Raël
Encyclopedia
Claude Maurice Marcel Vorilhon (born September 30, 1946 in Vichy
, Allier
, France
) is the founder and current leader of the UFO religion
known as Raëlism
.
Vorilhon began singing at a young age and soon became a sports-car journalist
and test driver for his own car-racing magazine, Auto Pop. Following what he said was an extraterrestrial
encounter in December 1973, he formed the Raëlian Movement and changed his name to Raël (allegedly meaning "messenger of the elohim"). He later published several books, which detail his claims of an encounter with a being called Yahweh
in 1973. He traveled the world to promote his books for over 30 years.
, France
. He was raised in Ambert
in the home of his maternal grandmother, who was atheist. He attended a Catholic boarding school with Le Puy-en-Velay
and caused a scandal by taking part in communion
without being baptized. His parents withdrew him from the boarding school to put him in the school of Ambert.
At age 15, Vorilhon ran away from boarding school and hitchhiked to Paris, where he spent three years playing music on the streets and in cafés and cabarets. He met with Lucien Morisse, the director of a national radio program, who was scouting for young talent. Vorilhon signed a record contract and became a rising teen pop star on the radio. He took on a new identity, assuming the name Claude Celler, and released six singles
, including a minor hit song, "Le miel et la cannelle" (Honey and Cinnamon). Vorilhon had a passion for the songs of Belgian singer Jacques Brel
, and tried to imitate his singing style. He was saving up his money to buy a racing car, a dream he had had since he was a young boy, but his prospects as a singer came to an abrupt end when Morisse, his sponsor, committed suicide in September 1970.
Vorilhon decided to work as a sports journalist to gain access to the world of car racing. He met Marie-Paul Cristini, a nurse. They moved to Clermont-Ferrand
, where Vorilhon began his own publishing house. He created a sports car magazine entitled Autopop, whose first issue was released in May 1971. One of the tasks for his new startup was the position of testing new automobiles, which enabled him to enter the motor racing world.
The book states that advanced human scientists from another planet with 25,000 years of scientific advances created all life on Earth through DNA
manipulation. These scientists, Vorilhon said, were originally called Elohim
or "those who came from the sky". He wrote that some forty prophets in Earth's history were sent by Elohim
, but their messages were distorted by humans, largely because of the difference in the level of civilization between the advanced race and Earth's primitive one.
Vorilhon said he was given the mission of informing the world of humanity's origins in anticipation of the return of these extraterrestrials by building a residential embassy in neutral territory
. He stated that certain mysteries were explained to him based on new interpretations of sacred texts such as the Bible
. He said that, on October 7, 1975, he was contacted by one of the Elohim, who took him to another planet to meet Buddha
, Moses
, Jesus
and Muhammad
. He stated that his second book, Les extra-terrestres m'ont emmené sur leur planète ("Extraterrestrials Took Me To Their Planet"), relates the teaching he received from these people. In this book, Vorhilhon describes harmonious and peaceable beings, who were free of money, sickness, and war.
In 1974, Vorilhon decided to give up his automobile magazine, Autopop. That September, the last issue, number 34, was published. Vorilhon then devoted himself to the task he said was given by his "biological father", an extraterrestrial named Yahweh
. Shortly after a first public conference, Vorilhon founded MADECH - a group of people interested in helping him in his task, which later became the International Raëlian Movement. Sociologist Susan J. Palmer said that Cristini, a nurse, diagnosed Vorilhon as clinically depressed after he appeared at her door step in 1987, burnt out from the tasks he carried out within the movement.
Vorilhon focused on spreading his message in Japan in the 1980s, and by 1987, he met Lisa Sunagawa. Sunagawa soon began accompanying Vorilhon during his travels to Lima, Miami, Brazil, and Martinique. In a television documentary, They're Coming! (1990) by Radio Canada, Vorilhon was seen with four women, while Lisa, in slow-motion, wore a pink tutu and held hands with him.
