the cult leader prompts Casoni to fear the worst.

Reporter Brigitte McCann and photographer Chantal Poirier got a taste of the Raelians' siege mentality during a two-week "awakening" seminar last summer at the movement's headquarters in Maricourt, Quebec.

They succeeded in mingling with women ready to offer their eggs to help Brigitte Boisselier, head of the Raelians' Clonaid organization, launch so-called new experiments in the area of human cell culture.

Our reporters went as far as their sense of decency would allow to witness the Raelians' strange custom of "sensual meditation."

Always incognito, McCann and Poirier were submitted to a troubling secret interrogation aimed at testing their faith in "their prophet." According to Casoni, this was clearly an intimidation and control tactic targeting the disciples.

Essentially, the objective of these control measures is to get the most money possible out of their followers. In less than 10 months, living as a Raelian cost the reporter more than $1,500.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-raelleader07.html

and:

Thu, October 9, 2003

Sex sells cult

Just like their prophet the Raelians enjoy it a lot

By BRIGITTE MCCANN, SUN MEDIA




Just like their prophet, the Raelians like sex. A lot. But that's not the only thing that keeps them in the cult.

The movement attracts a large number of social misfits who aren't normally able to fit into a group. Rael acknowledged that during our two-week "awareness training" session at Maricourt, Que. in July.

"You have always been different than others since your childhood and you've been criticized for it," he told a crowd. "Here, you're like everyone else."

Take Yvon, for example, a Raelian for two years. The 36-year-old salesman admitted candidly he doesn't get along with his parents, doesn't have a girlfriend, and has always had trouble making friends.

He came to the "awareness training" to escape solitude.

IT'S EASY ALONE

"I didn't want to go on a car trip by myself on vacation in the United States," said the Quebec City man. "Here, it's easy to travel by yourself."

A handful of men use the movement to dress as women or pick up men, far from prying eyes outside. We encountered a few at Maricourt.

Louis, a journalist with a Quebec daily, took advantage of movement meetings to be "Maryline," dressed in super-tight jeans, a camisole with a plunging neckline and spaghetti straps, and a large bra.

Sex in abundance, in twos and threes, seems to attract and retain many in the movement.

A corner-store cashier in her early 20s, "Manon," tried all sorts of movements before ending up in Raelian beds.

"For now, I'm only sleeping with Raelians," said the young woman with multiple tattoos. "They're very gentle. Very attentive."

The Raelian, who is bisexual, was thrilled when Rael asked to see all of her tattoos in April.

"If I could provide the prophet with pleasure, I'll do it anytime," she said.

MARRIED MAN CHEATS

Married men also participate wholeheartedly. Bruno, 28, cheated happily on his non-Raelian partner during the entire session at Maricourt and says his wife knows about his philandering. "She told me: 'You can do it, but that's 10 days without sex,'" he explains very seriously.

,500.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-raelleader07.html

and:

Thu, October 9, 2003

Sex sells cult

Just like their prophet the Raelians enjoy it a lot

By BRIGITTE MCCANN, SUN MEDIA




Just like their prophet, the Raelians like sex. A lot. But that's not the only thing that keeps them in the cult.

The movement attracts a large number of social misfits who aren't normally able to fit into a group. Rael acknowledged that during our two-week "awareness training" session at Maricourt, Que. in July.

"You have always been different than others since your childhood and you've been criticized for it," he told a crowd. "Here, you're like everyone else."

Take Yvon, for example, a Raelian for two years. The 36-year-old salesman admitted candidly he doesn't get along with his parents, doesn't have a girlfriend, and has always had trouble making friends.

He came to the "awareness training" to escape solitude.

IT'S EASY ALONE

"I didn't want to go on a car trip by myself on vacation in the United States," said the Quebec City man. "Here, it's easy to travel by yourself."

A handful of men use the movement to dress as women or pick up men, far from prying eyes outside. We encountered a few at Maricourt.

Louis, a journalist with a Quebec daily, took advantage of movement meetings to be "Maryline," dressed in super-tight jeans, a camisole with a plunging neckline and spaghetti straps, and a large bra.

Sex in abundance, in twos and threes, seems to attract and retain many in the movement.

A corner-store cashier in her early 20s, "Manon," tried all sorts of movements before ending up in Raelian beds.

"For now, I'm only sleeping with Raelians," said the young woman with multiple tattoos. "They're very gentle. Very attentive."

The Raelian, who is bisexual, was thrilled when Rael asked to see all of her tattoos in April.

