I Joined an Alien ‘Cult’: An Exclusive Look into the Singapore Raëlian Movement

The religion in question, Raëlism, is a new world religion movement.  They believe that extraterrestrials known as the Elohim (after the Hebrew word for ‘God’ in the Old Testament) created the world and that Yahweh—one of them—created humanity. In addition, cloning is said to be one of the final goals for humanity to achieve eternal life. 

How do we know this? Well, Claude Vorilhon (known now as Raël) was visited by aliens and brought into their UFO, and says he was told the “story of humanity”. Dubbing himself the”last prophet” of our time, in the Age of Apocalypse, Raël preaches to his followers about higher beings above – not gods – but aliens.

Well, they’re no amateur alien conspiracists. In terms of religious beliefs, Raëlism works seamlessly with atheism —the belief of there being no god—claiming that all existing religions and mythologies are misinterpretations of ancient memories of the Elohim, the all-powerful extraterrestrial species that created mankind. But just like any other religion, one must have the utmost faith in Raël and his visions in order to believe in them.

The religion has spread all over the world, from small communities from Japan to the United States, France, and even to a rural village in Burkina Faso. 

Matreiya Raël: The “Last Prophet”

To me, this clearly seemed like an attention-grabbing enough belief, much less topic, so I ventured on to find out more about the religion and watched the documentary itself. The documentary by Yoav Shamir was detailed, well-made, and fun to watch, but a burning curiosity left me discontent—bringing my inner detective to live. A quick Google search Ied me to the official Raëlian website, but also the Facebook page for the local Singaporean branch, the Singaporean Raëlian Movement. 

With that, I was really interested. 

Raëlism? Within our tiny borders? Now that’s an article. (Editor’s note: Sorry, I really egged him on here.)

Either way, I had to find out more, so dropped them a friendly email and message hoping to snag an interview. Meanwhile, I continued doing even more research. This is where things got interesting. I came across a Facebook post on the page that was advertising an online “Planetary Meditation Session”. It wasn’t exactly a sharing session about Raëlism, but it was organised and advertised by Raëlians.

The Editorial Team and I did the only reasonable thing…we all signed up. We were a little apprehensive at first because despite the peaceful world-loving vibe, we did feel like we were entering some sort of shady secret society. Boy, were we wrong. 

The advertised Planetary Meditation Session via 1Min4Peace

We joined the Zoom call with aliases (mine was Markus) as a precaution. But on entrance, it looked like most of the people there were around the ages of 40 to just over 6, and those with their cameras turned on seemed like sweet people. Clearly there was some sort of age demographic that seemed the most interested in the Raëlian ideas and teaching. Interesting.

Ariel Mellul, Chief Rabbi of the Raëlian Branch of Judaism

The Zoom call wasn’t even protected by a password or a moderated waiting room. With the session being open for all to join, there were a few trolls who just wanted to seek pleasure by attempting to corrupt a harmless meditation session. Most disturbing of them was this guy wearing an Iron Man mask who tried to flash everyone gathered in the call. The moderators were quick to remove him before anything inappropriate happened. 

The Iron Man troll in question

A little shocked, we continued. We began our meditation session led by Dr. Hortense Gbedia Dodo, a PhD holder and a Raëlian guide. As a representative from the African state of Ghana, she led us into our meditative journey from the Editorial team’s homes in Singapore (at 1 AM on a Sunday) into the African savannahs. 

Dr. Hortense Gbedia Dodo, Raëlian Guide

Overall, it was a really peaceful session—wholesome too. The majority of the hour-long call was about spreading love, and since the theme was African savannahs, there was much talk about the effects of colonialism on Africa and the beauty of the continent itself. There was also an emphasis on the cosmic transmission of love, which was definitely a new concept to me. 

The meeting ended with a pre-recorded video of a performance by an African musician which was extremely calming (and surprisingly catchy). At the end, after the hosts officially concluded the session, those left behind started talking to each other. Topics included were each other’s well being and other small talk. Despite the language barriers, they were able to get along well and it really made me rethink my whole concept of Raëlism, Raëlians, and it being portrayed as a cult. Was I just being too harsh with my thoughts?

Really soulful stuff…Is it available on Spotify?

With the global front acknowledged, the last thing to do was to cover local ground. This is where the Singapore Raëlian Movement comes into play. 

I was able to get an interview with the head of the Singapore Raëlian Movement. After several back and forths over the next month, I got some valuable insight on the Raëlians. The answers stood in stark against the hyper-negative view of Raëlism in mainstream media coverage. 

