Notes on Quakers, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Science, Unitarian-Universalists for RELG 402 - World's Living Religions

RELG 402 - World's Living Religions

New Religious Movements (NRMs) derived from Christianity

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Trigger Alert - this page contains pictures of fire, funerals, and dead bodies

The study of these NRMs is important for anyone preparing for a career with Law enforcement or Social Services because one may still meet people who are members of these NRMs or ones with similar ideas. In particular, the tragedy of the Waco confrontation is an example of how a Sheriff's Department may be drawn into a situation which can escalate if not handled with understanding.

NOTE : Many NRMs pose no physical dangers for their members, and there are many small religious groups led by well-meaning individuals who are not members of any of the main-line denominations. However, some NRMs develop extreme beliefs and world-views that may lead to physical harm and even death to their followers. Likewise, some individual religious leaders break with their original religious organization, and may lead their followers into beliefs and practices which are radically different from the parent religion. The press tends to focus on the extreme cases and sensationalise them. However, a few NRMs have had such serious consequences for the unwary that it is wise to become aware of some of the danger signals.
What might be a danger signal, and when might it be time to get out?

In addition, if the leader tells you to do anything which makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, or which goes against your principles or which might harm others, it is time to leave and look for another religious family.

The Branch Davidians trace their history to the Adventist teachings of a series of "prophets"
The first was William Miller (1782-1849) the founder of Adventism, then
Ellen G. White (1827-1915) whose reinterpretations of the prophecies regarding the return of Christ gave rise to Seventh Day Adventism
Victor T. Houteff (1885-1955) who split from the SDA Church to form the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists (Davidians), aka. "The Shepherd's Rod"
Ben Roden (1902-1978) who introduced the custom of keeping the Jewish Feasts and who formed the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists (Branch Davidians) and bought the property at Mount Carmel near Waco TX as the headquarters of the group
Lois Roden (1905-1986), the widow of Ben Roden, who taught that the Holy Spirit is feminine, and also taught that there would be a "baptism of fire" which would be by "full immersion"

Vernon Howell (1959-1993) was brought up as a Seventh Day Adventist, and in 1981 he joined the Mount Carmel Center (at age 22). In 1984 he married the 14-year-old daughter of a Branch Davidian family, and began to give Bible studies. Lois Roden indicated that she regarded Howell as the next prophet, and this caused a violent response by George Roden, the son of Ben and Lois Roden. George Roden accused Vernon Howell of raping Lois Roden (then in her sixties, and the mother of five children). Vernon Howell claimed that God had chosen him to father a child on Lois. George Roden and Vernon Howell had an armed confrontation which resulted in Howell and his followers being driven out of Mount Carmel.
In 1985 Vernon Howell was visiting Israel, and had a spiritual experience in which he became convinced that he was God's son and the Endtime Christ. He took the name David Koresh, and began to teach that he was "The Lamb as it had been slain" who could open the book with the Seven Seals, that he was the Seventh Angel from the book of Revelation, and that he would be killed by the agents of "Babylon" - which he identified as the USA. He also taught that many of his followers would die with him and receive a special position in God's Kingdom. He would then be raised as the Lamb of the Book of Revelation, and those who became martyrs and died with him would return as his army of seraphim or fiery flying serpents with supernatural powers to punish the rest of humanity.
In 1986 Howell took extra wives, including a 12-year-old girl, in an attempt to have 24 children who would become the 24 Elders of the Book of Revelation.
Also in 1986 Lois Roden died, and George Roden took control of Mount Carmel.
In 1987 George Roden challenged Vernon Howell to a contest to see which of them could raise someone from the dead. Howell reported to the Sheriff's Department that George Roden had dug up a body from a local cemetery, and went to Carmel to get photographic evidence. This led to a shoot-out with George Roden. Members of both sides were arrested and brought to trial. George Roden threatened the judge, was jailed, and was then prohibited from returning to Mount Carmel. In 1989 George Roden killed another man who claimed to be the Messiah; Roden was judged to be insane, and was confined in the Big Spring State Hospital. He died there in 1998.
Vernon Howell was released from jail and returned to take possession of Mount Carmel.

In 1989 Howell received a "new light" revelation - that all the women in the community (including those married to other members) were his wives, and all other men were to be celibate. This caused a split in the group, and alerted authorities in the USA and in the media around the world to start watching them.
In 1990 Vernon Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh. "Koresh" is the Persian form of the name Cyrus - the king who allowed the Jews to return from exile in Babylon and rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem.
By 1992 there had been a number of complaints to the Texas Child Protection Services regarding Koresh's sexual relations with underage girls, but without sufficient evidence to bring him to court. However, the Mount Carmel residence was put under surveillance by helicopters and by other agents, and Koresh was aware of this.

In 1993 matters came to a head, and the FBI and other federal agents conducted a siege against the compound. The FBI used "stress escalation tactics" (loud blasts of sound, bright spotlights at night, etc.) which have been blamed for the final disaster at Waco.
On February 28, 1993, federal agents carried out an armed raid on the residence at Mount Carmel to serve warrants for the illegal modification and stockpiling of weapons, and a shoot-out ensued, in which four Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and five Branch Davidians were killed, including Koresh's father-in-law. A further twenty ATF agents were wounded, along with Koresh and three other Branch Davidians. One of the Branch Davidians put in a 911 call to the Sheriff's Department, saying there were women and children in the building, and a cease-fire was negotiated but the siege continued.

