Universe people
Encyclopedia
Universe People or Cosmic People of Light Powers is a Czech
and Slovak
religious movement founded in the 1990s and centered around Ivo A. Benda. Their belief system is based upon the existence of extraterrestrial
civilizations communicating with Benda and other contactees since October 1997 telepathically
and later even by direct personal contact. They are considered to be the most distinctive UFO religion
in the Czech Republic.
Following the mass suicide of the members of the cult Heaven's Gate
in 1997, the Universe People attracted the attention of Czech media as a group with similar ideology and potential to commit similar acts. The danger of this development has diminished in later years (2004). On several occasions, the group also managed to appear in the Czech and Slovak mass media.
(Czech state broadcasting channel). Some of the visitors of his public lectures considered his speeches as a perfect mystification or joke, however, psychiatrists labelled his performances as a bizarre psychotic delusion
. From 1998 to 2000, the ideology of the Universe People was close to sectarianism
, with a central idea of coming cosmic catastrophe and evacuation of people to another planet. However, their later efforts moved to defence against the attacks of negative extraterrestrial beings, called saurians (in Czech
: ještírci).
In the second half of the 2000s, Ivo Benda and his group became more publicly known also in Slovakia
. In 2007, the Slovak private television channel TV JOJ
informed, that the Universe People sent instructions how to defend against the attacks of evil extraterrestrial entities to the Slovak Ministry of Defense
. The envelopes contained also suspicious material, which alarmed Slovak military police and security services. One of the buildings of the Ministry was evacuated. The envelopes contained instructional CDs and promotional materials of the group. Ivo Benda stated in the TV: "If you were attacked by a reptile from an outer world, the Ministry of Defense should defend the people, or not? Or do you consider those reptiles as friends?" The suspicion of security threat was unproven.
. They closely watch and help the good and are waiting to transport their followers into another dimension. The Universe People's teachings incorporate various elements from ufology
(some foreign contactees are credited, though often also renounced after a time as misguided or deceptive), Christianity
(Jesus
was a "fine-vibrations" being) and conspiracy theories (forces of evil are supposed to plan compulsory chipping of the population).
Benda based his philosophy on information from many independent books, including Angels In Starships (Giorgio Dibitonto), Inside The Spaceships (George Adamski
), Bringers Of The Dawn (Barbara Marciniak) and others. He also adopted parts of Swiss citizen Billy Meier's
philosophy. However, Benda's philosophy is in some points in conflict with Meier's and Meier has declined any contacts with Benda and does not recognize his movement.
Members of the movement distrust modern technologies and control mechanisms of the society. They consider mass media
to be a tool of oppression and manipulation. Despite this Benda often seeks contact with journalists to tell his ideas to the public. They often have problems with copyright infringement
, because Benda has declared that the only copyright
owners are the Universe creatures, who do not consider its respecting important. The movement also wants to abolish money.
. According to Zdeněk Vojtíšek (from anticult Society for Studying of Sects and New Religious Movements), the movement represents a possible danger because of its religious background and similar features with Christianity.
In 2000, Benda announced the organization of the 1st World Symposium of Love, held at the Prague Castle
under the auspices of the President Václav Havel
. Havel's office denied his claims. Benda later stated that three months before the Symposium Havel said he will attend, but later changed his mind.
The group's enthusiastic propaganda on the Internet (a large website in garish colours) including spam
, nature of their recorded "messages" as well as attempts to comment on every aspect of life and appropriate any popular notion (life in The Matrix
, for example) has built it a "cult" following who made fun of it and even visited Benda's frequent rambling public lectures.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
religious movement founded in the 1990s and centered around Ivo A. Benda. Their belief system is based upon the existence of extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
civilizations communicating with Benda and other contactees since October 1997 telepathically
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
and later even by direct personal contact. They are considered to be the most distinctive 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...
in the Czech Republic.
Following the mass suicide of the members of the cult Heaven's Gate
Heaven's Gate (religious group)
Heaven's Gate was an American UFO religion based in San Diego, California, founded and led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles...
in 1997, the Universe People attracted the attention of Czech media as a group with similar ideology and potential to commit similar acts. The danger of this development has diminished in later years (2004). On several occasions, the group also managed to appear in the Czech and Slovak mass media.
History
Ivo A. Benda began his public activities in the middle of the 1990s. He has organized more than 180 lectures, visited by more than 12,000 people (according to his own words). In 1997 he has published a book Rozhovory s poučením od mých přátel z vesmíru (Interviews With Instructions From My Friends From the Universe). At the beginning of the 2000s he managed to penetrate the mass media, he appeared in the Nova TV and in the Czech TelevisionCzech television
Czech television may refer to:*Television in the Czech Republic*Česká televize...
