
Joseph Genito is a man I’ve known from the time I was a child.He has been a member of the CUT community for most of his life, and for many years held service-type jobs such as groundskeeper or kitchen worker. I had not seen nor heard from him for more than 15 years. Then my sister’s book Prophet’s Daughter was published, and he and his wife Virginia orchestrated a chain email slandering my sister and her book (previous article).
Now comes Genito with a BSJ comment admitting he doesn’t care whether the book is “accurate or inaccurate” he is concerned for my “soul.” Bring on the violins.
I admit it’s hard to deal with this kind of comment without sounding condescending. But stupid is as stupid does. The fabricated CUT cosmology can’t endure in the face of analysis. It’s a house of cards that buckles under the slightest insult, and forces people to make the kinds of unconditional and blanket assertions with which Genito begins. My responses are directed at him, so remain in the second person.
Let me make clear here, that I bear Joseph no ill will personally. He was always kind to me when I was in the church. But he has now come down on the side of defending obfuscation. He is, by his own admission, trying to maintain the melting facade of the divine messengership of my parents. Regardless of whether or not it was authentic. It is a fools errand. Worse, it reinforces the widely held but bankrupt perception that unearned authority, hierarchy, and idolatry are a good thing, and something worthy of protection.
Here’s the reality: My parents not only failed to have any verifiable divine contact, their human lives were no example to anyone. After running from creditors for years, even changing his name twice, my father left his first family of five children to start his church, and refused to provide them anything but paltry support. He sent them $100 per month for a while, a pittance even in the 1960’s, while our family lived in relative luxury. He drove brand-new Cadillacs, had a series of expensive motor homes, and we lived in a huge mansion in Colorado Springs. We wanted for nothing, had servants and tutors galore, and traveled the world. My oldest sister Becky told me that after awhile, even the $100 per month he had been sending them stopped.
My mother realized ten years ago the persona which Genito now defends was indefensible. She was trained by dad at the beginning of her career to assume absolute authority over the staff. She reinforced that delusion of grandeur by using her “divine authority” to make pronouncements, in one particular case by “Padma Sambhava,” that she had balanced 100% of her “karma.” Her whole point to me in our final conversation was that she realized this kind of manipulation and hierarchical structure had been a grand mistake. She clearly knew she hadn’t “balanced 100% of her karma,” because she took the time to write letters of apology to some of the people she had wronged.
Since her “Community of the Holy Spirit,” the “Sangha” of the Buddha were run under supposed divine auspices, and were meant to be the epitome of “heaven on earth,” we can see that the teachings were therefore bad fruits from a bad tree. When evaluating CUT’s theology, we can’t avoid looking at such a gross example of corruption at its very core. Plus, if we analyze the teaching itself, there are many passages which support the corruption and unearned authority of the messengers. They were, after all, the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:3, and were thus directly representative of God. They tolerated no dissent under any circumstances. Indeed, they saw the metaphor of the murder of the two witnesses, and especially the dragging of their bodies through the streets as symbolic of how the “world” and the “carnal mind” would destroy God’s representatives. It was for this reason that they banished “human questioning” and “critical thinking” from the repertoire of the “true chela.” They insisted that the “I AM Presence” or “God self” took priority at all times over the “human ego.” That is the absolute essence of CUT’s teachings. It is why at their core, they are closer to fascism, (defined by mysticism and an emphasis on unity, strength, authority, and ideological or spiritual purity). There is no place in Church Universal and Triumphant, for freedom.
Apologists will cherry-pick quotes that say otherwise, but if the “masters” were in charge, and worked through their “embodied messengers” that’s not how they chose to run their “mystery school.” For the permanent staff in fact, they ran it like a concentration camp. Genito knows this, which is what makes his defense of the “messengers” so disingenuous. Members at lower levels never saw the way the inner circle of staff received merciless summary judgment–much of it to preserve my mom and dad’s air of infallibility. If they had allowed any challenges to their authority to stand, the whole thing would have come unglued.