On March 1, 1993, because of the deaths of the federal agents, the FBI took control of the siege and cut the phone lines to Koresh in order to stop him communicating with the media. The next day tanks were brought to the property and a siege of 51 days ensued, though during this time some of the adults and many of the children were allowed to leave the property.

On April 19, 1983, the FBI began an assault on the residence, using tanks and CS-gas. A fire broke out, or was probably set by members of the Branch Davidians, in which 74 members and their children died, including David Koresh.

In 2006 a rival group of Branch Davidians, who reject Koresh as Messiah and Prophet, took possession of Mount Carmel.

First Church of Chirst, Scientist, Boston

Mary Baker Eddy discovered Christian Science in 1866, and published her book "Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures" in 1875. In 1879 Mary Baker Eddy established "The First Church of Christ, Scientist" in Boston (now referred to as "the Mother Church", and in 1908 started publication of "The Christian Science Monitor" newspaper. Christian Science has "Reading Rooms" rather than church buildings. The Reading Rooms are open to the public.
Mary Baker Eddy claimed that Christian Science was a return to "primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing", but there are some marked differences between Christian Science and other branches of Christianity. The material physical world is thought to be merely an illusion, and illness is a mental error caused by incorrect beliefs, rather than a physical malady. Those who are ill should not be treated medically, but prayer should be used to correct their false beliefs which are causing the illusion of sickness. The church does not forbid its members to go to dentists, obstetricians, optometrists, or even physicians in the case of broken bones, but does maintain that it would be better just to use prayer alone. This can lead to conflicts with civil authorities when children are denied medical treatment because of their parents' beliefs.

During the late 19th century in America a number of teachers and groups began to develop metaphysical ideas - that the human mind could control its own destiny, and that the physical world was subordinate to the mental one. This movement was generally known as New Thought. Its basic stance was "God is mind", and one of its main emphases was the ability of the mind to cure the body, hence it was also known as the mind-cure movement. Basic tenets are

Sunday Church Services consist of a Bible Lesson-Sermon, using both the King James' Version of the Bible, and Science and Health, with prayer, hymn singing, a solo, and a collection

The Universal Triumph, Dominion of God identifies itself as a "Holiness Kingdom". Members are referred to as citizens, and have to register into, rather than join, the Dominion. Places of assembly are called "Thankful Centers" rather than churches. Citizens of the Dominion have to keep the Dominion rules of no smoking, no alcohol, coffee, tea, drugs, or games of any kind.

The Dominion was founded by James F. Jones (1907-1971), commonly called Prophet Jones, in the period 1938-1944. Prophet Jones claimed to have received a direct message from God, and commenced publishing and broadcasting his teachings in order to spread them throughout the world. Prophet Jones became the Dominion Ruler - the sole authority, known as "God's only Holy Prophet" and claiming to be an "incarnation of the spirit of Jesus Christ". Others in the hierarchy were given royal titles such as prince, lord, sir or lady, by the Dominion Ruler.

Prophet Jones claimed to be the "Second Coming of Christ", with divine power to heal and to curse. He was antagonistic towards Father Divine, and claimed that Father Divine had put a curse on New York. Prophet Jones was noted for his lavish life-style and for the expensive gifts which some of his followers gave him - including a 54-room mansion in Detroit, a full-length white mink coat lined with scarlet silk, and a Lincoln car.

However, his empire began to crumble as he was brought to trial and acquitted on a morals charge, and other religious groups became more powerful - his mansion and his church headquarters in Detroit were bought up by Daddy Grace (head of the United House of Prayer).
Jones died in 1971 and was succeeded by another Dominion Ruler who reigned as a divine king until he died in 2014. There is now another Dominion Ruler, but he does not seem to be very active.
The main focus of the teachings is the millennial rule of perfect bliss under the Universal Triumph of the Dominion of God. Dominion citizens will live for ever in incorruptible physical bodies on earth.
Citizens of the Dominion do not celebrate Christmas, but have a similar celebration during the week following Jones' birthday (November 24 - December 1).

The Family of God (or The Children of God) was an experiment in communal living initiated by David Berg (1919-1994) in 1968. Berg's father and mother were ordained ministers, and Berg became a minister in the same denomination as his father. However, he was expelled from that denomination in 1954 for alleged sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, and for his divergent teaching.

In 1968 Berg founded the Children of God, but he lived in seclusion from his followers and communicated with them by messages called "Mo Letters". These letters denounced other denominations, Jews, black people, capitalism, and laws against pedophilia. Photos of him were often edited by pasting or drawing a lion caricature over his face.
Berg moved his followers from California to a commune in Texas, and then to London in 1972.
In 1973 Berg dismissed over 300 of his leaders, in a crisis of financial mismanagement and alleged sexual misconduct, and because of Berg's introduction of "Flirty Fishing". Many members left the organization, and his remaining followers took the name "The Family of Love".

For the next 22 years Berg moved every few years all over the world, generally falling afoul of the law on charges of child abuse or faked passports. He lived some times in the Canary Islands, Spain, Madeira, Portugal, Switzerland, France, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, and back to Portugal, where he died in 1994.

