Raël

Raël is the name adopted by Claude Maurice Marcel Vorilhon, a French journalist and the founder and leader of the Raëlian Movement, a new religious movement centered on extraterrestrial creation beliefs.

Raël is the religious name adopted by Claude Maurice Marcel Vorilhon, a French journalist and the founder and leader of the Raëlian Movement, a new religious movement centered on extraterrestrial creation beliefs. In Raëlian teaching, he is presented as the final prophet of the Elohim, an advanced extraterrestrial species said to have created humanity. The movement describes itself as a "scientific religion" and rejects the supernatural.

Biography

Raël is the religious name of Claude Vorilhon, a French journalist born in 1946 in Vichy, France. He became the founder and leader of the Raëlian Movement after claiming contact with extraterrestrial beings.

Role in Raëlism

Within Raëlism, Raël is regarded as the messenger of the Elohim and the final prophet in a revealed sequence. The movement centers on his teachings and on preparing humanity for the return of its alleged creators.

Beliefs and teachings

Raëlian doctrine rejects the supernatural and presents itself as atheistic and materialist while affirming extraterrestrial creation of humanity. Sources also describe teachings on cloning, bodily sensuality, and sexual self-determination.

Public image and controversy

Raël and the movement have been the subject of controversy and are classified differently by various commentators and institutions. Some sources describe the movement as a religion, while others describe it as a sect or controversial new religious movement.