"If I could provide the prophet with pleasure, I'll do it anytime," she said.

MARRIED MAN CHEATS

Married men also participate wholeheartedly. Bruno, 28, cheated happily on his non-Raelian partner during the entire session at Maricourt and says his wife knows about his philandering. "She told me: 'You can do it, but that's 10 days without sex,'" he explains very seriously.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2003/10/09/220983.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Clonaid

Raelians had chortle over cloning

Sect infiltrated. Clonaid boss gloats over 'free publicity'

BRENDA BRANSWELL
The Gazette


Thursday, October 09, 2003



When Clonaid, a fringe scientific group, claimed it produced the world's first cloned baby, international news media jumped all over the story.

But was it all a giant hoax? Scientists expressed skepticism from the start. And Clonaid's ties to the Raelian movement didn't exactly enhance the credibility of its claims. The Raelians, after all, believe space aliens created human beings in a laboratory 25,000 years ago.

A report published yesterday cast further doubt on the alleged human cloning.

Two Journal de Montréal reporters who infiltrated the Raelian movement described members mocking the media that covered the cloning announcement.

According to the Journal, Clonaid president Brigitte Boisselier laughed about the incident while addressing Raelian supporters in the Eastern Townships in July.

"Come, my good journalist friends, ask me if we did all that to have free publicity. Yes!" Boisselier is quoted as saying. Boisselier kept laughing, according to the report, when she recalled the news conference last year. "When I amused myself playing with the journalists ... you had to see what a zoo it was that day."

During the time she spent mingling with Raelians, Journal de Montréal reporter Brigitte McCann said the alleged cloned baby was basically a taboo topic.

"They didn't want to talk about it," McCann said in an interview yesterday. "They were very, very careful.

"And Boisselier, herself, told me she didn't set foot in the laboratory because she was afraid of being followed there."

Boisselier, who is also a "bishop" in the Raelian sect, provided no proof of the initial cloning. And Clonaid has not backed up subsequent claims it created several other cloned babies. The group has said it has 100 female members ready to carry cloned embryos. Neither Clonaid nor the Raelians responded to interview requests by The Gazette.

François Pothier, a professor in the animal sciences department at Université Laval, says it is possible Clonaid attempted some cloning experiments.

"To technically achieve (human) cloning from a scientific point of view is not complicated, compared with many other techniques," Pothier said. The results, however, are not promising, he said. Pothier has experimented with cloning pigs.

Coy remarks by the charismatic founder of the Raelian movement also raise doubts.

"Even if you want to think we only did that for publicity, it's marvellous," Rael told the Journal de Montréal. "If that's it, we are publicity geniuses. And if it is true, we are scientific geniuses, too."

In a two-page weekly Raelian bulletin obtained by The Gazette, Rael said he believed Boisselier's claim. If false, it had at least drawn attention to the movement, he suggested.

"Even if Brigitte's announcement turns out to be a joke (and I don't think so), I'm sure all the new Raelians will warmly thank Brigitte for this 'white lie' that enabled them to join us."

http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=2b63541f-0154-4454-94d4-cea6037f954c

 

[KeyserXSoze]

Raelian Eternal Youth Inc.

http://www.thisislondon.com/til/jsp/modules/Article/print.jsp?itemId=7683425

Cult finds 'eternal youth' formula
By James Langton, Evening Standard

The controversial cult which claims to have cloned five babies says it has discovered a way of reversing the ageing process.

The Raelian sect believes it can use stem cells to turn back the clock on any part of the body.

It says it has already carried out experiments which involve shortening ageing human DNA, which stretches over time.

The sect's claims are sure to reignite the controversy surrounding human cloning and the use of stem cells, which are obtained from foetuses.

Experts have admitted the techniques used are "good science" and that reversing ageing is "theoretically possible". However, they criticise the Raelians for refusing to reveal their methods and proof of their claims.

Cult chief Dr Brigitte Boisselier, 47, is set to reveal the details of the work at a conference in London next week. However, organisers, who say the cult used a false name to book their facilities, have now cancelled it.

"As far as I am concerned, this is just not science until they prove it," said Professor Christopher Higgins, director of the Medical Research Council's Clinical Sciences Centre at Hammersmith Hospital.

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Standard, Dr Boisselier said the cult had set up a new company, Stemaid, which is using stem cells. At least two patients are being treated; one has a brain tumour and the other is paralysed after a spinal cord injury.

"We have found a way to cure so many diseases and a way to look like you are 17 years old," she said. "There will be six to nine months demonstrating and then we will be showing everything."

