I have just read a section from a forthcoming book "The Brainwashing Controversy: An Anthology of Essential Documents," edited by J. Gordon Melton and Massimo Introvigne. There is little doubt that all of the major destructive cults will delight in this book. It is such disinformation- amazing to think people accept this as true.

I was a bible scholar and Christian for most of my life before I joined CUT. One of the things that attracted me to this group initially was that Mrs. Prophet stated she was a bible scholar. Little did I know that the doctrine of this group would be presented to me in droplets—and when it was too late, I was hooked. Essentially, CUT is a group with many blended ideas and philosophies. Mark L. Prophet founded this group in 1961. He was a former member of the Theosophical Society, which grew into the Mighy I AM movement in the 1930s, led by Guy and Edna Ballard. Mark left the I AM group in the late 1950s, founded the Bridge to Freedom in Washington, D.C., the precursor to the Summit Lighthouse. Elizabeth and Mark met in 1960 when she was a student at Boston University. They moved their Summit Lighthouse to Colorado Springs. Mark died in 1973. The group then moved to Santa Barbara, California in 1974 still calling itself the Summit Lighthouse. In 1986, Edward Frances, fourth husband of Elizabeth, sought out and bought the former (Malcolm) Forbes Ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana. Partially to eliminate an ongoing IRS probe, the Summit Lighthouse was changed to Church Universal and Triumphant upon the move to Montana. Mrs. Prophet claimed that this name was "the original name of the church established by Jesus."

CUT doctrine is complicated and multi-layered. It mixes Catholicism with conservative Christiantity, with New Age Thought, with American conservative, reactionary politics. CUT hit the big time in the news when in 1990 it was announced that the end of the world was coming, and people flocked to the group’s Ranch in droves.

Currently, CUT is in a decline. Partially because of the loss of dynamic leadership in the person of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, who has allegedly been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and due to many legal and financial problems. Several suits against CUT have begun or are anticipated. A several-million dollar judgement won against CUT in 1980 has been held up on appeal.

Mrs. Prophet has published over 50 books in 15 languages. But the books anyone can buy do not tell the real story behind the "teachings." What follows is an example of the inner doctrine of the group, known only to insiders:

From Cathleen Mann, Clinical Director of Crossroads Counseling Center and former Church Universal and Triumphant member. 

An Open Letter to Dr. J. Gordon Melton and others similarily situated (i.e., don’t believe in mind control):

Have any of you read Melton’s monograph "Church Universal and Triumphant in Scholarly Perspective?" Do you think that was legitimate social research??

Do you think he knew or told the truth?

Here are some specifics regarding my CUT experience in reference to mind control. But, let me say by way of preface, that I agree that I was not "brainwashed." Because this is such an extreme word, most people recoil when they hear it.

But, yes, even though at times I was aware of the process, I was under mind control for the two years I was a keeper of the flame with CUT, and for the shorter period of time I spent shadowing and interacting with Mrs. Prophet. I signed a document called "The Sons and Daughters of Dominion" after 4 hours of grilling by Mrs. Prophet. She asked me one night after midnight after I had sat with her as she held court - to give her my "light." I knew something was wrong here, but I knew that if I didn’t do exactly as she said, that she would kill me. Now, I know that sounds melodramatic, but it is how I felt.

You are familiar with Lifton’s eight criteria of mind control, I believe. Allow me to use those criteria in relation to my CUT experience:

1. Milieu Control — Levels of staff membership; secret societies within that membership; living in teaching centers; marathon major sessions on Friday and Saturday nights, when most people socialize or have family time; renting rooms to other Keepers/members; probationary periods at Mrs. Prophet’s total discretion; never driving in a car alone; four cars become one car so no one knows how many people are really living on the ranch; having a "decree buddy" at all times to check your decrees as they check yours; tag decree session which go for 24 hours, 7 days a week.

2. Mystical Manipulation — Personal messages from the Masters via Mrs. Prophet; Mrs. Prophet must approve all dating and marriages, types of sexual relations and frequency; the "5 minute rule" - not being allowed to talk to a member of the opposite sex if unmarried without written permission in advance; Mrs. Prophet naming all babies of communicants and approving all names of babies of Keepers; sending people on "secret" missions for the masters; Mrs. Prophet has all the answers always.

