10 Utterly Fascinating Cults

9. Universe People

Raelians Japan
wikipedia

It's another alien, sorry, extraterrestrial one. The Universe People movement, or Cosmic People of Light Powers as they're sometimes called, was begun by Ivo A. Benda in the mid 1990s and is the premier UFO-based religion of the Czech Republic. Universe People believe that extraterrestrials, specifically the Ashtar Galactic Command, orbit the Earth waiting to transport their followers to another dimension. They know this because the aliens telepathically contacted Benda and told him so.

The Universe People distrust most modern technology (aside from spaceships, of course, but it's hard to claim those as modern) and are vigorously opposed to mass media except on occasions when Benda wants to share his teachings with the public or talk to a journalist.

One of the most unique beliefs of the Universe People is that they don't believe in copyright infringement because all copyright is ultimately held by the aliens; and because the aliens don't care, everything is public domain. In case you were wondering, this is not a belief which stands up in court.

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