Raëlian Church membership estimates

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Membership estimates from various sources
Membership estimates from various sources
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Various news media have Raëlian Church membership estimates, and the statistics agree with a long-term term trend of past growth. However, despite the media's efforts to provide coverage on the Raëlians, the estimates taken within a given year can vary by tens of thousands. Outliers appear when charting the dates of membership estimates.

In addition to the media, Susan J. Palmer, a Canadian sociologist who has studied fringe religious movements has given several estimates of the size of the movement in different years, and a member of the University of Virginia has given estimates as well. Claude Vorilhon the founder of the Raëlian Church gave the earliest estimates of the movement's size in his 1970's Raëlian books. Most, if not all of the estimates below originate from numbers given to journalists by representatives of the Raelian Movement during media interviews etc. Occasionally journalists will quote outdated information which would account for what appears to be a decline of thousands of members in a short period of time.

Contents

[edit] Regional

Date Estimate Scope Reference
1995 4,000 Japan University of Virginia [1]
1995 4,000 Quebec University of Virginia [1]
1995 10,000 Europe University of Virginia [1]
1996-01-14 50 Miami The Miami Herald [2]
1996-01-14 600 United States The Miami Herald [2]
2001-08-08 24 South Florida South Florida Sun-Sentinel [3]
2002-12-31 5,000 South Korea AP Worldstream [4]
2003-02-10 6,000 Japan Japan Today [5]
2003-02-12 20 or more Utah KSL-TV [6]
2003-04-04 1,000 United States Las Vegas Sun [7]
2003-04-20 50 Ireland Irish Independent [8]
2003-08-03 4,000 South Korea Korea Times [9]
2004-04-23 80 New Zealand New Truth & TV Extra [10]
2005-05-05 100 Southern California NBC 4 [11]
2006-06-04 200 Australia The Daily Telegraph [12]

