I know everyone’s all upset right now over the “Imprecatory Prayer” flap involving Mike Huckabee and Rev.Wiley S. Drake of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, California. I had to laugh! He called for his critics’ “children to be fatherless and their wives to be widows.” How quaint.
Check out the malicious little ditty thousands of members of Church Universal and Triumphant used to shout (144 times or more in unison at top voice level) against its critics and enemies:
Smash, blast, annihilate, shatter, dissolve and consume!
Smash, blast, annihilate, shatter, dissolve and consume!
Smash, blast, annihilate, shatter, dissolve and consume!To the last atom…
This little diabolical ‘prayer’ came from the Ballards and their “I AM” activity circa 1940 and was passed down through the various ascended master splinter organizations until my parents picked it up. When we were kids, we used to think it was great fun. Later, when I became a minister, it was much more serious. There was a battle of light and darkness to fight, after all. A hand-motion went with it in rhythm: First it was a sign of the cross, then an X over the cross, then two finger-jabs in the middle. Like this:
This went on for years until someone got the idea it wasn’t good P.R.–which happened about the same time some local folks in Montana got copies of the church’s prayer “hit list”–which had their names on it! From then on, the hit lists were renamed “Fact sheets on burdens we share.” And the “blasting” decree was only given in private sessions.
Many CUT members also swung stainless steel prayer swords (pictured above–yes I kept mine) in the air during the 80’s and 90’s–I think they probably still do it to this day, but I wouldn’t know. To make sure god and archangel michael got the point, I suppose. Or to lend an extra dimension of fantasy and fetishism to decree sessions [prayer services]. They justified it based on a Blavatsky teaching from “Isis Unveiled” about cutting themselves free from evil spirits (“discarnate entities”). But it was also great for battling the Church’s invisible enemies (black magicians, aliens, UFO’s). Or presumably to imagine cutting up its real ones (critics, state officials, people who didn’t espouse arch-conservative politics, or anyone who thwarted its plans). The image below is the inscription on the sword.
There was also this:
Bolts of blue lightning into the cause and core of (insert enemy name here)________.
Blue-Lightning bombs descend!
Blue-Lightning bombs descend!
Blue-Lightning bombs descend!
And this from “Archangel Michael’s Rosary:”
Blaze the light through! Blaze the light through! Blaze the light through! We demand the Final Judgment [caps in original] of their specific lifestreams [emphasis added] in this hour, O God–and of all those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life: (insert enemy or situation name here)______________________.
These prayers were given daily, sometimes several times a day. Well, here’s the believer psychology behind this type of twisted prayer: Can’t win by argument or achievement? World’s not going your way? Abortion’s still legal? People still like sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Can’t understand why no matter how hard you believe or worship, things don’t seem to change? Break the law and get caught? It’s those damn fallen ones fault: ‘Smash, blast and annihilate them! Blue-Lightning bombs descend! Blaze the light through! Judge their specific lifestreams this hour! You’ll see, you fallen ones, you’ll see. You’ll face your final judgment at the court of the sacred fire. Then you’ll be sorry. Mwahahahaha.’
Over the years when I was in CUT, I often wondered why nothing ever happened to any of the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people we decreed against, which included U.S. presidents, other world leaders, and a “who’s-who” of corporate executives. I guess, thankfully, we can conclude “imprecatory prayer” didn’t work then, and doesn’t work now. But that doesn’t excuse the malice. Believers will retort that only god can judge, so there’s nothing to worry about–people will be “taken out” only if it’s god’s will.
Sorry, that doesn’t wash. If there were a god, and he were to be deciding whose ‘lifestream’ to remove, he certainly wouldn’t need a bunch of people shouting at him. Kill! Kill! Smash! Blast! Something about a god of mercy and love…
“God’s will” being invoked to produce death or ‘judgment’ is nothing more than a mealy-mouthed and self-righteous excuse for emotional weaklings, hucksters and weasels to take out frustrations and spew their hatred and blame for a less-than perfect world and their less-than perfect lives onto others. A grown-up version of “I’m telling mom!” And a desperate hiding from their own misdeeds, powerlessness, poor decisions, non-accountability, shadow-denial and folly by pretending to invoke the wrath of the ‘enforcer’ in the sky.
