What do you or I really know about the Raelian Movement? I mean, other than that it believes UFOs are real, that cloning is so possible (despite having not produced the kid it said it'd hatched back in 2003) and that they're very tied into the French? A life of careful research and hundreds of hits of Yellow Sunshine revealed to me that Rael is not just the name of Peter Gabriel's character in The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but a man meant to represent Elohim (who came from the sky, according to Genesis—that's the Bible, not Gabriel's old band) and his prophet children (Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed) in the present day. And that this "Rael"—Claude Vorilhon, a native of Vichy, France—owned a car racing magazine, Auto Pop, and made Jacques Brel-like records before his first fateful meeting with the Eloha in December 1973. After being told that his mission was to pass the message of alien existence ("We were the ones who designed all life on earth," they told him), Rael started writing books and gathering like-minded souls to share in his philosophy of pleasure, love, knowledge and conscience. And cloning.

HE'S THE RAEL THING: Quebecois Marc Letourneau

Enter Marc Letourneau, 48. The soft-spoken Quebec native with a bachelor's degree in psychology currently works as an SAS programmer and statistician in clinical research studies of cancer treatments. That's how he makes his money, since Raelians aren't salaried. But in Rael's world, he is the Raelian Movement representative for the eastern half of the United States. Which means it's his job to stop by GERM Books in Fishtown and try to get you in on the Movement with his Intelligent Design discussion.

CP: You've been a practicing counselor and research clinician. You have a Master's degree in Measurement and Statistics. You seem a born leader. Why join someone else's cause?

ML: After I concluded that the UFO phenomenon was real and that religions originated from the contacts our ancestors had with ancient astronauts, Rael's message just explained the rest. I had read all of the prophet Rael's work and just happened to agree with his message because it made sense to me. There is no better cause for me.

CP: What about it… him… Rael was so formidable so to cease your life's work so to espouse that of another? Or did that ideology so greatly figure into yours that it all just made sense?

ML: I did not stop my life's work. I was a student when I discovered his message. I stopped for three years to make sure I was going in the right direction. At the time I was studying in administration; I changed that orientation and went into the field of psychology instead, as it is a field I have always loved. All Guides and active members have a professional life as the Raelian Movement does not provide salaries. Guides and active members share Rael's message benevolently.

CP: What was your religious belief and background before Rael?

ML: I was born a Catholic. I became agnostic at 12 years old and gradually adopted the evolution theory (or rather the neo-evolution). A little later, I discovered the reality of the UFO phenomenon and modified the theory of evolution for myself to include the intervention of extraterrestrials into the modification of the human genome to create Homo sapiens (explaining the missing link in including the theory of the ancient astronauts). Then I discovered Rael's message and analyzed it for 9 months until I finally realized that this message was the best explanation ever of the origin of life on Earth. I also understood the key failures of the evolution theory and why the scientific community adopted it in the first place.

CP: Did Rael follow any particular spiritual path - e.g. Christian, Judaism, Atheism - before his encounter with the extraterrestrials?

ML: Rael was raised Catholic but was not following any spiritual path. He had only on one major thing in mind: becoming a Formula One champion.

CP: Had you known about Rael's whole background in sports writing and pop song?

ML: No.

CP: And that didn't that that ever bother you that background? Or was it simply a matter of one man's conversion into leadership and godliness and that he just happened to be a pop singer?

ML: I believed he was bothered by this mission at first. I understood someone had to be chosen for this mission. The most important factor is not the messenger but the message, the explanation of the origin, which was too good not to be true. Therefore, the rest was secondary for me. His background fits with the activities he had to learn to become a messenger.

CP: What were you doing exactly when you met Rael and joined his forces in '77?

ML: I was a student at the University of Laval in Quebec City Canada. I had discovered the reality of the UFO phenomenon and therefore was on the lookout for everything connected with this phenomenon. I found an article in the newspaper about Rael and his message. I studied his message during the next months, to check if this new "theory" could fit the facts better. I concluded that this was the truth about our origin. Then, I went to a seminar he held in Montreal, Canada in 1977 and I bought the first two books and read them overnight. I was already pretty convinced that his message was real before I went to his lecture. Rael appeared intelligent, articulate, rational and mentally healthy to me. Two weeks after I went to the weekend seminar, I joined the Movement. I was convinced by my analysis of the evidence gathered before and the ones brought in Rael's message. All this led me to Raelism. Everything showed that Rael spoke the truth and wanted to bring us to a better understanding of the origin and the existence of humans in the Universe.

