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The Cult Dossier · No. 067 · Ufo / Extraterrestrial

Raëlism

International Raëlian Movement

1974 – present · France; Quebec, Canada; worldwide

VII. THE 1980s — SIEGE AND SCANDAL

Fully religious — atheistic UFO religion

Who led it

RAËL (born Claude Vorilhon, b.1946), a French motor-racing journalist and singer who says that on 13 December 1973 he met a small green-skinned being beside the Puy de Lassolas volcano in Auvergne.

What it worshipped and taught

THE ELOHIM — not gods but an advanced extraterrestrial civilisation that created all life on Earth in laboratories 25,000 YEARS AGO — CONFIRMED AGAINST THE MOVEMENT’S OWN DOCTRINE, and more specific than this file previously said: the work was done IN WHAT IS NOW ISRAEL, by synthesising chemicals with the Elohim’s own imported DNA, beginning with simple organisms and ending with humans made ‘in their image’ (Genesis 1:26). THE WHOLE SYSTEM TURNS ON A TRANSLATION ARGUMENT: that ELOHIM is plural in Hebrew and was wrongly rendered as a singular ‘God’, and should read as THOSE WHO CAME FROM THE SKY. Every prophet (Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Joseph Smith) was an Elohim messenger; Raël is the last, and is said to be the son of an Elohim and a human woman, making Jesus his half-brother. Doctrine is explicitly atheist — no soul, no supernatural — with salvation through cloning and the recreation of the individual from DNA. An embassy for the Elohim must be built, ideally in Jerusalem. Notable positions: sexual liberalism, support for genetically modified food, and opposition to all religion. The original symbol combined a swastika inside a Star of David; the swastika was replaced with a swirl in 1991 after protest, then partly restored.

Who was in it

Raël (Claude Vorilhon); BRIGITTE BOISSELIER, a chemist and Raelian bishop who headed Clonaid; the Order of Angels, a female-only group of members dedicated to the future Elohim; Michael Guillen, the journalist appointed to verify the clone.

How it ended, or where it stands

Active, small, non-violent.

The dead

—

Of note

The clearest example of an entirely atheist religion, and of a group whose central public claim was almost certainly a deliberate fabrication for publicity. No documented violence.

Its timeline

  1. 13 December 1973 Claimed first contact at Puy de Lassolas.
  2. 1975 Claimed second encounter, including a trip to the Elohim planet and meetings with Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad.
  3. 1976 Movement established; headquarters later moves to Quebec.
  4. 1997 CLONAID founded, days after the announcement of Dolly the sheep, offering human cloning services.
  5. 27 DECEMBER 2002 Brigitte Boisselier announces the birth of EVE, claimed as the first cloned human. NO EVIDENCE IS EVER PRODUCED — the promised independent verification is abandoned, purportedly to protect the child from a custody suit. Widely regarded as a hoax.
  6. 2003 Further cloning claims; US and French authorities investigate; nothing substantiated.
  7. 2007 UFOland theme park in Quebec closed.
  8. 2010s–present Continues with campaigns including GoTopless Day and the Clitoraid project.

Its people

Raël

Claude Vorilhon

Founder, the International Raëlian Movement · born 30 September 1946 · active 1974–present

A French motor-racing journalist and singer who says he met a small green-skinned being beside a volcano in Auvergne in December 1973. His religion is explicitly atheist — no soul, no supernatural — teaching that all life on Earth was created in laboratories by an advanced species, the Elohim, and that salvation lies in cloning. In 2002 his Clonaid organisation announced the birth of the first cloned human, 'Eve'. No evidence was ever produced and the promised verification was abandoned. It is widely regarded as a deliberate hoax for publicity.

Before the law. Never convicted. Investigated in the US and France over the cloning claims; nothing substantiated.

Where things stand. LIVING, AGED 79 — he turns 80 on 30 September 2026. The firmest recent anchor is the Netflix documentary series RAËL: THE ALIEN PROPHET, released 7 FEBRUARY 2024, for which he gave interviews. He continues to lead the movement; under its constitution the guides re-elect him every seven years in a vote of confidence, and the top position can be held by no one else. ONE CLAIM FLAGGED: this file says he is BASED IN JAPAN. That has been widely reported for years, but THE SOURCES CONSULTED IN THIS CHECK DID NOT CORROBORATE IT, so it is carried as unconfirmed rather than removed. The movement remains small and non-violent.

  1. 13 December 1973 Claimed first contact.
  2. 1975 Claimed trip to the Elohim planet.
  3. 1997 Founds Clonaid days after the Dolly announcement.
  4. 27 December 2002 Announces the birth of 'Eve' — never substantiated.
  5. 2010s–present Continues with GoTopless Day and the Clitoraid project.

Checked 2026-08-24 · living: health details are kept at home

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