I went to bed very disturbed last night.
No, it wasn’t the cheese sandwich - something far more agitating. I decided to stay up and watch Ben Anthony’s UK Channel 4 documentary on The End of the World Cult. It has been on my mind a lot ever since.
Former Seventh Day Adventist pastor, Wayne Bent (no, I really didn’t make that up), now known as Michael Travesser, believes he is the Messiah. This 66-year-old has spent 20 years preparing his 56 unquestioning and devoted followers for Doomsday. 7 years ago he took them to a remote corner of New Mexico called Strong City. They say they are all preparing for death, to go to a better place. He confidently predicted that the world would end on 31 October, 2007, and they all believed him.
There were three related aspects of this documentary that I found particularly chilling.
The first was the strength of delusion that was apparent within the leader and his followers. Although I now work in the field of mental health, I don’t pretend to be an expert in psychiatry, and I certainly am unqualified to make any psychiatric assessment. However, while watching the programme I found myself thinking that part of what we were seeing had something to do with a kind of individual and group psychosis.
Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a “loss of contact with reality.” Stedman’s Medical Dictionary defines psychosis as “a severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning.”
Psychosis can take many forms, it can include:
- Sensing things that aren’t really there (Hallucinations)
- Having beliefs that aren’t based on reality (Delusions)
- Problems in thinking clearly (e.g. thought insertion, withdrawal, block, broadcasting)
- Not realising that there is anything wrong with themselves (called lack of insight)
Michael, being convinced that he was the Messiah, had a direct line to the Father, and the Father told Michael what to do with great frequency. The Father occasionally forced his body to do things. The members of the group who hadn’t left were the ones who unquestioningly believed him. They never challenged Michael. They just reinforced the delusion. And of course, the children born into the group knew nothing different to this particular distorted universe. The group gazed into his eyes with obvious devotion and hung on his every word. In being in his presence they clearly ‘knew’ they were getting close to the Father.
The second aspect of the cult that disturbed me was that not only were they blind to Michael’s delusion, they were also blind to the appalling inconsistencies between their desire for perfection (with a soon-to-come escape from this sordid world) and what other religious groups would describe as the ‘gross sexual immorality’ in their midst. Some of their behaviour would offend even liberal standards, and it certainly ought to have offended their own ‘higher’ standards, but they just couldn’t see the problem.
One of the first things the Father told Michael to do, after Michael realised he himself was the Messiah, was to have sex with two women. When the husbands of these two women were angry about this, Michael told them to direct their anger to the Father. He continues to consummate with them, along with others, including his daughter-in-law.
As part of her desire for greater holiness, a teenage girl interpreted Michael’s words about being ‘naked before God’ literally and asked Michael if she could take her clothes off. He thought for a moment before agreeing and then lay on the bed with her, hugging her. When questioned in the documentary about this, Michael justified it on the grounds that doctors see women naked and it is ok. Apparently M.D.’s are worse because they put their fingers inside women when examining them. Soon after this Michael was told by God to collect seven virgins who all took off their clothes and were hugged naked by him (at least 2 of the girls were under age according to state law).
The extent of the group blindness about the acts described above can be measured by the fact that all the women and their husbands in question are still in the group. His son, an ex-policeman (and very aware of the law relating to sexual abuse of minors), is Michael’s trusted lieutenant. On hearing of the sexual abuse, two sets of parents (former cult members), removed their children who had begged to be left in the group. After a few weeks the children elected to go back, some of them going on hunger strike in order to get their own way.
The third disturbing thing about the group, is that they have a theory that explains everything, even those things which are contrary to reason. You cannot hold rational discourse with them. They are unsinkable rubber ducks. Whenever you shoot them down, they just bob back up again. The documentary crew were banned from the group on October 31, the day that the world would end. They waited at the gates. At midnight, Michael and his followers walked towards the gates carrying torches in the darkness, ecstatically happy, crying “Release!” and “Freedom!” They then returned to their settlement. The following day, all requests for interviews were turned down.
