Church Universal and Triumphant
Encyclopedia
Church Universal and Triumphant is an international New Age
religious organization founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet
. It is an outgrowth (and is now the corporate parent) of The Summit Lighthouse
, founded in 1958 by Prophet's husband, Mark L. Prophet
. Its beliefs reflect features of the traditions of Theosophy
and New Thought
.
Especially in its peak controversial years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Church Universal and Triumphant received criticism as a "cult
," though academic studies rejected the negative stereotype.
" to refer to Catholics in Heaven. The name "Church Universal and Triumphant" was announced by Elizabeth Clare Prophet on February 10, 1974, in a message purported to be from Pope John XXIII
(referred to by the Church Universal and Triumphant as the "Ascended Master Johannes
"). In 1919 Alice A. Bailey, in what some students of esotericism
view as a reference to the future organization, prophesied that the religion of the New Age would appear by the end of the 20th century and that it would be called the Church Universal.
The church's theology is a syncretistic
belief system, including elements of Buddhism
, Christianity
, esoteric mysticism
, the paranormal
and alchemy
, with a belief in angel
s, elves, fairies, and other beings it calls elementals (or spirits of nature). It centers on communications supposedly received from Ascended Master
s through the Holy Spirit
. Many of the Ascended Masters, such as Sanat Kumara
, Maitreya
, Djwal Khul
, El Morya, Kuthumi
, Paul the Venetian
, Serapis Bey
, the Master Hilarion
, the Master Jesus
and Saint Germain
, have their roots in Theosophy and the writings of Madame Blavatsky
, C.W. Leadbeater, and Alice A. Bailey. Others, such as Buddha
and Confucius
, are historical religious figures. Some, such as Lanto, Lady Master Nada
, Godfre, Lady Master Lotus, and Lanello, are Ascended Masters who were first identified as such by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. All in all, she identified more than 200 new Ascended Masters that were not identified as Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
in the original teachings of Theosophy.
Mark Prophet, and later his wife, claimed to be Messengers of the Ascended Masters. As such they are able to communicate with the Masters and deliver their instruction to the world. Dictations described as coming directly from the Masters were published weekly as Pearls of Wisdom.
Group members practice prayers, affirmations, mantras and a dynamic form of prayer known as "decrees". These serve many purposes: devotion, calling on angels for protection, calling forth the light of God on the earth, praying for healing, for wisdom, seeking to know God's will and for the transmutation of negative karma. One of the most important decrees is the Violet
Flame Decree, claimed to be the most effective method of balancing karma
built up in the past. The doctrine of the Seven Rays
is also taught, as well as teachings about the chakra
s and reincarnation
.
In the summer of 1993, a team of academic specialists conducted an interdisciplinary study of the church and its members. They published their results in "Church Universal and Triumphant in Scholarly Perspective," edited by James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton.
. In 1952 Prophet founded a group known as the Ashram, sending out periodic letters received from the Ascended Masters, in particular El Morya. In about 1956 Mark Prophet came in contact with The Bridge to Freedom
, an offshoot of the I AM Activity led by Geraldine Innocente
. Innocente had been a member of the I AM Activity, but left in 1951 to begin her own group. Prophet studied with the Bridge until 1958 while also continuing with his own Ashram group. On August 7, 1958, Mark sent the final communication to the members of the Ashram, announcing the establishment of The Summit Lighthouse. The founding meeting of The Summit Lighthouse was held in Philadelphia on August 7, 1958. The headquarters was in Washington, D.C.
In 1961, Mark met Elizabeth Clare Wulf; they married in 1964 and had four children. Wulf, subsequently Elizabeth Clare Prophet, had grown up under influences including New Thought and Christian Science
.
In January 1966, the Prophets moved their church to Colorado Springs, CO. In 1970, a second major center of the organization was established in Santa Barbara, California. The first session of Ascended Master University – a religious study center for teaching of the ancient wisdom – was held there in July 1970. (Ascended Master University was later renamed Summit University.)
