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
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