She says she is ready to have the treatment herself because "while my mind is mature, I don't like all my wrinkles".

Unlike the cloning project, which is still shrouded in mystery, Dr Boisselier says details of the stem cell research will be made public, starting with a major press conference in Switzerland next month.

Experts are divided over the claims. Several refused to speak to the Evening Standard, claiming the cult was "absurd".

However, Anne Bishop, a stem cell expert at Imperial College, London, believes there may be some basis to the science.

She said: "What they are talking about doing is theoretically possible, although it has nothing to do with DNA. There are several research groups around the world looking at this. It does, in effect, allow you to turn back the effects of ageing on any cell."

Dr Boisselier says the real significance of her work is the promise of eternal youth. Speaking in Montreal where the cult is based, she said: "A generation is coming that will never die. People can expect to stretch their lives for 50 or 70 years."

She says details will be made public at a medical conference in Switzerland next month. Even if successful, the procedure is highly controversial because the stem cells used are taken from cloned embryos created from the patients themselves.

Clonaid's past claims have been treated with scepticism, not least because of its links with the Raelians, founded by a former French racing driver who claims he is in contact with aliens who created humanity from clones of themselves. Clonaid claimed last year that a cloned baby girl named Eve had been born on 26 December. Dr Boisselier promised that full scientific proof would be offered, but later claimed the parents backed away through fear of exposure in the media.

Today she revealed the existence of a "second generation" of clones whose mothers are now in the final stages of pregnancy.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

And general nutiness

Monday March 15, 08:52 AM

South Korea suffers alien vengeance

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has put the blame squarely on Washington for the impeachment of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, but the Raelian movement has linked the roots of the political crisis to a much higher power.

The Swiss-based group, which believes extraterrestrials created humankind, said Roh's predicament was a direct consequence of alien ire over his government's refusal to allow a leader of the group to visit South Korea last year.

"President Roh's misfortunes and sufferings including this impeachment motion are retributions by the Elohim because his government denied His Holiness Rael's entry to Korea," a statement from the International Raelian Movement said.

The movement says "Elohim", a biblical reference, refers to "those who came from the sky", supporting its belief that scientifically advanced aliens created life on earth.

Rael, whose real name is Claude Vorilhon, is the founder of the group, which says it has more than 60,000 members in 90 countries. The French-born founder said he had an extraterrestrial encounter in 1973 when he was told to prepare the way for an alien return to earth.

The statement said the group's founder was denied entry to South Korea on August 2 last year "on the pretext that he could cause social disorder by trying human cloning".

The group made waves at the end of 2002 after a company linked to the Raelian movement said it had produced the first human clone, a baby girl. But despite releasing photographs, the company has not produced DNA evidence to back its cloning claim.

South Korea's secretive communist neighbour and rival has a different theory for the political crisis.

North Korea's official KCNA news agency quoted a spokesman as saying the United States had hatched a plot starting last October resulting in Roh's impeachment on Friday.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040315/80/eojr7.html

[edit: Another report but the best bit is the picture:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004121341,00.html ]

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Raelian sex and paranoia

where do they have these awakening camps? i can pretend to be an alien worshipper for some that fun!

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Putting the semen in seminar

George Knapp, Investigative Reporter

Raelian Leader Makes Fertile Announcement


(Mar. 26) -- A private company which claims to have created the first cloned human announced in Las Vegas on Friday that it has now produced 13 cloned babies and they are all healthy.

The company, known as Clonaid, is viewed with skepticism in scientific circles, not only because of the cloning claims, but also because of its association with the Raelian Movement, which believes humans were created in a lab by space aliens.

"I hope that everyone in this room, when your child or grandchild is sick, you don't run to the church or the temple, you run to the hospital because you prefer science," said Rael, leader of Raelian Movement.

The Raelian Movement, led by its prophet Rael, claims 80,000 members worldwide, it's a religion but one that believes in the supremacy of science, not a supernatural being. Rael, a former french race car driver, teaches that humans were cloned by space aliens in a lab, which is why his organization advocates cloning research by the private Clonaid company, whose head now claims to have produced 13 healthy cloned babies around the world and who vows to one day provide proof.

"These children are alive and perfectly healthy. It's not as if they disappeared. They can be shown at any time. Its only a question of time," said Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, Clonaid scientist. As if to irritate religious groups even more, Clonaid has also entered the controversial field of stem cell research, to be used as an anti-aging tool, administered at a Clonaid rejuvenation spa.

