Universe People or Cosmic People of Light Powers (Czech: Vesmírní lidé sil světla) is a Czech and Slovak new religious movement founded in the 1990s and centered around Ivo A. Benda. Their belief system is based upon the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations communicating with Benda and other contactees since October 1997 telepathically and later even by direct personal contact. They are considered to be the most distinctive UFO religion in the Czech Republic.
Following the mass suicide of the members of the cult Heaven's Gate in 1997, the Universe People attracted the attention of Czech media as a group with similar ideology and potential to commit similar acts. The danger of this development has diminished in later years (2004). On several occasions, the group also managed to appear in the Czech and Slovak mass media.
Read more about Universe People: History, Ideology, Opponents and Cultural Impact
Famous quotes containing the words universe and/or people:
“Pray. To ask the laws of the universe to be annulled on behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.”
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914)
“If all power is in the people, if there is no higher law than their will, and if by counting their votes, their will may be ascertained—then the people may entrust all their power to anyone, and the power of the pretender and the usurper is then legitimate. It is not to be challenged since it came originally from the sovereign people.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)