Vorilhon separated from Sunagawa some time between 1990 and 1992. Around that time, Sophie de Niverville, whose mother and aunt were both Raëlians, was convinced of the authenticity of the messages. Sophie received a Raëlian baptism at age 15. When she turned 16, she married Vorilhon at Montreal's city hall. This was done with her mother's permission. During a December 2001 interview with sociologist Susan J. Palmer, Sophie spoke positively about Vorilhon despite their divorce the previous year. In 2003, he was married to Sophie. On August 6, 2003, the Cybercast News Service
said Vorilhon moved back to Canada with his wife Sophie after being escorted out of South Korea by government officials.
with the Mosler Raptor in 1997, and a 7th place finish at Watkins Glen
with a Viper GTS R
in the FIA GT 1999 race". Vorilhon, under the name of Raël, participated in the 1999 BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series and the 2000 Speedvision GT Championship. According to Palmer, Vorilhon made an announcement in November 2001 that he intended to retire from professional auto racing. She said that Vorilhon still enjoyed automobile racing, albeit in the form of video games.
in order to avoid genetically inherited diseases and to reduce the economic burden on society. He said that no distinctive emphasis needed to be allocated to a particular race or religion. Elsewhere in the book, he stated that nanotechnology
will make it possible to have micro-distributive power generation (essentially a power plant in each house), fur-like furnishings that are self-cleaning with hair-like fibers that move on their own, and biological
robots. Nanostructures control biology, so Vorilhon expected that meat and salads will someday be grown in a machine via molecular construction.
Vorilhon believed that genetically modified food
is the only way to stop hunger everywhere in the world, and he saw a future where qualities of different foods can be combined through direct genetic modification. In Vorilhon's book, Extraterrestrials took me to their planet (book number 2 in the volume Intelligent Design), he said that animation of plant life was possible through nanotechnology and that he was presented genetically modified flowers, that swayed and changed colors with music, while on another planet.
. Toward the end of the show, Vorilhon’s liberal views on sex were critiqued by a priest, a social worker, and a psychologist. A former Raëlian named Jean Parraga believed that his wife and children were being held as prisoners and that Vorilhon attempted to break up his family. He thought they were being treated like criminals in activities such as orgies and sacrifice involving children at the Sensual Meditation camp. Parraga also had a criminal record as a drug dealer and car thief, and in August 1992, he attempted to shoot Vorilhon.
Raëlians from around the world sent letters of protest to Dechevanne's TV station. Dechavanne felt that this was "incitement to violence" and sued Vorilhon. The judge appointed to the case decided to question Vorilhon. Vorilhon agreed to ask his members to stop sending letters if the station apologized publicly. The two parties agreed to drop the feud.
In 2004, Vorilhon appeared on the first airing of the Quebec
version of the French talk show Tout le monde en parle
, hosted by Guy A. Lepage
. During this appearance, Vorilhon upset panel members with his statements on democracy and cloning. The situation reached its peak when caricaturist Serge Chapleau
called Vorilhon a "farce" and a "nerd", ridiculed his clothes, and grabbed him by the chignon. Vorilhon left the stage, followed by his disciples. A fellow guest at the show, Parti Québécois
Member of Quebec Legislative Assembly Pauline Marois
, called Vorilhon "insane". The Raëlian Movement asked Marois to apologize, which she refused.
A Swiss newspaper, who called Raëlians "rat heads", was sued for defamation. Another suit was brought against journalist Stephane Baillargeon for writing in the Montreal daily Le Devoir that the Raëlians defended pedophiles and that certain ex-Raëlians claimed the "gourou" liked very young girls. After some negotiation, Le Devoir published a letter from Vorilhon condemning the charge as "ignominious defamation" and asserting that the Raëlian Movement had "always condemned pedophilia and promoted respect for laws that justly forbid the practices that are always the fault of unbalanced individuals".
On two separate court dates of September 2, 1994 at the High Courts of Paris and October 1, 1996 at the Appeal Court of Paris, journalists Jacques Cotta and Pascal Martin of Flammarion
Publishing were found guilty of attributing racist statements and distorted quotations to Vorilhon in their book Dans le secret des sectes. They were fined 10,000FF in damages and 13,000FF in proceedings costs. They were also ordered to insert stickers mentioning the sentence on copies not yet distributed, suppress of the passage in the next editions, and were told that they would be fined 100FF for each non-conforming copy.