And if that sounds outrageous, it pales next to Rael's vision of the future, one in which designer bodies can be implanted with memories, allowing eternal life on earth, not in heaven.

"Then when you are about to die, you download all the data from your brain in the brain of the new you, and you are for a new life with a young body, your memory and personality," Rael said. Before you ask where to sign up, Rael acknowledges this is still a ways off. Not surprisingly, his denunciation of all other religions as being superstitious fairy tales has generated death threats from all over the world.

Mainstream science may hold a dim view of the cloning claims, but the publicity has sparked a big jump in Raelian membership in the past year, he says. As with other Raelian statements, that too is a tough one to prove. Rael will make a public appearance Tuesday night at the UNLV Student Center.

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1741367&nav=168XLqBm

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Some press releases are looney

Like any newspaper, we get a large number of press releases, with the sender hoping that we will develop them into stories.

Some of the press releases we get are just, well, looney. I still remember the one from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) from several years ago requesting that I do a story on the amazing abilities of the periplaneta americana, or for those of us who don't speak Latin (and that's pretty much everyone), the cockroach. They even had a suggested title: "roaches have feelings, too."

Yep, cockroaches are amazing. They are amazingly gross, amazingly disgusting, can wreak amazing havoc on your lungs if you have asthma, and make an amazing crunching noise when you step on them.

This request made it to my amazing round file.

Check out this latest press release, which originates from The Raelian Revolution, a group which proclaims itself to be the "world's largest UFO related non-profit organization" with 60,000 members in almost 100 countries "working toward the first embassy to welcome people from space."

Oooooo Kaaaayyyy.

The Raelians want all those who seek public office to undergo a brain scan. And they want the Neosho Daily News to do a story on it.

To quote from the release: "Speaking on behalf of His Holiness Rael, (http://www.rael.org) Dr. Marcus Wenner -- a Neurobiologist who worked at the National Institute of Neuroscience and specialized in MRI scans states: "Mental and emotional balance is the least we should expect from the people running for public office. It's not a matter of party or politics. It's a matter of raising the criteria by which any person would be allowed to run for office.

"A simple brain scan can indicate the level of damage or functionality at a glance. Psychopathic tendencies, impaired judgment, emotional imbalance, brain damage, Alzheimer's, drug or alcohol abuse, inability to handle stress, all the things one definitely does not want for our leaders, all these can be accurately detected. Even more scrutiny should be applied to all who run for a public office. These people should be required to prove they are mentally and emotionally competent. After all, these are the people we trust with billions in taxpayers' money and even more importantly, they are in the position to use weapons of mass destruction.

"Only the best brains should be allowed to rule a country!"

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of anyone in elected office, or heck, anyone in general, playing with a full deck. But how tightly wrapped are these folks?

For those not familiar with the Raelians, here's a synopsis.

In late 1973, a French journalist named, what else, Rael, was contacted by a visitor named Yahweh, who was from another planet. Yahweh, a moniker sometimes used in evangelical religions as another name for God, asked Rael during a meeting held on a nearby UFO to establish an embassy to welcome these people back to earth.

Now, most journalists are somewhat like me and can establish very little on their own: perhaps a bar tab, or maybe a debate on Monday Night Football's Packers-Rams game.

Furthermore, this visitor told the journalist that an advanced race, not God or evolution or Martha Stewart, created human beings with DNA. (Who created the DNA? The Raelian web-page doesn't say). These advanced beings now want to come back: therefore, a space embassy must be built for them to welcome them.

That, in a nutshell, is what the Raelians are all about. Just good ol' nudists waiting for God.

You may remember the Raelians from a couple years back. They're the folks who said they could clone human beings, although (if memory serves me correctly), they didn't offer any real proof.

They also hold "sensual meditation" seminars worldwide. I'm not sure what they are, but it must be great. The title sounds pretty great, anyway. Maybe they have them at Hefner's house.

Here's what satisfied Raelians are saying about the sensual meditation seminars on the Rael website.

"The seminars are like a deliciously welcoming rejuvenatory bath, a pleasure treatment, a window on eternity, a glimpse of infinity, an ocean of love, a rebirth of consciousness, a meeting with our parents from space, a journey of self discovery, a sacred adventure and much much more..."

Uh-huh.

But this one takes the cake, in my opinion: "For me, the courses are the university of happiness, they are a sort of laboratory where we are cultivating the seeds of the new humanity which will blossom and spread the pollen of harmony and universal consciousness."