Most people would have taken the non-occurrence of the end of the world as a serious blow to their confident beliefs. The group have stayed, and Michael knows that Father has put back the date until December 15, 2007. So the Father says you can have sex with other people’s wives and encourage children to get naked, and he can change the date at the end of the world, and only the spiritually blind and faithless would dare to question such things. It reminded me a bit like answers (or non-answers to prayer). If something happens it is great, if not, there is always a reason for it not happening - god said no, you weren’t holy enough, god is making you wait, prayer isn’t about asking for things anyway.
To an outsider it would seem that many people have been seriously damaged by the cult and there is a case for law enforcement agencies and mental health professionals to get involved to protect the children from further abuse - though I accept that the practicalities of that make any involvement extremely difficult, if not impossible. The whole religion just seemed another particularly hideous example of bad faith.
_______
Update 16/12/07: Interesting article by Richard Hannaford.
Update 27/12/07: You can now see a video of the first 20 minutes or so of the documentary. Click HERE.
Also I have noticed that “Michael” allows his followers to use the Internet. Is it to feed disinformation to the masses? I see quite a few other cult site that mention Michael, and there is always someone defending him there. Plus I believe “Michael” committed child abuse when he put the suggestion that these young girls, in order to be closer to God, lay naked with him. Let him go to prison for child abuse and lets see how many “angels” fly down to protect him. He is just a pedophile who has convinced others to help him in his sick quest for more virgins.
To Michael and his followers: IF you purport to believe in the bible, and use it to support your position that Micheal is a prophet (I cannot even stomach the other assertion) -
Regarding Moses: How do we know he was a prophet? How can you ask such a question? Because if you actually READ the Hebrew Scriptures you will see that G-d revealed Himself to the Nation of Israel, not just Moses. G-d did not just appear to Moses in private. If you do not know this, how can you call yourself a prophet?
If you don’t believe me I have quoted the Hebrew Scriptures below.
Regarding Noah: Can you please direct me to the passage in the bible where Noah is ridiculed or anything else by the people around him for building the ark?
I would think a prophet and his followers would know the bible better than this.
Deuteronomy:4
9. But beware and watch yourself very well, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw, and lest these things depart from your heart, all the days of your life, and you shall make them known to your children and to your children’s children,
10. the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, “Assemble the people for Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.
11. And you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire up to the midst of the heavens, with darkness, a cloud, and opaque darkness.
12. The Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of the words, but saw no image, just a voice.
13. And He told you His covenant, which He commanded you to do, the Ten Commandments, and He inscribed them on two stone tablets.
If u are the messiah how will people all over the world know about you. U are selfish for a messiah, u dont seem to care about no one esle except your immediate followers
People that live in the remote sections in Africa and Aisa why are u not helping them? if ur the messiah, who loves all?
Is your concern only with the American People or with your 56 followers?
God is loving and so are is his followers, so why do you some of your response seem so angry, and sarcastic?
I am not judging you, just asking some question, so please dont not attack me and ask your followers to refrain from doing so.
how can u blame people that think that your are fake, u keep defending yourself.
Jesus never defended himself ,he took the criticism which u can’t take.
U keep refering to God,
Which God?
The devil is a God,
Ur Car can be ur god if u worship it?
Anything u worship can be your god.
how can we be sure ur not worshipping a demon and calling it God.
All that i have jus written came from God in heaven,
He told me to tell u Micheal.
Check Yourself!!!!
The film was just shown here in the U.S. 5 days ago, and over the last few days the 3 minors featured in the film have been removed from Strong City. Michael and his followers, of course, see this as the coming of the wrath of the Lamb (actually Michael’s wrath - and he’s not being subtle about this being his own wrath). I hope the authorities in NM are keeping a clear eye on all this, because if there was a time when Strong City could become a suicide cult, it seems that now would be that time.
