F1 The Toronto Star, Sunday, September 12,1999
*SPIRITUALITY

"Thou shalt worship aliens, celebrate sex, revere genius and count on human cloning", says the prophet of the third millennium."

BY DAPHNE GORDON
STAFF REPORTER

* Rael, leader of the Raelian movement, stands in front of a model of the spaceship he was taken aboard about 26 years ago. It was piloted by the extraterrestrial beings who created the universe and who bestowed upon him the divine instruction to lead his flock.

A dozen young men and women have gathered in downtown Montreal's Philippe Square. They have come to sing, dance, touch each other, and enjoy the sunshine. And they have come to spread the word. Race car driver Rael, a French born 52-year-old who now lives on a country estate outside Valcourt Que.., is the prophet for the next century. His teachings dictate that alien beings created humans in laboratories and will soon revisit Earth; that human cloning is the way to eternal life; that sexuality should be celebrated, rather than denied; and that divorce, abortion and assisted suicide are acceptable parts of life in the 20th century. The philosophy, if you believe the group, is followed by 35,000 in 84 countries, mainly France, Japan and Canada. Most of the 5,000 followers in this country are in Quebec, but the group is pushing into Ontario as followers move west and spread the word. In Toronto, they often gather on Queen St. W. to hand out pamphlets, sell Rael's book. The True Face Of God) and invite passersby to attend the practice of "sensual meditation" on the first Sunday of every month. On this sunny Friday, however, Raelians from across the country have gathered in Montreal to attend a conference called "Say Yes To Human Cloning'' In the lobby of a theater on Bleury St., where the conference is to take place. They smile peacefully, a disproportionate number of beautiful men and women among them, many of them under 30, greeting each other affectionately-hugging, kissing and caressing. Most of them wear silver pendants decorated with the Raelian "symbol of infinity," a cross between the Star of David and a "galaxy-shaped swirl."

They applaud enthusiastically for the first three speakers, each of them prominent in the field of cloning; Brigitte Boisselier, a Ph.D. who runs Rael's company, Clonaid, which quotes the price of $200,000 to couples who wish to clone a child: Randolphe Wicker, an American cloning activist, and the controversial Chicago scientist Dr. Richard Seed, who says he plans to clone a baby before 2001 (although in his estimation it will cost more like $2 million). But they are all just a prelude to Rael, who is glowingly introduced by Daniel Chabot, a 25-year Raelian bishop and a psychology teacher in Montreal.

The bishop describes his leader as the last prophet "the prophet for the third millennium," prompting a generous round of applause. And when the prophet finally enters, he is dressed in white -- baggy pants, padded bomber jacket. white-soled lace-ups-and his stringy, graying hair is tied up in a bun. He speaks quietly into the microphone in French.

"I have dreamed about this for 27 years. People were laughing, mocking me, saying it would take thousands of years (to clone a human). Everything I wrote about is now coming true." And his prediction that, eventually, science will make it possible to create a clone that contains the memory, personality and soul of its original, will come true, too, he says.

In his book, he recounts a visit to the planet of eternals where he met with Jesus and enjoyed "the most extravagant" night of his life with six beautiful female machines created purely for his pleasure.

Though the movement is named after Rael, it isn't really about Rael, he says during an interview at his home about 90 minutes east of Montreal. His office is utilitarian, furnished with white plastic lawn chairs, a few plants and tiny models of cars similar to the ones he has raced. Rael says he's only following the directives given to him by Yahweh, the leader of a race of beings called Elohim. (He claims the word Elohim, which appears in the Hebrew bible, was mistranslated into English as 'God." Its literal translation is actually people who came from the sky," he says.) The Elohim are 25,000 years ahead of humans, both scientifically and spiritually, and they created all of Earth's species as an experiment.

According to Rael, Yahweh landed his saucer in a volcanic crater in France in 1973, invited him aboard and explained the creation of human beings to him. At the time Rael was just a regular guy named Claude Vorilhon, a husband, father of two children and an editor of a small motor sport magazine in France. He later changed his name to Rael at the suggestion of the Elohim.

Among the small greenish man's directives: Seek pleasure; enjoy sexual encounters with one or several others as long as they agree; use contraception; abort unwanted children; stay with a loving partner only as long as you are happy; practice meditation; create a new world political system by putting geniuses in power and allowing only people with above average intelligence to vote; respect nature and animals; do not eat too much meat, get drunk, smoke or use drugs; build an embassy with a spaceship landing pad for the eventual arrival of the Elohim on Earth.

The leader spends about seven months of the year on the road spreading the word, but he says he doesn't collect a paycheque for his work. I'm the opposite of the Pope and many other religious leaders," he says with a slight French accent. I don't get paid.'' Neither do the 125 priests and 24 bishops who work for Rael. They pay their own way when they accompany him on his travels around the world.