[edit] Worldwide

Date Estimate Scope Reference
1974 170 World International Raëlian Movement [13]
1975 700 World Raël [14]
1979 3,000 World Raël [15]
1987-04-16 20,000 World Chicago Sun-Times [16]
1990-01-09 25,000 World The Wichita Eagle [17]
1992-08-28 30,000 40 countries US Raëlian Movement [18]
1993 35,000 World Dr. Susan J. Palmer [19]
1995-05-04 45,000 World The Miami Herald [20]
1996-01-14 35,000 World The Miami Herald [2]
1997-06-19 35,000 85 countries San Jose Mercury News [21]
1997-08-12 35,000 85 countries New York Times [22]
1998 40,000 80 countries University of Virginia [1]
1998 40,000 World St. Paul Pioneer Press [23]
1998-01 27,000 67 countries Australian Association for the Study of Religions [24]
2000-10-10 50,000 85 countries Washington Post [25]
2001 55,000 World Dr. Susan J. Palmer [19]
2001-03-13 30,000 World 60 Minutes [26]
2001-06-30 55,000 84 countries CNN [27]
2002-08-14 55,000 84 countries Wired News [28]
2002-12-29 40,000 World Lexington Herald-Leader [29]
2002-12-31 55,000 84 countries The Orlando Sentinel [30]
2002-12-31 55,000 World AP Worldstream [4]
2002 55,000 World Dr. Susan J. Palmer [31]
2003 65,000 World Dr. Susan J. Palmer [31]
2003-01-03 55,000 84 countries AAP General News [32]
2003-01-29 30,000 World University Wire [33]
2003-02-10 55,000 84 countries Japan Today [5]
2003-08-03 60,000 World Korea Times [9]
2004-03-16 60,000 90 countries Financial Times [34]
2004-03-26 80,000 World KLAS.com [35]
2004-04-23 60,000 World New Truth & TV Extra [10]
2005-03-13 60,000 World Japan Today [36]
2005-05-05 65,000 85 countries NBC 4 [11]
2005-11-18 60,000 92 countries Middle East Times [37]
2006-06-25 55,000 World The Daily Telegraph [12]
2006-12 65,000 86 countries International Raëlian Movement [13]
2008-04-15 80,000 90 countries Dr. Susan M. Block [38]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Religious Movements Homepage: Raelians, University of Virginia. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Ortega, Cristina M., GROUP SAYS ALIENS FROM OUR GALAXY CREATED MANKIND 25,000 YEARS AGO, The Miami Herald. 14 January 1996. Retrieved 13 March 2007. (highlight)
  3. ^ Davis, James D. UFO-based sect backs human cloning., South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 4 June 2007. (highlight)
  4. ^ a b Report: Prosecutors probe claims that a Korean woman pregnant with cloned baby, AP Worldstream. 31 December 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2007. (highlight)
  5. ^ a b Japan's Raelians hold parade to celebrate human clone births, Worldwide Religious News, Japan Today. 10 February 2003. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  6. ^ They Believe in Mom, Apple Pie and Alien Creators. KSL-TV. 12 February 2003. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
  7. ^ Pratt, Timothy, National Raelian meeting in Las Vegas draws about 50, Las Vegas Sun. 4 April 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
  8. ^ Williams, Eoghan Green men may land on the Emerald Isle, Irish Independent. 20 April 2003. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
  9. ^ a b Ji-young, So, Raelian Cult Leader Threatens to Sue Korea Over Denied Entry, Korea Times. 3 August 2003. Retrieved 12 March 2007
  10. ^ a b Cult Lures Gay Bishop into Fold, New Truth & TV Extra. 23 April 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
  11. ^ a b 'Clone Baby' & Raelians, NBC 4 Los Angeles. 5 May 2005. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  12. ^ a b Clones from outer space, The Daily Telegraph. 25 June 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2007. (highlight)
  13. ^ a b Rael: Messenger of the Elohim, The International Raëlian Movement. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  14. ^ Raël, p. 122.
  15. ^ Raël, p. 323.
  16. ^ Gorov, Lynda, Rael is here with message from folks in space, Chicago Sun-Times. 16 April 1987. Retrieved 9 April 2007. (highlight)
  17. ^ RAELIANS ARE WAITING FOR THE SPACESHIPS, The Wichita Eagle. 9 January 1990 Retrieved 23 March 2007. (highlight)
  18. ^ Volume3: Subgenius Digest V3#153, The Church of the SubGenius. 28 August 1992. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  19. ^ a b Palmer, p. 9.
  20. ^ Levine, Art, They Walk Among Us, The Miami Herald. 4 May 1995. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  21. ^ SWISS GROUP LAUNCHES FIRM TO MARKET HUMAN CLONING, San Jose Mercury News. 19 June 1997. Retrieved 5 June 2007. (highlight)
  22. ^ Switzerland, a Cult Magnet, Attracts Aliens and Cloning Offers, New York Times. 12 August 1997. Retrieved 5 June 2007. (highlight)
  23. ^ FLORIDA CHURCH SEEKS EMBASSY FOR SPACE ALIENS, St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 19 August 2007. (highlight)
  24. ^ Ireland, Rowan. NEW RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS IN AUSTRALIA, Australian Association for the Study of Religions. January 1998. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  25. ^ Human Cloning's 'Numbers Game'; Technology Puts Breakthrough Within the Reach of Sheer Persistence, Washington Post. 10 October 2000. Retrieved 5 June 2007. (highlight)
  26. ^ Human Cloning - CBS News, 60 Minutes. 13 March 2001. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
  27. ^ 'Raelian' biochemist insists she will clone human, CNN. 30 June 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2007
  28. ^ An Activist's Vision of Cloning, Wired News. 14 August 2002. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  29. ^ Kevles, Daniel J. RAELIAN IDEAS ARE RELATIVELY OLD HAT, Lexington Herald Leader. 29 December 2002. Retrieved 4 June 2007. (highlight)
  30. ^ Marquez, Myriam, This earthling prefers to be grounded _ Amen!, The Orlando Sentinel. 31 December 2002. Retrieved 5 May 2007. (highlight)
  31. ^ a b Palmer, p. 120.
  32. ^ Fed: Human clone claim sparks international interest in Raelians, AAP General News. 3 January 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2007. (highlight)
  33. ^ EDITORIAL: The key to eternal life?, University Wire. 29 January 2003. Retrieved 13 April 2007 (highlight)
  34. ^ Reading from the left, Financial Times. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 19 August 2007. (highlight)
  35. ^ Knapp, George, Raelian Leader Makes Fertile Announcement, KLAS.com. 26 March 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  36. ^ Hornyak, Tim, 10 years after Aum sarin attacks, pseudo-religions thriving in Japan, Japan Today. 13 March 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2006.
  37. ^ Thomas, Amelia, Raelians want to establish ET embassy in Jerusalem, Middle East Times. 18 November 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  38. ^ Block, Susan M. Alien Sex Secrets, Raelian Encounters and Sweet 16 Years of Marital Love and Pleasure Sex, Dr. Susan Block's Blog. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2008.

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