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Raëlism, also known as Raëlianism, is a UFO movement founded in 1970s France by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël. 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.
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Raëlian beliefs and practices are the concepts and principles of Raëlism, a new religious movement and UFO religion founded in 1974 by Claude Vorilhon, an auto racing journalist who changed his name to "Raël". The followers of the International Raëlian Movement believe in an advanced species of extraterrestrial aliens called Elohim who created life on Earth. Raëlians are individualists who believe in sexual self-determination. As advocates of the universal ethic and world peace, they believe the world would be better if geniuses had an exclusive right to govern in what Rael terms Geniocracy. As believers of life in outer space, they hope that human scientists will follow the path of the Elohim by achieving space travel through the cosmos and creating life on other planets. As believers in the resurrection of Jesus through a scientific cloning process by the Elohim, they encourage scientific research to extend life through cloning; however, critics outside are doubtful of its possibility.
FECRIS – (in French)European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism, a French non-profit association and anti-cult organization, serves as an umbrella organization for groups which investigate the activities of groups considered cults in Europe.
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Raëlism is a UFO religion established in France during the 1970s. It soon spread to Quebec and then on to other parts of the world. There have been various attempts to estimate the number of Raëlians at different points.
Aliens Adored: Raël's UFO Religion is a book by Susan J. Palmer, published in 2004 by Rutgers University Press. The book is an ethnography of Raëlism, a UFO religion that gained notoriety in the year 2000 for its claims that it had cloned a human being. Palmer, a sociologist of religion, had studied the Raëlians for over a decade, and had personally interviewed both members of the group and its founder, Raël. The book analyzes many aspects of the organization, including its leader, members, ethics and theology.
References
- ↑ Alaton, Salem (1 January 2004). "It's the Rael thing" . The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ↑ Palmer, Susan J. (2001). "Caught Up in the Cult Wars: Confessions of a Canadian Researcher". In Zablocki, Benjamin; Robbins, Thomas (eds.). Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field. University of Toronto Press. pp. 99–122. ISBN 978-0-8020-8188-9.
- ↑ de Borde, Melchior Pelleterat (2012). "Review of The New Heretics of France: Minority Religions, la République, and the Government-Sponsored "War on Sects"". Sociology of Religion . 73 (3): 346–348. ISSN 1069-4404. JSTOR 41679711.
- ↑ Adams, George (2014). "The New Heretics of France: Minority Religions, la Republique, and the Government-Sponsored "War on Sects."". Nova Religio . 17 (3): 119–120. doi:10.1525/nr.2014.17.3.119. ISSN 1092-6690.
- ↑ Possamai, Adam (2011). "Political Culture, the Nation of Islam, the Nuwaubian Nation and the Muslim Brotherhood: A Review Article". Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 2 (2): 355–367. doi:10.5840/asrr2011227. ISSN 1946-0538.
- ↑ Pace, Enzo (2011). "Review of The Nuwaubian Nation. Black Spirituality and State Control". Archives de sciences sociales des religions (in French). 56 (156): 243–245. ISSN 0335-5985. JSTOR 41336177.
- ↑ von Heyking, John (2005). "Groovy Cloned-Baby: Yah!". The Review of Politics . 67 (3): 565–567. ISSN 0034-6705. JSTOR 25046453.
- ↑ Stebbins, Robert A. (2006). "Review of Aliens Adored: Raël's UFO Religion". Canadian Journal of Sociology . 31 (3): 391–392. doi:10.2307/20058722. ISSN 0318-6431.
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