Lord Our Righteousness Church
Encyclopedia
The Lord Our Righteousness Church, sometimes called Strong City, is a religious community near Travesser Park, Union County, New Mexico
. It originated with a group of about eighty adherents who migrated to the area from Sandpoint, Idaho
in 2000. In 2008, the community consisted of approximately fifty people. The community believes in modesty of dress and the women wear long skirts and dresses, and reportedly mix well with the local people.
Its leader Wayne Bent, born May 18, 1941, is known as Michael Travesser within the church. Bent, once a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, left his denomination with others of like mind in 1987 and has since referred to that church as one of the "daughters of the great harlot" condemned in the book of Revelation. Bent claims that, during an experience in his living room in June 2000, God told him, "You are the Messiah
." Bent has since stated, "I am the embodiment of God. I am divinity and humanity combined."
The group's website has been taken down several times and reinstated. It contains frequently-updated writings and videos, including a nearly two-hour long documentary entitled Experiencing the Finished Work.
Three years later, The End of the World Cult, a documentary, aired on Channel 4
in the UK. It covers Bent's announcement that the Day of Judgment began on October 31, 2007. Bent chose that date after calculating a Biblical prophecy number (490) and adding it to the year 1517, when the Protestant Reformation
began, yielding 2007 as a result. The specific date, October 31, comes from the day that Martin Luther
posted his 95 Theses
.
"Inside a Cult" was shown on the Four Corners program on the ABC in Australia. Inside a Cult was also broadcast on the National Geographic Channel
in the United States; this version is shorter and uses the same footage as the one mentioned above, but with some interviews with cult experts. The church has stated that the National Geographic documentary was highly inaccurate and inflammatory in nature.
hearing the case has issued a gag order
, and state officials have provided no further details of the investigation.Accusations Against Sect in New Mexico, May 4, 2008. Associated Press
report via the New York Times. Accessed May 6, 2008.
Two weeks after the children were removed and the gag order was in place, Bent was arrested by the New Mexico State Police
. The charges were three counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The ages and genders of the children in state custody were made public: a 16-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl. He was held on $500,000 bond with an arraignment
scheduled for May 8, 2008. Following his arraignment, the judge reduced the bail to $50,000; as of May 9, he remained incarcerated.
The initial charges refer to Bent having inappropriately touched three minor girls in 2006 and 2007. According to the state Department of Public Safety, one of the girls no longer lives in the community.Church leader arrested on sex charges in northeast N.M. May 6, 2008, Associated Press
report in the Washington Post. Accessed May 7, 2008.
Bent also freely admits having sexual intercourse multiple times with his son's former wife. They were divorced when this took place. Both he and his son state that "God forced Michael" to commit this act of consummation. Bent asserts that though he lay "naked with virgins" and the virgins asked him for sex, he refused.
A June 17 update from Wayne Bent/Michael Travesser's web site and other news reports state that New Mexico authorities released one of the young women previously taken from the compound from state custody.
Both the prosecution and the defense excused one judge in the case. Union County
Judge Gerald E. Baca was appointed the case on July 2, 2008. The jury trial started November 17, 2008.
An Albuquerque news station reported that as of September 11, 2009 Bent has been on hunger strike while in prison, and a judge has ordered that force-feeding
be used should it become necessary. According to the church's website, Mr. Bent entered a religious fast that takes the form of a Jubilee fast. It is also claimed that his fast is a protest of his imprisonment 'because of a lie'.
"Legally speaking, there was no grand jury convened in this case. Therefore, there was no indictment under the law… As a result, the indictment issued by the grand jury was void and the district court did not have jurisdiction to proceed with the trial in this case,"
The NM Attorney General is appealing this recent decision by the Appeals court, while Wayne Bent continues to reside in prison.
Union County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*81.7% White*1.8% Black*2.0% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.3% Two or more races*11.7% Other races*39.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. It originated with a group of about eighty adherents who migrated to the area from Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 7,365 at the 2010 census.Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest products and light manufacturing, tourism and recreation and government services...
in 2000. In 2008, the community consisted of approximately fifty people. The community believes in modesty of dress and the women wear long skirts and dresses, and reportedly mix well with the local people.
Its leader Wayne Bent, born May 18, 1941, is known as Michael Travesser within the church. Bent, once a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, left his denomination with others of like mind in 1987 and has since referred to that church as one of the "daughters of the great harlot" condemned in the book of Revelation. Bent claims that, during an experience in his living room in June 2000, God told him, "You are the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
." Bent has since stated, "I am the embodiment of God. I am divinity and humanity combined."
The group's website has been taken down several times and reinstated. It contains frequently-updated writings and videos, including a nearly two-hour long documentary entitled Experiencing the Finished Work.