If there is a lesson to be learned from the abuses of power at CUT, it is that we must cast down idols, set aside superstitions, and that no one is an exception to the rules of human conduct. Genito attempts to stand in the way of that forward evolution, and for that he will receive only my rebuttal and ridicule. He’s trying to protect his own worldview from having to feel the profound impact of new information. And he is helping no one except those who wish to remain buttressed in denial.
Dear Sean,
I stand forever in defense of the Divine Mother, of your father, Mark Lyle Prophet, and your mother, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, as messengers of the Great White Brotherhood, Church Universal and Triumphant, the Summit Lighthouse and the Teachings of Ascended Masters.
Why would you give unconditional support to anyone? Why is your loyalty so cheap that it does not have to be earned by actions and good conduct? Why would a person of intelligence not modify their stance if their loyalty was betrayed? I consider your profession of unconditional loyalty to be naive and dangerous. It makes a mockery of all those people who suffered the abuses at the hands of my parents and their authoritarian cadre of imaginary friends.
My concern is not whether Erin’s book is accurate or inaccurate; I am concerned for your soul. To take a stand against the Ascended Masters of the Great White Brotherhood, their Messengers and your parents, Mark Lyle Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, is no small thing.
First of all, I don’t have a soul, and neither do you. But if I did, I would be fully responsible for taking care of it, and would not need or want your concern. You think my stance is a big deal because it threatens your investment of time and energy. But what if you found out that the whole idea of the “Great White Brotherhood” was cooked up? I know that’d be pretty hard to swallow, but it looks like that’s the case. So deal with it.
As for your not caring whether she’s accurate or inaccurate, I knew that was the case from the moment your wife started circulating the email. You’re partisans, and you use post-hoc reasoning to justify your position. “Erin’s book would ruin my faith, and faith is what I live for, so it must not be true.”
Why does the Divine Mother cry? She cries because those who are supposed to bring the Light of their inner beings and precipitate it on earth as peace, love and enlightenment have abdicated their reason for being. If there is not Light and goodness put into the earth, it will become darker.
You have provided no other evidence than your empty claim that there is such a thing as a “Divine Mother” and that “she” is crying. It’s a manipulative fiction. You should listen to yourself. In your world it might give you the perception of a moral high ground to say things like that, but to everyone else it sounds utterly ridiculous.
My understanding of the purpose of the Black Sun Journal is to change the earth for the better through anger–especially by renouncing religion. I agree that most religions today are corrupt, but you don’t have to throw out the baby with the bath water. You may want to throw the bath water and keep the baby.
Did you read what my purpose is? It a little more than what you say here: From the about page:
I started Black Sun Journal in 2001, ironically, weeks before the September 11 attacks. I had intended the journal to be a forum where I could discuss my views and experiences against the backdrop of my earlier life as a minister and VP of Church Universal and Triumphant. I wrote two original pieces called, “What is Black Sun Journal?” and “Why is Black Sun Journal?” Things have developed quite a bit since since I wrote these early posts, but they still capture the original spirit of what I intended to accomplish.
After September 11, 2001 much of my discussion centered around the national crisis.
But I also kept true to my central purpose, which was to explore the depths and Jungian “shadow side” of human nature and human psychology as they related to political and social events. A central theme was also the almost entirely negative effect of organized religion on the human experience. This topic for me is both intensely personal and political.
As far as anger goes? It’s a tool and a messenger, and it’s useful. It’s a part of our makeup as human beings. Sometimes we need anger, and sometimes we need love. But they are both part of a continuum, and one is not better than the other. They serve different purposes. Sometimes we can be angry because we love so much.
