Monday, April 18, 2016

Der Landbote (April 17, 2016): The Alien-believers are searching for members in old town

On Saturday members of a group that believes to be in contact with extraterrestrials instructed interested persons in the Marktgasse. According to cult expert Schmid, it shows"clearly sectarian traits".

Dozens of leaflets are placed at the information booth. Picture: Michele Limina

Saturday morning, it is raining. Before the 'Fountain of Justice' in the Marktgasse, there is a tent with blue and white vertical stripes and a small canopy. On this a note with the inscription hangs: "All documents and stickers are free." Behind a wall with dozens of brochures sitting dully are three men in their fifties. They are all members of  the Freien Interessengemeinschaft für Grenz- und Geisteswissenschaften und Ufologiestudien (FIGU). A community that believes extraterrestrials - called Plejaren - are in close contact with its founder Eduard "Billy" Meier. On their website  "UFO-Meier" published his 641st contact conversation in early April. The community has its headquarters for over 40 years in Schmidrüti, above Turbenthal. Besides 30 members of the so-called core group, it has more than 350 passive members. However, Meier was the only one in the FIGU who has contact with the aliens. He writes down the conversations between him and the aliens and publishes it, says the men at the information booth. "Billy is the last teacher and prophet of the teaching of truth in a big way," says the press spokesman Patric Chenaux.

Demands Birth-stops

World population topic: "The central concern and root of all evil is the overpopulation," says one of the men. A worldwide, temporary cessation of births and a sensible birth control was needed. "If there were only 500 million people on earth, have all plenty of room, food and nature would be much better." The "rampant egoism" is an eyesore to the three members. Founder Meier fathered three children himself, is not that a contradiction? "In order to ensure the next generation despite cessation of births, it is our view permissible for a woman to have a maximum of three children," says Chenaux on request.
The UFO believers organize an annual information booth in Winterthur, a total of up to seven in all of Switzerland. The feedback to the stand is very limited. "Few have real interest, many are trapped in their own world." During our one-hour conversation three people stopped. A man with a ponytail, who seems to know the FIGU, asks: "You will certainly often get attacked, or?"

Georg Schmid, cult expert and Head of specialist body Relinfo says: "The FIGU clearly shows sectarian traits and can therefore be described as a sect." In addition to the "missionary behavior" as the information stands are in his opinion, the dominant figurehead Meier is an indication to it. "What he says is not questioned."

No false word

When speaking to the members at the information desk, they say: "There is usually nothing to criticize." You'll see
not a single wrong word in the basic statements in the writings of Meier. "It is the oldest teaching of the reality and the truth," they say.

Schmid also considered this exclusivity and differentiation as typical for a sect. "Only Billy Meier really stands in contact with the good-extraterrestrials from Plejaren. Other Contactees and UFO prophets are from the perspective of FIGU - fraudsters and charlatans, or the extraterrestrials, with which they are associated, are part of a wicked race. The members perceive Sect-allegations as "slander". "We would not be here today if there were legitimate reasons to criticize him as far as his statements about the overpopulation," they say. "Those who read our writings, in principle finds no contradictions."

Source: Der Landbote (modified Google translation)

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