Like a Christian may wear a cross, or a Jew may wear a Star of David, Nadia Salois wears a symbol of her faith.
Whether it’s a ring on her finger, or a pendant around her neck, Salois always displays the Raëlian symbol – a swastika within two triangles. Although the swastika has a negative connotation based on its use by the Nazis, the symbol is viewed by Raëlians as it is viewed in Buddhism or Hinduism: a symbol of good luck, well-being, infinity in time, or eternity.
“Today I have a ring, but I usually wear my medallion every day,” she says. “I don’t go around saying, ‘Hey everyone – I’m Raëlian,’ but I’ll wear my medallion and if someone asks about it, I’ll tell them what it means.”
The symbol she wears is believed by Raëlians to be the symbol of the Elohim – extraterrestrial beings they believe scientifically created mankind on Earth.
The Raëlian belief system provides an alternative perspective on many other religions; they believe religious prophets, such as Jesus and Mohammed, were Elohim guides sent to Earth to give mankind a message that could be understood at the time in which they were sent.
Now, say Raëlians, our society has advanced to a stage at which the Elohim have sent their final prophet: Raël.
Raël, once a French automobile journalist and racecar driver, and whose real name is Claude Vorilhon, is the founder of the Raëlian Movement.
Salois says she had the opportunity to meet Raël on numerous occasions while he was living in Quebec a few years ago.
“[He is] the most loveable, kind person I’ve ever met in my whole life,” she says. “Having him teach me, was like meeting the Dalai Lama for Buddhists. For me it was like that. [He is] someone that I admire a whole lot.”
Those who follow Raël believe the Elohim contacted him on two separate occasions. The first was Dec. 13, 1973. Every year, Raëlians celebrate Dec. 13, and this year, the celebrations are taking place in Ottawa.
One day, the Raëlians say they hope to build an embassy on Earth to welcome the Elohim back to our planet. Current plans are to build the intergalactic embassy in Israel, where Raëlian beliefs state the first humans were created.
Salois grew up in a Catholic French-Canadian family in Montreal, although she did not attend church as a child. She says she became Raëlian at 16 years old, and apostatized from the Catholic Church as she embraced her new religion.
Now, 15 years later, she says she still believes in the messages of Raël.
“For me it was so much more logical to believe that I was created scientifically than to believe a God did,” she says.
“But what got me first was really the Raëlians themselves. They were really nice people, and I was 16 at the time and trying to find some friends who were not doing any drugs or drinking . . . and I could see these Raëlians happy, having fun, without needing drugs or needing to drink.”
Although her parents are not Raëlian, she says they love her unconditionally and respect her philosophy because they see that it makes her happy.
She says she believes that all the actions the Raëlians do will one day make the world a better place.
“It’s cliché to say I want to change the world, but I do,” she says. “I don’t think I’m going to change the world if I just sit at home. I think the way to change things is to be revolutionary and to push people to see other things and be more open-minded.”
She notes that while people may think her religion is strange, she says it’s not any stranger than something you can read in the bible.
“[Raëlism] is new. Every time there is something new, it’s scary,” she says. “Of course, it’s a revolutionary religion. We don’t do things like most people do. So of course we have a lot of criticism.”
Until that fear goes away, she says Raëlians will face social stigma for their beliefs.
She says Raëlians face a lot of misconceptions, particularly surrounding sexuality, because they do not believe in marriage the way the Catholic Church does.
In Raëlian philosophy, a partnership, or marriage, occurs when adults love and respect each other – whether that relationship lasts for one week, or 25 years.
“[In Raëlism] people separate when there’s no more love,” she says. “In the Catholic Church, people often get married and they stick together because they’ve signed a piece of paper, even though they want to kill each other.”
Raëlians have also been accused of being sexual deviants, which Salois says has been twisted in the media from the Raëlian belief of acceptance for individual sexual choices, as long as there is respect between the adults involved.
“If you are gay, we respect that. If you want to have more than one partner, as long as everybody respects each other, that’s your personal choice. If you want to be with the same person for the rest of your life, that’s fine too,” she says.
“Because we say that, we’re supposedly having orgies every weekend. I’ve never seen that in the last 15 years.”
But, above all of the Raëlian beliefs, lies the belief in science.
Raëlians believe that humans are only matter, says Salois, without souls. When we die on Earth, our matter goes back to dust, but on the Elohim planet, with their advanced technology, it is possible to recreate the same person.
With scientific advancement in understanding human DNA and cloning techniques, Salois says she believes humans will one day be able to transfer themselves, including their memories, into a new body.
Technologically, humans are now at a point where we can destroy our planet, and human consciousness is not growing at the same rate, she says.
“With science you can do wonderful things, and you can do very ugly things as well. We have to make sure [human] conscious grows with science so we can do wonderful things,” she says.
“With your hand you can caress people, or you can hit people as well. Same thing with science.”
Despite her alternative beliefs in alien creators and human cloning, Salois says she lives a normal everyday life.
She just finished a nursing degree and is now a working nurse in Quebec; she has a boyfriend, hangs out with friends, and works, like everyone else, she says.
“I have a lot of friends that are Raëlian because, of course, when you have the same philosophy and the same vision of life, you’re going to connect together,” she says. “But I have a lot of non-Raëlian friends as well who don’t believe the same things as me. They respect my choice and I respect their choices, and we get along fine. My boyfriend is not Raëlian, and we respect each other.”
She says she is always open about being Raëlian.
“It’s my belief and it’s who I am,” she says.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable coming back home at night if I knew I lied about who I am.”