This Thursday Elizabeth Clare Prophet (aka Guru Ma), the former leader of the bizarre new age doomsday cult Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) aka The Summit Lighthouse, died at the age of 70 in a nursing home in Bozeman, Montana, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease since 1998. The Summit Lighthouse was started in 1958 by Mark Prophet in Washington, D.C. He later married Elizabeth, they moved it to Colorado, and she took over the leadership after Mark's death in 1973. Under the name Church Universal and Triumphant they eventually moved to California in 1976, and finally to Montana in 1986, where they bought a 12,000-acre ranch just north of Yellowstone Park. Being convinced that the end of the world was near, they built a 756-person underground bomb shelter in a pristine alpine meadow and stocked up on firearms. When everyone assembled in the bomb shelters on the date of the predicted apocalypse on March 15, 1990, nothing happened, and eventually CUT members started to lose faith in the prophetic abilities of Elizabeth Prophet, and left the church in droves.
Subsequently CUT sold many of its properties to the Federal Government, laid off most of its 600 employees, and continued working with a much lower profile and less crazy beliefs. However, the rules for visitors of their "Royal Teton Ranch" still state
Do not engage in uncontrolled anger, the use of profanity, indecent exposure, violence, harm to others, the consumption of alcohol and tobacco products, nor play rock music, jazz, rap or other associated types of music.
Yes, for some reason the condemnation of rock music is one part of the CUT dogma that survives, and nothing shows the essence of it better than the recording that surfaced several years ago under the name "The Sounds of American Doomsday Cults, v.14". (Incidentally, I don't think there are really 14 volumes of this.) Since this was only released on vinyl and (thanks for the correction, Mr. Fab) is long out of print (as far as I know), here are the MP3s:
1 Dedication to the tackling of the beast and the dragon - the momentum of rock-n-roll
2 Call for protection
3 Video Shorts with 2 announcements (excerpt)
4 Preamble - Great Divine Rectors call (listen to the list of names!)
5 Invocation for the judgement against and destruction of rock music
6 Decree 10-05 (pure insanity, frequently sampled and well-known to regular WFMU listeners)
Mark and Elizabeth's son Sean Prophet turned into an atheist, and he runs the amazing Black Sun Journal, containing many posts about his experiences with CUT, e.g., how the band Rush saved him and his kids (who are all rock musicians now!) Sean works in TV production, and he is trying to put together a documentary about the CUT bomb shelters.I sure hope that this will see the light of the day at some point in the future.
Sean's sister Erin wrote a book about her experiences called Prophet's Daughter: My Life with Elizabeth Clare Prophet Inside the Church Universal and Triumphant.
More links: History and Profile | Controversy about end of world scare and the stockpiling of firearms | Recollections of former CUT staff member Cheri Walsh | Black Sun Journal on YouTube
[listen] 6 Decree 10-05 (pure insanity, frequently sampled and well-known to regular WFMU listeners
Wow, it's a cross between "Rubber Biscuit" and the Balinese Monkey Chant.
Posted by: J Neo Marvin | October 19, 2009 at 09:38 AM
cyndi.... looper
david booey
Posted by: paul | October 19, 2009 at 09:51 AM
But...I have it on CD..?
Posted by: Mr Fab | October 19, 2009 at 12:31 PM
"...nor play rock music, jazz, rap or other associated types of music..."
Wow, it's the Trifecta of Evil Jigaboo Music.
Posted by: Richard Brandt | October 19, 2009 at 02:09 PM
Hmm, my fault, I didn't know it was released on CD, I should have googled more...
Posted by: Lukas | October 19, 2009 at 02:46 PM
Always happy to help! It was in fact Station Manager Ken who sent me the CD.
Boss tuneage that sampled these guys:
Negativland "Michael Jackson"
Fatboy Slim "Michael Jackson"
Mylo "Destroy Rock & Roll"
O.S.I. "Set It On Fire" (don't know this one, but that's what wiki says)
Any others?
Posted by: Mr Fab | October 19, 2009 at 03:07 PM
Great cackling Bozo pee, this is magnificent weirdness.
Posted by: BSI | October 19, 2009 at 03:56 PM
I suppose it would be handy to be an auctioneer in this cult!
