Universal Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Universal Alliance formerly known as Universal Christian Church (Église chrétienne universelle) and followers as Christ's Witnesses (Témoins du Christ), is a Christian
-oriented new religious movement
founded in France in 1952 by Georges Roux, a former postman in the Vaucluse
department. Roux claimed to be the reincarnation
of Christ and was thus named the "Christ of Montfavet
", a village on the commune of Avignon where he lived then. He wrote three books containing the doctrines of the religious group, including the rejection of several dogmas commonly accepted by the main churches (Jesus' divinity and resurrection, Devil's existence and accuracy of the Gospels, among other things). Vegetarian diet, high degree of proselytism
and miraculous healings were the main practices of the organization. The group grew quickly in France and some other countries, counting several thousands of faithful, but memberships are currently on the decline. After Roux's death in 1981, the Universal Christian Church was replaced by the Universal Alliance, a cultural association founded in August 1983 and led by one of Roux's daughter. In the 1950s, the religious group was the subject of criticisms in the media when some faithful and their children died after having refused medical treatments, and was classified as a cult
in the 1995 parliamentary report established by the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France.
from an unbeliever father and a Catholic
mother, George Ernest Roux quickly abandoned the faith after reading Plato
n's works, and became factor in 1920. In the late 1920s, he went to Paris to try an artistic career, and composed, among other things, a poem (Le Cercle d'airain), a novel (Le toit de paille), and an one-act play (Le Bienheureux). On 12 April 1928, he married Jane Robert, and they had together six children raised in Catholicism. Then he founded a symphony orchestra and composed an opera (L'Auréole) in 1939, but the beginning of the World War II
forced him to resume service as inspector at the post office in Avignon, where it stayed until December 1953. His meticulous work earned him being appointed assistant inspector sorting of letters. In 1947, he said to have a gift of healing
and began to miraculously heal thousands of patients in his detached house named "La Préfète" in Montfavet
, bought in 1933 by his mother. He published three spirituality-related books which explained his doctrine. In 1947, then in 1950, he revealed to his family that he was the incarnation of Jesus Christ, then made it publicly known in February 1954. On 15 August 1973, Roux even claimed to be God. He died on 26 December 1981.
On 24 December 1952, Roux, then known as the Christ of Montfavet or Georges-Christ, founded the Universal Christian Church whose faithful were widely named the Christ's Witnesses. There was no hierarchical structure: the local groups were informal and autonomous, but the most important ones (in Avignon, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulon) formed associations for organizational purposes. Roux's daughters Genevieve and Jacqueline, Jacqueline's husband René Van Gerding, and René's sister Eva participated in the development of the church, while Roux lived cloistered in his property in Montfavet.
On 15 June 1983, the Universal Alliance officially replaced the Universal Christian Church. Its statutes, filed at the Prefecture of Avignon
, were modified in 2004. With about 500 subscribers, this cultural association aims to air and translate Roux's writings and to organize conferences by Jacqueline Roux.
Sociologist Régis Dericquebourg
defined the Christian Agency of Information as a "movement", the Universal Christian Church as an "ecclesia" and the Universal Alliance as a "circle". He considered the Universal Alliance a "network of thought and spirituality circles", which perpetuates Roux's teachings and has a Quaker and charismatic-related spirituality.
to officially recognize his reincarnation and sent open letter
s to priests, occultists and theosophists. Roux denied the existence of the Devil
, original sin
, Jesus' virgin birth and resurrection, and the truthfulness of the Gospels. He taught that everyone could be a healer with prayer and blessing if he had faith in him. Roux announced the Last Judgment
for 1 January 1980 at the latest and said that the Universal Alliance would have to spread across the world. In 1953, some disasters, including outs levees in Holland and earthquakes in the Greek islands, were used by the religion as proof of the proximity of the Apocalypse. According to Le Monde
, followers said in 1954 to believe in flying saucers.