On January 26, 1994, in emergency proceedings by the Appeal Court of Reims, Myriam Assan was accused of defamation for claiming in his book that "Raël was often sentenced for corruption of minors". Assan was given a provisional sentence of 10,000FF in damages and ordered to withdraw of the book. He was sentenced to pay a penalty of 300FF per infringement and 5,000FF in proceedings costs and to publish the judgment in Le Monde and Le Figaro.
On December 13, 1994, Gérard Chol, director of Le Maine Libre, was declared guilty by the High Court of Le Mans for public defamation for claiming that the Vorilhon's movement was laundering money coming from drug trafficking, prostitution, arms dealing, and the sale of pornographic videotapes. Chol was ordered to pay 1FF in damages and 3,000FF in proceedings costs and to publish the penal judgment in Le Maine Libre.
In 2003, Vorilhon sued Ottawa
columnist Denis Gratton and Le Droit
newspaper for $85,000 in defamation damages over a January 23, 2003 column; Vorilhon lost and was ordered to pay court costs by Quebec Superior Court on June 21, 2006.
, South Korean immigration authorities at the airport denied him entry into their country in 2003. A planned Raëlian seminar continued, with Vorilhon making some brief "big screen" video-camera appearances via the internet for the several hundred who attended. Raëlians of South Korea were instructed by Raël to protest near the Ministry of Health and Welfare
that ordered him to leave.
Officials detained Vorilhon for nine hours at Incheon International Airport
before he and his wife, Sophie de Niverville, left for Tokyo
. From there, they took another plane back to Canada. Vorilhon responded by saying that Korean officials treated him like a "North Korean" and that he would wait for an apology before coming back to Korea.
Raëlians say they encourage adult homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual relationships and that society should recognize them legally. Government authorities, such as those in Switzerland, fear that Raëlians are a threat to public morals for supporting liberalized sex education
for children. The authorities believe that such liberalized sex education teaches youth how to obtain sexual gratification, which would encourage sexual abuse of underage children. The Raëlians disagree with those fears and state that sex education done properly would involve educating parents as well as children.
In February 2007, Vorilhon, who wanted to start commercial activities with Swiss vintners, was denied residence in the Swiss Canton Valais
, in part for promoting the concept of sexual liberty and sexual education. Also cited was his association with the Clonaid
human cloning
claim; Switzerland forbade human cloning. In a brief statement, Vorhilon said he considered appeal at the European level.
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is the founder and current leader of the UFO religion
UFO religion
UFO religion is an informal term used to describe a religion that equates UFO occupants with gods or other semi-divine beings. Typically, the UFO occupants are held to be extraterrestials and that humanity either currently is, or eventually will become, part of a preexisting extraterrestrial...
known as Raëlism
Raëlism
Raëlism is a UFO religion that was founded in 1974 by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël.The Raëlian Movement teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim...
.
Vorilhon began singing at a young age and soon became a sports-car journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and test driver for his own car-racing magazine, Auto Pop. Following what he said was an extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
encounter in December 1973, he formed the Raëlian Movement and changed his name to Raël (allegedly meaning "messenger of the elohim"). He later published several books, which detail his claims of an encounter with a being called Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
in 1973. He traveled the world to promote his books for over 30 years.
Early life
Vorilhon was born in VichyVichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was raised in Ambert
Ambert
-Places of interest:Ambert is famous for its fourme-d'Ambert cheese, its paper mills and its circular town hall ....
in the home of his maternal grandmother, who was atheist. He attended a Catholic boarding school with Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.Its inhabitants are called Ponots.-History:Le Puy-en-Velay was a major bishopric in medieval France, founded early, though its early history is legendary...
and caused a scandal by taking part in communion
Communion (Christian)
The term communion is derived from Latin communio . The corresponding term in Greek is κοινωνία, which is often translated as "fellowship". In Christianity, the basic meaning of the term communion is an especially close relationship of Christians, as individuals or as a Church, with God and with...
without being baptized. His parents withdrew him from the boarding school to put him in the school of Ambert.
At age 15, Vorilhon ran away from boarding school and hitchhiked to Paris, where he spent three years playing music on the streets and in cafés and cabarets. He met with Lucien Morisse, the director of a national radio program, who was scouting for young talent. Vorilhon signed a record contract and became a rising teen pop star on the radio. He took on a new identity, assuming the name Claude Celler, and released six singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, including a minor hit song, "Le miel et la cannelle" (Honey and Cinnamon). Vorilhon had a passion for the songs of Belgian singer Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
, and tried to imitate his singing style. He was saving up his money to buy a racing car, a dream he had had since he was a young boy, but his prospects as a singer came to an abrupt end when Morisse, his sponsor, committed suicide in September 1970.
