I can’t put my finger on why, but late in 2002 I gained a renewed interest in the Raelians. I had run across their site before and for some reason decided to come back and give them some more of my attention. This was all before their announcement in December 2002. What’s more, I had already decided to do an article on the alien-based cult before their announcement. In a twisted sort-of way, their announcement only serves to make my article more relevant—both on the topic of alien cults and alien-ology as well as on cloning and abortion.
The entire world raised a collective brow recently as an organization called “Clone-Aid” announced that they had successfully cloned a human. The organization is closely linked with the group known as Raelians.
The Raelians are a group headed up by Claude Vorilhon of France. Mr. Vorilhon claims that aliens had contacted him and they renamed him Rael.
Like most alien accounts, these aliens supposedly gave Rael all kinds of information about life, the universe and everything. In particular, the Raelians make the argument that the word in the Old Testament that is translated as God – Elohim – is actually mistranslated.
They claim that the word Elohim is not a reference to God, but to alien scientists who established life on Earth eons ago in a DNA experiment. They claim that the Jews and Christians alike have falsely worshiped a fictional god rather than recognizing our true creators, the alien scientists. They further claim that Yahweh is merely one of the named alien scientists—again, not a god.
They claim that this was in part by design as the scientists who engineered humans were acting against orders. Once they had succeeded, they were to “keep these new creatures in total ignorance as to their origin.”
The question that must be on your lips by this time is: “How do they account for Jesus?” Don’t fear, they have an answer for that. They claim that Jesus was a special person who understood the alien creators and that His messages were really about the alien scientists. When Jesus made mention to “Our Father,” He was only making reference to the scientist creator(s).
… and the resurrection? They claim that the aliens returned to earth to clone Jesus after his death. According to the Raelians, this event caused the over-zealous followers of Jesus to invent the story of the resurrection while (either overtly or unwittingly) covering up the truth about the cloning.
So if you are thinking that this group is really wrapped up in aliens, you haven’t heard the half of it. They are collecting funds to build an embassy for the aliens so they will have a place to establish a presence on earth – no joke.
I find it interesting that most of the messages that Raelians receive are via channeling or mystical contact, not through face-to-face contact. However, most alien fans will quickly assert that since aliens are far more advanced than humans, they simply communicate telepathically. They have no need for spoken words or face-to-face contact.
But if that were true, why would aliens need an embassy? Further, if they supposedly come and go from earth at will, why do they need a consulate? The purpose of a consulate is to facilitate trade and travel. According to the Raelians, the aliens travel unhindered, and as of yet, have neither offered nor requested any trade. All the aliens seem to be interested in is propagating a religious message. That message, by the way, diminishes the role and deity of Jesus as well as God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
They continue with the purely New Age idea that parents should not teach religion to a child:
“One must neither baptize, nor circumcise, nor force upon the child any act which he/she [the parent] has accepted. One must therefore wait until the child has reached an age to understand and to check then if a religion interests him/her [the child] [and] let him/her freely adhere to it.” RAEL
Of course, this is contradictory to the Bible:
(Proverbs
22:6 KJV) Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
They talk a lot about how children are people, too:
“Parents must understand that children are above all individuals and that no individual must be treated like a child.”
However, in the in the following paragraphs of their literature, they advocate early sex education and abortion. I find it ironic that they would seemingly place such high value on the life and nurturing of a child but not a fetus. The following quote states their morality on abortion.
“If, by misfortune, a being is conceived without having been desired … The means put forth by science are permitted… No moral or religious principle must hinder a woman in her choice to keep the child or not.”
They reduce the issue to convenience: if the pregnancy is an inconvenience, then it’s OK.
In addition to sex education, they believe that “sensual” education is equally important:
“Sensual education allows us to learn to take pleasure with our organs, by seeking pleasure, without necessarily using the functions they were designed for…”
“To meditate sensually is to train your senses to feel more PLEASURE in order to fully enjoy colors, smells, saveurs(sic), caresses, and more specifically one’s sexuality with all the senses.” (emphasis theirs)
Sensual
education is teaching how to enjoy sex. Imagine
that subject in a high school classroom.