Berg voiced several prophecies which did not occur - the Comet Kohoutek (1974) would bring destruction to the earth; that California was about to fall into the ocean; that the Tribulation would begin in 1989; and that the Second Coming of Jesus would take place in 1993.
Berg believed that the Second Coming of Christ was imminent, and that he himself was King David or "Moses David", and became increasingly authoritarian. He advocated a "law of love" which meant that his followers should have as many sexual partners as possible, and that his female followers should engage in "flirty fishing" - evangelism by sex and prostitution. The resulting babies were called "Jesus Babies" - more than 300 such babies were born, and even Berg's common-law wife gave birth to such a son (Ricky Rodriguez, also known as Davidito, who committed murder and then suicide in 2005).
Berg died in 1994, and the Children of God was renamed The Family.
After Berg's death his widow took control of The Family, and took the titles of Queen and Prophetess. She married again, and her husband took the title of King Peter. With the onset of the AIDS epidemic Flirty Fishing was curtailed, but sexual activities, including sexual activities with children were still permitted.
In 2004 the name of the organization was changed to The Family International. Tithing to the group is mandatory, and is a condition of membership. Berg is still revered as a leader, and is believed to send spirit messages , called "Mo Letters", to his followers. The Mo Letters are regarded as the inspired Word of God. In addition, Berg's widow (now called Queen Maria) is regarded as a prophetess whose writings are divinely inspired. Flirty Fishing appears to have been renamed "Sacrificial Sex"
Since 2004 the teachings of TFI have continued to diverge from Christian beliefs.
They now receive help from "Spirit Helpers" who send messages from beyond the grave to guide the lives of their protegés. Such Spirit Helpers include Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Winston Churchill, Merlin, the Sphinx, the Snowman, Nixon, and several other US Presidents.
The reference in Matthew 16:19, where Jesus told Peter that He would give him the "Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" has been taken to refer to keys to spiritual spacecraft which have been revealed to Queen Maria.
The expression "loving Jesus" now has a completely sexual connotation - women are told to imagine Jesus during sexual intercourse, and men are told to imagine themselves as women so as to avoid a homosexual relationship with Jesus.
In 2010 TFI underwent an extensive reorganization, referred to as "the Reboot", closed most of its communities, and went online to become what it claims is an Online Community. The current website (copyright 2021) looks very nice and clean, and claims to empower individuals to act independently. That would seem to imply that anyone may do anything, and the organization is not responsible for whatever happens.

Father Divine (1876-1965) was an African-American whose family and origins are not known with certainty, though it is probable that he was the son of a freed slave couple in Maryland or Georgia.
In 1906-7 he was attending a Baptist church, where he met a preacher named Samuel Morris who claimed to be "The Eternal Father". Not surprisingly, Morris was thrown out of the church, but the young man who would later become Father Divine became Morris's first follower. He took the title "The Messenger" and claimed to be a Christ figure to Morris's God the Father (or Father Jehovia (sic) as he started to call himself). They were joined by another disciple, who called himself the Reverend Bishop Saint John the Vine. However, this Trinity was short-lived, as John the Vine did not accept Father Jehovia's claim to supreme godhood, but argued that God was in everyone. In 1912 the three men parted company, Father Divine repudiated Father Jehovia as God, and declared that he himself was God, and the only true expression of the Spirit of God.
During 1913 Father Divine traveled around Georgia preaching his message. There was opposition from other church leaders, and he served 60 days on a chain-gang, and in 1914 he was arrested as a lunatic. However, this served to make him famous. At his trial he was tried as "John Doe (alias God)" - he was found to be mentally sound in spite of "maniacal beliefs".
After the trial he traveled to New York and set up a commune with his followers. At this time he was called Reverend Major Jealous Divine.

Father Divine and the first Mother Divine

At some time during this period he married an older black lady named Penninah, who came to be known as Mother Divine (note - this is the first Mother Divine. He married a second Mother Divine later). It is claimed that neither marriage was consummated, as Father Divine advocated celibacy.
Father Divine's following began to grow, with white followers as well as black. This was one of the earliest examples of racial integration, and there was much opposition and suspicion in the predominantly white community around him.

One of the features of his ministry was a weekly banquet, referred to as communion, which attracted large numbers of people who sometimes became rowdy. This prompted the neighbors to call the police and led to the arrest of Father Divine. By this time the newspaper reporters were writing sensational reports, and Father Divine's following increased and he became a popular speaker around New York.
Due mainly to the press reports Father Divine's fame spread over the world, and he formed the International Peace Mission Movement.
His trial was held in 1932, and the jury found him guilty of disturbing the peace, but they asked for leniency for him. However, Justice Lewis Smith of the Supreme Court declared that Father Divine was a fraud and a menace to society, and sentenced him to prison. Justice Smith died of a heart attack about two weeks later, and the press made sensational claims that this was divine retribution, although they omitted to mention that he had had heart problems earlier.
Father Divine was released from jail after a couple of weeks, and began to assert that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were divinely inspired. From then on he began to preach a form of American supremacy and to develop a large economic base. The IPM bought hotels where members could live cheaply, restaurants to feed them, and clothing shops which flourished during the Depression. Father Divine's views became increasingly capitalist, although he was also active for civil rights and desegregation.
Sometime in 1943 Penninah died, in spite of Father Divine's assertion that his doctrine would make one immortal, and in 1946 he married again.