Vorilhon decided to work as a sports journalist to gain access to the world of car racing. He met Marie-Paul Cristini, a nurse. They moved to Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, where Vorilhon began his own publishing house. He created a sports car magazine entitled Autopop, whose first issue was released in May 1971. One of the tasks for his new startup was the position of testing new automobiles, which enabled him to enter the motor racing world.
The Raëlian messages
In the book Le Livre qui dit la vérité ("The Book Which Tells the Truth"), Vorilhon stated that he had an alien visitation on December 13, 1973. According to Vorilhon, in a secluded area within a French volcanic crater, an extraterrestrial being came out of a craft that had descended gently from the sky, and told him, in French, that he had come for the sole purpose of meeting with him. Vorilhon said that he was given a message by this alien and told that it was his mission to pass this message on to the people of Earth.The book states that advanced human scientists from another planet with 25,000 years of scientific advances created all life on Earth through DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
manipulation. These scientists, Vorilhon said, were originally called Elohim
Elohim
Elohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...
or "those who came from the sky". He wrote that some forty prophets in Earth's history were sent by Elohim
Elohim
Elohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...
, but their messages were distorted by humans, largely because of the difference in the level of civilization between the advanced race and Earth's primitive one.
Vorilhon said he was given the mission of informing the world of humanity's origins in anticipation of the return of these extraterrestrials by building a residential embassy in neutral territory
Neutral territory
A neutral territory is a territory that is not an integral part of any state , and yet is not terra nullius, but is the object of an agreement under international law between at least two parties...
. He stated that certain mysteries were explained to him based on new interpretations of sacred texts such as the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. He said that, on October 7, 1975, he was contacted by one of the Elohim, who took him to another planet to meet Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. He stated that his second book, Les extra-terrestres m'ont emmené sur leur planète ("Extraterrestrials Took Me To Their Planet"), relates the teaching he received from these people. In this book, Vorhilhon describes harmonious and peaceable beings, who were free of money, sickness, and war.
Marriages
Vorilhon was married three times.In 1974, Vorilhon decided to give up his automobile magazine, Autopop. That September, the last issue, number 34, was published. Vorilhon then devoted himself to the task he said was given by his "biological father", an extraterrestrial named Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
. Shortly after a first public conference, Vorilhon founded MADECH - a group of people interested in helping him in his task, which later became the International Raëlian Movement. Sociologist Susan J. Palmer said that Cristini, a nurse, diagnosed Vorilhon as clinically depressed after he appeared at her door step in 1987, burnt out from the tasks he carried out within the movement.
Vorilhon focused on spreading his message in Japan in the 1980s, and by 1987, he met Lisa Sunagawa. Sunagawa soon began accompanying Vorilhon during his travels to Lima, Miami, Brazil, and Martinique. In a television documentary, They're Coming! (1990) by Radio Canada, Vorilhon was seen with four women, while Lisa, in slow-motion, wore a pink tutu and held hands with him.
Vorilhon separated from Sunagawa some time between 1990 and 1992. Around that time, Sophie de Niverville, whose mother and aunt were both Raëlians, was convinced of the authenticity of the messages. Sophie received a Raëlian baptism at age 15. When she turned 16, she married Vorilhon at Montreal's city hall. This was done with her mother's permission. During a December 2001 interview with sociologist Susan J. Palmer, Sophie spoke positively about Vorilhon despite their divorce the previous year. In 2003, he was married to Sophie. On August 6, 2003, the Cybercast News Service
Cybercast News Service
The CNSNews.com , formerly called the Conservative News Service, is an American news website owned by the Media Research Center.-Background:...
said Vorilhon moved back to Canada with his wife Sophie after being escorted out of South Korea by government officials.
