Post by Former C.U.T Member on Nov 29, 2019 5:24:39 GMT -7
As a former member of Church Universal and Triumphant I can unequivocally state that The Church was and continues to be, a cult. It is an old and sad story repeated by false prophets and charismatic political leaders throughout human history. A few rise to power and then exploit the masses. Those at the top are beyond reproach and said to be divinely inspired. Some, like Elizabeth Clare Prophet, even claim to talk to God. If the followers do as they are told by their master then all will be well and they will eventually live in a glorious paradise. In my case, once I started to question C.U.T I was isolated, punished and eventually ostracized from the community. I was tossed aside like a piece of trash and told that I had become "a fallen one". My home was sold out from underneath me and I was forbidden to step foot on Church property. People that I once trusted and even loved turned on me. They lied about me and spread malicious gossip throughout the community. My reputation was ruined and I had no place to call home.
That was years ago and I have since moved on with my life in Austin, Texas. I now contribute to efforts to educate the public about the danger of cults, the evil they foster and often infect others with. In my view, the Glastonbury Landowner's Association tends to attract the most fanatical members of C.U.T. If you want to better understand their beliefs you must understand their history. Many left families and friends behind when they joined C.U.T. One woman I knew left behind her five young children and a large extended family to join C.U.T. The Church became her new family and she was told to address the church leader as "Mother". We became her new family.
In many cases the isolation of life in Montana, the harsh physical environment, the mind numbing religious duties and the promise of ushering in a golden age for all mankind effectively dominated and controlled the minds of true believers. Now many have realized the foolishness of their youth but they often do not have a family or ancestral home to return to. Their financial prospects are bleak and they are sentenced to life imprisonment in a cold Montana wasteland. Many normal people will sit around the table, share a Thanksgiving dinner and give thanks for their blessings today. Many C.U.T people will trek to their cult chapel in Corwin Springs AKA The Ranch, endure an hours long service and then be allowed a sparse communal dinner in the cafeteria for Thanksgiving. I ate many meals there with the lonely and broken-hearted. It was often a sad and empty gathering of lost souls.
The GLA is one of the last bastions of power for a rapidly aging CUT fundamentalist population in Glastonbury. They believe that Glastonbury is sacred ground, that they are near perfect divine creatures and that the future of civilization rests in their hands alone. In the fanatics closed hearts and paranoid world of C.U.T fundamentalism, if you disagree, then you are an enemy and maybe even a "church hater". Everything is black and white; there is no room for disagreement. The fundamentalists have lost all their powers of critical analysis and frequently resort to lying to win an argument. Thus debating with them is a surreal experience where their word can never be trusted. In their minds lying is perfectly acceptable behavior as long as their motives are pure. C.U.T fundamentalists believe that the "ends always justify the means". Thus they do not need to adhere to rules of civil behavior, societal norms or written laws. They follow spiritual laws and openly disregard human laws until they are caught. Then they play the victim and attempt to blame others for their illegal and/or immoral actions.
To better understand cults in general I suggest visiting The Cult Education Institute. This organization helped me when I was searching for answers on how I allowed myself to be duped by C.U.T.
The Cult Education Institute (CEI) is a nonprofit library with archived information about cults, destructive cults, controversial groups and movements. CEI is an educational tax-exempted charity and an institutional member of both the American Library Association and New Jersey Library Association. The CEI online library, which was first launched in 1996, is constantly expanding to include new research and information. The database contains thousands of files including news reports, peer reviewed papers, court documents, book excerpts and personal testimonies, all carefully organized within hundreds of titled subsections . There are also links to additional relevant research resources, a book list and a public message board attached for comments. Due to the size of the CEI library a search feature is available for your convenience. Also see the site map to learn where information and material is located.
Church Universal and Triumphant has their own section where you can read many articles detailing their rise to power, their move to Montana and their history. Several articles deal with the creation of Glastonbury as a religious community. Many of the persons mentioned will sound familiar as they are either on the GLA Board of Directors or have been in the past. I hope you find the articles fascinating, enlightening and helpful.
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!