CP: Did you think of yourself as a leader?

ML: I knew I could lead if needed but I was not necessarily stuck to it. I was very shy and could not stand in front of a big group. I was very independent though and not very fond of groups. I was and am still not a "follower". The important thing is that I was a lover of the truth and that is what I was following no matter what. I was rather a revolutionary, questioning tradition and theories, and going where the evidence led. The understanding of the evidence led me, no matter what other people might think. In conclusion, I can be a leader and I can be part of a team, as long as I agree with the final goal. I like very much one of the rules the active members learn in Rael's book and through his teachings: Rael is asking the members to participate in this effort of spreading this message with their full consciousness and therefore not follow directives that would endanger or hurt a human being even if the prophet Rael or the Elohim themselves are give this directive.

CP: So you are a sort of a priest within organizational hierarchy who is above you and who do you directly report to?

ML: I understand that in any organization there has to be a leadership structure, or else there is chaos. In 1986, Rael accepted me as a Guide (a priest if you compare with church hierarchy). However, I have also a function in the US Raelian Movement, which is Regional Guide or Director for the North East area. I report to Ricky Roehr who is the National Guide - president of the Raelian Movement in USA - who himself reports to the Continental Guide or sometimes to Rael directly for some tasks.

CP: And is it fair to say that Rael reports the Elohim in which to receive his message? And does he pass it on to you…or do you after all this time have the message down cold?

ML: Yes, Rael reports to the Elohim. He is their representative on Earth and acts as an ambassador. Yes, Guides and active members act as representatives of the Elohim on Earth, following the hierarchy but only Rael has informative contact with them. The message cannot change so there is no need for them to come back meet Rael again, especially as they can contact him telepathically. But sometimes, they allow themselves to be seen above seminars with their flying vessels - in France in the 70s and Africa in the 90s - but no information was transmitted.

CP: Are there new messages and when and why?

ML: The first message was received in 1973. In 1975, they brought Rael to their planet. They told him that the first 2 years were in fact a test. These were the only face-to-face contacts. They usually contact him once a year to tell him where to go and to make some adjustments to his mission and this is done through telepathy.

CP: Allow me a moment: Elohim created Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed.

ML: Yes, all prophets were contactees and acted as messengers on Earth. They were chosen for different missions, different eras and different locations. The Elohim often "create" their messengers by impregnating an earth woman. The child becomes an adult and is contacted by the Elohim for his mission.

CP: Is Rael an Elohim or an offspring of theirs?

ML: He is an offspring of one of the Elohim: the one we call Yahweh or Jehovah in the Bible. They followed him during his growth and influenced him to develop some skills he would need to accomplish his mission such as being able to write as a journalist and to express himself in public as a singer, etc.

CP: Look, you have a conference center you call UFOland yet I'm guessing you guys are afraid of being seen as funny or exploitative of the extraterrestrial thing. What is your take on often being thought of as weirdo types or even, downright humorous?

ML: This center is closed because it was not bringing in enough money. A lot of money was spent on this camping site where this center was located and that was a way to recuperate the investment. Money does not fall from the sky and any organization needs money to accomplish its goal. The Raelian Movement's goal is to spread this message and to build an Embassy, and Raelians agree with this goal. And the Raelian Movement is not afraid of what people think. We know why we do things and what people think is mostly conditioned by the media who always give a negative twist to everything we do. We don't expect most people to understand Rael, his message and his actions, but we expect conscious people to research the subject and find out the truth by themselves, by going to the source.

CP: And wouldn't you say wearing space-suit-y things and trying to seem so serious while wearing them is difficult? Or are you just trying to create a level of theatrics in which to get your message heard better faster

ML: Rael does not care about what people think. He understands that this is the only way one can be really free. He designs his own clothing and he is happy with it, that's the only thing that counts. There will always be people in the world that will ridicule others for what ever reason they can find. Fashion is definitively not a concern.

CP: How often do you see or hear from Rael?

ML: I hear from him very often as he makes comments on scientific articles in Rael-science. It is an email communication system open to the public that refers to mostly scientific articles - sometimes politics. I also see him at the seminars: in Las Vegas in (May) and in Quebec Canada in (July) or at any other seminars I attend. .