14 comments
good piece!
I agree entirely with the results of your examination of the mentality here. I would just add a word of caution. While the Intent within the hearts of these folks is bad enough (you demonstrate it well), we would have to think them highly disingenuous if they did not realize the possibility that one of their more psychotic members would not take these calls to God upon himself, and as a messenger of god deliver the death blow personally. Is this NOT what happened, in the cases of abortion clinics bombed and doctors and other personnel killed?
John B.
Right you are. There was a disturbed man named Mitch Mandell living in the CUT community of Glastonbury, Montana. He was getting violent and police were called. When they arrived, he was swinging his Archangel Michael sword at them. They kept their distance, and if my memory serves me correctly, the man eventually pulled a gun and the police shot him dead. Here’s a news article about the incident.
Such is the result of the combination of religious zeal with psychosis. (They’re close to the same thing, after all.)
I did a post on the imprecatory prayer just recently and you may be interested in the poem that caps it all off.
Your post is a fine one my friend. I am glad I stumbled upon it.
Peace,
thepoetryman
Black Sun said: ” if my memory serves me correctly, the man eventually pulled a gun and the police shot him dead. ”
What an IDIOT!!!
If he had only stuck to his Archangel Michael sword, he would have been invincible. Everyone knows that guns are unscriptural.
Let’s see, I know hundreds of well off C.U.T. members that frankly are not mealy-mouthed and self-righteous, nor mad, off-their rocker, nor whatever hateful things you have said. Yes, hateful, because they were not loving nor correct, nor instructional since your comments riticul another’s faith. Many of us yet in the C.U.T. church have earned doctorate and masters degrees proving we can function as nornal people. And we take all accountablinty for our actions and sometimes poor decisions. You who wrote this article entitled “The Sword of the Lord” did not understand the C.U.T. church teachings and have erred in your reinterpretation of them and the rituals therein.
I an sure your examples therein such as “God’s will†being invoked to produce death or ‘judgment’ “his wrath” is your own error. Death has never been God’s will nor do humans invoke God’s will and judgement and wrath. God is not a puppet on a string that we yank around. We can only ask for God’s help and that should be to help others. If we ask for the judgment of angels we must also judge ourselves as the BIBLE explains.
I have not seen emotional weakness from those who have a strong faith in God which includes C.U.T. church members. You can find the occational member who has psychological problems but you error in that these few do not represent the majority.
By the way, Mr. Mandell who was shot to death by Sheriff’s deputies never pulled out a gun. One retired deputy involved told me that Mr. Mandell only threatened to get his gun but instead pointed his unsharped (dull bladed) sword at the deputies. And it does not take much more to scare deputies in Park County!
The many I know in the church never expect nor blame anyone especially for a less than perfect world or lives. This idea to blame others for our own actions or lives is just the oposite of the world’s religions we study using C.U.T. materials and our own. Your ignorance even of the supposed teachings of the Ascended Masters shows clearly. Your witness is flawed. You sound like you have an ax to grind still. Why? Instead, why don’t you study to show yourself approved unto God and stop bashing others faith or their struggles. This would be the grown up thing to do and I am sorry your mother, Elizabeth Claire Prophet, is sick and can not give you this advise herself.
Sincerely,
Val O’Connell
P.S. No greater love is there than the love demonstrated by Christ Jesus. May his example be yours.
If you call for people to be “judged” and think you have god on your side, there is something wrong with you. You need to wake up.
Sorry, Val. I was there for 30 years. I understand perfectly.
There are millions of religious fanatics who believe and practice otherwise.
But you sure try.
The emotional weakness is thinking there is some big daddy in the sky who’s gonna save you and punish your enemies.
