The Raelians Movement is asking the Canadian government for an embassy where it can welcome alien life.
The Quebec-based group, which some people consider to be a cult, says an advanced extra-terrestrial race created humanity and other life on Earth thousands of years ago. This species, which Raelians call "the Elohim," will only return if there is a suitable embassy where they can land and reveal themselves.
"Initially the Elohim asked the embassy to be in Israel but since they refused seven times, in 2000 it was opened to all countries on the planet," Nicole Bertrand, a Montreal-based spokesperson for the group, told Postmedia News on Monday. "The only specification is that it's four square kilometres."
Raelian leaders are set to reveal a model of the embassy they plan to build at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they will officially ask the federal government for land somewhere in Canada. Bertrand said the aliens aren't picky about where the embassy ends up, but they would prefer to avoid the cold.
"Let's say that the Arctic wouldn't be their preference," she said. "Initially they had asked for a country with mild weather, so there's no chance it will be in the north."
Raelians around the world are asking many other governments for space for an alien embassy but insist they don't want public money to build it. The funds will come from the group's 90,000 members, who are mostly concentrated in South Korea, Japan and Canada. However, they do seek extraterritoriality for the embassy, which would exclude it from local laws and, one assumes, taxes.
LISTEN TO NICOLE BERTRAND INTERVIEW - SOUNDCLOUD
The Raelian Movement got started in 1973 when French journalist Claude Vorilhon says he was contacted by the advanced race of aliens who revealed to him that life on Earth was essentially a science experiment. Since that time Vorilhon - who now goes by Ra"el - has tried to prepare the world for the return of these advanced creatures by spreading the word.
Unfortunately for Ra"el, few people find the story particularly convincing, especially given his penchant for publicity stunts like the announcement of a human cloning project in 2002 and the invitation for golf star Tiger Woods to stop apologizing for his extra-marital affairs and embrace polyamory.
Perhaps reflecting the skepticism Raelians encounter, the group's website answers such frequently asked questions as "Is the Raelian Movement a cult?" and "What's with the Swastika?"
BRIGITTE BOISSELIER AND RAEL, THE SPIRITUAL LEADER AND FOUNDER OF THE RAELIANS, SPEAK TO A MONTREAL AUDIENCE ABOUT HUMAN CLONING ISSUE. (FILE, MONTREAL GAZETTE/ALLEN MCINNIS)
Rael currently resides in Japan but would presumably move back to Canada, where he lived for many years, if Ottawa agrees to let the Raelians build the interplanetary embassy they want. Although its purpose would be to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between two distant civilizations, the requirements for the building are surprisingly prosaic.
"The embassy will have a conference room where they will be able to talk to the presidents of the main countries of the planet. The embassy will also have a section with bedrooms," said Bertrand.
"They want to come and eat some food from our planet. They want to use the bathroom that we will build for them and the bedroom that we will build for them."
The expected date of arrival for the aliens is 2025.
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