Call me skeptical, but a group of UFO worshipping, sensual meditating, baby-cloning, utopia-dreaming, gobbledy-goop-spouting, press-conference holding cultists think politicians need brain scans?

Perhaps. But let's not accuse someone of playing without a full deck before counting all of the cards in ours.

http://www.neoshodailynews.com/articles/2004/08/11/news/news03.txt

 

[Polterdog]

Just wondering if this extra bit of negative media attention towards the Raelians might, in fact, be adding more fuel to the fire and engender a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in which Rael can point to the newspapers and say, "see, I told you they were out to get me," and thus trigger the kind of doomsday/armageddon type of scenario that most of these cults eventually seem to spiral into.

You really have to wonder how some of the better established religions out there (let's face it people, all religions are cults) kept it all together and didn't suffer from some kind of collective internal melt down along the way.

*shrugs*

P-Dog.

 

[Jerry_B]

I don't think the Raelians have a doomsday outlook on things. They're more like a more sci-fi version of the Aetherius Society, only with less trappings from christianity. The Raelians are pretty much the Trekkies of the contactee world

 

[Polterdog]

I don't think the Raelians have a doomsday outlook on things. They're more like a more sci-fi version of the Aetherius Society, only with less trappings from christianity. The Raelians are pretty much the Trekkies of the contactee world

Yes, but couldn't the same be said about Heaven's Gate? You know, trekkies without a clue?

Anyhow, I was just remarking on the fact, as presented in those gathered news items, that Rael's growing ego and paranoia might be putting him on the same path that Applegate, Jones, and Koresh wandered down. I also think Rael might be somewhat of a "media whore" and if the outside world isn't going to take his claims (like Cloneaid) seriously, he might do something a bit more...drastic.

But that's just the "gloomy parson" in me.

Polterdog.

 

[Jerry_B]

Contactee leaders going a bit weird (that is, more so than usual) in their old age is pretty much par for the course. By 'Trekkies', I was referring to the more sci-fi nature of the Raelian outlook, and their pursuit of various forms of science. Their leanings are less based on a religious outlook, compared with other contactee groups.

 

[Anonymous]

Just wondering if this extra bit of negative media attention towards the Raelians might, in fact, be adding more fuel to the fire and engender a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in which Rael can point to the newspapers and say, "see, I told you they were out to get me," and thus trigger the kind of doomsday/armageddon type of scenario that most of these cults eventually seem to spiral into.

a very good point. thinking of christianity it was the oppression under roman rule that helped forge it's group identity.

instead of turning bizaar theology and ideology (stepping away from the christian example above, i don't want offend anyone) into a joke i have always beleived it is best to debate with them as the old adage goes - give 'em enought rope and they'll hang themselves.

private jokes have a horrible nature of spiraling into much larger and dangerous thing.

 

[Graylien]

I recently came across a couple of Raels books in my local Oxfam shop: his early masterpiece "The Message given to me by Extraterrestrial Beings" (no enigmatic book titles like "Communion" for our Rael!), and a more recent work entitled "Yes to Human Cloning".

In the latter book, Rael demolishes such common objections to cloning as "living for ever must be unimaginably boring!" and "human cloning will allow goverments to create a superior army of cloned warriors!". He then goes on to extoll the virtues of monster fish:

Recently, a salmon was genetically engineered to grow ten times faster than the wild type. The so-called 'ecological' opponents are trying to block its commercialisation under the pretext of the risk that it might escape and breed with wild salmon. What if it does? We would then have salmon that would grow ten times larger. I can see no fishermen complaining.

Now, I'm no scientist, but I'm not sure if Raels understanding of genetics is quite on the ball here. And if it is, I can imagine plenty of fishermen out for a gentle days fly-fishing who might very well complain if they had to wrestle with a 25ft long salmon!

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Official: Raelians aren't nuts (honest)

Raelians share their message, insist they are not 'nuts'


By DIANE LONG
Staff Writer


Nashville may not be fertile ground for belief in aliens.

Only five people showed up for yesterday's public lecture by three representatives of the Raelian Movement, the atheistic group that believes life on Earth was cloned by a people from another solar system.

But before you sneer, the meeting yesterday was well-reasoned and sincere with a message of love, nonviolence and, above all, faith in science.

''We are not nuts. Anyone can be interested in our message,'' said Francois, 58, who goes by that name alone.