His second wife was Edna Rosa Ritchings, a 21-year-old white Canadian woman, who also became Mother Divine and who was declared to be the incarnation of Penninah.
Father Divine's teaching presents Jesus as an example and "Way-shower" rather than as Savior and Lord. We must pattern our lives after the Holiness of Jesus and the Virginity of Mary. Mother Divine stated publicly that Father Divine kept her "as a pure spotless virgin".
We should live strictly celibate lives according to his International Modesty Code, with no drinking, no gambling, no borrowing, nothing bought on credit, everything to be bought with cash, no receiving of gifts, no vulgarity, no undue mixing of sexes, no insurance.

No newspapers, magazines, radio, television, or movies should publish anything negative or degrading, and all firearms were to be destroyed except those needed for law enforcement, Philadelphia was to become the capital of the world, and there should be one language (English). How this was to be achieved was not explained.
The greeting "Hello" was to be abolished in all educational establishments, and the word "Peace" was to be used instead. Telephone companies were to cooperate in this respect.

Father Divine died in 1965, although his followers insist that his spirit is still alive and guiding them.
In 1972 Jim Jones (who founded the Peoples' Temple) claimed that Father Divine's spirit had entered his body, and he was now an incarnation of Father Divine. Jim Jones tried to take control of the International Peace Movement, but Mother Divine fought him off and took control of the movement herself.

Mother Divine died in 2017. Over the years the organization sold off many of its properties, though a small group of members still live in the main headquarters.
The original website of the International Peace Mission has recently been archived, and a new one (copyrighted 2021) has taken its place, so the organization must be functioning to some extent. The original website is still available in an archived version on the Web. The headquarters at Woodmont were closed because of the COVID pandemic, but have recently (2022) been re-opened to the public
They still proclaim the godhead of Father Divine, and the basic mantra "True Americanism, True Brotherhood, True Christianity, True Judaism and All True Religions are synonymous and truly Our GOD is One GOD. Amen" and state that "We believe that Americanism is our Religion and that the Principles of Americanism, Brotherhood, Christianity, Democracy and true Judaism are synonymous."

Go here for press clippings about the dealings of Father Divine, Prophet Jones (not the same person as Jim Jones), and Daddy Grace

Heaven's Gate was founded by Marshall Herff Applewhite (1931-1997) and Bonnie La Nettles (1927-1985), who claimed to be the Two Witnesses from the Book of Revelation, and wrote that Jesus had been reincarnated as a Texan (presumably as Applewhite himself)
Applewhite had been a student at a theological seminary for a short time, but preferred his own interpretation of Scripture and Science Fiction.
During the 1970s Applewhite and La Nettles gave a series of lectures around northern America with a message which was a mixture of Biblical apocalyptic and UFOlogy (belief in UFOs and superior extra-terrestrials). They claimed that the earth was about to be recycled by being wiped clean, and that the only chance of survival was to leave immediately. They taught that a spacecraft would come to collect those who believed their message, and their followers would be granted entry to "the Next Evolutionary Level Above Human". Very few of their hearers joined their group, and of those who did, many left after a short while. By 1997 there were only 40 members.
The group was known initially as Human Individual Metamorphosis, and eventually, after Bonnie Nettles' death in 1985, Applewhite claimed to be the only leader and authority, the one who could receive messages from "The Next Level".
The teaching became more extreme - in order "to be eligible for membership in the Next Level, humans would have to shed every attachment to the planet" - this meant giving up family and friends, jobs, possessions, even their sexuality (some of the men, including Applewhite, were castrated).

In 1996 the Hale-Bopp comet was sighted, and the community believed that the predicted spacecraft was following behind it. The next year, Applewhite and 38 of his followers committed suicide by drinking phenobarbital mixed with apple sauce and vodka, then placing plastic bags over their faces to cause suffocation. Most of the bodies were found lying on their beds, under purple cloths, wearing black trousers and Nike trainers. They each had a suitcase prepared for a journey. Before they died, each member recorded farewell video messages for families and friends. Two members of the group were rescued and survived the initial suicides, but they also committed suicide later (in 1997 and 1998). The Heaven's Gate website had stated

Jehovah's Witnesses were founded by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) in the United States in the late nineteenth century.
As a youth, Russell was a member of several denominations, and explored religions other than Christianity, before deciding that Christianity gave the best answers, but that many of the doctrines of the mainline churches were not in line with his interpretation of the scriptures. He rejected the doctrine of the Trinity, and the immortality of the soul. Under Adventist influence, Russell was convinced that Christians who had died would be raised from the dead and that there would be an invisible, spiritual, return of Christ in 1878. When this did not happen, Russell re-examined the scriptures and his position, and concluded that the Second Coming of Christ was merely Christian tradition, rather than Biblical truth.
In 1879 Russell started publishing a religious journal which later became "The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom", and in 1881 he was one of the founders of "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society". In 1886 its name was changed to the Jehovah's Witnesses Watch Tower Society. The Society spread through publications and Bible Study Groups
Belief is in the imminent Second Coming of Christ and the potential salvation of mortal souls during the millennium
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was/is the archangel Michael, and that he became a man on earth, and he was only "spiritually raised" from the dead, not physically. They teach that the doctrine of the Trinity is just an invention, and Jesus is a lesser "god" than "Jehovah".
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan is at present wreaking havoc on the earth, but that the "Battle of Armageddon" will take place, when the hosts of Jehovah will be victorious, and unbelievers will perish. Then there will be a thousand years of paradise for those on earth, and mankind will be brought to a state of human perfection. Then Satan will be let loose for "a little while" until he is destroyed for ever.

