Page 225 - Aesthetic Formations Media, religion, and the Sense

210 Carly Machado

In so doing, I focus on how this suite of elements composed by mass medi-
ated images—a stage, an audience, and the dynamics of fame making—
identifies what Meyer calls “sensational forms” as key elements of the
Raelian experience, involving practitioners in particular kinds of worship
and playing a central role in the formation of religious subjects (ibid., and
in this volume).
This analysis starts out from the figure of Raël who legitimizes his
sacred dimension via the values that adhere to him through the circulation
of his image in the mass media. In this context, being a “prophet” implies
forms of behavior and attitudes like those of a media celebrity. By acting in
this way, Raël projects himself not only outside but capitally inside the
movement created by himself, making up an interesting system of feed-
back that sustains the strength of his message via the mass mediated
acknowledgment of his figure.
Extending and confirming the relationship between the movement and
the world of celebrities, I shall also examine the awarding of the title
“Honorary Raelian Guide” to high-profile international public personali-
ties. Finally, I conclude this chapter with an analysis of the dynamic of
creating celebrities within the Raelian Movement: shows, bodies, and atti-
tudes form the settings for Raelian subjectivity and the multiple forms of
being Raelian.

Raël: the “Celebrity” Prophet on Stage

The main event that promoted the global diffusion of Raël’s image
4
occurred in December 2002 when he and Brigitte Boissilier announced to
the international media the birth of the first human clone, presented to the
world with the evidently provocative codename of “Eve.” Even for those
knowing nothing about Raël and the religious movement he founded, this
event was a landmark and any mention of human cloning, even today,
means recalling this event in some form.
5
In 20 ans, a book describing the history of the movement and provid-

ing an important example of the group’s official discourse on its own
development, one of the key events from 1974, the movement’s inaugural
act, is taken to be Raël’s appearance on the French television program
Samedi Soir. After this event, identified as an initial landmark, the book
proceeds to describe the main actions of the movement’s first 20 years: “the
pioneer generation.” Since the movement’s very first actions, Raël has
worked to legitimize his status as a prophet through the mass media,
exploiting for this purpose events such as appearances on TV programs,