Accra, Dec. 19, GNA -The founder and spiritual leader of the Raelian religion , His Holiness Ra?l, arrives in the country this evening for a two- week official visit.
During the visit, which is his first, Rael would meet with government officials to discuss issues bothering on Africa development, hold press conferences as wells as public lectures on December 21-30 at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He would talk on the theme: " The Elohim messages, the spiritual decolonisation of Africa and the sustainable scientific development of Africa".
Who are the Raelians? The Raelian movement is the founder of the Clonaid company which claims to have produced the first cloned baby.
The movement claims to have about 40,000 members in several countries, although the number is difficult to verify. The sect, which believes humans were created by extra-terrestrial beings who had mastered genetic engineering, was founded in France in 1973 by a former journalist who worked for a racing car magazine. One December morning in 1973, journalist Claude Vorilhon was on his way to work in the French provincial town of Clermont-Ferrand. But - according to a book written by Mr Vorilhon, who is now known as Rael - instead of going to the office, on an impulse, he drove to a nearby volcano.International movement
There, he says, he was contacted by an extra-terrestrial being who emerged from a flying saucer and told him - in fluent French - that humans were created in laboratories by people from another planet. The creators were known as the Elohim - a word which, in ancient Hebrew, meant "those who came from the sky". It is used in Jewish prayers to refer to God. Mr Vorilhon was told to spread the word of the Elohim on Earth in preparation for their return. He describes them as being little over a metre in height, with pale green skin, almond-shaped eyes and long dark hair. Since then the Raelians have grown into an international movement. Rael himself has reportedly relocated to the United States after complaining of harassment by the French authorities.Eternal life The Raelians' interest in cloning seems to stem from their belief that the human soul perishes when the body dies. Therefore, they believe, the key to eternal life is not the soul but the recreation of individuals from their DNA. In 1997, the group founded Clonaid, which now says it has cloned a human being. In 1990, the Raelians changed their symbol, originally a Swastika inside a Star of David. The idea was to improve relations with Israel and persuade the government there to let them build an embassy for the Elohim in Jerusalem. Source: Who Are The Raelians?, BBC News, Dec. 28, 2002 Back To Top
According to claims by the Raelian Religion, ''On the 13th of December 1973, French journalist Claude Vorilhon (now called Rael) was contacted by a visitor from an other planet, and asked to establish an embassy to welcome these people back to Earth. The extra-terrestrial was about four feet in height, had long black hair, almond shaped eyes, olive skin and exuded harmony and humor. He told Rael that 'we were the ones who made all life on earth, you mistook us for Gods, we were at the origin of your main religions. Now that you are mature enough to understand this, we would like to enter official contact through an embassy''' (...). In the days following, Vorilhon-Rael (Rael being the name given to him by the space visitor) allegedly ''received commentaries on the most significant parts of the Bible'' (Jacques Vallee, Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and CultsOff-site Link, p. 143). These teachings by the extra-terrestrial and notes taken by Rael were later published in his book, The Messages Given to Me by Extra-Terrestrials (...). It is also claimed that Rael was visited a second time two years after his first visitation, again in France. However, this time the space visitors took Rael aboard their space ship to the planet where they lived. Faithful to his commission, Rael has established a movement to spread the message of the Elohim and to build an embassy to welcome the extra-terrestrials back to earth. The message in large part explains who the Elohim are and how life on Earth came to be. Also, it is important for the embassy to be built in order for the Elohim to return to earth and share their scientific expertise. It has been revealed that the Elohim ''will only come when we build their embassy, such is their love and respect for us'' (...) Despite the bizarre message of Rael, the Raelian Religion, from its beginning in 1973, has found a large following since he first had the alleged extra-terrestrial encounters.