As far as the “baby and bathwater” thing. You folks at CUT need to get a new metaphor. I hear this from practically every CUT member who writes in. Maybe it’s all bathwater? Look, the problem is that organized religion is an authority and hierarchy-based construct, and it always leads to corruption. Without checks and balances and empirical verification, people go off the deep end and start to espouse all sorts of self-defeating nonsense. They privilege their subjective experiences, and they abdicate their responsibility for their own lives, and it’s really a mess. You are pretty far gone down that road, my friend. If you want to understand what’s been going on with you, read Daniel Dennett’s Breaking the Spell. It’s an eye opener.
I submit to you that there is no baby. The teachings are self-contradictory and unsupportable, and you are extremely gullible if you refuse to even look at the possible contradictions. Especially when Erin did such a good job of pointing them out to you. If you go all the way back to Madame Blavatsky, you will find that she invented the personage of El Morya, Kuthumi, and others, and she engaged in the exact same types of abuse of power my parents did in their name.
Have you not seen the power of love make great changes in the world? I reference Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Padre Pio of Italy.
You really stepped into it with that one. I don’t know about Padre Pio, but Mother Teresa was a despicable monster. You should read Christopher Hitchens book about her. She accepted funds from Charles Keating (former S&L director) and dictator Duvalier. And she put this money into building up her name rather than relieving the suffering of the impoverished. Here’s an excerpt from an article by Hitchens, which doesn’t even get into the worst of her abuses:
MT was not a friend of the poor. She was a friend of poverty. She said that suffering was a gift from God. She spent her life opposing the only known cure for poverty, which is the empowerment of women and the emancipation of them from a livestock version of compulsory reproduction. And she was a friend to the worst of the rich, taking misappropriated money from the atrocious Duvalier family in Haiti (whose rule she praised in return) and from Charles Keating of the Lincoln Savings and Loan. Where did that money, and all the other donations, go? The primitive hospice in Calcutta was as run down when she died as it always had been—she preferred California clinics when she got sick herself—and her order always refused to publish any audit. But we have her own claim that she opened 500 convents in more than a hundred countries, all bearing the name of her own order. Excuse me, but this is modesty and humility?
Mother Teresa herself doubted the existence of God as shown by her own letters in these excerpts from Time Magazine:
“[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak … I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand.”
Although perpetually cheery in public, the Teresa of the letters lived in a state of deep and abiding spiritual pain. In more than 40 communications, many of which have never before been published, she bemoans the “dryness,” “darkness,” “loneliness” and “torture” she is undergoing. She compares the experience to hell and at one point says it has driven her to doubt the existence of heaven and even of God. She is acutely aware of the discrepancy between her inner state and her public demeanor. “The smile,” she writes, is “a mask” or “a cloak that covers everything.” Similarly, she wonders whether she is engaged in verbal deception. “I spoke as if my very heart was in love with God — tender, personal love,” she remarks to an adviser. “If you were [there], you would have said, ‘What hypocrisy.'”
So if Mother Teresa is such an example to you, shouldn’t that have some affect? Shouldn’t you question the existence of God also? That is, if you aren’t completely brainwashed and afraid to face the darkness–the desert of the real. Of course you’ll spin it as some sort of saintly crisis of faith or “dark night of the soul” that she ultimately resolved. The facts of her letters and her pitiless conduct toward the poor dispute that interpretation.
I challenge you, Sean Christopher Prophet, to set an example that will make millions act to better their lives
Joseph, I suggest you take a look in the mirror and challenge yourself. You are all worried about things like abortion when the earth itself is at tremendous physical risk from the unsustainable living being done by 7 billion people. Some of the worst abusers of the planet live right here in the USA, since we as 5% of the world’s population consume 25-30% of its resources. That’s something to get worked up about. Not this imaginary bullshit you’ve spent your life supporting.
I do what I can in the time I have available. My writing and advocacy are my example for now. Ending superstition and false belief is a must if we are ever to figure out how to share this planet effectively, and make it last as a decent place to live beyond the next few generations.
