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  If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.  You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.