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 "mess...
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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.
Vorilhon was born in Vichy, 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,...
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