Posted by: Jeff Jobson | October 19, 2009 at 06:07 PM
She sold ... sanctuary?
Posted by: Uncle Ash | October 19, 2009 at 06:10 PM
thavius beck sampled it too
Posted by: paul | October 19, 2009 at 07:01 PM
Jeff Jobson: I'd like to think Scott Williams was the evil genius who did this, but I could swear I heard an FMU DJ play the Decree and cuts from a record of livestock/tobacky auctioneers (it had heavy cross-DJ airplay about 5 years ago or so) at the same time. Mesmerizing.
Posted by: Listener James from Westwood | October 19, 2009 at 07:20 PM
This reminds me of Jane Curtin as a Conehead.
Posted by: Trifocal | October 19, 2009 at 10:47 PM
Is there any chance you can throw up the 7th track somewhere? It's a 20-something minute "decree" that I'm totally anxious to hear.
Posted by: bryan | October 19, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Ohp, my bad, I didn't realize that your track 6 is track 6 and 7 combined. Thanks for this absolute insanity!
Posted by: bryan | October 19, 2009 at 11:14 PM
Sold! to the man in the fourth row who's temporarily taken leave of his subjective ego.
Posted by: bartleby | October 20, 2009 at 10:17 AM
I love how the last track starts out with "d'ja get that?"
umm, no, I don't get it.
Posted by: nate | October 20, 2009 at 02:02 PM
ECP's setup and teachings had plenty of precedent -- look up Guy and Edna Ballard, "I AM Activity", particularly "The I AM Activity Exposed". Also, Alice Bailey; also, The Bridge to Freedom. All are based on a handful of ideas from Theosophy. Helena Blavatsky would have whopped the Ballards and ECP upside the head for turning it into a cult -- a pseudo-religion confidence game.
I had a close relative very peripherally involved, I being 17 at the time it wrecked my life for several years in a number of ways. I had roughly the same experience Sean had with Rush saving him -- only for me it was John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Neil Young.
Posted by: Melanthe Alexian | October 20, 2009 at 03:17 PM
The "I AM" religious activity was the subject of a 365 Days Project post:
http://www.ubu.com/outsiders/365/2003/348.shtml
Guy Ballard attempting to overpower rational thought through verbal bombardment sounds positively inept next to Elizabeth Claire Prophet. Which is a feather in her cap, I guess...
Posted by: charge! CHARGE! | October 20, 2009 at 08:21 PM
My mother was involved with this group for a short time around 1980, maybe a bit earlier. The song "Mickey" (Oh Mickey you're so fine etc.) was also from around that time. So the CUT's "Violet Fire" chant is forever intertwined in my head with "Mickey".
Also, there was this captivating image in their literature of this tobacco smoker (not that they were pro-dope, I think it was just too verboten with them to be worth mention) trapped in a cage of his own smoke that sticks with me to this day.
Looking at both facts, I gotta say: these guys had the audio-visual side of things down pat. And considering that they timed doomsday for well into their own old age, they didn't really both that part up too bad either. If you're well on the way to Alzheimer's, it's not gonna bother you that your doomsday didn't work out...
Posted by: Erik Piper | October 21, 2009 at 12:07 PM
I recall how the feds gave them tax-exempt status in exchange for them giving up their guns. No more Wacos, puh-lease.
Posted by: Johnny | October 23, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Wow! This Blog is great. Just like Kim Clement. Kim Clement is an expression that has defined “the prophet” for the modern era. This has made his journey unique; a journey that has taken his inspired message to schools and colleges, churches and synagogues, alleyways and prison cells. Kim’s prophetic gift is a magnet that has drawn a broad audience, as he has whispered to kings and inspired prisoners, his path through life continues to be an exciting adventure.
Abigail
Posted by: Abigael | November 30, 2009 at 05:39 AM
When I heard the cult drilled underground from their property in order to illegally siphon off water from Old Faithful in Yellowstone because it was discovered to have some special properties, I thought how spiritual is that? Any one in their right mind would know that water missing from Old Faithful could destroy the balance there and maybe affect it negatively. Greed and dishonesty make people do awful things. Also met a woman who was held in their complex against her will. She finally managed to get free. Sure never knew she died of Alzheimers in a nursing home-why didn't her followers or children take care of her.
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