Religious Alien Sect Claims First Human Clone     1/3/2003
Group asserts that humans are in fact clones of aliens
By Sara E. Weltz

Group asserts that humans are in fact clones of aliens

A unique company by the name of CLONAID™ is boasting that it has successfully birthed the first human clone. However, the background on CLONAID™ sheds considerable doubt on this claim.

Raël, leader of the Raelian Movement, founded CLONAID™, which describes itself as the first human cloning company, in 1997. The Raelian Movement’s Web site reads that it is “an international religious organization which claims that life on Earth was created scientifically through DNA and genetic engineering by a human extraterrestrial race whose name, Elohim, is found in the Hebrew Bible and was mistranslated by the word ‘God.’”

Raël, previously known as Claude Vorilhon, a French journalist, went for a walk on December 13, 1973, when he claims an alien contacted him. The extraterrestrial invited Raël into his spaceship, where they talked for six days. The alien renamed Vorilhon “Raël,” which he uses to this day. Raël describes his encounter:

“The extra-terrestrial was about four feet in height, had long dark hair, almond-shaped eyes, olive skin and exuded harmony and humor. He told Raël 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.’”

Raël says the Hebrew word “Elohim” is plural and thus refers to more than one god. He interprets the plural form of “god” to reference the aliens that came to Earth and created mankind.

On the other hand, the Bible uses “Elohim” with singular verbs, which is one reason language specialists have interpreted it to intend one almighty God. In addition to overwhelming context clues, “Elohim” is singular because “water” and “heaven” are plural in Hebrew as well. Dr. Todd Beall, professor of Old Testament, literature, and exegsis at Capital Bible Seminary says that theologians refer to such words as “intensive plurals,” meaning that a majestic word is written in the plural form to emphasize its splendor.

According to the Raelian Movement’s Web site Raël founded CLONAID™ because, he says, “cloning will enable mankind to reach eternal life. The next step, like the Elohim do with their 25,000 years of scientific advance, will be to directly clone an adult person without having to go through the growth process and to transfer memory and personality in this person. Then, we wake up after death in a brand new body just like after a good night sleep!” CLONAID™ retains a philosophical but not economic link to the Raelian sect.

Now CLONAID™ boasts that it has succeeded in cloning the first human. Brigitte Boisselier, chief executive of CLONAID™ and Raelian bishop, said that a 7-pound girl nicknamed Eve was delivered by Caesarean section on December 26, 2002. Boisselier claims that the baby is an exact genetic copy of the 31-year-old American woman who gave birth to her.

Boisselier also says that four other couples (including a lesbian couple from Europe) are expecting the remaining cloned embryos to be born by early February.

CLONAID™ offers other services such as INSURACLONE™, which can preserve cells for a lifetime with an initial fee plus $200 a year. Also, according to CLONAID™’s Web site, OVULAID™ “will give women and couples the possibility to choose their future babies from a catalog showing the pictures of the donor egg women, and even meet with the candidates before making their final choice so as to judge their personality and intelligence as well as their physical aspect!”

As of yet, the company has not presented any evidence that the baby is indeed a clone of the mother. However, Boisselier said she accepted an offer by former ABC News science editor Michael Guillen. Guillen claims to have no connection with CLONAID™ and says he has chosen “world-class, independent experts” to draw DNA samples from the mother and the newborn to test them for a match. He has not disclosed the experts’ names.

As reported in The Washington Post, James Randi, founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, group that polices paranormal claims and pseudoscientific phenomena, spoke against Guillen, saying, “This man has a reputation. He has supported every bit of pseudoscience that’s come along. Scientology was just fine with him. Human cloning by a religious cult is right up his ally, and to put him in charge of this kind of thing is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”

Numerous other professors and medical experts are expressing their doubts in CLONAID™, Guillen and the truth behind this claim.

Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America’s (CWA) senior policy director, said, “Though there is no reason to believe CLONAID™’s claims of cloning a baby, this forces us to recognize there are people trying to clone people. Human cloning, the manufacture of humans for experiments or narcissist reproduction, demonstrates a lack of moral bearings and respect for human dignity.

"The fact that a cult made this announcement Christmas drives home that these efforts have a spiritual dimension, that of men trying to act like God, attempting to create life in their own image.”

Click here for CWA's Statement on CLONAID's announcement.

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