Your “Great White Brotherhood” is an Alice-in-Wonderland fantasy. Obviously, Joseph, I’ve made my choice, and I will follow truth, reason, and critical thought to the end. I have absolutely no fear about it. The only thing I fear is ignorance, and especially ignorance professed loudly. If the infinitesimally small probability of CUT’s threatened “final judgment” ever were to come true, I would stand unashamed with my middle finger pointed directly at the eye of God until the last nanosecond. (Because that kind of God, if he existed, would be a sadistic psychopathic tyrant.) I refuse to accept that the universe is run capriciously and irrationally, and if it were, I would want no part in it.
I hope I’ve made myself clear to you. Frankly I think it’s an utter tragedy you’ve swallowed the lie hook, line, and sinker. Worse than swallowing it, now you’ve become a full-time apologist for the “liar and the lie.” The “useful idiot” of the CUT meme replicators. How does it feel to be such a dupe? To delude others you must first delude yourself, of course. I hope you come to your senses and realize the ultimate value of your humanity and the preciousness of your human life (the only one you will EVER have) while you’re still breathing.
22 comments
Hey Sean,
What, if anything, could you tell me about John Joseph Pietrangelo, Jr.? I’ve been trying to get my hands on his book, “Lambs to Slaughter”, but sadly cannot find a copy. I read a snippet on Google and it sounds disturbing and fascinating. Is John a credible source in your opinion? If so I’ll continue searching for the book. Thanks!
Al,
As far as I know, John Pietrangelo is credible. But I have not read his book, so cannot comment on it directly. He was around for years in Colorado Springs, then for a short time after the Church moved to California in the 70s.
I believe when Mom asked her father Mark Prophet for college money, he didn’t give her any (and she never finished, possibly as a result) and instead solicited her to donate for the church. At least, this is how I remember it. I could always be wrong. Just an FYI since parts of this touched on that.
Hey Clint, I’m so glad u shared this info after or before emailing it to me! I did email u bk. Everyone should know about this, especially members who will come accross it. Mark L Proghet was a WW II Veteran, but what he did to his 5 children is dispicable coming from a man in Uniform!
Blacksun~
Thank you for once again taking the time to painstakingly go through and debunk another brainwashed individual from CUT. What is ironic is that in nature’s reality, the true order of things, what you are doing here is the work of the human saint. What these individuals continue to perpetrate is nothing short of extreme harm to themselves and others who are so gullible. Herein lies the rub! You are seen as the one whose soul needs salvation, when it is they who are demonic.
Such is the tale told in Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, where the religious and their twisted self-serving myths are exposed as the dark perpetrators of ignorance and abuse throughout all time, and those who work at breaking that tyranny and structure down, in fact, the true heroes.
Some may call you meanspirited, yet I see the deep care for humanity and even these individuals reflected in your acts. They need to wake the fuck up. It is their very lives and those of others they threaten through their simple ignorance. Unfortunately they don’t seem to be getting there through cool polite reason. The heat of anger is a catalyst for change. So yes, hot nasty reason is a necessary ingredient for awakening.
Keep up your tireless saintly work!
Darkeros,
U said it ! Perfect points I too came to realise time after time but kept on w/ CUT because the I Am That I am or the Father / Mother God still had things for me to learn from CUT / SLH. Even though I am a redefined atheist now, I’m glad I did stick w/ it because I picked up a whole lot more stuff to use as examples to the descrepancy of not only CUT but religion itself.
Ur comment was a perfect necessary addition to the argument of religion’s dangers. So true & percise. Ur use of the word saint has now driven me to look into the historical definition of it’s meaning. Like the true meaning of the word religion, it’s definition originaly means – One’s way of life. So one can say when asked, What is ur religion? It’s Goddness or Love or don’t believe in one. We r a people taught, programed, manipulated by evil corrupt minded mental cases in life thru ganerations on the uses & misuses of words! Like church, it’s Greek for The people, Not Temple or place of worship! When I told an individual that The Bible just means The Book, that Bible is latin for book, they reacted very emotionaly upset! Not happy to find out the pronunciation Bible just simply ment book! Alot of people would really wake up if they r able to study the true meanings of words & history of translations being altered for phonetic puposes. Like Jesus wasn’t Je..because Hebrew doesn’t have the sound J in their alphebet. His real name was Esu’. And therefor Joseph wasn’t Jo.., Jese wasn’t Jes.. etc. And that would mean Jews r n’t Jewsl! They r Yudeos. Refreshing to have read ur comment. Realy liked it.
