When Prophecy Never Fails

Of the approximately fifty percent of Americans who believe in UFOs, a fraction are devotees of one of the numerous UFO-based new religious movements. In When Prophecy Never Fails , Diana G. Tumminia takes us inside one such group. The Unarius Academy of Science is one of the oldest UFO religions. Founded in 1954 by “Cosmic Visionaries” Ruth and Ernest Norman-also known, respectively, as Archangels Uriel and Raphiel-Unarius is devoted to teaching the all-encompassing Unarian Science. Combining elements of pop psychology, New Age thought, and science fiction, the Unarian Science teaches that energy attuned to harmonic frequencies pervades the universe, and that by tuning in to these frequencies individuals can be connected to memories of past lives, other dimensions of existence, and prophetic visions. The Science asks its students to channel messages from the infinitely intelligent Space Brothers and to heal themselves through the practice of past-life therapy. Unarians await the arrival of spaceships, piloted by the Space Brothers, that will bring to earth advanced intergalactic technology that will benefit all mankind. When Prophecy Never Fails is a rich piece of cultural history that sheds light on a little-known corner of American religion. Tumminia has been conducting research on Unarius for over a decade-attending meetings, interviewing members, and studying official Unarian literature and videos. Here she offers an inside look at this fascinating movement, analyzing the way members socially construct their own reality. She pays particular attention to the ways Unarians adapt when their prophecies-and particularly their prediction that the Space Brothers would land in 2001-do not materialize. For believers, she shows, prophecy seldom fails.