CP: What was your take on intelligent design and cloning before Rael

ML: Before Rael, I believed in Darwin's theory - a NeoDarwinnien theory - and did not believe a God created life. At the time, the Intelligent Design Theory was not formulated. Creationist theories existed but I was not aware of them. I was certainly open to the idea that anything is possible within science. So I would have been open to human cloning.

CP: Are you at peace at one with all the Raelian messages/beliefs: that the extraterrestrials and earthlings are alike; that cloning is a current possibility?

ML: Yes, all of it. The Elohim appear like us because they made us in their own image. Cloning is just a delayed twin thing. Twins occur naturally, don't they? So why would making twins be bad? I think human cloning should be an option for parents who want a child that is genetically related, when sex can't, and this merely equates to getting a delayed twin. All the fuss around cloning will dissipate in few years exactly like when the first test tube babies occurred. The possibility of cloning is obvious as science has no limit and since we can do it with a simple sheep, we obviously can do it with humans. It is just a question of know how and I trust my friends working at Clonaid that they really did it.

CP: Would you agree that incidents of 2002/2003 - with Raelians claiming to have cloned the world's first human baby only to decline to offer proof has hurt the movement?

ML: I don't agree

CP: Why not?

ML: It did give us some bad press but in fact, it increased the membership by making Rael's message known on a larger scale. Those who joined did so because they realized that Rael's message actually makes sense. The rest is a detail. Of course people who would never have joined -because it does not make sense for them - will distance themselves more and they will use the bad press justify their decision. So what! No problem there. Furthermore, people that care too much about what people think will also distance themselves more from the Raelian movement. All this is good for the organization. The Elohim do not want everybody in the Raelian movement, but rather only those who are able to understand their message. They need to find those people and Raelians are helping them to do this. The proof of cloning is delayed until the social tension about cloning dissipates resulting in a safer situation for the clones and their parents. This is understood mostly by those who think this message makes sense.

CP: What is the connection between the Raelian worldview and their promotion of cloning technology? I assume it's not for organ harvesting. Is the goal a longing for individual immortality or the preservation of some specific genotype?

ML: Rael promotes the use of science in general and cloning technology in particular for all reasons that can help human beings. For example, you could grow any organ (alone and by itself) with no problem of rejection if you need a organ replacement. You can create a child that is a clone of a parent as Clonaid does and makes parents happy (by the way, clones will always be an exception as in test tubes babies). And giving progresses in some other technologies (like accelerated growth and mind transfer), we will eventually use cloning to live eternally, the ultimate benefit. Cloning will be very important in the future and that is why Rael is promoting it and all other technologies as well. What is understood by Rael and all Raelians is that science should be used to do only things that bring more happiness for humankind and cloning is one of them. All great inventions were opposed at their beginning by religious conservatives who did it on moral grounds, which is very relative and has always been proven to be wrong at the end (think about the train, the car, the airplane, electricity, telephone, vaccines, in-vitro fertilization and the list is very long). Cloning is part of that list in progress. . In conclusion, we should oppose the use of science to harm people like the creation of bombs and promote it in all directions that are not harmful; that is the only criteria. Religious conservatives are trying to stop progress and by doing so they are hurting humankind in delaying technologies that will resolve all problems.

CP: How does cloning and alien life fit together? And intelligent design? Or is it because, since there"s no heaven in Raelianism that any chance for eternal life lies in preserving one's DNA code for future cloning?

ML: In Rael's message it is revealed that the Elohim use a very advance cloning technique in order to live eternally. Heaven is actually a planet where the Elohim have resurrected and continue to resurrect the best of mankind. They extract the DNA code of the dying person and use it to clone back the person on that planet, in order to live eternally with the Elohim. Our human civilization will also reach this era where cloning will allow us to live eternally. There are steps that are seen as necessary to preserve the mind in the new clone of oneself: like creating a genetically identical copy of someone by human cloning , causing the clone to mature much, much faster than normal. Rael makes the statement that in the future scientists will discover a so-called "accelerated-growth process" He mentioned this on CNN. Then in a process like guided self-assembly of rapidly expanded cells or even nanotechnological assembly a whole human body may be created in a very short time. There's transferring the memory and personality of the original person to the mature clone by a scientific process, presumably through a computer back up of the person's brain waves, which is then downloaded onto the fresh clone. The intelligent design theory is a theory, which provides evidence that life was designed and does not go into describing the designer as it is out of scope. Nevertheless, this theory supports Rael's message, which states that life was designed by scientists from another planet. Rael's message is actually the only realistic identification of the designers. All other descriptions related to god are not scientific and will never be. On the other hand, Rael's message explains the mystery of God. To a Christian we could say: Yes you are right, God exists but he is human and comes from another planet. He -Yahweh, who is one among the Elohim - directed the creation of life on Earth.