All members are ministers who proselytize their faith with door-to-door missionary work
Members refuse service in the armed forces, will not salute national flags or participate in politics, will not accept blood transfusions (but will accept all other forms of medical treatment), and discourage smoking, drunkenness, and gambling
The meeting place is called a "Kingdom Hall" and generally has no windows

In 1820, Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was earnestly seeking which Church to join, when, by his account, he had a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ telling him not to join any of the existing Churches.
Later (1823) he had a vision of the angel Moroni who told him that he (Smith) had been appointed by God, and that he was to find and translate a book, written on golden plates, which would give an account of God's dealings with the "former inhabitants" of America. Smith eventually found the plates, but was forbidden by the angel Moroni to take them until later.
In 1827 Smith and his wife Emma retrieved the plates, and the "Urim and Thummim" (two stones set in silver, which were to be used for prophecy and for reading the plates). Smith always kept the plates hidden from sight.
Over the next few years (1827-1829), he dictated a translation of the plates to his wife and some other friends and the result was published in 1830 as "The Book of Mormon". Later that same year Smith and his followers formed the "Church of Christ", which was renamed "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in 1838.
Church headquarters were established in upstate New York in 1830, but there was opposition by many members of the local community, so Smith and his followers moved to Ohio in 1831.
Persecution continued, along with dissension within the new church. Smith and the church went heavily into debt, and violence against Mormons escalated.
In 1838 Smith was arrested after a fight with the Missouri state militia, and sent to jail to await trial. He escaped from jail in 1839, and fled from Missouri to Illinois, where he founded the city of Nauvoo, governed by Mormons.
In 1841 Smith introduced the doctrine of "plural marriage" (polygamy - the men could have multiple wives, but women belonged to just one man).
In 1844 Smith announced that he would run for President of the USA. At the same time, Smith formed a "Council of Fifty" (50 Mormon leaders) to set up their own State. The Council elected Smith "Prophet, Priest, and King" of their prospective monarchy.
There followed a period of anarchy within the Mormon church, as other leaders tried to rebel and gain control.
In 1844 some of them broke away to form the "Reformed Mormon Church" or the "True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". They accused Smith of polygamy and of trying to take their wives away and marry them himself. Fighting broke out, the State militia were called, and Smith and his brother were put in jail in Carthage, IL, on a charge of treason to the State.
On June 27, 1844, the jail was surrounded by an armed mob. Smith shot a pistol at them, and they returned fire, killing both Smith and his brother.

After the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young led the Latter Day Saints to Salt Lake City in Utah in 1847. At that time Utah was outside the limits of the United States.

These are all considered to be inspired scripture.
Stress is placed on revelation through the connection of spiritual and physical worlds and through proselytizing.
Members abstain from alcohol and tobacco, and stress community self-reliance
Rites include baptism, laying on of hands, and communion; a secret temple holds other ceremonies, including baptism for the dead.
Mormons believe that "God the Father"

In the period immediately after WWII there was a backlash against communism in the USA. Jim Jones (1931-1978), the future founder of People's Temple, had become a communist, and as he himself stated

In 1952 Jones managed to become a student pastor in a Methodist church in Indiana, but in 1954 he left to found his own congregation, called the Community Unity Church. He attended a faith healing service at another church, and decided that such services could be used to attract people and to make money. He and some of his followers held services in which they faked healings and raised money, so that in 1956 he was able to buy his own church building, which he eventually named "Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church", where he added supposed clairvoyancy to the faked healings.

The Temple stressed racial equality and Marxist ideas, ran a soup kitchen, handed out free food and clothing, and provided job placement services and rent-assistance for those in need.
In 1960 the Temple joined the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and was re-named the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel. Jones was appointed to the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission and became a prominent local political figure.
At this point Jones met with Father Divine and the International Peace Mission movement, and Jones came under their influence, preaching that Jesus had been a communist, and teaching that his married followers should not have sex together, but adopt children. Jones began to be more authoritarian, demanding that his followers forsake their natural families and commit themselves and their possessions to their Temple Family.
In 1959 Fidel Castro had become the dictator of Cuba. Jones traveled to Cuba in 1960 to try to recruit more followers, but did not succeed. At this time Jones' message changed to atheism, coupled with promoting himself as a Messiah figure.
In 1961 Jones claimed to have had a vision of a nuclear attack coming on Chicago and Indianapolis, and decided to move the Temple to a safer location. A magazine article had listed Brazil as the safest place to be in case of a nuclear war, and Jones traveled to Rio de Janeiro, but was unable to raise the money to move the Temple there. However, on the journey to Brazil he visited Guyana, and became familiar with the territory there.
In 1963 Jones returned to Indiana and started to preach "Apostolic Socialism" and to claim that he himself was "Christ the Revolution" and the USA was the Antichrist. He preached that there would soon be a nuclear holocaust, and that those who survived would be able to found a new socialist Eden on earth.
During the 1970s he started to preach that he was the reincarnation of Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Father Divine, Mahatma Gandhi, and Vladimir Lenin, and rejected traditional Christianity and the Bible. By 1976 he was claiming to be an agnostic and an atheist and preaching that people had to help themselves and make heaven for themselves on earth. Around this time he moved the headquarters of Peoples Temple to San Francisco, and became heavily involved in politics.