On November 2, 1971, the church opened a branch of Montessori International, a private school based on the principles of Italian educator Maria Montessori
. In later years, the school was expanded to provide a full program from preschool to Grade 12. On May 1, 1972, the church opened the Four Winds Organic Center in Colorado Springs, a health food store and organic restaurant. On February 26, 1973, Mark Prophet passed on, leaving his wife as leader.
Church Universal and Triumphant was incorporated as a part of the organization on May 1, 1975. The organization moved its headquarters to Pasadena, California, in 1976. In 1978, it moved to "Camelot," a 218 acre (0.88221548 km²) property in the Santa Monica Mountains, outside of Los Angeles.
In 1981, the organization purchased a 12000 acres (48.6 km²) property in Montana
, on the northern border of Yellowstone National Park
, which it named the Royal Teton Ranch. Camelot was sold and the organization moved its headquarters to Montana in 1986.
The church became well known during the late 1980s when it predicted the possibility of nuclear war
at the end of that decade. Members were urged to prepare by building fallout shelter
s and supplying them with food and other necessities. The predicted date of the nuclear war was April 23, 1990. When nuclear war failed to occur, Prophet claimed that the community had averted the war through their prayers. Some adherents were left in debt or bankruptcy. Since then church membership has fallen in the United States. However, the C.U.T. remains a significant presence in the area of its headquarters, and centers continue to be active in large cities across the nation. During this period, international membership has grown significantly.
With its decline in U.S. membership and changes in employment laws for non-profit organizations, the church was forced to downsize its headquarters staff in the late 1990s and the first years of the 2000s. In July 1996 Elizabeth Clare Prophet handed over the day-to-day running of the organization to a new president and board of directors, who oversaw this major restructuring of operations at the church headquarters. Portions of the Royal Teton were sold to the U.S. government as part of a complex sale and land-exchange agreement. A second large property that had been purchased in 1983 was sold on the open market, along with other smaller landholdings.
Due to health reasons, Prophet retired in 1999.
Controversy in the 1990s also emerged when it was discovered the Church Universal and Triumphant was amassing a very large cache of weapons. This discovery seemed to be at odds with the Church Universal and Triumphant's message to outsiders as a place of peace and harmony. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, state, and local law enforcement agencies subsequently investigated this area and found the Church Universal and Triumphant's Leaders, including Elisabeth Clare Prophet's husband, to have been complicit in obtaining and hoarding weapons.
in the late 1990s, and by December 2008, she was living in Bozeman, Montana
under house care. This led to the church coming under the direction of a two-person presidency with a board of directors
and a council of elders. She died October 16, 2009 at the age of 70. Prophet's legal guardian, Murray Steinman, says she suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease and died at her apartment Thursday night.
In recent years several individuals have come forward claiming to deliver dictations from the Ascended Masters, Archangels, and Elohim. Former CUT minister Monroe Shearer and his wife, former member Carolyn, founded a new activity in 1995, The Temple of The Presence, now based in Tucson, Arizona
. Another former church official, David C. Lewis, claimed to be delivering dictations by some of the same Ascended Masters named in Church Universal and Triumphant as well as other Ascended Masters unmentioned before. Now based in Livingston, Montana, Lewis claimed that the process for how one applies to be a Messenger has never been made public and that the elder to whom he submitted his application told him "there won't be any more messengers." Therefore, in 2005 he set up his own new Ascended Master Teachings group called The Hearts Center which is headquartered in Livingston, Montana
, very close to the headquarters of the Church Universal and Triumphant in Corwin Springs, Montana.
Organizations that recognize the Summit Lighthouse include The Temple of The Presence.
The Shearers have dismissed Lewis's claim to being a Messenger, as Elizabeth Clare Prophet dismissed the Shearers' claim, and as the leader of The Bridge to Freedom
, Geraldine Innocente, dismissed the claim of The Summit Lighthouse founder Mark L. Prophet
.