CP: 60,000 people in 84 countries: who are they? What is the demographic in America in Philadlephia, in particular when it comes to your make up of believers?

ML: Since Rael's message was first heard in French, you find the most numerous Raelians in French areas like in Quebec-Canada where there are thousands of believers, and in Europe. Then, Japan and Korea has a very large number of Raelians as well. In the USA, the progression is gradual and the group is small and dispersed but somewhat more concentrated in Las Vegas, LA, Chicago, Miami and Boston. The membership increases from year to year gradually. Each country has Raelians in it and their number varies, the list is too long to report here. We did not go to Philadelphia yet and the lecture I will hold will be the first. But we have about 15 to 20 people interested in Philly but we have no official members there yet.

CP: It has been said that Clonaid charges customers for cloning services, that they prey on dying family members loss what do you think?

ML: First of all, let it be said that Clonaid is a for profit corporation that is completely independent of the Raelian Movement. One Raelian, Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, just created a corporation to create babies in using in vitro fertilization as a method of reproduction and using cloning as a method of providing the genome information. Then she used the success of her corporation to promote her religion. You know how the media works… the bad press is only the interpretation of journalists. What you say about "prey on dying family members….", you could say the same thing to any medical services… That's interesting, don't you think? Why Clonaid services should be different from all the other medical services? Journalists want to influence negatively the population again using negatively twisted statements. If this infers that the representatives of Clonaid are lying when they say they can can clone human beings, then that is just a question of opinion. I know the representatives of Clonaid and I trust them to be honest. Beside, do you hear anybody out there who paid Clonaid for services that were not provided? If people were paying for the cloning service and the service was not delivered, why are not they complaining? It is just evidence that Clonaid is really providing cloning services.

CP: The "prey on dying family members" thing is just what I've read about you guys.

ML: Anyway, if this derogative comment just means that it is just plain too expensive, again, having a baby clone is not a question of life and death; it is just another option among many for those who can afford it. Besides all this considerations, Clonaid representatives said that they did not charge a fee to first customers but built a business partnership with people who wanted a baby from the cloning technique. But they could have charged a fee as well, as fertilization clinics do, don't they? Then why shouldn't Clonaid? And their fees are naturally regulated by the law of offers and demands, and since this is not a matter of life and death, what journalists are writings is only another way to put a negative spin on what is completely legitimate. In this era, profit is part of this world and it is ok to go with the system. Look, Clonaid is a profit corporation and it is ok to make profit in this society. Contrary to Clonaid, the Raelian Movement is a non-profit organization and is 100% benevolent. Clonaid and the Raelian Movement are two completely different and independent entities with different goals. If you want to ask questions to Clonaid representatives, I would suggest you go to http://www.clonaid.com/ and use their contact link. They will answer your questions for sure.

CP: You make no money from this. What do you make money from?

ML: I make no money whatsoever from my involvement in the Raelian Movement. It is actually the opposite; I contribute financially to the organization. It is in the status of the Raelian Charter that nobody in the Raelian Movement will get any salary. The funds are used solely to spread the message into the public and build and Embassy for the Elohim. The president of the Raelian Movement and even Rael do not receive any money from the Raelian Movement. Now try to find another non-profit corporation that is managed solely by benevolent people; even the administrative officers.

CP: So $7 million rose toward a $20-million space station that will welcome the aliens - where does this come from?

ML: This comes from the subscription based membership from all the national Raelian Movements and the International Raelian Movement. People who agree with the goals of the organization are helping financially as in any organization.

CP: Why do so many people George Bush, the Pope - included resist cloning?

ML: Some people oppose cloning today for the same reasons that the same type of people opposed in-vitro fertilization when it was first started. Religious leaders have the perception, with different variants that "interference with nature is not acceptable''. But humanity is already "interfering" with nature when we do heart transplants, when we take a pill, medications, blood transfusions, cardiac arrest resuscitations, etc … We think all this rhetoric is pure rubbish. Since Raelians believe that life is the product of science, "nature" does not mean something supernatural that we can't touch, but something that is part of this world, that we can understand and modify. The only care that should concern us is the effect of the change. If this effect is to save life or make the people, on which the procedure is done, happy, it is all good.