However, the media started to become interested, and there were allegations of sexual and physical abuse, so Jones got out of town and took several hundred of his followers to a compound in Guyana which he had named Jonestown after himself. Although it is a South American country, Guyana was once a British territory, and English is the language of communication. Jones had originally started Jonestown as a "socialist paradise" called the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project - it was supposed to be a model communist community.

However, Jones did not permit members to leave the place without his express permission. When he was at Jonestown, Jones started to teach about "Translation" - that he and his followers would die together and move to another planet where they would all live in happiness.
During 1977 and 1978 there was continued agitation by a group calling themselves "Concerned Relatives" who accused Jones of human rights violations, but Jones had made friends with a number of politicians who backed his claim that the accusers were merely trying to damage his reputation by making false allegations.
In November of 1978 Congressman Leo Ryan led a fact-finding mission to Jonestown to investigate the allegations. Members of the mission were some of the concerned relatives, an NBC camera crew, and a number of reporters. Jones welcomed them and hosted a reception for them, but some of the members of Jonestown asked to be allowed to leave. Ryan and the members of his mission left Jonestown the next morning, taking with them some of the Temple members who wished to leave. At some point, one of the Temple members attacked Congressman Ryan with a knife, but was wrestled to the ground. The group were boarding planes at the local airstrip when a party of Jones' Red Brigade guards arrived and started shooting them. They killed Congressman Ryan and four others; one of these was a cameramen who succeeded in recording the start of the attack before he was shot down.
Later that same day Jones assembled his followers and told them that there was a conspiracy against them, and that men from intelligence organizations would parachute into the compound and torture and kill the children or convert them to fascism. An audio recording of Jones' talk and the resulting mass suicide was recovered later. In it, Jones exhorted his followers to die, finally saying "We didn't commit suicide. We committed an act of Revolutionary Suicide, protesting the conditions of an inhumane world."

Jones and others mixed a large batch of grape-flavored drink (often referred to as Kool-Aid, although it was another brand) with cyanide and a sedative. The children were given the drink first, then whole families drank it and died together. 909 members died, including 304 children. Jones himself was found with a gunshot to the head which may or may not have been self-inflicted or may have been caused by some other person.
The mass suicides at Jonestown resulted in the formation of the Cult Awareness Network (which disbanded in 1996) and gave rise to the term "Drink the Kool-Aid" to describe someone who unquestioningly obeys or believes in some leader without reasonable examination.

George Fox in England in the seventeenth century began preaching against organized churches, professing a doctrine of the Inner Light.
Quakers do not accept the authority of the Bible, but regard it as a good book to read along with other books. They rely on the Inner Light, the voice of God's Holy Spirit speaking within each person, for guidance and direction.

Meetings are characterized by quiet meditation without ritual, music, or sermons. They sit quietly in a circle, so that no-one has a "higher" position than anyone else. They may read a short passage from a book and meditate upon it. The meeting ends when they get up and shake hands with each other.
Quakers are active in peace, education, and social welfare movements; they refuse to bear arms or swear an oath .
Quakers do not celebrate religious festivals such as Christmas and Easter, nor do they practice baptism, nor celebrate Communion

Adventism grew out of the teachings of William Miller (1782-1849) in New York State in the 1840s. Miller's teachings started people expecting that Jesus would return soon - the movement now known as Adventism.
His followers were called Millerites, and then Seventh Day Adventists because in 1843 he predicted that Jesus would return in 7 days. When Jesus did not return on the predicted date the non-event was called the "Great Disappointment".
However, those who had believed Miller had cleaned up their lives, and they decided that they liked living in readiness to meet the Lord, and continued to do so.

Another great leader for the Adventists was Ellen White (1827-1915). As a 9-year-old child she suffered a serious head injury and was in a coma for three weeks. She became a Methodist, and then a Millerite at age 12 (in 1840). Soon after the Great Disappointment she had her first vision (in 1844).
In 1846 she married James Springer White, who was convinced that she was truly a prophet, and who supported her religious ministry.
Ellen and James White were co-founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, when the day of worship, the Sabbath, was changed from Sunday to Saturday. The denomination was formally founded in 1863.
Ellen White wrote many books (e.g. "The Conflict of the Ages", "The Desire of Ages", "The Great Controversy", "Steps to Christ").

Seventh Day Adventists claim the Bible is the only creed, but the books by Ellen White are also revered. They also revere her as a prophet.
The Second Coming of Jesus is emphasized; members abstain from alcoholic beverages and tobacco.
Baptism and communion are practiced.

Davidian Adventists were founded by Victor Houteff in the 1930s. They keep to the commands of the Hebrew Bible, and believe that God still sends prophets to His people. See the entry for the Branch Davidian Church.

The Unification Church has the official title of "The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification", though its adherents are often called "Moonies" after the founder, the "Reverend" Sun Myung Moon of Korea.

Sun Myung Moon founded the movement in South Korea in 1954.
The Reverend Moon set himself up as a Messiah whose mission was to complete what he thought Jesus had failed to do. He claimed that in 1935, when he was 16 years old, Jesus appeared to him and asked him to finish the work which had been left unfinished by the crucifixion.
Moon's teaching was a mixture of Christian, Buddhist, and other Eastern influences : God is the invisible essence of Life, and the Heavenly Parent whose nature is both masculine and feminine.
Moon's teachings were first published in 1945 as the Divine Principle, but the original text was lost during the Korean War between North and South Korea. An expanded version was published in 1957, and a final version, Exposition of the Divine Principle, was published in 1966.
During the Korean War Moon was imprisoned by the communist regime of North Korea, but was released when US and United Nations troops entered the region. He traveled to the south as a refugee, and built his first church in 1954, as "The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity". The church spread rapidly in South Korea, then sent missions to Japan (1958), the USA (1959), Europe (1968), South America (1970) and Russia (the 1990s).