Hi Sean,
I’ve never before spoken publically about our father. I certainly loved him, as you did, but that love isn’t really what kept me quiet. I suppose I held my tongue because I knew whatever I said would be interpreted and dismissed as a bitter diatribe from a hostile and spiritually defective daughter. Ironically, it’s probably true that my agnostic/humanist stance is due in large part to the way Dad lived his life. I watched his near-diefication first-hand, from the very beginnings of my adolescence, and could hardly escape examining the difference beween who he was and how he was percieved.
And who was Dad? How can you or I or anyone else answer that question? I can only say that, from my perspective, he was warm and welcoming. He enjoyed life and lived it with gusto whenever possible. He genuinely and wholeheartedly enjoyed being with people and they responded to that. But he could also be petty and vindictive, prone to malicious gossip, and almost machiavellian in terms of getting what he wanted. It may surprise people to hear me say that I don’t fault him for leaving his marriage to my mother. They loved each other, but they were poorly suited and I doubt there was any happiness they could have found together. But I can’t justify his failure to suport her adequately, a failure in which she was complicit. ( If she had demanded what was legally required of him, perhaps his better nature would have prevailed. Instead, he allowed his first family to teeter on the edge of poverty while he lived a life of relative privilege, often bragging about his newly acquired cars or pieces of jewelry .)
Did that mean he didn’t love us? No, I always felt certain that he did. But there were limitations to that love–limitations which increased as the Summit Lighthouse began to grow. If we had been older when he died, it’s possible that an estrangement may have eventually occured. But at his death, he remained our “daddy” and I was devastated by his loss.
Sean, you made mention of the privileges you were afforded, while we lived in comparative want. As I’ve told you before, I actually believe that WE may have been the priveleged ones. We were spared a life of control and indoctrination. We were well-versed in the dangers of idolatry. We had the luxury (yes, luxxury) of growing up unfettered, with the freedom to make our own choices and our own mistakes. Beyond all that, we saw our parents as flawed, imperfect creatures rather than infallible demi-Gods who couldn’t be questioned without causing us guilt or despair or gross confusion. At one time, I worried about the fate of the siblings I feared I would never know–siblings who had been repeatedly told we were jealous, hostile and spiritually deficient. I’m proud and happy to know you now. And I send all of you my love. – Becky
Becky, thank you so much for your comment. I’m grateful for your perspective and your wisdom. I can’t know how it must have been for you, and all these years I have tried to imagine it. Yes, we come at the issue from exact opposite ends of the spectrum. I also saw the warm loving side, and it was very confusing to see the other side and how followers responded.
My coming of age was defined by my ability to finally gain a more objective view of my parents. You and the rest of dad’s first family have played a major role in that growth. I truly wish we didn’t live on opposite sides of the country so we could have the chance to share more times together. Perhaps someday… I send you my love, gratitude and support always,
Sean
Becky,
thk u for writting in about something so hard & personal. What u wrote shows u to be a loving & whole person, gentle & real. There r many individuals who r n’t, who have had father’s & mother’s who’ve abandon & neglected them. I grew up in ur father’s religious organisation from the age of 5, I am now 36. I too grew up loving him for the Teacher, Guru, Guide, Saint, Hero, Man I thought he was. His lectures influencing my life & growth thru my childhood tremendously. My life shattering in so many ways in the last 15 yrs, I am only now finally finding closure. I am in Va too. Ur son has told me about a mock church he belongs to. I hope to chk it out some time. If & when I do, it would be a opportunity & privilage to meet u.