CUT continues to hold quarterly retreats at the Royal Teton Ranch and to hold Summit University sessions around the world. Retreats for teens and young adults are held internationally twice a year.
many times by various musical artists—mainly in electronic
genres. Among the most prominent of these:
Avant-garde
sludge metal
band The Body utilizes a sample of the Church's rhythmic chanting on the song "Empty Hearth" frm their 2010 album All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood.
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
religious organization founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Elizabeth Clare Prophet was an American spiritual author and lecturer who was the leader of The Summit Lighthouse and Church Universal and Triumphant, a New Age religious movement which gained media attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s while preparing for potential nuclear disaster.During...
. It is an outgrowth (and is now the corporate parent) of The Summit Lighthouse
The Summit Lighthouse
The Summit Lighthouse is an international New Age spiritual organization founded in 1958 by Mark L. Prophet. Today it is the outreach arm of Church Universal and Triumphant, founded in 1975 by Prophet's wife, Elizabeth Clare Prophet...
, founded in 1958 by Prophet's husband, Mark L. Prophet
Mark L. Prophet
Mark L. Prophet was an American born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He claimed to be a Messenger of the Ascended Masters and founded The Summit Lighthouse organization on August 7, 1958 in Washington D.C..-Family life:...
. Its beliefs reflect features of the traditions of Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
and New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
.
Especially in its peak controversial years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Church Universal and Triumphant received criticism as a "cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
," though academic studies rejected the negative stereotype.
Name
The Catholic Church originated the phrase "Church TriumphantChurch militant and church triumphant
In Christian theology, the Christian Church, or Church Universal, is traditionally divided into:*the Church Militant , comprising Christians on earth who are living; christian militia, who struggle against sin, devil and "..the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in...
" to refer to Catholics in Heaven. The name "Church Universal and Triumphant" was announced by Elizabeth Clare Prophet on February 10, 1974, in a message purported to be from Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
(referred to by the Church Universal and Triumphant as the "Ascended Master Johannes
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
"). In 1919 Alice A. Bailey, in what some students of esotericism
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
view as a reference to the future organization, prophesied that the religion of the New Age would appear by the end of the 20th century and that it would be called the Church Universal.
Membership
The membership apparently peaked at about 10,000 active participants, but sharply declined following a series of crises and controversies in the early to mid-1990s. Elizabeth Clare Prophet estimated in 1985 that church members numbered between 75,000 and 150,000. Gordon Melton, a leading authority on new religions in the United States, estimated membership in 1993 at between 30,000 and 50,000.Theology
Gordon Melton lists the Church Universal and Triumphant as a religion of the Ancient Wisdom tradition akin to Theosophy and The "I AM" Activity.The church's theology is a syncretistic
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
belief system, including elements of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, esoteric mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
and alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, with a belief in angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s, elves, fairies, and other beings it calls elementals (or spirits of nature). It centers on communications supposedly received from Ascended Master
Ascended master
Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom or "Mahatmas", though they differ in important aspects...
s through the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
. Many of the Ascended Masters, such as Sanat Kumara
Sanat Kumara
According to the post-1900 publications of Theosophy, i.e. the writings of C. W. Leadbeater, Alice A. Bailey, and Benjamin Creme, as well as the Ascended Master Teachings of Guy Ballard, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Geraldine Innocente, Joshua David Stone, and other Ascended Master Teachings teachers,...
, Maitreya
Maitreya (Theosophy)
Maitreya or Lord Maitreya is described in Theosophical literature of the late 19th-century and subsequent periods as an advanced spiritual entity and high-ranking member of a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom...
, Djwal Khul
Djwal Khul
Djwal Khul , is believed by some Theosophists and others to be a Tibetan disciple in the tradition of ancient esoteric spirituality known as The Ageless Wisdom tradition...