The head of the Singapore Raëlian Movement, Jonathan*, was pretty open to my incessant questions ranging from documentary-specific queries to deeper questions about cloning, sexuality. and being labelled a “cult”.

“Having grown up amongst different religious beliefs, I often wondered how the world could have so many different religions all claiming to be right, and with the number of similarities, they couldn’t all be wrong either,” Jonathan explains.

When he came across Raëlism, he felt like he had found the answer to the questions of the world, attributing his attendance at the Asian Happiness Academy as a major turning point. 

As an unrecognised religious group with a large following, Jonathan clarified what Raëlism was really about: “At its core, I would personally describe the practice (of Raëlism) as the intersection of love and science.”

In response to being labeled a “cult”, he believes that the term has negative connotations and that it is “used as a means to attack groups of minorities whose beliefs are different from their own”. 

“What we often forget is that, at some point of time, all major religions of the world today once began as a small group of minorities who were labelled in similar ways,” Jonathan continues.

Still from The Prophet and the Space Aliens

“The word ‘cult’ has negative connotations attached to it and is therefore often used as a means to attack groups of minorities whose beliefs are different from their own (arguably a form of persecution).  What many often forget is that all major religions of the world today once began as a small group of minorities who were labelled in similar ways. As for sex, the media uses sex as a means to attract attention.  No matter the real story, if sex is even a small part of it, the media magnifies it.”

“Freedom is a core tenet of Raëlian beliefs, and sexuality is just one type of such freedom.  No one should impose any particular lifestyle on another—everyone should be free to explore and choose the lifestyle that best suits them,” he elaborates.

Raëlism is often seen as a “sex cult” or a “cloning cult” in a lot of mainstream articles. As I searched for more information on Raëlism online, I found a large array of articles about either cloning or the absurdity of the religion. 

In Raëlism, cloning is said to be the apex of humanity, with the belief that once cloning is achieved, we will be able to live eternally. In his experience on the UFO, Raël says the extraterrestrials have mastered cloning and had made clones of him during his time there. 

“As every cell in a living organism contains the full set of instructions needed to create the entire organism, achievement of eternal life then just becomes a matter of using these instructions to reconstruct the organism upon death.”

He adds: “While cloning is very much still in its infancy today, eventually it will become possible to reconstruct a fully-grown adult organism complete with memory in no time at all.”

Perhaps, in the near future, we may have Raëlism to thank for their dedication to cloning technology. But for now, like Jonathan has mentioned, technology in cloning is far from being complete. He also mentioned that the movement is not directly funding or related to any research in the field as of now. 

For the curious among us, I took the liberty of asking Jonathan how average Singaporeans like us can explore Raëlism on our terms. He shared the following dates of events that they are holding (which are mostly online now):

“Besides the annual ‘Happiness Academies’ organised on each continent, each country organises its own local activities, mainly on these four dates:

• First Sunday of April: in recognition of the creation of the first human being by the Elohim
• August 6th: in recognition of humanity’s entry into the age of apocalypse (Greek for revelation)
• December 13th:  in recognition of Raël’s first encounter with the Elohim
• October 7th: in recognition of Raël’s second encounter with the Elohim”

**For the full answers to the various questions asked, look out for the end of the article!**

“Rael explained that our brains are wired to radiate love all around us,” via Singapore Raelian Movement

In the end, my questions to Jonathan only scratched the surface of the complex beliefs that Raëlism has within its history. Yet, with everything that is good, there is always a negative side. However, this article is not about that—I just wanted to give something foreign to me a fair shot, and so I did. 

The team and I had great fun attending the service and not only did we get to relax and clear our minds, it also broadened our view to different perspectives and beliefs, even if we don’t completely agree with all of them.

Despite the rise of atheism in the modern world, especially in Europe and post-communist East Asia, religion (in all of its variety) continues to play a big and important role in the lives of people today. Be it in the heart of metropolitan Singapore, or the rural reaches of Burkina Faso, religion has permeated many levels of life in modern human society. In fact, new religions like Raëlism are not an anomaly, with several newer religions like Scientology and Pastafarianism also preaching their own beliefs and values. 

Raëlism, in essence, is more than what meets the eye. One belief of Raëlism, however, that I know will stick with me forever is this: Claiming that all religions were a result of contact with the extraterrestrials, be it Moses, Jesus, or the Buddha. 

That is to say, the aliens did it.

