http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:58:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25335/devotion-to-a-sect-then-slow-starvation http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25335/devotion-to-a-sect-then-slow-starvation#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:52:05 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25335 In the white-tiled, one-bedroom Miami apartment were books and hand-scrawled notes attesting to the family's devotion to a sect that believes in extraterrestrial beings and human cloning.

Among the items found in the sparsely furnished apartment: several French magazines and books -- including Let's Welcome the Extraterrestrials and Yes to Human Cloning -- connected with the Raelian movement.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25335/devotion-to-a-sect-then-slow-starvation/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25015/raelians-organize-go-topless-protest http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25015/raelians-organize-go-topless-protest#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:17:17 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25015 Go Topless Protest.

Go Topless has been around since 2007, and its big push is Go Topless Day, an annual event held on the Sunday closest to Aug. 26, which is Women's Equality Day, the anniversary of the day women were given the right to vote.

Although Go Topless is focused on the laws in the U.S., its roots are, well, extraterrestrial in origin.

Both Gary and Abdulla are members of the Raelian religion, which believes that humans were created by advanced scientists known as the Elohim. The group is best known for its close ties to Clonaid, a human cloning company that claimed in 2002 to have created the first cloned human baby.

They say their beliefs in ETs are inspiring them to fight to make the right to bare breasts as fundamental as the right to bear arms.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25015/raelians-organize-go-topless-protest/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24513/raelians-want-to-rehab-reputation-of-the-swastika http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24513/raelians-want-to-rehab-reputation-of-the-swastika#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:15:06 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24513 The Raelians have designated this Sunday (June 27) as "World Swastika Rehabilitation Day," saying the ancient symbol should no longer be damned by its ties to Nazism.

The Raelian symbol, a swastika merged with the Star of David, has hindered the group's plans to build "interplanetary embassies" in Israel and Lebanon.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24513/raelians-want-to-rehab-reputation-of-the-swastika/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24172/senator-xenophon-vows-to-pursue-cults http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24172/senator-xenophon-vows-to-pursue-cults#comments Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:16:50 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24172 Addressing a conference of cult survivors in Brisbane today, Senator Nick Xenophon said a new motion for a new parliamentary inquiry might include a push for police to take criminal action against cults.

He was also attracted to using the Trade Practices Act to prosecute groups for false and misleading conduct if they wrongly claimed to provide therapeutic benefits to their devotees.

The conference has heard a number of heart-rending stories from different religion-based and therapeutic cults. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24172/senator-xenophon-vows-to-pursue-cults/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23947/iran-raelians-leader-negar-azizmoradi-detained http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23947/iran-raelians-leader-negar-azizmoradi-detained#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:09:01 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23947 The U.N. refugee agency is considering an asylum request from the Iranian leader of the Raelian Movement, a sect that believes in extraterrestrials.

She is being detained in Istanbul for not carrying a proper passport when she arrived in Turkey last week, and as an apostate from Islam faces a possible death sentence if sent home.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23947/iran-raelians-leader-negar-azizmoradi-detained/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23464/undercover-investigation-raelians http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23464/undercover-investigation-raelians#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 18:25:42 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23464 In a decision that one lawyer says further restricts the media's freedom in Quebec, a judge has ruled that the a newspaper's "clandestine" undercover investigation of the Raelian UFO cult went too far.

He has ordered its parent company, Sun Media Corp., to pay $9,000 in damages to two Raelians who sued for invasion of privacy.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23464/undercover-investigation-raelians/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23372/religion-news-7 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23372/religion-news-7#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:47:12 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23372 In today's Religion News Roundup: • Robert Schuller Twitters. • Why Scientologists are targeting Haiti. • Jailed cult leader Wayne Bent plans to appeal his conviction. • The Anti-Christ vs. Honduras.

Also: • The state of Virigina is ready for bioterrorism. • Jehovah's Witnesses swamp small town. • Man who shot dead pastor at church says he is not guilty. • A Raelian bishop alleges religious discrimination. • Transcendental Meditation couldn't save hotel.

• Jailed: Muslim pilots who prayed instead of taking emergency measures.

• Plug and Pray? Nope. Pay and Pray. Plus: • How Mormons try and explain a failed prophecy. • Heresy hunters hunted. And more... ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23372/religion-news-7/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22037/rnb-quicklinks-tap-dancing-islamists-islamists-against-cucumbers-ot8-scientologist-on-the-radio-and-more http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22037/rnb-quicklinks-tap-dancing-islamists-islamists-against-cucumbers-ot8-scientologist-on-the-radio-and-more#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:40:20 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22037 Some quick links to religion-related stories you may have missed:

A Scientologist demonstrates that OT8 isn't what it is cracked up to be; Islamic extremists forbid women from buying cucumbers; Member of Dutch smokers church get fined.

Plus: Do not marry 86 women.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22037/rnb-quicklinks-tap-dancing-islamists-islamists-against-cucumbers-ot8-scientologist-on-the-radio-and-more/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21754/raelian-lesbians-attack-pope-and-catholic-church http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21754/raelian-lesbians-attack-pope-and-catholic-church#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:12:26 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=21754 A group of glamour lesbians who believe the world was created by an alien civilisation 25,000 years ago have criticised the Catholic Church for being out of touch.

Raelian spokeswoman Eden Bates said it was an insult that the Pope would be welcomed into Australia when "our gorgeous, fantastic spiritual leader Rael wasn't even given the respect of a visa".]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21754/raelian-lesbians-attack-pope-and-catholic-church/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/4709/realm-of-the-raelians http://www.religionnewsblog.com/4709/realm-of-the-raelians#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2003 20:32:58 +0000 Johan de Boer http:/?p=4709 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/4709/realm-of-the-raelians/feed 0