, El Morya, Kuthumi
Kuthumi
The Master Kuthumi, sometimes spelled Koot Hoomi, Kut Humi, rarely Kut-Hu-Mi, Master K.H., or simply K.H. in Theosophy, is regarded as one of the "Masters of the Ancient Wisdom." According to Theosophy, Kuthumi is considered to be one of the members of the Spiritual Hierarchy called the Masters of...
, Paul the Venetian
Paul the Venetian
Paul the Venetian is one of the "Masters of the Ancient Wisdom" in the teachings of Theosophy and is regarded as one of the ascended masters in the Ascended Master Teachings . He is regarded as the Master of the Third Ray...
, Serapis Bey
Serapis Bey
Serapis Bey , sometimes written as Serapis, is regarded in Theosophy as being one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom; and in the Ascended Master Teachings is considered to be an Ascended Master and member of the Great White Brotherhood. He is regarded as the Chohan of the Fourth Ray . C.W...
, the Master Hilarion
Master Hilarion
The Master Hilarion, in the teachings of Theosophy is one of the "Masters of the Ancient Wisdom" and in the Ascended Master Teachings is one of the Ascended Masters . He is considered to be the Chohan of the Fifth Ray...
, the Master Jesus
Master Jesus
The Master Jesus in Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, refers to the theosophical concept of Jesus as opposed to the Jesus Christ of the Christian religion.-Position in the Hierarchy of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom:...
and Saint Germain
St. Germain (Theosophy)
Also see Count of St. Germain for more information.The Count of St. Germain has been variously described in secular histories as a courtier, adventurer, charlatan, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist and amateur composer. Under the name "St...
, have their roots in Theosophy and the writings of Madame Blavatsky
Madame Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky , was a theosophist, writer and traveler. Between 1848 and 1875 Blavatsky had gone around the world three times. In 1875, Blavatsky together with Colonel H. S. Olcott established the Theosophical Society...
, C.W. Leadbeater, and Alice A. Bailey. Others, such as Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
and Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
, are historical religious figures. Some, such as Lanto, Lady Master Nada
Lady Master Nada
In the Ascended Master Teachings, a group of religions based on Theosophy, Lady Master Nada is the "Chohan of the Sixth Ray" , and is the Ascended Lady Master governing humanity's development of the Divine Qualities of Ministration, Service, and Peace. The colors of her Ray are purple and gold, and...
, Godfre, Lady Master Lotus, and Lanello, are Ascended Masters who were first identified as such by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. All in all, she identified more than 200 new Ascended Masters that were not identified as Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom are reputed to be enlightened beings originally identified by the Theosophists Helena Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, Alfred P. Sinnett, and others. These Theosophists claimed to have met some of the so-called Masters during their lifetimes in different parts of the...
in the original teachings of Theosophy.
Mark Prophet, and later his wife, claimed to be Messengers of the Ascended Masters. As such they are able to communicate with the Masters and deliver their instruction to the world. Dictations described as coming directly from the Masters were published weekly as Pearls of Wisdom.
Group members practice prayers, affirmations, mantras and a dynamic form of prayer known as "decrees". These serve many purposes: devotion, calling on angels for protection, calling forth the light of God on the earth, praying for healing, for wisdom, seeking to know God's will and for the transmutation of negative karma. One of the most important decrees is the Violet
Violet (color)
As the name of a color, violet is synonymous with a bluish purple, when the word "purple" is used in the common English language sense of any color between blue and red, not including either blue or red...
Flame Decree, claimed to be the most effective method of balancing karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
built up in the past. The doctrine of the Seven Rays
Seven Rays
The seven rays is an occult concept that has appeared in several religions and esoteric philosophies, since at least the 6th century BCE, of the Aryan peoples in both Western culture and in India...
is also taught, as well as teachings about the chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
s and reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
.
