I'm sorry, I couldn't decide where to put this. Hopefully if I've misplaced it, a mod could relocate it for me :D.

The Raelians (http://www.rael.org)
How Rael plans to let us live forever (http://www.rickross.com/reference/raelians/raelians58.html)

You no doubt have heard of the Raelians. What do you people think about them?

I'm especially interested in the opinion of those who support transhumanism (ie Cris!).

Do you think it's possible that:

1) Life on earth was engineered by an alien race, who will come back to earth in 2035
2) Cloning is the first step to immortality?

I think #2 is very possible. I don't think there is anything morally wrong with cloning someone who is willing to be cloned. And since I don't think their is an afterlife, I think we should put research in this field near the top of our priority list.


#1 I find a bit harder to believe, although I must say the Raelians support their ideas in a very intruiging manner on their website. Their cult almost seems to appeal to reason more than emotion, which may explain why it is becoming so attractive.

Everyone have a go :>.
If you need more info, do a search on google, there's lots regarding this topic!

-Kyle

The problem is that you have men of today with tomorrow's technology and yesterday's philosophy."
--- Claude Vorilhon (Rael)

His holiness Rael explains the origins of life on Earth

VALCOURT, Quebec, Jan. 17 — Soon nano-robots will make salads and steaks from thin air. Artificial intelligence will end the need for money and labor. People will live long for love and pleasure. And humans will become immortal, cloning themselves and downloading their memories and personalities into hard drives, then into brand-new cloned teen bodies.

[More... (http://www.msnbc.com/news/860631.asp?0cv=CB20&cp1=1)]

Sect leader vows to guard identity of alleged human clone

"Will the public get a chance to see the baby soon? "I don't think so," Rael said in the "Crossfire" interview. At another point, he was asked if his group had simply gotten away with a great publicity stunt. Rael, speaking from Canada via satellite, said his earpiece was having technical difficulties. "I am so sorry, but the sound is so bad. I cannot hear anything," he said. He also said his Raelian movement is "completely separate" from Clonaid."

[More... (http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/01/03/clone.claims/)]

Long list of media stunts has helped Raelians stay in public consciousness

"After touring psychic fairs and the like during the 1980s, the Raelians turned to a strut-your-stuff approach to publicity in the early 1990s. Attractive Raelians - young, shapely females - occasionally passed out brochures promoting Raelian meetings along Ste. Catherine St. and other high-traffic areas. Press conferences also featured the photogenic females. By the last half of the 1990s, events were held at UFOland, a $4-million theme park and residence at Valcourt, 90 minutes east of Montreal. Rael also resumed his racing career, using cars plastered with UFOland or Clonaid logos."

[More... (http://www.canada.com/montreal/news/story.asp?id=A974066D-F6C4-4389-84E1-51C415A694E5)]

Who are the Raelians?

"The Raelians' interest in cloning seems to stem from their belief that the human soul perishes when the body dies. Therefore, they believe, the key to eternal life is not the soul but the recreation of individuals from their DNA. In 1997, the group founded Clonaid, which now says it has cloned a human being. In 1990, the Raelians changed their symbol, originally a Swastika inside a Star of David. The idea was to improve relations with Israel and persuade the government there to let them build an embassy for the Elohim in Jerusalem."

[More... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2610795.stm)]

They're just another UFO cult. It saddens me that so many people feel the need to "believe" in something, instead of accepting existence for what it is.

Bunch of oppertunists, they will change their symbol to whatever they think will grant them publicity or money.

I believe the Raelians have asked in the past to be associated with the World Transhumanist Association, and were refused. They don't seem to want to follow any guidelines in scientific ethics.

WTA STATEMENT ON NEO-NAZISM AND UFO CULTS (adopted 02/25/2002)
Neo-Nazi eugenic views; the individual "Marcus Eugenicus" and his associated group;
UFO cults; the Raelian group; shall be designated as 'not transhumanist / unacceptable
to the transhumanist community'.

Source: Resolutions of the World Transhumanist Association (http://www.transhumanism.org/resources/statements.htm#neonazism)

"The Raelians' interest in cloning seems to stem from their belief that the human soul perishes when the body dies. Therefore, they believe, the key to eternal life is not the soul but the recreation of individuals from their DNA.

These thoughts are insane,I believe Immortality will become a reality on the Earth and that our creators were extra-terrestrial, and it will not be long before we link up, maybe a decade.
dominic

Well, I wont believe it until it happens. The year 2035 seems a bit rounded off. Their philosophy seems legitimate, but I do not agree with it one bit. We already have too many people, and we dont need to go around having sex all day. Free love is fine, but dont get carried away.

Clonaid is a different story. Have they dissected the entire DNA strand? That would be bigger news than aliens to me. The alien thing is possible in my eyes, but I don't see it happening.

Originally posted by Slacker47
Well, I wont believe it until it happens. The year 2035 seems a bit rounded off. Their philosophy seems legitimate, but I do not agree with it one bit. We already have too many people, and we dont need to go around having sex all day. Free love is fine, but dont get carried away.

Clonaid is a different story. Have they dissected the entire DNA strand? That would be bigger news than aliens to me. The alien thing is possible in my eyes, but I don't see it happening.
The missing link in Mankind is extra-terrestrial,and they are waiting until we reach the consciousness of this truth...all you have to look is at the Pyramids to realize this truth
dominic

I like the leading Edge explaination the best, scroll down three updates when you click the link.

http://www.trufax.org/matrix5/observations.html

wat a load of garbage.
hu would b dum enough 2 beliv in a midget alien with a british accent.
the raelians need psychological treatment.

no sane person would beliv such a thing.
everybody knows that truly rational people with sound minds beliv that the world was created by God who came down 2 earth in human form and walked on top of the water w/o a surfboard, and made a few hundred sanwiches with 1 loaf of bread, and a keg out of water.

lets see thos martian midgets try that!

COOLSKILL,
Extrarerrestrial beings are the missing link to human development, and it is only pride which stops people seeing the reality and hearing the truth...these extraterrestrials came from the Pleiades...and they will be back, proof.Pyramids.crystal skulls etc
dominic
:cool: :cool:

I will not settle for any thing less than.
1. It must not be painful
2. It should not cost a lot
3. It will allow to stop growth without affecting the growth of our neurons.

....Anything less it's shit and will taste like shit.

:D