A new Netflix documentary focuses on his UFO religion.
Netflix is adding another documentary to its long list, with the subject this time being Raël – a former journalist who founded and leads the Raëlian Movement, an international UFO religion.
The documentary features interviews with followers, critics and Raël himself, as it traces how the UFO-inspired religion “spiralled into a controversial cult“.
This series joins a long library of cult documentaries, with others including Escaping Twin Flames and Waco: American Apocalypse.
With Raël: The Alien Prophet available to stream on Netflix, here’s everything we know about where the leader of the Raëlian Movement is now.
Who is Raël? The Alien Prophet true story explained
Raël, who was born as Claude Maurice Marcel Vorilhon, is a French sports car journalist who founded and leads the Raëlian Movement, an international UFO religion.
Born in France, Raël ran away from boarding school when he was 15 years old and hitchhiked to Paris, where he spent years playing music on the streets and in cabarets.
It was there where he met Lucien Morisse, the director of Europe 1, who had been scouting for young talent.
Raël became a teen pop sensation, under the name of Claude Celler, and years later he opted to work as a sports journalist.
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In 1973, it is claimed Raël was visited by an alien who told him that he had come to Earth to meet Raël.
Raël said he was given a message by the alien, and that it was his mission to pass this message on to the people of this planet.
A year later, Raël devoted himself to completing the task that had been asked of him, and later founded the International Raëlian Movement.
Raëlianism is the teaching that extraterrestrial specials created humanity using advanced technology.
In more recent years, ex-Raëlians have accused Raël of plagiarism, comparing passages from his books with those of Jean Sendy, with some Raëlian concepts reportedly being found in Sendy’s books.
While these allegations are public, Raël has never elected to respond.
Where is Raël now?
As of 2024, Raël is 77 years old and is still alive. He features in the Netflix documentary, giving viewers an insight into Raëlism.
Raël: The Last Prophet is available to watch on Netflix now.
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