Thk u again for writting in on all that u did.
Peace, Love & Gratitude Always,
Ms.Amen A. Sigala / Happy & Free
Thank you, Sean. The fusion of our fractured family has been a joy, I think, for all of us. I sometimes wonder if it wasn't fortuitious that we didn't achieve contact earlier, at a time when the differences in our perspectives may have caused irreparable harm. Now those misunderstood years seem to bind us together, as siblings who love and respect and understand each other more deeply than we might have. Yes, it would be nice if so much geography didn't separate us–but I've always felt close in spite of it. Hopefully, we can fenagle another reunion soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to keep up with you via BSJ!
Ms. Amen: Thank you for your comments. I'm sorry your life was so impacted by dad's organization but it pleases me to hear that you've managed to escape it–a feat many people have been unable to achieve. I've never tried to regulate or negate the belief systems of others, religious or otherwise, but I do speak out strongly against idolotry–and idolotry was and is certainly at play in CUT. The danger there has already been expressed eloquently: ultimately, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Nice to hear you're a fellow Virginian. – B
Becky,
Hello, thk u for writting bk. I read some of ur other comment’s. That roach skit is one of the funniest cartoons Ive seen to! And I’ve felt the same way about getting all un-necessarily excited about canidates. But for me I’ve come to admire Obama’s life story being a black bi-racial man raised by an entire white family, single mother who got him up at 4:30 in the morning & of course his proposed solutions to environment, social economics etc.
I’m Latina & I remember so clearly asking my Latina caretaker “Why don’t we go bk where we came from, on the other side of the sea?” I asked this question because I was sick n tired, at my youthful age of only 8, everybody saying my Mom couldn’t vote because she’s not from here! My caretaker’s answer was “We r from here!” I responded in shock “No we r not?! The blue eyed, blond haired people r, we’re from the other side of the sea!” She added “This is where we original r from (the Continent), it’s the blue eyed, blond haired people that came from over seas.” I responded in shock “NO!, really?! Why can’t my Mom vote then?!” So came an explaination of how things wk & as a child still thought it was unfair, stuck up & mean! Even after learning what I did.
McCains to unsophisticated in his temperment & experience in international affairs for me, so I sure don’t want him as President ! He should remain where he is as Senetor. So, Yes I sometimes factor race, cultural bkground & ethnicity in my decisions towards people in many areas in life, but not always, I did vote for Kerry & Bush’s father in 92. I personaly am tired of electing strangers who r always telling me/us what we want to hear and who the hech knows what they r really doing or up to in that Oval office! Including the entire government !
U got me thinking about this particular reality not only in my self but of so many in life I’ve associated w/, known or read of. This Nation is built from three major Governmental civilisations known to us as Greece, Egypt & Rome along w/ to many others to name. At the end it’s all dictatoships to me, some better than others. And definatly America’s one of the more sweeter sugar coated ones w/ Freedom & a We the people utopian vision.
Well Becky u just got me thinking about things & my followings for Truth & Reality. Thks, Clint’s got an awesome Mom! Keep writting in, I’ve enjoyed ur input!
Sincerly,
Happy & Free
Happy and Free: Thanks! Although I’m politically wary, I certainly understand (and share) your excitement about the probability of an ethnic President of the United States. It’s about time. Frankly, it buoys my spirits to know that a non-caucasion can now be a viable national candidate, especially since it wasn’t so long ago that the prevelence of racial bigotry would have made that nigh on to impossible. I wish I could believe that bigotry will eventually be eradicated completely but, since that would require the eradication of ignorance too, I’m forced to content myself with the fact that our American culture has evolved substantially over the last forty years. And if we remain vigilant, it will continue to evolve.
I’m really very sorry to hear about your feeling of displacement as a child–a feeling fostered by your caretaker as well. Once again, the root is ignorance. As enlightened adults, we can only do our best to rip that root out whenever and wherever we see it growing.
