# The idea that major religious figures are ambassadors from outer space goes
back at least to…

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The idea that major religious figures are ambassadors from outer space goes
back at least to Theosophy, with its idea of “secret chiefs”; Theosophy was
extremely influential, particularly on the ideas of other syncretic religious
groups, so it’s not a surprise that the Aetherius society has adopted this
idea (just as the Raelians have). It’s also not surprising that it made its
way into pop culture, since Theosophy was basically the Spiritualism of the
1920s: a minor religion with very influential followers that captured the
zeitgeist & thus had an overwhelming effect on popular discourse.

By [John Ohno](https://medium.com/@enkiv2) on [November 21,
2016](https://medium.com/p/214302f2099c).

[Canonical link](https://medium.com/@enkiv2/the-idea-that-major-religious-
figures-are-ambassadors-from-outer-space-goes-back-at-least-to-214302f2099c)

Exported from [Medium](https://medium.com) on September 18, 2020.