Racecar driver
In 1994, wealthy Japanese Raëlians rented a racecar and showed it to Vorilhon. They believed that if Vorilhon would race it, it would generate publicity for the movement. Vorilhon accepted the offer on the condition that the funding not come from member tithes or embassy funding. Funding for Vorilhon's races, which took place in the 1990s and early 2000s, came mostly from well-funded European and Japanese people. His best finishes included "a 3rd place finish in GT 1 in Lime RockLime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lime Rock, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut, in the state’s northwest corner...
with the Mosler Raptor in 1997, and a 7th place finish at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
with a Viper GTS R
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
in the FIA GT 1999 race". Vorilhon, under the name of Raël, participated in the 1999 BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series and the 2000 Speedvision GT Championship. According to Palmer, Vorilhon made an announcement in November 2001 that he intended to retire from professional auto racing. She said that Vorilhon still enjoyed automobile racing, albeit in the form of video games.
| Round | Date | Car | Start | Finish | Laps | Track | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two | May 23, 1999 | Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... |
21st | 19th | 35 out of 40 | Mosport International Raceway | Motorsport.com |
| Three | May 31, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
32nd | Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lime Rock, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut, in the state’s northwest corner... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| Four | June 6, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
32nd | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| Five | July 10, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
38th | Road America Road America Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| Six | July 25, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
44th | Road Atlanta Road Atlanta Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| Seven | August 1, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
45th | Circuit Trois-Rivières Circuit Trois-Rivières The Circuit Trois-Rivières is a street circuit located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. The circuit has hosted American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am Rolex Series, Trans-Am series and Formula Atlantic races in the past... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| Eight | August 7, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
47th | Detroit street circuit Detroit street circuit The streets of Detroit, Michigan hosted Formula One racing, and later CART racing, between the 1982 and 1991 seasons. The course was set up near the Renaissance Center and the Cobo Arena, also including a small part of the M-1 highway, also known as Woodward Avenue.Created largely in an effort to... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| September 4, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
50th | Molson Indy Vancouver Molson Indy Vancouver Molson Indy Vancouver was an annual Champ Car race held in a street circuit near B.C. Place and running past Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada held in July or August from 1990 to 2004.... |
Motorsport.com | |||
| Eleven | September 25, 1999 | Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang... |
52nd | Grand Prix of Houston Grand Prix of Houston The Grand Prix of Houston was an annual auto race on the Champ Car World Series circuit. It was held in a street circuit located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States of America for four years, then returned for two years on a course laid out in the parking lot of the Reliant Park Complex... |
Motorsport.com |
| Round | Date | Car | Start | Finish | Laps | Track | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | April 1, 2000 | Lotus Esprit | 29th | 32nd | 15 out of 29 | Lowe's Motor Speedway Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race... |
Motorsport.com |
| Two | May 21, 2000 | Lotus Esprit | 31st | 18th | 27 out of 27 | Mosport International Raceway | Motorsport.com |
| Three | May 27, 2000 | Lotus Esprit | 38th | Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lime Rock, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut, in the state’s northwest corner... |
Motorsport.com | ||
| Eight | October 15, 2000 | Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS... |
32nd | 25th | 25 out of 26 | Laguna Seca Raceway | Motorsport.com |
| Nine | October 29, 2000 | Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS... |
25th | 25th | 29 out of 30 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:... |
Motorsport.com |
Views on technology
Much of Vorilhon's advocacy concerning futuristic technology is described in his 2001 book, Yes to Human Cloning. He supported human genetic engineeringHuman genetic engineering
Human genetic engineering is the alteration of an individual's genotype with the aim of choosing the phenotype of a newborn or changing the existing phenotype of a child or adult....
in order to avoid genetically inherited diseases and to reduce the economic burden on society. He said that no distinctive emphasis needed to be allocated to a particular race or religion. Elsewhere in the book, he stated that nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
will make it possible to have micro-distributive power generation (essentially a power plant in each house), fur-like furnishings that are self-cleaning with hair-like fibers that move on their own, and biological
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
robots. Nanostructures control biology, so Vorilhon expected that meat and salads will someday be grown in a machine via molecular construction.
Vorilhon believed that genetically modified food
Genetically modified food
Genetically modified foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms . Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques...
is the only way to stop hunger everywhere in the world, and he saw a future where qualities of different foods can be combined through direct genetic modification. In Vorilhon's book, Extraterrestrials took me to their planet (book number 2 in the volume Intelligent Design), he said that animation of plant life was possible through nanotechnology and that he was presented genetically modified flowers, that swayed and changed colors with music, while on another planet.