Yes, the cartoon was beyond clever! I even shared it with my mother (an unabashed Christian) and SHE found humor in it. :)
Take care, Becky
Becky, hello!!
I keep wanting to call u Ms.Becky! Went to private schools, it’s so ingrand in me to refer to my elders formaly! Little by little I’m outgrowing it, shows me that 40 isn’t to far away! ahhh…
My caretaker actually helped me tremendously to understand that our people weren’t the foreigners but the blond haired, blued eyed were actually tha true foriegners of this Continent. What u took out of it got me realising that she did feed into me a level of continued displacement because she had it herself. But that’s all over now, thk goodness! And in ur wise, enlightening perfect words “…we can only do our best to rip that root out whenever & wherever we see it growing.” Love it!
Ur mom, Mr.Mark L. Prophet’s ex, is an unabashed Christian! Wow! So glad she’s sooo cool & can laugh at the cartoon (and still love & respect u too for having chosen agnosticm/athiesm)!!! Very healthy woman, especially as an unabashed Christian!
If we don’t comment before Holloween, have a real fun time w/ any grandkids u might have! I still have to put up the decorations!
Till nxt time,
Happy&Free/Amen…alleluia. alleluia AaaaaAmmmen! = )
Just a little tradmark joke of mine = ] ! he he he….Some friends of mine actually nick name me Alleluia, some call me Sigala. Whatever wks, it’s cool w/ me!
Sean,
Your sister wrote a jewel, a must book to be read by my former ‘brother and sister’ of the SL, if they dare..and I hope they do.
I am not finished with the book yet, but so far has given me ilumination in some dark areas of my pass experience with the SL. I thank you Erin for that and for her honesty.
The age of Acuarios is here and Reason is displacing Belief. It is about time!
Arturo
hi Amen, Arturo
I remember you from CUT years
Arturo, are you the one who married that asiatic lady (Ican’t remeber her name now) from Washington TC teaching center ?
happy to know you guys are out of CUT
Amen, you say it took you many years to recover,
me too, it took me ten years and I am just finding closure now
Erin’s book helped me “close the chapter” definitely
thank you Erin for writing this book !!!!
it is very healing and was necessary
I hope that you are doing well and that you find your way in life with your unique spirit and talent
I remember you also even if we never spoke or met personnally
I think you have much courage to expose your own mother and I hope this book was as healing for you than it was for me
it was treemendous relief fore me to read it and I loved it
It also made me remember the fun parts of being in CUT like the summer conferences with wonderful people from all over the world and such a warm feeling of community ,
and the great organic and macrobiotic food at the cafeteria !!
sometimes I miss all my CUT friends that I very much appreciated and loved
Amina
Amina, Hello!
I can’t put a face w/ the name but I know if I saw u I’d remember!
U know ur name is the feminin of mine?
Well, r u here in the D.C. area? We have to get in touch! Get my email from Sean! (That’s ok Sean? Ur a busy dude! I know!)
I tried ur link, didn’t wk w/ my old windows 98 computer! I’ll try ur link again from a neighbors comp.
I’ve been trying to get the list of the twentysomthings of 93/94! In a moment of fed upness I threw mine away! I regret it !!
Thks so much for writting bk! I’ll be trying ur link again! Or look me up too if ur here in the D.C. area, my full name listed is: Amen Sigala.
Keep in touch!
Peace&Love
Hi Amen
dearest little “sister”
I really remember you very well from my CUT years, and I think we spoke a few times while I was at SU 94, If I am not mistaken
I think you were around at the Ranch at that time
but sometimes I get mixed up with dates
as I understabd yoir posts, is your Mom stil in the Teachings ?
is she the one who is a very beautiful hispanic lady , very devoted (spending a lot of time in prayer) and who gave a lot of money to the Church once ?
and whom ECP gave a spot in the church shelters?
I would love to get in touch with you by mail, please ask Sean to give you my mail
I am not in DC anymore, I am in Europe now
love to you
Amina
Amen
I have no “link” I think in this site
but I will look you up in the directory and try to call you
besos
Amina
Amina, besitos right bk to u!
