(quote)
"I dunno why such a "designer cult" should be French, though -- "

I dunno either , but there it is.
I'm also just playing on the predominant impression of the French predelection for contrarianess as such a point of pride especially attributable to them.

Then again they produced Rene'Descartes and the cult of Cartesian science that provided the foundation for Science as an aethestic *religion* unto itself from which the fashionable "enlightenment" arose ; an elightenment that led to le Revolution and unleashed "the Terror" .
Then again the French are not unacquainted with the cult of power for power's sake under Napoleon which the Terror successfully prepared the way for.
Lest we also forget the father of science fiction : Jules Verne.

Yeah , I never suggested that there be any reason that the Raelian cult "should" be French , but after this off-the-cuff list pedigree lineage whom here is at all surprised .


(quote)
"Hubbard, James Jones, the Appleby guy and numerous other cult leaders have been US born and corn-bred!"

Oh no doubt. I'll match y'all with other U.S. Grade A certified cult flakes ( David Koresh comes to mind ) , but I'm sorry the Raelians are just who they are and that can't be changed now.
Rael even dresses as if he's out of central casting from a canceled Star Trek episode while giving his impression of some
California version of Captain Nemo.

This is a pure ,dyed-in-the-wool ,French cult leader at the forefront of perhaps "the" most chillingly contraversial issue at the dawn of the 21st century ; *commercial" human cloning for profit. Can a French version Ridley Scott's TYRELL Corporation
be far behind.

" Where have you gone Eric VonDonnikan...
our nation turns its lonely eyes to you...
woo , woo , woo "