Appearances in the media
In 1992, Vorilhon appeared on Ciel mon Mardi, a French talk show hosted by journalist Christophe DechavanneChristophe Dechavanne
Christophe Dechavanne, born January 23, 1958 in Paris is a French television and radio hostand program producer.Dechavanne started working as a radio host in the early 1980s. In 1985, he presented the daily talk-show C'est encore mieux l'après-midi on the state-owned television channel Antenne 2...
. Toward the end of the show, Vorilhon’s liberal views on sex were critiqued by a priest, a social worker, and a psychologist. A former Raëlian named Jean Parraga believed that his wife and children were being held as prisoners and that Vorilhon attempted to break up his family. He thought they were being treated like criminals in activities such as orgies and sacrifice involving children at the Sensual Meditation camp. Parraga also had a criminal record as a drug dealer and car thief, and in August 1992, he attempted to shoot Vorilhon.
Raëlians from around the world sent letters of protest to Dechevanne's TV station. Dechavanne felt that this was "incitement to violence" and sued Vorilhon. The judge appointed to the case decided to question Vorilhon. Vorilhon agreed to ask his members to stop sending letters if the station apologized publicly. The two parties agreed to drop the feud.
In 2004, Vorilhon appeared on the first airing of the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
version of the French talk show Tout le monde en parle
Tout le monde en parle (Quebec)
Tout le monde en parle is a Quebec talk show hosted and co-produced by Guy A. Lepage, broadcast on Radio-Canada since 2004. It has been adapted from the French show of the same name, created and hosted by Thierry Ardisson.- Concept :...
, hosted by Guy A. Lepage
Guy A. Lepage
Guy A. Lepage is a Canadian comedian turned producer.-Career:Lepage was one of the five founding members of the Quebec comedy group Rock et Belles Oreilles , and remained with the group from 1981 to 1995.Lepage became a media mogul and...
. During this appearance, Vorilhon upset panel members with his statements on democracy and cloning. The situation reached its peak when caricaturist Serge Chapleau
Serge Chapleau
Serge Chapleau is a French-Canadian political cartoonist from the province of Québec.- Biography :...
called Vorilhon a "farce" and a "nerd", ridiculed his clothes, and grabbed him by the chignon. Vorilhon left the stage, followed by his disciples. A fellow guest at the show, Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
Member of Quebec Legislative Assembly Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois is the current leader of the Parti Québécois in the province of Quebec, since June 27, 2007 and current Leader of the Official Opposition of the National Assembly of Quebec, representing the riding of Charlevoix...
, called Vorilhon "insane". The Raëlian Movement asked Marois to apologize, which she refused.
A Swiss newspaper, who called Raëlians "rat heads", was sued for defamation. Another suit was brought against journalist Stephane Baillargeon for writing in the Montreal daily Le Devoir that the Raëlians defended pedophiles and that certain ex-Raëlians claimed the "gourou" liked very young girls. After some negotiation, Le Devoir published a letter from Vorilhon condemning the charge as "ignominious defamation" and asserting that the Raëlian Movement had "always condemned pedophilia and promoted respect for laws that justly forbid the practices that are always the fault of unbalanced individuals".
Appearances in court
In 1991, Vorilhon sued French journalist Jean-Yves Cashga for defamation; Vorilhon lost, however, and was ordered to pay court costs. The judgment remains uncollected. Amidst growing legal problems in France, Vorilhon decided to emigrate to Canada.On two separate court dates of September 2, 1994 at the High Courts of Paris and October 1, 1996 at the Appeal Court of Paris, journalists Jacques Cotta and Pascal Martin of Flammarion
Flammarion
Flammarion may refer to:* Camille Flammarion , French astronomer* Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion , French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion* The Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by Camille Flammarion...
Publishing were found guilty of attributing racist statements and distorted quotations to Vorilhon in their book Dans le secret des sectes. They were fined 10,000FF in damages and 13,000FF in proceedings costs. They were also ordered to insert stickers mentioning the sentence on copies not yet distributed, suppress of the passage in the next editions, and were told that they would be fined 100FF for each non-conforming copy.