CP: Let's play true or false where the Raelians are concerned. When you die you must leave a will permitting to have a bone removed from your head so you can later be recreated.

ML: Mostly true: It is asked by the Elohim to have a small part of the fore bone removed after we die so the Elohim can resurrect us when they come, through the DNA that can be found in the cells of the bone. This is not an obligation but those who trust the Elohim will do it. It is a way for the Elohim to know who understands the message enough to be trusted.

CP: That you must give blood several times a year?

ML: False

CP: That Elohim asked Rael to build an embassy for them with a special room for seven extraterrestrials and that Israel has been asked many times specifically to let you build?

ML: They have asked for seven private rooms/apartments for seven extraterrestrial representatives from their planet. Those seven rooms will be separated from the rest of the building and this section of the building can be locked from their side; this part of the building will have an access to the roof where their spaceship will land.

CP: That Elohim banned cloning on their planet?

ML: False, they use cloning to resurrect themselves after they die.

CP: That Elohim do not age?

ML: Essentially true. They age but it does not show until the end where their appearance changes relatively quickly before they die. The average life span is 1000 years, looking around 20 years old all this time except at the end of this period. So around each 1000 years they die and are cloned back to life again. The oldest in their planet is Yahweh and he is about 25,000 years of age. The Elohim are those who created life on Earth and they live eternally through a very advanced cloning technique. There are 700 Elohim and they govern a planet of 7 billion inhabitants who don't live eternally but rather have an average lifespan of 1000 years. Each year, a committee of judges analyzes the lives of those who died the same year and resurrect those who brought the most to their culture (art, science, etc) for another 1000 years. This is based on merit. Wouldn't be great to live 1000 years? Scientists working on longevity believe that our life span will be a lot more than today's life span.

CP: That though leaders of Clonaid are Raelian, Clonaid is not a Raelian company?

ML: True: Clonaid is not a Raelian corporation though its leadership is formed by Raelians. There is a complete corporate independence between the Raelian Movement and Clonaid. Many Christians own corporations and this does not mean that their corporations are Christian corporations with links to the Vatican.

CP: That we're all offspring extraterrestrials?

ML: Technically no. We all have been scientifically created by extraterrestrials. Furthermore, the extraterrestrials have procreated with some of our women in the past and therefore the Elohim's genes are disseminated inside the human genome with a different ratio according to individuals. Jews, specifically, were the fruit of this type of genetic mix.

CP: That Raelians have strict rules about shaving and haircuts because long hair acts as an antennae?

ML: NO. There are no strict rules. Raelians are free to do as they wish. There is a difference between the Raelians and the active Raelian members of the International Raelian Movement. Those who choose to become active members and represent the Raelian Movement and the Elohim on Earth have very few strict rules such as no drugs -except a little alcohol when eating - and no smoking. You also find rules (referred usually to rules of ethics) in any professional corporations. But Raelians are not obligated to be active member it is a freedom of choice. Furthermore, Raelians are strong promoters of human rights and they promote it as much as they can.

CP: Raelians are not a stiff bunch you like to have fun: is this widely known? Do you think people see Raelians as stuffy?

ML: I think people see us as group of people who like to have fun, especially in view of our openness regarding sexuality. I have never heard of people perceiving us as being stiff. But if some do say that, they probably met one Raelian that was stiff… that is possible, and they generalized to the whole group. Personally, I don't know any Raelian who is stiff. (laughs)

CP: What will happen when Elohim comes officially - what, before 2035? THEN WHAT?

ML: When they land, they will meet the representatives of our world. Our world will be in the process of a true unification, a worldwide government as the Elohim suggested in their message. The Elohim will discuss the transfer of technology with us on a gradual schedule and will observe what we do with it. This will probably happen before 2035, which is a limit date. It will be a new era where the World will truly work for peace and the happiness of people, a realized "utopia". We will enjoy the company of the Elohim who are our fathers from space and they will guide us through the implementation of technology, in this new era money will be gradually eliminated as well as the obligation to work. People will be able to live an average of 1000 years with an appearance of 20 years old with no other problems than that of finding what to do each day among the multitudes of choices offered to them. People will be able to create and invent as much as they want, so contributing to the exponentially growth of mankind, and this will be in all directions, whatever it is in science or art. And you, Mr. Amorosi, you may still be alive to see the beginning of this. (laughs) I invite you to come to the Las Vegas Seminar in May to meet Rael himself and a bunch of happy-goers Raelians… Eh Eh?

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