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COMMONS

CULTS 5 - Alien Superstar

Season 12, Ep. 5

In 1973, a French motorsports journalist claimed to have been visited by a UFO that revealed to him the secret origins of humanity. For the next half-century, the man known as Raël would go on to create a new faith with tens of thousands of adherents all around the world. 


The media have portrayed the Raelians as not just a cult, but a strange phantasmagoria of extraterrestrials, orgies and clones. But its followers insist it is the only true path forward for humanity.


Featured in this episode: Nicole Bertrand, Susan J. Palmer, Harold Henning


To learn more:


Aliens Adored: Raël’s UFO Religion by Susan J. Palmer


The Prophet and the Space Aliens by Yoav Shamir


The UFO sect campaigning against female genital mutilation by Monica Mark in The Guardian 


Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

 

Additional music from Audio Network


Sponsors: Douglas, Athletic Greens 


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