Raël

Raël is the spiritual name of Claude Vorilhon, a French religious leader who founded the Raëlian movement. He presents its teachings about humanity’s extraterrestrial creators.

Raëlianism: A new religious movement founded by Claude Vorilhon, known as Raël, that teaches humanity was created by extraterrestrial beings. This movement is the institution Raël founded and the setting for his teachings.
Claude Vorilhon: A French former journalist and racing-car driver who adopted the name Raël and founded Raëlianism. This is Raël’s birth name and identity before founding the movement.
Brigitte Boisselier: A French chemist and Raëlian who became a prominent spokesperson for the movement’s human-cloning claims. Her public role brought Raëlian claims into international attention.
Human cloning controversy: Public disputes over the ethics, safety, and feasibility of cloning human beings. Clonaid’s unverified announcements made Raëlianism a prominent participant in this debate.
Elohim: A Hebrew word used in the Bible for God or gods; Raëlianism interprets it as the name of an extraterrestrial people. Raël’s account identifies the Elohim as humanity’s creators.
UFO religion in France: Religious movements in France that connect spiritual beliefs with extraterrestrial beings or UFOs. Raël’s movement emerged within France’s postwar interest in UFOs and extraterrestrial contact.
Raëlian Church: The organization associated with Raëlianism and its founder, Raël. It is the institutional body through which Raël’s movement has organized its activities.
Cloning ethics: The moral and social questions raised by cloning organisms, especially human beings. Raël’s advocacy of cloning links his movement to debates over identity, reproduction, and biotechnology.
Extraterrestrial life: Life that originates beyond Earth, whether microbial or intelligent. Raëlian teachings place humanity’s origin in intelligent life beyond Earth.
Close encounter: A reported experience involving direct observation or interaction with an unidentified flying object or its occupants. Raël described an encounter with an extraterrestrial being as the source of his revelations.

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RaëlismRelated: His personal claims and leadership shaped the movement from its beginning.