VORILHON, Claude (Raël) (vor-EE-yohn)

Claude Vorilhon, known by his religious name Raël, is a French former journalist and race car driver who claimed to have been contacted by extraterrestrial beings called the Elohim in 1973 and subsequently founded the Raëlian Movement, one of the world's largest UFO religions. Born in Vichy, France in 1946, Vorilhon worked as a sports journalist and published a motorsport magazine before his alleged otherworldly encounter.

According to Vorilhon's account detailed in his book "The Book Which Tells the Truth" (1974), he was approached by a four-foot-tall humanoid being near the Puy de Lassolas volcano in central France on December 13, 1973. The entity, claiming to represent an advanced extraterrestrial civilization called the Elohim, allegedly explained that all life on Earth was created through genetic engineering by his people, and that religious figures throughout history were either Elohim or their human messengers.

The movement Vorilhon founded promotes several distinctive beliefs including human cloning as a path to immortality, sexual liberation, world government under Elohim guidance, and the eventual construction of an embassy to welcome the Elohim's return to Earth. The organization claims tens of thousands of members worldwide and has established communities in several countries, with its headquarters located in Switzerland and later Canada.

The Raëlian Movement gained significant media attention in 2002 when affiliated company Clonaid claimed to have created the first cloned human baby, though no scientific evidence was ever provided to substantiate this claim. Vorilhon's organization has faced criticism from anti-cult organizations and governments, with France classifying it as a dangerous sect, while defenders argue it represents legitimate religious freedom and progressive social values.