Belagia Thanks for the info about the US showing and the removals. That has to be good news!
Yes, good news indeed. I was amazed when watching the documentary that Michael/Wayne admitted to laying naked with underage girls and touching them. In reading the above posts, I was amused that posters in the U.K. thought that that might be legal in the U.S. Uh…no - not in any state that I’m aware of. The authorities just had not yet seen the documentary, and Michael/Wayne’s admission of guilt, which I am sure can be used in a court of law against him. The girls own “testimony,” published here could probably be used as evidence as well.
The fact that Michael/Wayne did admit what he’d done, knowing that the film would be seen publicly tells me that he really does believe in his own divinity. He is clearly not a stupid man, and he surely understands the law. He’s just delusional.
Though I do think it is good news that the children have been removed, and that Michael/Wayne will surely be investigated now, I am concerned about the children’s well being. Just like the 400+ children who have recently been removed from the Polygamist cult, these children will not necessarily be well served in the U.S. foster care system. Time will tell.
Thank you for having this public forum available, and for allowing so many of the posts from the members of the Strong City cult to remain here. It is fascinating to get a peek into their minds and to try to understand their world views.
I was one of the founders of this religious offshoot movement that developed into the LOR cult we see today. Four of the five leaders leaders left in 1989, leaving Wayne Bent to continue on as the sole leader. I haven’t had contact with Wayne for about 19 years. I decided to write him the other day. He did not post our correspondence on his site; therefore I am using another site to post these few letters. I believe it goes to the heart of the problem and identifies where Wayne veered off track. Below is the URL for the correspondence.
http://strongcity.wordpress.com/from-a-former-leader-of-the-lord-our-righteousness/
Dawn
Michael was apparently arrested this morning on counts of child molestation, and contributing to the delinquency of minors.
Thanks for your link, Dawn
Dawn Thanks for the link.
Belagia Thanks for the news.
Dawn - This site is a blog written by a man who believes in neither God nor Satan. Nor do I, so your link doesn’t persuade me to any new beliefs. It just reinforces my belief that Wayne is an ace manipulator. Est training, huh? That does explain where and how he learned some important cult leader skills.
[...] 6, 2008 by athinkingman Readers who were disturbed by the God and the Virgins posting of 13 December, 2007, may be interested to read this update from Religion [...]
Hey Wayne Bent.. (isn’t that surname just appropriate!)
Where will you go now? Seems New Mexico finally got wind of your self-diagnosed ‘godness’ (yep, LITTLE ‘G’!) It’s been years but those of us in Sandpoint that remember you before you fled here to go meet god in NM stilll laugh about how absurd a little man you really are. Seems you’ve gone beyond having the women bare their breasts in church to show ’support’ to you to messing with underage kids. Of course you had to leave Idaho! Age of consent here is 18! Oh wait, I forgot, all yolu did was “lie naked skin to skin…” Shame on you you perverted pedophile! May they lock you up and throw the key away, you’re nothing but a bearded Warren Jeffs wannabe and you make about as much sense.
re: the sandpoint idaho post
were there similar events going on when wayne was in idaho? could you elaborate?
What a verry interesting thread and an inside look into an operating cult, with its own self proclaimed messiah figure who surprise surprise admits to having marital relations with other mens wives including his own daughter in law.
Sin sin sin, sick sick sick.
repent and leave as soon as you can come to your senses.
Peace.
Bent,you say you are a missiah and you are lowering yourself to show anger from words. Those without sins shall throw the stone. You are a work of art. It should be entombed in a steel safe until the real apocolypes comes. You are achild molester and a thief. You steal everyones money for your own gain and I have seen your accounts not a very good secure system you have.I just have one more thing to say, If you are a real massiah, go jump off cliff and when you don’t die as a massiah wouldn’t,then maybe I will resint on my post. Other than tat,leave those poor girls around.How would you like if I raped your own daught or your mom.I just bet you wouldn’t like that at all.