The Raelian Movement: A New Religious Movement

Brooke Rudden

GENR 100 F

Prof. Lowin

September 20, 2011

The Raelian Movement: A New Religious Movement

On December 13, 1973, a French racecar driver ventured up to the top of a volcano where he was encountered by an extraterrestrial. The driver, who is now called Rael, was then taken to a far away planet where he learned how the human race was created. He was told that these extraterrestrials (or Elohim) came to earth and started to experiment with DNA, first making single celled organisms, then plants and finally humans. Rael was instructed to return to earth and share what they had told him so that when they return to earth, we will be ready.

The Raelian Movement has grown to more than twenty thousand members worldwide over the past 40 plus years. As the movement continues to grow it becomes clearer that Raelianism is indeed a religion. A religion is a system of beliefs and practices that enables us to struggle with the ultimate issues of life, building connections between people, bridging between sacred and profane with the use of a system of symbols. In order for Raelianism to be considered a religion it needs a clear message, which it does have:

“This is what the “Message” proposes: Thousands of years ago, scientists from another planet came to Earth and created all forms of life, including human beings, whom they created in their own image. References to these scientists and their work can be found in the ancient texts of many cultures. Due to their highly advanced technology, they were considered as gods by our primitive ancestors and often referred to as 'Elohim' which in ancient Hebrew meant 'Those who came from the sky'.” (Source 2)

One key factor in a religion is being able to struggle with the ultimate issues of life. Religions do not give you all the answers, but simply guide you to answer them yourselves. Raelianism does exactly this. Rael communicates the message to his followers, but does not force anything upon them. He only encourages them to look at life in a different way and recommend that they live life in a certain way in order to prepare for the arrival of their creators. Along with the belief that we were created my the Elohim, Rael believes that “Raelians not marry or exacerbate the planetary overpopulation problem, but to commune with the wonder of the universe by exploring their sexuality with the opposite sex, the same sex, and any other life form – even ETI” (Source 1 p.110).  He also believes in birth control and abortion and that woman should not be treated as property. All of these beliefs are expressed to the Raelians to help them figure out what they believe in. People who are married are not kicked out of the group; it is simply suggestions that will help them to struggle with the ultimate issues of life.

Another big factor of a religion is the practices that help people build connections between each other and their beliefs. The Raelians have annual festivals and events in which the members gather to practice the beliefs that the Elohims have taught them. Rael is very advocate in getting the message out and encourages his followers to practice these beliefs as frequent as possible. Like most religions, there are certain procedures that must take place in order to be initiated into the movement. New members must “sign a contract which permits a mortician to cut out a piece of bone in their forehead which is stored in ice awaiting the decent of the Elohim” (Source 1 p.107).  They also have a meditation workshop that involves “fasting, nudity, sensory awareness exercises, and sexual experimentation” (Source 1 p.110). They believe that by experiencing the ‘cosmic orgasm’ they will be more free and ready for when the Elohim arrive. During these meetings they listen to various speeches that helps portray the message even more. They also have “four annual festivals so that Elohim can fly overhead and register the Raelians’ DNA codes on their machines” (Source 1 p.107). These practices help bring the Raelians closer to each other through their beliefs. They eliminate any form or jealousy or introversion so that they can be free to express their emotions. This is key in building a strong, lasting religion.

It is important that a religion bridge between the profane and the sacred. For a religion to be sacred, it is important that it include a system of symbols or totems. In the case of the Raelians, they use symbols such as the bell shaped space ship that the Elohim met Rael in. They also have the ‘good luck’ symbol, which is a combination of the Star of David and a swastika. These symbols hold specific means; “the star of David represents infinity in space whereas the swastika represents infinity in time i.e. there being no beginning, no end in time and everything being cyclical.” (Source 3).   Religions consider the sacred to be timeless, spiritual, and even extraordinary. Raelianism expresses this through the idea that UFO’s will come “bearing Elohim and the thirty-nine immortal prophets (Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, etc.)” (Source 1 p.107). This helps answer the question to where all the other religions came from. Even though Raelianism is a more recent religious movement, it can explain how it is timeless and is tied in with the other religions that just misinterpreted the Elohim for God.