A native of France, he's a medical doctor in that country, he said, and he's now working on a doctorate in biotechnology at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

His denial was in response to a column in The Tennessean yesterday that poked fun at their movement. But Francois shared the skepticism when he first heard the message of Rael, a Frenchman who claims that he was contacted by aliens in 1973.

''I thought, well, this guy is completely crazy, or he is very clever. He has found some new way to rob money from people,'' Francois said. ''Or, maybe it's true.''

After extensive research, he bought into the theory.

''Ten religions later, I was amazed,'' he said. ''You have to open your mind. Something amazing is going to happen, and we are very lucky it is going to happen in our lifetime.''

That something is the return of the aliens — the ''parents'' of the human race — just as soon as the Raelians build an embassy to welcome them to earth.

That's the sort of thing that really raises eyebrows, along with the international Raelian claim that the movement has cloned a human being.

It's not so implausible, said Damien Marsic, 39, also a Frenchman studying biotechnology in Huntsville. He travels regularly to other cities to hold the lectures, including one about six months ago in Nashville that he said had 30 attendees.

''Two hundred years ago, nobody knew there were other planets,'' Marsic said. ''It's not a far-fetched idea anymore. There is enough science that we do not have to believe in the supernatural. Our future can be very beautiful if we allow science to help us.''

It's an easy leap for 12-year Raelian Willie Girald, a professor from Puerto Rico who's studying biochemistry and genetics at Vanderbilt University.

''To me, it's common sense,'' he said.

Sorry, but Laura Rogers isn't so sure. Rogers, 38, is seeking spiritual answers even though she currently attends a Methodist church.

''I've looked into all the religions, and I'm studying them still,'' she said after the lecture. ''I don't know if any of our religious structures are right.''

Concerning the message of Rael, ''I'm not convinced at all,'' Rogers said. Still, she added, ''I'm going to explore it some more.''

That's OK with Francois, who stressed that the point was not to believe but to understand.

''And I insist,'' he said, ''we are not nuts.''

http://tennessean.com/local/archives/04/08/56296416.shtml?Element_ID=56296416

Yes of course you aren't - its everyone else. We understand.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Raelian porn

2004-09-14 - Wireless Flash Weird News

`Playboy' Not Alienating For E.T.-Loving Women



VALCOURT, Montreal (Wireless Flash) -- Posing nude to promote extraterrestrial communication isn't for everyone -- but it helps when you have a body that's out of this world.

That's the naked truth according to Shizue Koneko, who is one of three followers of the Raelian religion posing in the latest issue of "Playboy" magazine.

Koneko is the personal assistant for Rael, the former race car driver who leads the E.T.-oriented religion.

She says she was honored to be picked for the spread because she feels it honors both her philosophy and, as she explains, "...my outside beauty, which is also important."

She is especially proud because she is 38 years old -- much older than the mag's usual models -- and believes Rael's philosophy of sexual freedom and "love through action" is helping her keep her girlish figure.

The "Playboy" issue featuring Koneko officially hits stands tomorrow (Sep. 15) and she will be appearing at a special autograph session this Sunday (Sep. 19) in Montreal.

http://www.ncbuy.com/news/2004-09-14/1010567.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Gawdelpus:

UFO Cult Names Eminem 'Honorary Priest'

Monday - November 29, 2004
by Rich Rock


Eminem's politically charged video for "Mosh" has earned him recognition as "honorary priest" of the anti-violence UFO cult, The Raelian Movement.

Besides taking the top chart position this week for his album, Encore, Eminem is getting another top position as an "honorary priest" of the Raelian Movement. The group's founder, Rael, formerly known as Claude Vorilhon, has bestowed the title upon Eminem for his anti-war video, "Mosh," which calls upon American youth to stand up against the Bush administration's war on Iraq.

"This is wonderful," says Rael, who started the controversial Raelian Movement in 1973 after he claimed to encounter a UFO. "It will help reach millions of young people, who are otherwise uninterested by politics because they see the lies and hypocrisy coming from Washington, remember the truth about violence."

The core idea of the movement stemmed from the belief by Rael and his followers that the ancient Hebrew concept "Elohim" should have been translated as "those who came from the sky" rather than "God." The Elohim - a group of aliens from another planet - are believed by Raelians to be responsible for the creation of life on earth.

"This title only given to public figures not afraid of jeopardizing their careers for their standing up for peace," says Rael. "Rappers are never afraid of controversy and this is a great example of freedom of speech, which, if the Bush administration has its way with the Patriot acts, will be taken away from US citizens."

Eminem's camp has not issued a response to his receipt of the "honorary" title.