On January 26, 1994, in emergency proceedings by the Appeal Court of Reims, Myriam Assan was accused of defamation for claiming in his book that "Raël was often sentenced for corruption of minors". Assan was given a provisional sentence of 10,000FF in damages and ordered to withdraw of the book. He was sentenced to pay a penalty of 300FF per infringement and 5,000FF in proceedings costs and to publish the judgment in Le Monde and Le Figaro.
On December 13, 1994, Gérard Chol, director of Le Maine Libre, was declared guilty by the High Court of Le Mans for public defamation for claiming that the Vorilhon's movement was laundering money coming from drug trafficking, prostitution, arms dealing, and the sale of pornographic videotapes. Chol was ordered to pay 1FF in damages and 3,000FF in proceedings costs and to publish the penal judgment in Le Maine Libre.
In 2003, Vorilhon sued Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
columnist Denis Gratton and Le Droit
Le Droit
Le Droit is a Canadian daily newspaper, published in Ottawa, Canada. Initially established and owned by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the paper was has been published by Gesca since 2000.-History:...
newspaper for $85,000 in defamation damages over a January 23, 2003 column; Vorilhon lost and was ordered to pay court costs by Quebec Superior Court on June 21, 2006.
Government action against Vorilhon
In response to Vorilhon's association with ClonaidClonaid
Clonaid is a human cloning company founded in 1997. It has philosophical ties with the Raëlian sect, which sees cloning as the first step in achieving immortality. On December 27, 2002, Clonaid's chief executive, Brigitte Boisselier, claimed that a baby clone, named Eve, was born. Media coverage of...
, South Korean immigration authorities at the airport denied him entry into their country in 2003. A planned Raëlian seminar continued, with Vorilhon making some brief "big screen" video-camera appearances via the internet for the several hundred who attended. Raëlians of South Korea were instructed by Raël to protest near the Ministry of Health and Welfare
Ministry of Health and Welfare
-External links:*...
that ordered him to leave.
Officials detained Vorilhon for nine hours at Incheon International Airport
Incheon International Airport
Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea, the primary airport serving the Seoul national capital area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world...
before he and his wife, Sophie de Niverville, left for Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. From there, they took another plane back to Canada. Vorilhon responded by saying that Korean officials treated him like a "North Korean" and that he would wait for an apology before coming back to Korea.
Raëlians say they encourage adult homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual relationships and that society should recognize them legally. Government authorities, such as those in Switzerland, fear that Raëlians are a threat to public morals for supporting liberalized sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
for children. The authorities believe that such liberalized sex education teaches youth how to obtain sexual gratification, which would encourage sexual abuse of underage children. The Raëlians disagree with those fears and state that sex education done properly would involve educating parents as well as children.
In February 2007, Vorilhon, who wanted to start commercial activities with Swiss vintners, was denied residence in the Swiss Canton Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
, in part for promoting the concept of sexual liberty and sexual education. Also cited was his association with the Clonaid
Clonaid
Clonaid is a human cloning company founded in 1997. It has philosophical ties with the Raëlian sect, which sees cloning as the first step in achieving immortality. On December 27, 2002, Clonaid's chief executive, Brigitte Boisselier, claimed that a baby clone, named Eve, was born. Media coverage of...
human cloning
Human cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
claim; Switzerland forbade human cloning. In a brief statement, Vorhilon said he considered appeal at the European level.
Discography
- 1966: "Sacrée sale gueule"
- 1966: "Dans un verre de vin"
- 1967: "Le Miel et la cannelle" (Honey and cinnamon)
- 1967: "Madam' Pipi" (Mrs. Toilet attendant)
- 1967: "Monsieur votre femme me trompe" (Mister, your wife is cheating on me)
- 1967: "Quand on se mariera" (When we'll get married)
See also
- Ancient astronautsAncient astronautsSome writers have proposed that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans. Such visitors are called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human cultures,...
- Human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
- Little green menLittle green menLittle green men is the stereotypical portrayal of extraterrestrials as little humanoid-like creatures with green skin and sometimes with antennae on their heads. The term is also sometimes used to describe gremlins, mythical creatures known for causing problems in airplanes and mechanical devices...
- List of Buddha claimants
- List of messiah claimants
- List of people who have been considered deities