According to Régis Dericquebourg, this movement presents a new version of Christianity: there is no syncretism
, but it is strongly tinged with Gnosticism
and can be described as a "Christic esotericism
". The founder was successively a mystagogue
, then a prophet, and the group was first based on a personal and prophetic charisma, then a sacramental charism, then a group charism. The group defines itself as "christian", then "christic", also developed environmentalism
and the "idea of a symbiosis between man and nature as the foundation of health and spiritual improvement".
" and ended with a meal together. The crucifix
was not used. There were five sacraments: baptism, marriage, confirmation-communion, communion of mind in meetings, and funeral. The religious group proposed, but did not required, a vegetarian diet excluding cannings, potatoes, sugar, salt, alcohol, tobacco and tea. The faithful actively participated in proselytism
by distribution of leaflets and door-to-door
, and there was sometimes stands in some fairs of major cities and parades of sandwich board
s in Paris. Several members, including veteran Jean Thos in Paris, were candidates for legislative elections of 2 January 1956; in its political program, the religious movement said wanting to follow God's will and pointed social issues as homeless, armament, exploitation of workers by employers. It obtained about 10,000 votes in six departments.
In the Universal Alliance, there is no sacrament. The meetings, now called "communion of the flesh", are composed of spontaneous dialogues under divine inspiration. Evangelism is no longer required and children attend the public school.
countries, Germany, Italy, U.S. and some countries in Africa, and shared out into fifty communities, and about 1,000 in France. Groups are mainly located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
region and the Aude
department. In the 1990s, Belgian press reported presence of followers and conferences by Jacqueline Roux in the country.
s, to justify these deaths, presenting them as "rewards offered to Christ". Deaths of adults were also mentioned in media (e.g. Willy Baruch in March 1954, Raymond Joutard in July 1954). However, Roux was never sued for unauthorized practice of medicine.
In 1995, the Universal Alliance was included in the list of cults of the report by the French parliamentary commission. In 1996, Jacqueline Roux wrote to Alain Gest
, a member of the commission, to question this classification, highlighting financial transparency, democratic nature and compliance with the law of her association.
Because of its particular doctrinal views, the religious group is criticized by main Christian churches, including evangelical associations.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
-oriented new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
founded in France in 1952 by Georges Roux, a former postman in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
department. Roux claimed to be the 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...
of Christ and was thus named the "Christ of Montfavet
Montfavet
Montfavet is a village of southern France, part of the commune of Avignon, in the Vaucluse département.In southern France, the village is well known for the psychiatric hospital located on the Mont de Vergues. Camille Claudel was a patient in this hospital...
", a village on the commune of Avignon where he lived then. He wrote three books containing the doctrines of the religious group, including the rejection of several dogmas commonly accepted by the main churches (Jesus' divinity and resurrection, Devil's existence and accuracy of the Gospels, among other things). Vegetarian diet, high degree of proselytism
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
and miraculous healings were the main practices of the organization. The group grew quickly in France and some other countries, counting several thousands of faithful, but memberships are currently on the decline. After Roux's death in 1981, the Universal Christian Church was replaced by the Universal Alliance, a cultural association founded in August 1983 and led by one of Roux's daughter. In the 1950s, the religious group was the subject of criticisms in the media when some faithful and their children died after having refused medical treatments, and was classified 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...
in the 1995 parliamentary report established by the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France.
