Bible Lessons with Raël

As an introduction to Nova Religio's special issue on ET-inspired (UFO) religions, this article maintains that despite less media attention since the furor surrounding the Heaven's Gate suicides, ET-inspired religions are still active. Moreover, increasing speculation linking extraterrestrials to 2012 apocalyptic scenarios, coupled with a significant percentage of the population who believe in extraterrestrial visitation, seems to indicate that purveyors of ET-inspired religious perspectives will continue to have a market. Rather than focusing upon the "strange" and seemingly "bizarre" nature of these religious groups, the articles in this special issue endeavor to demonstrate how members of ET-inspired religions appropriate materials and theological ideas from widely-accepted mainstream religious traditions. This article maintains that the value of such an approach lies in bridging the gulf between normalized religious perspectives and the marginalized religious "other."

Appropriation · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Heaven · Mainstream · Population · Sociology · Speculation · Theology · Demography · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Philosophy · Religious studies · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life

• UFO Mythologies

  Open Access•Daniel Wojcik•Traditiones•2022

  Add to list