Interview

Akshay: How were you introduced to Raëlism and what made you join the community/religion?

Jonathan: Having grown up amongst different religious beliefs, I often wondered how the world could have so many different religions all claiming to be right, and with the number of similarities, they couldn’t all be wrong either.  I came across Raël’s “Intelligent Design” book one day while searching the web for answers, and all pieces of the puzzle just fell into place.  Beyond the simple yet profound answers found in this book, after attending the annual Asian Happiness Academy I discovered Raëlism was a wonderful way of life.

In your own words, how would you describe the practice of Raëlism?

At its core, I would personally describe the practice as the intersection of love and science. There isn’t any problem I can think of that cannot be solved either with love or science, and it is through love and science that we can effectively bring paradise to earth.

What is your opinion on Raëlism being labelled as a cult (or a sex cult more specifically) by mainstream media? And what could have led to this perspective of the religion?

The word ‘cult’ has negative connotations attached to it and is therefore often used as a means to attack groups of minorities whose beliefs are different from their own (arguably a form of persecution).  What many often forget is that all major religions of the world today once began as a small group of minorities who were labelled in similar ways.  As for sex, the media uses sex as a means to attract attention.  No matter the real story, if sex is even a small part of it, the media magnifies it.

In Elohika, an African Raëlian village in Burkina Faso featured in the documentary about Raëlism, the inhabitants wear their sexuality and relationship status (e.g single, partnered, polyamorous, etc) on their wrists. What do you think about this and is this a core tenet or belief of Raëlism – the freedom of sexuality?

I believe this practice may have grown organically within this village, and it looks to be a great way to easily recognize ones status or interests and avoid misunderstanding.  Freedom is a core tenet of Raëlian beliefs, and sexuality is just one type of such freedom.  No one should impose any particular lifestyle on another – everyone should be free to explore and choose the lifestyle that best suits them.

In addition, do you think this would work in Singapore, given the conservative nature of the laws and the culture? Especially considering that (male) same-sex relations are still prohibited (though unenforced). Does the Singapore branch of Raëlism promote freedom of sexuality and if so how is it done?

While ideas such as the coloured wristbands used in the Elohika African village may be less likely to catch on in more conservative societies such as Singapore where intolerance still exists, the progress being made is encouraging.  Pink Dot’s annual “Freedom to Love” event held at Hong Lim park is one example of how different love/sex lifestyles are gaining acceptance.  The number of cases challenging Section 377A of the penal code (criminalising homosexuality) has also been on the rise.  While these may be seen as small steps in comparison to other countries, the alignment with Raëlian philosophy makes us happy and it’s great to see Singapore gradually moving away from exclusivity and intolerance towards inclusivity and acceptance.

In the documentary it is mentioned that Raël keeps an order of Angels, which are meant to serve as representatives for Earth. They are specifically chosen due to their beauty. Are there any Singaporean Angels of Raël?

Beauty in this sense carries a more holistic meaning and goes beyond what the eyes can see.  Masculine qualities when unbalanced can lead to world destruction, and so the Angels help cultivate more feminine qualities both within themselves and others.  At present, there are no Singaporean Angels.

In Africa (Burkina Faso specifically), a big pillar of spreading the religion was through illustrated comics and the stance taken against female genital mutilation (FGM) and the restoration of pleasure for women affected by FGM. How is Raëlism spread in Singapore specifically?

The level of activity can vary from country to country but a more reactive approach is taken in Singapore.  Some may inquire after seeing our symbol worn on a necklace or t-shirt, or an ad on social media.  Others may more actively search the web for answers and find our website or books authored by Raël.  Raël has often said, the best way to spread the message is to be the message.  By showing love and kindness we effectively spread the message.

In the documentary, it is mentioned that cloning is an important tenet of the Raëlian religion and that eternal life is attained when cloning has been achieved. Could you explain a bit more about this and whether any work or research is being funded to promote the science of cloning?

Whether it be the pursuit of eternal life or paradise (a world free from the slavery of work and money) Raëlians are advocates of science and technology that help achieve such goals.  As every cell in a living organism contains the full set of instructions needed to create the entire organism, achievement of eternal life then just becomes a matter of using these instructions to reconstruct the organism upon death.  Even memory in its smallest form can be broken down into a specific arrangement of atoms, molecules, and cells.  While cloning is very much still in its infancy today, eventually it will become possible to reconstruct a fully-grown adult organism complete with memory in no time at all.  While the Raëlian Movement is in support of such initiatives, it is not directly involved with funding or research.