In 1960 Moon married Hak Ja Han, and in 1951 they held the first Blessing Ceremony (mass marriage) - Moon had chosen the matches for most of the couples, and continued to do so for all subsequent Blessing Ceremonies.
Moon moved to the USA in 1971 and started giving public lectures, speaking on "God's hope for America"
In 1974 Moon founded the Unification Theological Seminary in New York, and hired a rabbi and some professors from other Christian denominations to teach.
In 1994, on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the church, Moon announced that the era of the Unification Church had ended, and that it had become the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification - members of other religions would be welcome to join in the work of reconciliation and world peace, and would be allowed to take part in Blessing Ceremonies.

Moon is probably most famous for conducting mass marriages (Blessing Ceremonies) of hundreds of young couples who became involved in his religion. These are more than physical marriages, and are regarded as lifting the couple out of the sinful lineage of humanity and grafting them into God's sinless lineage.
The Unification Church became politically active, particularly in the USA, and managed to buy control of a number of newspapers, including the Washington Times. However, in 1982 Moon was hit by scandal when he was convicted of criminal conspiracy and for filing false federal income tax forms. He was fined and sent to prison, though the National Council of Churches and many leaders of other denominations spoke in his defense. The case became a focus of debate on freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

In 2001 a further controversy erupted when the Roman Catholic archbishop (and so required to remain celibate by his priestly vows) Emmanuel Milingo took part in a Unification Church Blessing Ceremony (marriage) with a Korean lady. Pope John Paul II recalled the archbishop to the Vatican, and told him to leave his "wife" and retire to a monastery. Moon went on a hunger strike in protest, and Milingo founded a movement for the removal of the requirement for celibacy for Roman Catholic priests. Milingo was eventually excommunicated for further disobedience to the Roman Catholic Church, and founded his own church in Africa.
At the age of 88, in 2008, Moon appointed his youngest son to be the leader of the Movement, and his daughter to be the president of the Unification Church of the United States.

Moon died in 2012, and his widow Hak Ja Han became the spiritual leader of the church, a function which she still performs.

Members of the Church recite a "Family Pledge" on their equivalent of a Sabbath, "The Day of Settlement and Attendance" which occurs every 8 days, in which they pledge to build the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth, by centering on true love.
They do not believe in reincarnation or in damnation, but teach that humans will live for ever in fellowship with God. At death a spiritual body will go to the invisible world and live there for ever, growing wiser. There will still be family and other relationships with those still living on earth.

Moon and other deceased members of his family are believed to send messages from the spirit realm to his followers. Moon and his wife are regarded as the True Parents of humanity, and their children are referred to as the True Children. The church teaches that, had Jesus not been crucified, He would have married and raised a True Family to perfect the world.

The symbol of the the movement is the "Tongil" (Korean for Unity) and is used on the flag of Cheon II Guk ("The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth"). The central circle represents God, the twelve lines represent the twelve types of human personalities, the square represents the four directions of the compass and the foundation centered on God, and the outer circle represents the reciprocal action between the visible and invisible worlds.

Unitarianism grew out of the Protestant Reformation in Europe in the 16th century.
The first Unitarian congregation in England was founded in 1774
The Universalist Church of America was founded in 1793, and the American Unitarian Association in 1825. These two organizations merged in 1961, to form the Unitarian Universalist Association

In 1819 William Ellery Channing preached a sermon on "Unitarian Christianity" which set out the basic tenets for the American church

There is no Unitarian creed - there is no list of things necessary for a Unitarian to believe.
Unitarians stress individual freedom of belief (anyone can believe or disbelieve anything), but they generally agree on the brotherhood of humanity and that everyone can seek truth and meaning for themselves, using their intellect, their conscience, and their own experience of life.
Not all Unitarians believe in God; some relate to God as the Father-Mother; others relate to God as the Holy Spirit
Unitarians typically believe that Jesus was a man, was not divine, and did not rise from the dead

Unity School of Christianity was founded by Charles and Myrtle (Mary Caroline) Fillmore in 1903, after Myrtle Fillmore experienced a healing or "mind cure".
Charles Sherlock Fillmore (1854-1948) broke his hip when he was 10, and this left him disabled for life. He did not receive much education, but did read widely, and became interested in spiritualism, metaphysics, and Eastern religions.
In 1881 he married Mary Caroline Page, and in 1886 the couple started attending New Thought classes given by Dr. E. B. Weeks. Myrtle had had chronic TB, but she experienced a healing which she attributed to prayer and to the methods she had learned in Weeks' classes. Charles, too, began to feel some healing, and he also credited his philosophy with the healing.
In 1889 the Fillmores started publishing a periodical, "Modern Thought", and in 1890 they started a prayer group which later became "Silent Unity". In 1891 they published the first edition of the magazine "Unity", and Dr. Emilie Cady published "Lessons in Truth" in the magazine. These were later collected and published as a book which became the source of inspiration for Fillmore's followers. Fillmore's students wanted to form a more organized group, and in 1906 Charles and Myrtle Fillmore were ordained as some of the first Unity ministers.
Myrtle Fillmore died in 1931 and Charles married again in 1933. He died in 1948, but the movement continued to grow through its publications and radio broadcasts. The movement is run from Unity World Headquarters, in Unity Village. It seems to make most of its money by radio appeals and regular contributions for the magazine.