By
the way, this area of their web-site features semi-pornographic artwork –
several sketches of nude women.
They
openly claim that there is no soul and that “Meditation is a prayer addressed
to oneself, to one’s brain.”
Their
message is clearly in line with the New Age.
They claim that all religions were established by the aliens and none are
to be considered exclusive. In
fact, Christians in particular are criticized for their claim of worshiping the
one, true God.
But
what about their claim to have cloned a human?
As I mentioned, there is a lot of skepticism as to whether they really
have. However, one point that I
would like to bring out is that this cloned child, a girl, is called “Eve.”
I believe this is an overt slap in the face of Judaism and Christianity.
The
Raelians’ claim to have cloned a human baby has met with great skepticism for
many reasons.
First,
the Raelians have not produced the baby for public or scientific examination.
They claim this secrecy is for the privacy and protection of the parents
and child.
Secondly,
the finest genetics laboratories in the world have only successfully cloned a
handful of animals. The number of
“flaws” and failures is so great that the idea of successfully cloning a
human either marks a remarkable advance in the technology, or hundreds of babies
were destroyed in failed and flawed attempts.
Third,
Clone-Aid has refused to divulge the location of their laboratory or any other
specifics surrounding this claim. Nor
have they produced any documentation to demonstrate their ability to clone.
I
agree with the experts who assert that Clone-Aid is pulling a major publicity
stunt. One TV commentator quipped
that this will likely prove to be the biggest hoax on the American public since
“War of the Worlds.”
But
why would they even bother to make a claim like this if it were not true?
Well, remember the Adventists? This
is the group that became the Seventh-Day Adventists.
William Miller declared that the world would end and Jesus would return
(the Advent) sometime in late 1843. When
this did not happen, he quickly amended his date to October 22, 1844.
The followers who had flocked to this denomination began to dwindle away
when Ellen Gould White declared that Miller was right, but that God had delayed
his return because the church was still apostate.
According to White, the church was worshipping on the wrong day of the
week – Sunday, the first day of the week.
Thus, the Seventh-Day Adventists were formed.
The
Jehovah’s Witnesses have predicted the return of Jesus in various prophecies
since 1889. Each of the dates has
come and passed. Both religions
experienced a swell of interest and membership amid these stunts and despite the
obvious failure of the events to come to pass, have since enjoyed relatively
strong growth by cleverly making excuses for their failure.
Could
it be that the Raelians are doing the same thing?
I have been told that the hits on the Raelian website have sky-rocketed
since their announcement. And no
doubt, many people who are seeking some kind of answer to the world’s problems
will join them. But I am convinced
that in a few months they will make more and more excuses why they will not
provide ultimate proof of this cloned baby.
They will never substantiate their claim.
Like
many New Age religions, the Raelians claim to have the answers to all of the
world’s problems. They claim that meditation, non-aggression, and sex are the
answer. Oh, and don’t forget to
send your money to help build the alien embassy.
I rather imagine this will become merely a palace for Rael himself.
I don’t pretend to know Rael’s motivation for all of this.
But my impression is that he is enjoying a bit of celebrity and probably
doesn’t care if his philosophy is true or not.
But
in a weird sort of way, the Raelians may have done the world a favor.
By making this kind of announcement, the world was shaken.
Christians and non-christians alike are now pressing law-makers to some
decision regarding the ethicality and legality of human cloning.
Jesus
said, “I am the light of the world. No
one comes to the father except by me.” Any
person or any organization that claims to provide a way to salvation other than
through Him is deceived. Don’t be
deceived. Only God’s word has the
answers to the problems of this world. The
world hates God and so hates His remedies.
Satan will continually create new and different ways to divert attention
from Jesus.
Praise
God for His word which guides us into truth.
All glory be to Jesus His son who has bought our pardon.
Highest honor be to the Holy Spirit who comforts us daily.
All
Raelian quotes obtained from the website: www.rael.org