Maybe I was wrong about that part. There were conflicting reports. Either way, a sword is a deadly weapon. Not very smart to brandish it at the cops. He sure found out the hard way that Archangel Michael is imaginary.
Again, Valerie, you are sidestepping the issue. This post was about people who call for others’ judgment. Why do you give judgment calls? What is the whole concept of ‘fallen ones’ about? If that’s not setting up an external force to blame when things go wrong, what is it?
The ‘love of christ’ is an imaginary ideal. When their fantasies are threatened, believers always fall back on ‘love’. How about truth? How about reality? You need to wake up from your delusions. I was vice-president of your so-called church and spent 30 years believing the lie. I know whereof I speak and I understand intimately every nuance of what my parents taught. So I stand fully behind the article and I have no problem mocking your so-called faith. It is not real and has no power whatsoever.
The concept of divine judgment is a despicable and mind-crippling illusion that substitutes for and short-circuits the process of forthrightly resolving your quarrels with other human beings.
TWSYF Said: “Yes, hateful, because they were not loving nor correct, nor instructional”
Wow… interesting definition of hate. I think you have that entirely wrong – on three counts.
1. If that is truly the definition of hate then we are in trouble. You have trivialized the meaning of the word. Everyone who says something that’s incorrect would be “hateful” for making an error.
2. It may be true that Sean’s post was not “loving” (then again, it may have been more loving than you realize), but unloving is not hateful. It’s neutral.
3. On the last two counts Sean clearly was correct and instructional. I suggest you go beyond what Sean told you about himself and read his bio on this blog.
The one thing you did get absolutely right is your screen name.
MAs and PhDs = normal life
HAHAHAHAHA
Great article Sean… not much more to say about it that hasn’t been said, other than this to ponder:
Why is it that believers feel the need to cast out anyone? In the end, isn’t the whole point of religion stated to be inclusive? To get everyone to believe the same thing?
Ok, so I don’t believe that’s what it’s all about, but they sure make a whole lot of noise about “saving” people. Really in the end, we are seeing yet another “us/them” mentality of one more collectivist organization.
Collectivism, be it political, social, or religious, cannot function without the “them” to contrast the “us”. It’s a necessary dichotomy, because as soon as there is no “them”, then there isn’t a group left to belong to. As an example: we are all human beings, so it’s hard to really get that excited about belonging to a group that includes every single other person on the planet. There are no “proud to be human” rallies, etc.
However, it’s precisely the necessary collectivist dichotomy that makes racist groups speak of their “enemies” as less than human — all of a sudden, being human is re-written as an us/them dichotomy, and everyone can become a cheerleader, rah rah rah, for the group.
Anyway, you get my point here, but I think that we need to start examining this not just as a quirk of religion, but as a necessary facet of collectivism in general… personally, I think it’s important to start deconstructing collectivism as a whole, coercive groups everywhere, even beyond religion. After all, is there really any difference between an imprecatory prayer and a patriotic rally to “support our troops”?
Good post!
-olly
Olly,
This is a very important point. In-group, out-group thinking is what has driven every conflict since the earliest human tribes went at it.
Well, yes, since the imprecatory prayer does nothing, while the troop rally may actually increase political support for the given war. I'd say the effects of imprecatory prayer, like every other kind, are mainly on those who engage in it:
For them, prayer is both an addictive soporific and a distractor from taking concrete action that would change actual circumstances rather than just consuming time and temporarily relieving anxiety.
[…] Sometimes I wonder just how sheltered I must be. I’d honestly never even heard of the Church Universal and Triumphant before I read this article on Black Sun. They’re a relatively recent religious movement (some would say cult) that apparently spends a significant amount of of time chanting mantras that, in effect, demand God kill their enemies. Sometimes they wave “ceremonial” swords around while they do it. […]
[…] They hold that the only defense is prayer–decrees in the case of CUT–or as I’ve previously discussed, a stainless steel sword. Scientologists fret about “body thetans.” They’ll […]
I think these lines would make excellent lyrics for a black metal band…brings back memories, thanks for posting.