Founder
Born on 14 June 1903 in CavaillonCavaillon
Cavaillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:The Calavon, a tributary of the Durance locally called Coulon, flows westward through the middle of the commune....
from an unbeliever father and a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
mother, George Ernest Roux quickly abandoned the faith after reading Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
n's works, and became factor in 1920. In the late 1920s, he went to Paris to try an artistic career, and composed, among other things, a poem (Le Cercle d'airain), a novel (Le toit de paille), and an one-act play (Le Bienheureux). On 12 April 1928, he married Jane Robert, and they had together six children raised in Catholicism. Then he founded a symphony orchestra and composed an opera (L'Auréole) in 1939, but the beginning of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
forced him to resume service as inspector at the post office in Avignon, where it stayed until December 1953. His meticulous work earned him being appointed assistant inspector sorting of letters. In 1947, he said to have a gift of healing
Spiritual gift
In Christianity, spiritual gifts are endowments given by the Holy Spirit. These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the church. They are described in the New Testament, primarily in , , and . also touches on the spiritual gifts...
and began to miraculously heal thousands of patients in his detached house named "La Préfète" in Montfavet
Montfavet
Montfavet is a village of southern France, part of the commune of Avignon, in the Vaucluse département.In southern France, the village is well known for the psychiatric hospital located on the Mont de Vergues. Camille Claudel was a patient in this hospital...
, bought in 1933 by his mother. He published three spirituality-related books which explained his doctrine. In 1947, then in 1950, he revealed to his family that he was the incarnation of Jesus Christ, then made it publicly known in February 1954. On 15 August 1973, Roux even claimed to be God. He died on 26 December 1981.
Organization
In the early 1950s, some followers of Roux created the Christian Agency of Information (Agence Chrétienne d'Information, ACI) in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, 18 rue d'Enghien. From 1953, they published two monthly leaflets: Lumière and Le Témoin de la vie.On 24 December 1952, Roux, then known as the Christ of Montfavet or Georges-Christ, founded the Universal Christian Church whose faithful were widely named the Christ's Witnesses. There was no hierarchical structure: the local groups were informal and autonomous, but the most important ones (in Avignon, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulon) formed associations for organizational purposes. Roux's daughters Genevieve and Jacqueline, Jacqueline's husband René Van Gerding, and René's sister Eva participated in the development of the church, while Roux lived cloistered in his property in Montfavet.
On 15 June 1983, the Universal Alliance officially replaced the Universal Christian Church. Its statutes, filed at the Prefecture of Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, were modified in 2004. With about 500 subscribers, this cultural association aims to air and translate Roux's writings and to organize conferences by Jacqueline Roux.
Sociologist Régis Dericquebourg
Régis Dericquebourg
Régis Dericquebourg is a French sociologist of religions.He wrote his thesis on Jehovah's Witnesses under the direction of Jean Seguy. He holds a doctorate in psychosociology and a postgraduate degree in clinical psychology from the Institute of Paris 7...
defined the Christian Agency of Information as a "movement", the Universal Christian Church as an "ecclesia" and the Universal Alliance as a "circle". He considered the Universal Alliance a "network of thought and spirituality circles", which perpetuates Roux's teachings and has a Quaker and charismatic-related spirituality.
Beliefs
The doctrines are contained in three books written by Roux: Journal d'un guérisseur (1950), Paroles du guérisseur (1950) and Mission divine (1951), and explained in the monthly magazine Messidor, published from 1951 to 1977. Roux presented himself as a persecuted prophet, said to be Christ and to carry out the law of love unfulfilled by God's representatives including Jesus. He wrote a strong criticism of Christian churches deemed as apostate, asked in a letter Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
to officially recognize his reincarnation and sent open letter
Open letter
An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally....
s to priests, occultists and theosophists. Roux denied the existence of the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, original sin
Original sin
Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
, Jesus' virgin birth and resurrection, and the truthfulness of the Gospels. He taught that everyone could be a healer with prayer and blessing if he had faith in him. Roux announced the Last Judgment
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of every nation. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. It will purportedly take place after the...
for 1 January 1980 at the latest and said that the Universal Alliance would have to spread across the world. In 1953, some disasters, including outs levees in Holland and earthquakes in the Greek islands, were used by the religion as proof of the proximity of the Apocalypse. According to Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
, followers said in 1954 to believe in flying saucers.