Source

 

[ramonmercado]

Ok, nuts she may be but its very likely the Iranian Theocracy will kill her if shes deported.

Turkey considers fate of detained Iran Raelian leader
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8381385.stm
By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Istanbul

Raelian founder Claude Vorilhon (known as Rael) with model of spaceship - file photo
Raelians believe humans were created by extra-terrestrials

The Turkish authorities say they are discussing what to do with an Iranian atheist who says she fled persecution in Iran.

Negar Azizmoradi, who is the leader of the Raelian movement in Iran, was arrested after she arrived in Turkey last week.

Supporters say she faces the death penalty for her beliefs if she returns.

Turkey gives only limited recognition to refugees, and has in the past sent back Iranian asylum-seekers.

With their libertarian attitude to sex, and their belief that humans were created by extra-terrestrials, Raelians inevitably fall foul of the religious authorities in Iran.

The crime of apostasy - rejecting religious faith - carries the death penalty there, and supporters of Negar Azizmoradi say that is what will happen to her if the Turkish government sends her back to Iran.

She is being detained in Istanbul for not carrying a proper passport when she arrived in Turkey last week.

The authorities are now discussing her fate. Large numbers of Iranians cross the border into Turkey, many in search of work, but some also fleeing political or religious persecution.

Turkey does not normally recognise asylum seekers from neighbouring countries - thousands are kept in detention centres, pending possible re-settlement in third countries - most are trying to reach the European Union.

Some, including Iranians, have been forced back over the border.

The Raelian movement is now campaigning to prevent that happening to its one-time leader in Iran.

 

[ramonmercado]

Once at the clinic, she and the other patients (including one who had flown from Australia, who had been "cut" when living in Kenya as a young girl and who had hugged Zaria as she first told her story) were greeted by the two women who were instrumental in encouraging them to break their bonds of cultural taboo. They are an intriguing pair.

One is the surgeon, Dr Marci Bowers, who normally specialises in sex-change surgery, and indeed herself was born male before she transitioned. There's a 14-month waiting list for her $21,000 gender reassignment surgery, but twice a year she clears her diary to operate pro bono on FGM victims – although they must pay a $1,700 fee to the clinic, near San Francisco airport, where Bowers rents an operating theatre. So far she's operated on 50 such women.

The other is Nadine Gary, a Frenchwoman who lives in Las Vegas. A schoolteacher, she was inspired to help FGM victims by her following of the outré Raëlian sect. Founded by Claude Vorilhon ("Raël"), who spouts absurd claims about being taken up in an alien spaceship to meet Moses, Jesus and Buddha, it professes that humans – and all living things on Earth – were created by extra terrestrials using genetic engineering. Followers strive to campaign for world peace, sharing and nonviolence, but also unfettered sexual joy, which is what drives their movement against FGM. They were most recently in the news for offending people with their use of the swastika, often set inside the Star of David.

When I meet her, Gary is wearing this scandalous combination on a gold necklace and, noting my alarm, explains at length why it symbolises infinity for Raëlians and employs the swastika in the ancient eastern sense of sacred goodness "before Hitler hijacked it". I waver between dismay and bemusement.

She comes across as a paradox: an unambiguously dynamic, charming, kind and generous person in all our conversations who, until she starts talking about UFOs, seems rational. I deal with the discomfort by listening politely, but then turning back to the practical and political implications of the charity she helps run, provocatively called Clitoraid. Formed by the Raëlians, it campaigns for the end of FGM and, meanwhile, promotes the surgery to victims and offers free long-term emotional and sexual counselling. ...
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013 ... mutilation

 

[kamalktk]

"Swastika banner stuns NY beachgoers — but oversexed UFO cult to blame, not neo-Nazis"
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/...ut-oversexed-ufo-cult-to-blame-not-neo-nazis/

A religious group promoted its efforts to reclaim the swastika as a symbol of peace by flying a banner over New York beaches, upsetting many who saw the display.

The banner, created by the International Raelian Movement, showed a peace sign, a heart symbol, a swastika – an ancient symbol now strongly associated with Nazi Germany – intertwined with the Jewish Star of David symbol, and the URL of the group’s website, proswastika.org.

The Raelian Movement, which promotes uninhibited sexuality, claims Nazi leader Adolph Hitler co-opted the symbol and hopes to “rehabilitate” it.

“By keeping the negative connotation of the swastika and linking it to Hitler, you only give credit to this guy’s monstrosity,” said Thomas Kaenzig, a spokesperson for the organization. “It’s very important to reclaim it and explain to the public that this symbol has a beautiful origin.”