In the summer of 1993, a team of academic specialists conducted an interdisciplinary study of the church and its members. They published their results in "Church Universal and Triumphant in Scholarly Perspective," edited by James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton.
History
Mark Prophet claims he was first contacted by the Ascended Masters at the age of 18. In 1945 he joined the Rosicrucians under Max Heindel, working in a branch in Saint Louis, Missouri. He later affiliated with the Self-Realization FellowshipSelf-Realization Fellowship
Self-Realization Fellowship / Yogoda Satsanga Society of India is a worldwide spiritual organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920 and based in Mount Washington in Los Angeles, California....
. In 1952 Prophet founded a group known as the Ashram, sending out periodic letters received from the Ascended Masters, in particular El Morya. In about 1956 Mark Prophet came in contact with The Bridge to Freedom
The Bridge to Freedom
The Bridge to Freedom, an Ascended Master Teachings religion, was established in 1951 by Geraldine Innocente and other Students of the Ascended Masters, after she received what was believed to be an "anointing" to become a "messenger" for the Great White Brotherhood. This organization believed...
, an offshoot of the I AM Activity led by Geraldine Innocente
Geraldine Innocente
Geraldine Innocente is the founder of a New Age church she named The Bridge to Freedom, which was established in 1951 by her and other Students of the Ascended Masters, after she received what was believed to be an Anointing to become a Messenger for the Great White Brotherhood in 1944...
. Innocente had been a member of the I AM Activity, but left in 1951 to begin her own group. Prophet studied with the Bridge until 1958 while also continuing with his own Ashram group. On August 7, 1958, Mark sent the final communication to the members of the Ashram, announcing the establishment of The Summit Lighthouse. The founding meeting of The Summit Lighthouse was held in Philadelphia on August 7, 1958. The headquarters was in Washington, D.C.
In 1961, Mark met Elizabeth Clare Wulf; they married in 1964 and had four children. Wulf, subsequently Elizabeth Clare Prophet, had grown up under influences including New Thought and Christian Science
Christian Science
Christian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,...
.
In January 1966, the Prophets moved their church to Colorado Springs, CO. In 1970, a second major center of the organization was established in Santa Barbara, California. The first session of Ascended Master University – a religious study center for teaching of the ancient wisdom – was held there in July 1970. (Ascended Master University was later renamed Summit University.)
On November 2, 1971, the church opened a branch of Montessori International, a private school based on the principles of Italian educator Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator, a noted humanitarian and devout Catholic best known for the philosophy of education which bears her name...
. In later years, the school was expanded to provide a full program from preschool to Grade 12. On May 1, 1972, the church opened the Four Winds Organic Center in Colorado Springs, a health food store and organic restaurant. On February 26, 1973, Mark Prophet passed on, leaving his wife as leader.
Church Universal and Triumphant was incorporated as a part of the organization on May 1, 1975. The organization moved its headquarters to Pasadena, California, in 1976. In 1978, it moved to "Camelot," a 218 acre (0.88221548 km²) property in the Santa Monica Mountains, outside of Los Angeles.
In 1981, the organization purchased a 12000 acres (48.6 km²) property in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, on the northern border of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
, which it named the Royal Teton Ranch. Camelot was sold and the organization moved its headquarters to Montana in 1986.
The church became well known during the late 1980s when it predicted the possibility of nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
at the end of that decade. Members were urged to prepare by building fallout shelter
Fallout shelter
A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War....
s and supplying them with food and other necessities. The predicted date of the nuclear war was April 23, 1990. When nuclear war failed to occur, Prophet claimed that the community had averted the war through their prayers. Some adherents were left in debt or bankruptcy. Since then church membership has fallen in the United States. However, the C.U.T. remains a significant presence in the area of its headquarters, and centers continue to be active in large cities across the nation. During this period, international membership has grown significantly.