Unity stresses the "Christ Spirit" which will live in us and bring health and happiness. "Sin" is thought of as a separation from God in our consciousness, so there is no real need of a Redeemer.
One of the distinguishing features of Unity publications is that they very rarely mention the name of Jesus. They speak very often of "The Christ Spirit" and "The Spirit of Christ in you", but they make very little reference to a Person named Jesus.

The Worldwide Church of God or The Radio Church of God
now known as Grace Communion International

The Radio Church of God was founded by Herbert W. Armstrong (1092-1986) in 1933, and renamed the Worldwide Church of God in 1968. Armstrong was born into a Quaker family, but became an ordained minister of an Adventist group, the Church of God (Seventh Day). He started a radio ministry which was a forerunner of current religious programming. It started in 1934 as a broadcast Church Service, with hymn singing and a sermon/message from Armstrong promoting a return, not only to a Saturday Sabbath, but also to many of the Jewish Laws.
Armstrong also started a printed magazine, Plain Truth in 1934, which served to promote his message and his popularity. He identified Hitler and Mussolini as the Beast and the False Prophet of the Book of Revelation, and prophesied that the war to come (WWII) would center on Jerusalem, would involve all the nations of the world, and would end with the return of Jesus Christ.
In 1946 Armstrong incorporated his ministry legally as the Radio Church of God. In 1947 he opened Ambassador College to train young people for work in his church. In 1953 the radio ministry opened a branch in Europe, and in 1956 Armstrong published a book in which he prophesied that there would be a nuclear war leading to the enslavement of humanity and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Following this, membership of the church grew quickly, and in 1968 it was renamed the Worldwide Church of God.
Armstrong's teachings included the belief that the USA and Britain were the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, and that they would be key players in the End Times. He rejected the doctrines of the Trinity and of Heaven and Hell, and taught that God was building a family which members of the church could join. He advocated observance of the Biblical Sabbath, the Jewish Feasts of the year, and the Jewish dietary restrictions. He declared that God is the one who heals, and doctors should not prescribe drugs but recommend a proper diet; he held that medical science was of pagan origin and should be avoided. He told his followers not to go to doctors, and this resulted in several deaths - including that of his father.
In the post-WWII years, Armstrong prophesied that a German politician (whom he identified by name) would become the F�hrer of a United States of Europe, and start WWIII against the US and UK some time between 1972 and 1975.
Armstrong became more authoritarian and totalitarian. He taught the God only works through "one man at a time" - and he was God's selected representative on earth and apostle for the 20th century. He declared that his was the only true Church, and all other churches were demonic counterfeits. Anyone who questioned his doctrine would lose salvation and be cast into the Lake of Fire on the Day of Judgment. Members were publicly shamed and disfellowshipped at Sabbath Services when suspected of any kind of disloyalty, but still the church grew. An extreme view of tithing was enforced : a member of the church had to contribute 10% of his gross income to the church, and save another 10% for travel to the church's annual feast day, the Feast of Tabernacles. Every three years, members had to give another 10% for a fund designated for widows and orphans of the church. In addition, there were seven High Holy Days in the year, at which members were asked to give extra offerings, and every month there would be a letter sent to all church members and contacts of the radio and television programs, claiming great financial need and asking for contributions.
In reality, the Armstrong empire included headquarters in Pasadena, estimated to be worth $300 million, Armstrong and several leaders had mansions in the Millionaire's Row area of Pasadena, and the Ambassador Auditorium which Armstrong was building included rare woods and onyx, gilt ceilings, and chandeliers which had belonged to the Shah of Persia.
The decline of the empire started in 1970, when several members split to form their own Churches, mostly retaining some version of "Church of God" in their names. Members were expecting the Last Days to arrive in 1972. When that did not happen, Armstrong declared that his prophecy had not been fulfilled because members were not faithful enough, and that he had been appointed to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world before Jesus would return. For this Armstrong needed more money, to meet with world leaders and present expensive gifts to them and preach to them - which he did until he died in 1986.
Armstrong's son, Garner Ted Armstrong, had been put in charge of the radio and television broadcasts. However, he was disfellowshipped by his father in 1972, and again in 1978, for reasons which were said to be doctrinal, but which were later said to be because of gambling and multiple sexual relationships with women, including students at the Church's Ambassador College. Garner Ted Armstrong then founded the Church of God International in Tyler, Texas, and brought charges with the State of California against his father of misuse of church funds. The situation was further complicated by Herbert Armstrong's daughter Dorothy Matson siding with Garner Ted and accusing her father of sexual molestation when she was a child. As a result Armstrong's (second) wife divorced him. The financial mess was aired on television documentaries, with accusations and counter accusations broadcast widely.
In 1986 Herbert Armstrong died, and in 1988 the leaders of the Church began to revise his teachings to bring them more into line with mainstream evangelical Christianity. In 1995 the change in doctrine was made public, and many members left to form splinter groups which held to some of Armstrong's teachings. In 2009 the name of the denomination was changed to Grace Communion International.

Dr. Rollinson

Station 19, ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated : May 30, 2022

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