The Raëlian Religion:
Atheistic Creationists
[Informal Dialogue]

 

Stolen from the Church of the Sub-Genius website and altered (significantly) by Cliff Walker from scooping up people to laying down people, and from the people remaining stationary to the people walking away.

While studying varieties of creationism, I came across a writeup of the Raëlian Religion. Raëlians teach that the universe has always existed, and that an advanced species of extra-terrestrials developed the DNA-based life we know today.

Unable to convince their fellows to allow the experiments to occur on their home planet, the extra-terrestrials "colonized" Earth with their creations. Raëlians, of course, reject Darwinism, explaining that the scientists and artists involved in the DNA project "adjusted" the DNA of their creatures, thereby explaining why life on Earth appears to have evolved.

We contacted the Raëlian Religion to find out the URL of an article which was quoted in the book we read (Tower of Babel: The Evidence Against the New Creationism by Robert T. Pennock, MIT Press, March 1999, Chapter 5). Here is the conversation which ensued.

 

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From: Positive Atheism <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: Raëlian Religion <info@rael.ch>
Subject: Need updated URL
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 1999 10:26 PM

I need the updated URL for the following:

Terrusse, Marcel. 1996. Obscurantism and the Neo-Darwinian Myth.

The former URL is:
http://www.rael.org/broch01.hrml#50

Thank you for your time.

Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
P.O. Box 16811
Portland, OR 97292
 http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/
editor@positiveatheism.org

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From: Positive Atheism <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: Raëlian Religion <info@rael.ch>
Subject: Re: Need updated URL
Date: Friday, October 01, 1999 2:38 PM

I wanted to verify the link because it was referenced in an article that I had intended to publish; however, since I wrote you, I have rejected the article for something different. (The pitfalls of being able to send onlyn ten pages with a single postage stamp!)

I had wanted to showcase Raëlianism as an alternate creationist model, and will update our FAQ section with information on Raëlianism and links to the site. Until now, my only experience with the Extraterrestrial Intelligent Design model was Timothy Leary's "Starseed" model, which resulted from "communications" he received while serving a solitary confinement prison sentence for possession of a roach of marijuana. (I think Leary's Starseed book is still in print.)

Now, since your letter, I would also like to work Raëlianism into a future discussion of atheistic religions.

Finally, I would like to know what work your organization is doing toward the issue of State-church separation.

Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine

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From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: Raëlian Religion <info@rael.ch>
Subject: For Marcus
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 21:00:54 -0800

If I remember correctly, "Starseed" was about an extra-terrestrial "seeding" of DNA-based life forms on Earth. Leary claims to have had "communications" while in Folsom Prison from an entity he referred to as "Higher Intelligence" or "I^2" (I-squared -- there is no superscript on this e-mail program).

I looked on Leary's website for "Starseed" but could not find even a hint of its existence. However, I used to own this book (and I know I didn't take that much acid as a kid!), so I looked it up in Advanced Book Exchange and found what is shown below.

Hope this helps you find a copy. I thought I had seen it for sale on Robert Anton Wilson's page, but it was his book Neuropolitique that I saw there. If this is the book I remember it to be, I'd think Raëlians would be most interested in it.

Cliff Walker
Positive Atheism Magazine

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