With its decline in U.S. membership and changes in employment laws for non-profit organizations, the church was forced to downsize its headquarters staff in the late 1990s and the first years of the 2000s. In July 1996 Elizabeth Clare Prophet handed over the day-to-day running of the organization to a new president and board of directors, who oversaw this major restructuring of operations at the church headquarters. Portions of the Royal Teton were sold to the U.S. government as part of a complex sale and land-exchange agreement. A second large property that had been purchased in 1983 was sold on the open market, along with other smaller landholdings.
Due to health reasons, Prophet retired in 1999.
Controversy
During the late 80s and early 90s, articles and letters critical of the church were published in the local newspapers of the Livingston Enterprise and the Bozeman Chronicle. The newspaper articles frequently labeled Church Universal and Triumphant as being a cult. The church has usually been labeled a cult by both religious and secular groups. Several of the letters were written by former Church members who raised lawsuits against the church.Controversy in the 1990s also emerged when it was discovered the Church Universal and Triumphant was amassing a very large cache of weapons. This discovery seemed to be at odds with the Church Universal and Triumphant's message to outsiders as a place of peace and harmony. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, state, and local law enforcement agencies subsequently investigated this area and found the Church Universal and Triumphant's Leaders, including Elisabeth Clare Prophet's husband, to have been complicit in obtaining and hoarding weapons.
Recent news
Elizabeth Prophet developed Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in the late 1990s, and by December 2008, she was living in Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
under house care. This led to the church coming under the direction of a two-person presidency with a board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
and a council of elders. She died October 16, 2009 at the age of 70. Prophet's legal guardian, Murray Steinman, says she suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease and died at her apartment Thursday night.
In recent years several individuals have come forward claiming to deliver dictations from the Ascended Masters, Archangels, and Elohim. Former CUT minister Monroe Shearer and his wife, former member Carolyn, founded a new activity in 1995, The Temple of The Presence, now based in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. Another former church official, David C. Lewis, claimed to be delivering dictations by some of the same Ascended Masters named in Church Universal and Triumphant as well as other Ascended Masters unmentioned before. Now based in Livingston, Montana, Lewis claimed that the process for how one applies to be a Messenger has never been made public and that the elder to whom he submitted his application told him "there won't be any more messengers." Therefore, in 2005 he set up his own new Ascended Master Teachings group called The Hearts Center which is headquartered in Livingston, Montana
Livingston, Montana
-Geography:Livingston is located at , at an altitude of 4.501 feet .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 0.38% is waters.-Climate:-Demographics:...
, very close to the headquarters of the Church Universal and Triumphant in Corwin Springs, Montana.
Organizations that recognize the Summit Lighthouse include The Temple of The Presence.
The Shearers have dismissed Lewis's claim to being a Messenger, as Elizabeth Clare Prophet dismissed the Shearers' claim, and as the leader of The Bridge to Freedom
The Bridge to Freedom
The Bridge to Freedom, an Ascended Master Teachings religion, was established in 1951 by Geraldine Innocente and other Students of the Ascended Masters, after she received what was believed to be an "anointing" to become a "messenger" for the Great White Brotherhood. This organization believed...
, Geraldine Innocente, dismissed the claim of The Summit Lighthouse founder Mark L. Prophet
Mark L. Prophet
Mark L. Prophet was an American born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He claimed to be a Messenger of the Ascended Masters and founded The Summit Lighthouse organization on August 7, 1958 in Washington D.C..-Family life:...
.
CUT continues to hold quarterly retreats at the Royal Teton Ranch and to hold Summit University sessions around the world. Retreats for teens and young adults are held internationally twice a year.
Literature
- A fictionalized and changed Church Universal and Triumphant figures in The Emberverse seriesThe Emberverse seriesEmberverse, or Change World, is a series of post-apocalyptic alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels depict the events following "The Change", which caused electricity, guns, explosives, internal combustion engines, and steam power to stop working...
by S.M. Stirling.