The group raises funds through donations which, among other things, have paid for the 2,700-square meter, three-year-old building that houses UFOland, a theme park and residence where Rael lives with his second wife. It was a $4 million investment, according to Rael, but it is far from luxurious. The building houses a life-sized model of the spaceship that Rael boarded in 1973, visual exhibits about robotics, genetics and space exploration, a snack bar and a souvenir shop. Rael says none of the membership fees ends up in his pocket. Instead, he lives on donations to a separate organization called the Raelian Foundation.

Rael's racing career, in which he mounted a comeback in 1996 after a long hiatus during which he devoted himself to spreading the Elohim's message, is supported by yet another organization called the Rael Racing Team.

On the racing circuit, he is usually accompanied by a number of attractive, young, female groupies-all volunteers, of course. They act as public relations representatives, he says. A harem? He scoffs at the oft-made suggestion. "Some of the other drivers are jealous because I have 25 beautiful women around me. They volunteer, so we use them for this. I would like it if they were girlfriends, but they are not." he says.

To explain the disproportionate number of beautiful people among the ranks of his followers, Rael says it's not the philosophy that attracts the good-looking but rather that followers become beautiful through sensual meditation. "When you come in harmony with yourself' you have more shine," he says.

Diane Brisebois, a beautiful, 39-year-old executive, is the Raelian high priestess for Ontario. She says Rael teaches his followers to love their bodies. Nudity is completely acceptable, and is optionally practiced at the two-week seminars held annually at UFOland. Just because people are walking around without clothes doesn't mean they're having sex everywhere, she says. Her own boyfriend, with whom she shares an exclusive relationship, is not Raelian and isn't threatened by it. Rael clearly enjoys women. In his book, he recounts a 1975 visit to "the planet of eternals," where he met with Jesus and had "the most extravagant night" of his life with six beautiful female machines created purely for his pleasure. Rael doesn't really believe in marriage in the conventional sense of the word ("It is a contract to buy a house, but you can't buy a human being."), though he is legally married to Sophie De Niverville, the 24-year-old daughter of a good Raelian." After divorcing his first wife he tied the knot with De Niverville- purely for the papers he says; she was only I6, after all. Sometimes Rael is monogamous, he says, sometimes he is not. according to how he feels at the time. l practice what I preach, he says vaguely. "We don't encourage people to have multiple partners. By the same token, we don't encourage people to be monogamous if that's not their nature. We say: Discover yourself, be who you really are." Rael's message is simple: Be happy and make others happy. It's the way to eternal life.

* RAEL BABE: Diane brisebois, Raelian high priestess for Ontario, says the group's nude gatherings are nothing to be suspicious of.

Steve Lebeuf, 24, a second generation follower of Rael smiles beatifically as he describes how he came to believe: "1 did a lot of bad things when I was young, like drugs. he says. Then when I was 13, I said to myself, 'What's going on with me?", and I remembered the book." He picked up Rael's book, which his parents had been encouraging him to read, and his life was transformed. He no longer does drugs, he says. And he feels good.

Many followers of Rael are young-the average age is somewhere between 18 and 27, according to Lear, a 35-year-old artist and Raelian bishop who also discovered the way to a drug-free life through Raelism. He says young people have grown up with science, and are looking for a spiritual belief that encompasses it.

'Most other religions try to make science look bad-abortion, the Internet, cloning. Young people can't take it.' As well, most followers are former Catholics, says Mike Kropveld, executive director of Info-Cult, a Montreal organization which tracks new religious movements.

"The symbolism and rituals are closely linked to Catholicism -they have priests, bishops, baptism. "It appeals to (people who are) unhappy in or who (have) been disenfranchised by the Catholic faith" he says.

Kropveld has had a few calls from members, former members and families, some of whom have reported incidents of what they saw as emotional abuse, he says. But he describes Rael as "a good marketer" rather than a cult figure. "There are a lot of people out there who find these ideas attractive-UFOs and sex are popular issues."

And Raelians seem to be on a major push to build membership right now, he says, as evidenced by their efforts in English Canada, the recent conference on cloning, and ads in mainstream newspapers promoting UFOland.

Their timing is perfect, according to David Reed, a professor of theology at the University of Toronto's Wycliffe College with an interest in alternative religions and new age trends. "We are on the threshold of the millennium," he points out. "lt creates an environment of spiritual expectation-even apocalyptic expectation."

Rael knows his group has been lumped in with cults such as the Solar Temple, the Swiss-based group with many members in Quebec which has successfully encouraged more than 100 members to commit suicide. But he scoffs at the connection, referring to the Raelian belief in extended life through cloning: "Journalists like to say 'The Raelian cult will soon engage in collective suicide' . . . Not only will we not commit suicide, we will be around to bother them eternally."

Back To Altgenesis