(Czech state broadcasting channel). Some of the visitors of his public lectures considered his speeches as a perfect mystification or joke, however, psychiatrists labelled his performances as a bizarre psychotic delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
. From 1998 to 2000, the ideology of the Universe People was close to sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
, with a central idea of coming cosmic catastrophe and evacuation of people to another planet. However, their later efforts moved to defence against the attacks of negative extraterrestrial beings, called saurians (in Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
: ještírci).
In the second half of the 2000s, Ivo Benda and his group became more publicly known also in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. In 2007, the Slovak private television channel TV JOJ
TV JOJ
-About TV JOJ:It was launched on 2 March 2002 as a successor of the TV Global, which was broadcasting since March 2000. TV Joj was built by former head of Czech Republic channel TV Nova, Vladimír Železný, when he was at war with TV Nova’s U.S. investor Central European Media Enterprises...
informed, that the Universe People sent instructions how to defend against the attacks of evil extraterrestrial entities to the Slovak Ministry of Defense
Government of Slovakia
The Government of the Slovak Republic is the executive branch of government in Slovakia.It is led by a prime minister , who is nominated by the president, and is usually a leader of majority party or of a majority coalition after an election to the National Council of the Slovak Republic...
. The envelopes contained also suspicious material, which alarmed Slovak military police and security services. One of the buildings of the Ministry was evacuated. The envelopes contained instructional CDs and promotional materials of the group. Ivo Benda stated in the TV: "If you were attacked by a reptile from an outer world, the Ministry of Defense should defend the people, or not? Or do you consider those reptiles as friends?" The suspicion of security threat was unproven.
Ideology
According to Benda, extraterrestrial civilizations operate a fleet of spaceships, led by Ashtar Galactic Command, orbiting the EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. They closely watch and help the good and are waiting to transport their followers into another dimension. The Universe People's teachings incorporate various elements from ufology
Ufology
Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study reports and associated evidence of unidentified flying objects . UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years by governments, independent groups, and scientists...
(some foreign contactees are credited, though often also renounced after a time as misguided or deceptive), Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
was a "fine-vibrations" being) and conspiracy theories (forces of evil are supposed to plan compulsory chipping of the population).
Benda based his philosophy on information from many independent books, including Angels In Starships (Giorgio Dibitonto), Inside The Spaceships (George Adamski
George Adamski
George Adamski was a Polish-born American citizen who became widely known in ufology circles, and to some degree in popular culture, after he claimed to have photographed ships from other planets, met with friendly Nordic alien "Space Brothers", and to have taken flights with them...
), Bringers Of The Dawn (Barbara Marciniak) and others. He also adopted parts of Swiss citizen Billy Meier's
Billy Meier
"Billy" Eduard Albert Meier is a citizen of Switzerland who claims to be a UFO contactee and prophet. He is also the source of many controversial UFO photographs, which he states are evidence of his encounters...
philosophy. However, Benda's philosophy is in some points in conflict with Meier's and Meier has declined any contacts with Benda and does not recognize his movement.
Members of the movement distrust modern technologies and control mechanisms of the society. They consider mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
to be a tool of oppression and manipulation. Despite this Benda often seeks contact with journalists to tell his ideas to the public. They often have problems with copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
, because Benda has declared that the only copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
owners are the Universe creatures, who do not consider its respecting important. The movement also wants to abolish money.
Opponents and cultural impact
Opponents consider Benda and some more active of his followers mentally ill and the Universe people as a potentially dangerous cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
. According to Zdeněk Vojtíšek (from anticult Society for Studying of Sects and New Religious Movements), the movement represents a possible danger because of its religious background and similar features with Christianity.
In 2000, Benda announced the organization of the 1st World Symposium of Love, held at the Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
under the auspices of the President Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
. Havel's office denied his claims. Benda later stated that three months before the Symposium Havel said he will attend, but later changed his mind.
The group's enthusiastic propaganda on the Internet (a large website in garish colours) including spam
Spam (electronic)
Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately...
, nature of their recorded "messages" as well as attempts to comment on every aspect of life and appropriate any popular notion (life in The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, for example) has built it a "cult" following who made fun of it and even visited Benda's frequent rambling public lectures.
External links
- Universe People website
- Aštar Šeran (Reflex 2003)
- Řídí Daniela Landu mimozemšťané? (Reflex 2005)
- Ještírci napadli web Vesmírných lidí (Novinky.cz 2003)
- Ufokult Vesmírní lidé v bratislavskej MHD (Dnes.sk, 2008)
- Dosáhněte zasvěcení prostřednictvím internetu (tutorial) - Technet.cz (iDnes)
- Ivo A. Benda live on Czech TV (video)
- Ivo A. Benda live on Slovak TV (video)