November 25, 2002
UFO Group Supports Intelligent Design
A press release dated November 15 issued by the Raelian Movement, a movement that advocates the belief that life on earth was created by extraterrestrials, affirms the movement’s support for the intelligent design movement. The press release states “[t]he Raelian Movement supports the Intelligent Design Movement and their attempt to promote the teaching of ID theory within science classes.” Raelians are followers of French journalist Claude Vorilhon, now going by “Rael”, who claims that on December 13, 1973, he was contacted by a visitor from another planet and asked to establish an Embassy to welcome these people back to Earth.(Full text of the press release.)
According to the group’s web site, “The extra-terrestrial was about four feet in height, had long dark hair, almond shaped eyes, olive skin and exuded harmony and humour. He told Rael that ‘we were the ones who made all life on earth, you mistook us for gods, we were at the origin of your main religions. Now that you are mature enough to understand this, we would like to enter official contact through an embassy’.”
Although most intelligent design advocates are Christians and believe the designer to be the Christian God, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow William Dembski has not ruled out the Raelian position, having stated [Link has expired] that as far as the scientific evidence goes, the designer “could be an extraterrestrial.”