UK Media coverage and subsequent documentary
British journalist Alex Hannaford first visited Strong City in 2004, investigating claims that the cult was contemplating suicide. His feature, including interviews with Wayne and Jeff Bent and various sect members, was published in the UK the same year. Hannaford later wrote a follow-up piece for the Sunday Times magazine in the UKThree years later, The End of the World Cult, a documentary, aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK. It covers Bent's announcement that the Day of Judgment began on October 31, 2007. Bent chose that date after calculating a Biblical prophecy number (490) and adding it to the year 1517, when the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
began, yielding 2007 as a result. The specific date, October 31, comes from the day that Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
posted his 95 Theses
95 Theses
The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences , commonly known as , was written by Martin Luther, 1517 and is widely regarded as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation...
.
"Inside a Cult" was shown on the Four Corners program on the ABC in Australia. Inside a Cult was also broadcast on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
in the United States; this version is shorter and uses the same footage as the one mentioned above, but with some interviews with cult experts. The church has stated that the National Geographic documentary was highly inaccurate and inflammatory in nature.
Investigation
A former church member has alleged that Bent told his congregation that "God told him that he was supposed to sleep with seven virgins," including the member's own daughters, then only 14 and 15 years old. The man, John Sayer, refused but continued to allow his youngest daughter to reside at Strong City, while the oldest chose not to return. Although he left the compound with his wife and daughters after being a church member for sixteen years, Sayer returned with his 14-year-old daughter to the cult compound a second time. According to Sayer, she was one of three minors taken into state custody for their own protection in April 2008. A New Mexico state Children, Youth and Families Department spokeswoman said that three minor teens were taken from the compound in the days after an April 22, 2008, investigation. The state judgeJudge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
hearing the case has issued a gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
, and state officials have provided no further details of the investigation.Accusations Against Sect in New Mexico, May 4, 2008. Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
report via the New York Times. Accessed May 6, 2008.
Two weeks after the children were removed and the gag order was in place, Bent was arrested by the New Mexico State Police
New Mexico State Police
The New Mexico State Police is the state police agency for New Mexico, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in New Mexico...
. The charges were three counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The ages and genders of the children in state custody were made public: a 16-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl. He was held on $500,000 bond with an arraignment
Arraignment
Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal complaint in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea...
scheduled for May 8, 2008. Following his arraignment, the judge reduced the bail to $50,000; as of May 9, he remained incarcerated.
The initial charges refer to Bent having inappropriately touched three minor girls in 2006 and 2007. According to the state Department of Public Safety, one of the girls no longer lives in the community.Church leader arrested on sex charges in northeast N.M. May 6, 2008, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
report in the Washington Post. Accessed May 7, 2008.
Bent also freely admits having sexual intercourse multiple times with his son's former wife. They were divorced when this took place. Both he and his son state that "God forced Michael" to commit this act of consummation. Bent asserts that though he lay "naked with virgins" and the virgins asked him for sex, he refused.
A June 17 update from Wayne Bent/Michael Travesser's web site and other news reports state that New Mexico authorities released one of the young women previously taken from the compound from state custody.
Both the prosecution and the defense excused one judge in the case. Union County
Union County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*81.7% White*1.8% Black*2.0% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.3% Two or more races*11.7% Other races*39.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Judge Gerald E. Baca was appointed the case on July 2, 2008. The jury trial started November 17, 2008.
Conviction
On Monday, December 15, 2008, jurors convicted Wayne Bent of one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was acquitted of a second charge of criminal sexual contact with a minor. Bent was allowed to return to Strong City, the sect's compound near Clayton, pending sentencing. On Dec 30th, Judge Gerald Baca imposed the maximum sentence of 18 years but suspended eight years. He will have to serve at least 8½ years before becoming eligible for release.An Albuquerque news station reported that as of September 11, 2009 Bent has been on hunger strike while in prison, and a judge has ordered that force-feeding
Force-feeding
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. "Gavage" is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'....
be used should it become necessary. According to the church's website, Mr. Bent entered a religious fast that takes the form of a Jubilee fast. It is also claimed that his fast is a protest of his imprisonment 'because of a lie'.
Conviction Overturned
On June 28, 2011, The NM Court of Appeals overturned all convictions against Wayne Bent. The court determined the grand jury was not legally assembled. In the unanimous 3 judge decision, Judge Roderick T. Kennedy shares the opinion of the court;"Legally speaking, there was no grand jury convened in this case. Therefore, there was no indictment under the law… As a result, the indictment issued by the grand jury was void and the district court did not have jurisdiction to proceed with the trial in this case,"
The NM Attorney General is appealing this recent decision by the Appeals court, while Wayne Bent continues to reside in prison.
See also
- MillenarianismMillenarianismMillenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society, after which all things will be changed, based on a one-thousand-year cycle. The term is more generically used to refer to any belief centered around 1000 year intervals...
- Disconfirmed expectancyDisconfirmed expectancyDisconfirmed expectancy is a psychological term for what is commonly known as a failed prophecy. It leads to a form of cognitive dissonance.Disconfirmed expectancy was illustrated by Leon Festinger in the 1956 book When Prophecy Fails...
- Doomsday cultDoomsday cultDoomsday cult is an expression used to describe groups who believe in Apocalypticism and Millenarianism, and can refer both to groups that prophesy catastrophe and destruction, and to those that attempt to bring it about...
- List of people who have claimed to be Jesus