The Raelians flew the banner of the Rockways and Coney Island over the weekend as part of its “Swastika Rehabilitation Week.”

“It was horrific,” Ariel Creamer, a 14-year-old who saw the banner near Belle Harbor.

Brooklyn City Councilman Mark Treyger said he was “deeply offended and hurt.”

“Try explaining to someone who witnessed their loved ones who were butchered by people under that Nazi symbol that it’s anything but a hateful one,” Treyger said.

But the Raelians, who believe extraterrestrials created humans thousands of years ago, said the outrage proves a need for the swastika’s rehabilitation.

“As long there are people still offended by it, it means we need to continue our work, to continue to rehabilitate the symbol,” Kaenzig said.

 

[PeteByrdie]

I've often wondered whether the swastika was salvageable as a spiritual symbol in the west. I suppose it's not yet, but I still sort of appreciate that they've tried. Uninhibited sexuality doesn't sound so bad, either. Do you have to believe in alien gods to be a raelian?

The last line about people being offended shows they have to keep trying sort of made me chuckle. Is it that important that continuing to offend people is necessary? It's just a symbol!

 

[krakenten]

The swastika exists in two forms-desol, which is rotated to the path of the sun, and widdershins, which is against the motion of the Sun.

The Nazi swastika is rotating widdershins, which is associated with evil.

A few Nazi emblems carried a desiel swastika, but not many. They used the swastika so much, they were hard pressed to differentiate among emblems.

In the courthouse, in Baltimore, the grilles over the heating ducts have swastika cutouts-Hitler wasn't even born when it was built. And they have the counter-clockwise(Desiel) orientation.

I've used several of the many spellings of the word. Mostly to show how old this is.

The Roman Cross has been carried before armies that did horrible things-nobody seems upset by that.

There are too many people obsessed with trifles.

Instead of quivering before the Nazis ideas, we should mock their harebrained beliefs and show them for the fools and buffoons they really were.

They really were a bunch of saps.

 

[ramonmercado]

The swastika exists in two forms-desol, which is rotated to the path of the sun, and widdershins, which is against the motion of the Sun.

The Nazi swastika is rotating widdershins, which is associated with evil.

A few Nazi emblems carried a desiel swastika, but not many. They used the swastika so much, they were hard pressed to differentiate among emblems.

In the courthouse, in Baltimore, the grilles over the heating ducts have swastika cutouts-Hitler wasn't even born when it was built. And they have the counter-clockwise(Desiel) orientation.

I've used several of the many spellings of the word. Mostly to show how old this is.

The Roman Cross has been carried before armies that did horrible things-nobody seems upset by that.

There are too many people obsessed with trifles.

Instead of quivering before the Nazis ideas, we should mock their harebrained beliefs and show them for the fools and buffoons they really were.

They really were a bunch of saps.

Well said sir!

Nothing wrong with being obsessed with sherry trifles though.

 

[krakenten]

Thank'ee kindly.

Coming from such a distinguished researcher as yourself, I count your words a signal honor.

 

[ramonmercado]

Thank'ee kindly.

Coming from such a distinguished researcher as yourself, I count your words a signal honor.

You are welcome.

I especially recommend M&S trifles.

 

[Frideswide]

I believed that the Jam song Eton Rifles was about that same pudding for many years. It didn't make a lot of sense to me :?

 

[ramonmercado]

I believed that the Jam song Eton Rifles was about that same pudding for many years. It didn't make a lot of sense to me :?

Eton cake is soon forgotten.

 

[Xanatic*]

Some of you might have missed this but yesterday was Go Topless Day. A day for women to fight the noble fight to get their chesticles out in public. So apparently a bunch of places in the US saw some marches and protests. What caught my interest (apart from the obvious) was that this day seems to have been started by Rael.
If you go to the website GoTopless.org they are not covering it up either. The Rael connection I mean. Interesting.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Some of you might have missed this but yesterday was Go Topless Day. A day for women to fight the noble fight to get their chesticles out in public. So apparently a bunch of places in the US saw some marches and protests. What caught my interest (apart from the obvious) was that this day seems to have been started by Rael.
If you go to the website GoTopless.org they are not covering it up either. The Rael connection I mean. Interesting.

I missed it. I should get out more.

 

[rynner2]

I missed it. I should get out more.

Me too!

 

[GNC]

Maybe you both should go topless more as well. Join in. Solidarity with the sisterhood.