According to Régis Dericquebourg, this movement presents a new version of Christianity: there is no syncretism
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...
, but it is strongly tinged with Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
and can be described as a "Christic 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",...
". The founder was successively a mystagogue
Mystagogue
A mystagogue is a person who initiates others into mystic beliefs, an educator or person who has knowledge of the Sacred Mysteries. Another word is Hierophant....
, then a prophet, and the group was first based on a personal and prophetic charisma, then a sacramental charism, then a group charism. The group defines itself as "christian", then "christic", also developed environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and the "idea of a symbiosis between man and nature as the foundation of health and spiritual improvement".
Practices
In the Universal Christian Church, religious ceremonies began with a modified version of "Our FatherLord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
" and ended with a meal together. The crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
was not used. There were five sacraments: baptism, marriage, confirmation-communion, communion of mind in meetings, and funeral. The religious group proposed, but did not required, a vegetarian diet excluding cannings, potatoes, sugar, salt, alcohol, tobacco and tea. The faithful actively participated in proselytism
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
by distribution of leaflets and door-to-door
Door-to-door
Door-to-door is a sales technique in which a salesperson walks from the door of one house to the door of another trying to sell a product or service to the general public. A variant of this involves cold calling first, when another sales representative attempts to gain agreement that a salesperson...
, and there was sometimes stands in some fairs of major cities and parades of sandwich board
Sandwich board
A sandwich board is a type of advertisement composed of two boards and being either:*Carried by a person, with one board in front and one behind, creating a "sandwich" effect; or...
s in Paris. Several members, including veteran Jean Thos in Paris, were candidates for legislative elections of 2 January 1956; in its political program, the religious movement said wanting to follow God's will and pointed social issues as homeless, armament, exploitation of workers by employers. It obtained about 10,000 votes in six departments.
In the Universal Alliance, there is no sacrament. The meetings, now called "communion of the flesh", are composed of spontaneous dialogues under divine inspiration. Evangelism is no longer required and children attend the public school.
Membership
Membership of the Universal Christian Church reached a peak of 5,000 between 1955 and 1960, in about fifty local groups (Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulon, etc.). Members seem primarily urban, from middle class (teachers, employees...), and Catholic disillusioned by traditional religions. However, membership gradually decreased in subsequent years mainly because of Roux's death and various incidents in the late 1950s which reflected some difficult relationships with the society (child deaths, negative statements in the press, destruction of premises belonging to the group...). in the 2000, they are about 3,000 members of the Universal Alliance worldwide spread in francophoneFrancophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
countries, Germany, Italy, U.S. and some countries in Africa, and shared out into fifty communities, and about 1,000 in France. Groups are mainly located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
region and the Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
department. In the 1990s, Belgian press reported presence of followers and conferences by Jacqueline Roux in the country.
Reception
In the 1950s, refusals of medical treatments led to the death of several children, including a 13-year boy in October 1953, a young girl in March 1954, and a three-month baby in September 1954. These cases were the subject of a strong coverage in the press, particularly in Paris-Match. For their part, the church's leaders often tried, in news conferenceNews conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
s, to justify these deaths, presenting them as "rewards offered to Christ". Deaths of adults were also mentioned in media (e.g. Willy Baruch in March 1954, Raymond Joutard in July 1954). However, Roux was never sued for unauthorized practice of medicine.
In 1995, the Universal Alliance was included in the list of cults of the report by the French parliamentary commission. In 1996, Jacqueline Roux wrote to Alain Gest
Alain Gest
Alain Gest is a French politician. He was elected on 16 June 2002 to the 12th French National Assembly, representing the sixth district of Somme. He was reelected on 17 June 2007 to the 13th French National Assembly. He is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement party.- References :...
, a member of the commission, to question this classification, highlighting financial transparency, democratic nature and compliance with the law of her association.
Because of its particular doctrinal views, the religious group is criticized by main Christian churches, including evangelical associations.