Music
Since a recording by the church entitled "Invocation for Judgement Against and Destruction of Rock Music" appeared on the record Sounds of American Doomsday Cults Volume 14, it has been sampledSampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
many times by various musical artists—mainly in electronic
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
genres. Among the most prominent of these:
- NegativlandNegativlandNegativland is an experimental music and sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! song, while their record label is named after another Neu! song...
, in "Michael Jackson", from the 1987 album Escape from NoiseEscape from NoiseEscape from Noise is a 1987 album by Negativland. It marked the band's first break on an established independent record label, SST Records. On this album, they continued to develop their experimental style. The group also incorporated elements of pop music with shorter tracks and more conventional...
; a remix by Fatboy SlimFatboy SlimNorman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
appears on his album Better Living Through ChemistryBetter Living Through Chemistry (album)Better Living Through Chemistry is the first studio album by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released on 23 September 1996. Its name is a variation of a DuPont advertising slogan; for more information on the slogan, see "Better Living Through Chemistry".The founder of Skint Records, Damian...
. Negativland also sampled Elizabeth decreeing against various record companies, particularly Island Records, on 1995's Copyright Infringement Is Your Best Entertainment Value, which was included with Fair Use: The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2Fair Use: The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2Fair Use: The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2 is a 270 page book and ten track CD released in 1995 by Negativland detailing their lawsuits with U2's record label Island Records for their EP U2, including many legal documents and correspondences....
. - MyloMyloMyles MacInnes , better known by the stage name Mylo, is a Scottish electronic musician and record producer.-Career:...
, in the title track of the album Destroy Rock & RollDestroy Rock & RollDestroy Rock & Roll is the first album by Scottish record producer and DJ Mylo, released in 2004. The album was re-released in 2005, containing a new remix of "Drop the Pressure", called "Doctor Pressure" , which was also released as a single... - O.S.I., in "Set It On Fire", from the album FreeFree (OSI album)Free is the second album by American progressive rock band OSI, released by InsideOut Music on April 21, 2006.Guitarist Jim Matheos and keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore decided to work on a follow-up to Office of Strategic Influence after the two found they both had holes in their schedules....
Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
band The Body utilizes a sample of the Church's rhythmic chanting on the song "Empty Hearth" frm their 2010 album All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood.
Radio Documentary
- Violet Flame, an hour long two part documentary, was originally recorded and produced by Brenda HutchinsonBrenda HutchinsonBrenda Hutchinson is a composer and sound artist who has created a body of work she calls "collaborating with strangers." Hutchinson encourages her participants to experiment with sound, share stories, and make music...
for New American Radio in the Winter of 1993. Hutchinson lived for three months at the headquarters for the Church Universal and Triumphant where she met and recorded members of the Church. The piece explores the political and religious philosophy from over 40 hours of recordings of chanting, services, rituals and the recorded stories and conversations with Church members and Officials, including Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Brenda revisited the Church ten years later, primarily to interview the growing and grown children she first met during her earlier visit. This New Violet Flame was commissioned and first broadcast on National Public Radio by Soundprint in 2002. It was awarded The Gracie Allen Award for short documentary from the American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) in 2003.
Non-fiction books
- Kenneth and Talita Paolini, parents of Inheritance cycleInheritance CycleThe Inheritance Cycle is a series of fantasy novels by Christopher Paolini. It was previously titled the Inheritance Trilogy until Paolini's announcement on October 30, 2007 that there would be a fourth book...
author Christopher PaoliniChristopher PaoliniChristopher Paolini is an American author. He is best known as the author of the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance...
, were once members but later left the organisation. They have since written the book 400 Years of Imaginary Friends: A Journey Into the World of Adepts, Masters, Ascended Masters, and Their Messengers, which discussed their experiences of the sect as well as a history of it related to other groups.
External links
- Church Universal and Triumphant official information http://tsl.org/about-2/church-universal-and-triumphant/
- The Summit Lighthouse official site http://tsl.org