Europe ha? How nice!
Ur name has dashes under them & usually that means that’s a link to the writer or the writer’s web. So u have niether? Wonder why they’re appearing?
Okey, look me up soon & give me a call ! We need to keep in touch!
Hugs & kisses
Amen (I’m so tempted to write out the Alleluia song! He he he : )
P.S. Amina how is the health care out where u r ? What is ur opinion of it?
the writer with the name bulldada had nothing good to say about it. We need to hear from someone out there who can verify his cliams on Europe’s health care. I heard from Europeans only positive things but bulldada lived there & I find everyone every where always has positive & negatives about any place of the world. It’s never one truth.
Talk soon!
Hi Amen
I will try to call you tonight but given the hour diference (6h) , if you(re not homme I will leave my mail adress on your answering machine (if you have one)
Iwould love to be in touch too and share some things about recovery of after-cult, although I am doing rather well these days
For the question you ask about medical care, I’ll tell you more by direct mail
it might take a while !
with love
Jeanne
We lived in Portland, Oregon for a while, and attended the Portland Study group (1985-1989). Several times during our time in Portland, members of the study group would come into conflict with the Board of Directors there.
When the lay membership finally appealed to the “Mother Church” for some sort of ombudsman to help solve the communications problems, the answer of the the church staff was very merciless. Your discussion mentions that form of ‘government’:
What was particularly interesting about the reply to those requesting guidance (and any peripherial participants) went something like this “This is a theocracy, and it is to be run as an autocracy under the theocratic model. Shut up or get out.” The two words ‘theocracy’ and ‘autocracy’ were both usedin this letter. I wish I’d kept the letter they sent out — but there are probably many letters like it…..
This letter was to lay members, some of whom were asking for help. Apparently, the local Board had passed along the information on who the ‘troublemakers’ were, because my husband and I had not made any formal appeal, nor were even privy to all of the ins and outs of the request to Headquarters. A handful of people got this letter, including a couple of people who weren’t even seriously involved, as I recall. My observations were that the people who were requesting help sincerely wanted to make things function better at the local level.
The stand that the Mother Church (Headquarters) took was that the local Board operated under the mantle of the theocracy, as representatives of that theocracy….which was supposed to operate all the way down to the local level as an actual autocracy. Therefore, the suggestion was that the local Board was infallable, and we were to accept their decisions without question. If they made a mistake, it would have been because they had failed to perform their theocratic duty correctly.
There wasn’t any wiggle room in this pronouncement. Local lay members were warned to stay clear of any questioning, as any further questioning on anyone’s part meant excommunication, shunning, the loss of friends, etc. Frankly, I think people must have been warned to be cautious around the disciplined persons, because everyone walked on eggshells for weeks after this incident. And there was the stern reminder by our Board that this could carry thousands of years of further karma…. Of course they had the theocratic right to make this pronouncement, and it was up to all of us to cooperate.
Things actually improved in local communication after this, and that we were able to move to a better building and start doing some community activities. Headquarters allowed a new board member to come on, which gave the existing board more balance. So even though some of us took some heat, things got better, and the local board members were a little less dictatorial, and more willing to listen to the membership.
So in the long run, from a safe distance, certain changes did occur which benefited local membership. Could all this effort toward trying to make things better have been more useful elsewhere? Well, the people involved in this fiasco learned some important lessons that they took forward with them. It was a fascinating example of group dynamics, justice, politics, etc. I’m a lot calmer in local Citizen Advisory Committees and Site Councils these days because of my experiences in the church. And I know how to read rules and regulations, and get the most out of them in our Democratic Republic. I guess it makes me appreciate our form of government here in the United States a lot more now.
theses things you describe happened in many study groups and teaching centers all around the world
it’s the way the whole organizations fonctions and it has not changed to this day
it’s the way all cults fonction