3. Demand for Purity — The Camelot Kitchen recipes; the 5 Escene diet; macrobiotic diet; fasting; use of protein powder instead of the real thing; required upper colonics; no red, black or orange clothing; only can drive a blue car in Mrs. Prophet’s presence; no fluoride; no sugar; no soft drinks; no chocolate; no coffee; all women’s clothes must hang down and be loose fitting; bingeing and purging using spirit of Ipecac; carrots as the only food that would grow at 10,000 feet—carrot factories, carrot drying plant, carrots being declared "the food of the masters"—carrot juice, carrot cake, carrot pies, carrot bread, carrot stew, carrot soup, and on and on.

4. Cult of Confession — Lengthy clearance letters for all keepers and other members; keepers of the flame signed statement to keep secret the teachings upon pain of death; must return all CUT materials if you leave; letters to explain why you want to live on the Ranch; special documents to purge homosexual thoughts, mental illness in self or family. Special dispensation to join group if you have EVER said the word f—k, sh-t, etc. requiring a waiting period of up to 6 months for the "masters" (Mrs. Prophet) to decide.

5. Sacred Science — Decreeing constantly; violet flame; tube of light cloak to protect you from demons, enemies of CUT, entities; discarnates, salamanders, nephilim, giant races, mole people; put on cloak of invisibility; blue lightning decree—BOLT, BOLT, SMASH, CONSUME, DISSOLVE done 3 x 3 x 3 times; no use of aluminum foil (attracts UFOs); cabinets and doors must be completely shut at all times; no one can sit in the chair after Mrs. Prophet does or it is witchcraft; astrology for EVERY move or decision.

6. Loading the Language — Too numerous to list, but here are a few:
the discarnates; Messenger; decree; violet flame; seven rays; great white brotherhood, rewriting lyrics to known songs, but keeping the melody; dark cycle; karma becomes physical; four lower bodies; 3 buddhas in this dispensation; three fold flame; twin flames; spark of light; four horsemen of the Apocalypse; fiery inner core; OM; Lanello, Lady Portia, Cosmic Honor Guard.

7. Doctrine over person — Being told to put "it on the shelf" until you can believe it: The two rules of the ashram: OBEY IMMEDIATELY and KEEP SILENT posted over every door in every building or home of every keeper or higher member; progressive revelation to dispute "mistakes" in prophecy; level of staff service, each level keeps secrets above and below; inner circles within circles; red is a perversion of the ruby ray — only Mrs. Prophet can wear red; things revealed to you by the "masters" on a need to know basis only; Mrs. Prophet telling people their past embodiments; dead members being discussed and shown on the big screen (10 x 18) in community meeting with only Mrs. Prophet knowing what dimension they went to, or if they ascended at all; people told after 10 years of constant decreeing that their "efforts" were null and void; Mrs. Prophet telling members to put a picture of Archangel Michael on their car if they drove off the property.

8. Dispensing of Existence — Many are called, but few are chosen; nine buddhas revealed; 144,000 lightbearers who hold the entire world in their hands; if you have or had an abortion, then you will be an abortion for the next 9 lifetimes; many paths may lead to God, but CUT is the shortest and the fastest; Mrs. Prophet never decreeing herself, never available—always in "retreat", leaving the altar in mid-service if the decrees were not fast enough or strong enough; requiring members to wait, sometimes hours, for her to appear; Mrs. Prophet’s 18 minute entrance music.

Others — You cannot ride a motorcycle because only discarnates ride them, and they masturbate when riding, plus they disrupt the vibrations by the dust and dirt they create. Entities are everywhere! They are in your pants, so you must change your underwear daily. They are in your coffee! The Ascended Masters tell Mrs. Prophet everything instantly! They tell her if you are having sex without permission, you cannot make your ascension if you ever had oral sex, if you wear red, if you have red or black in your house. If you eat meat, Mrs. Prophet can see it in your aura. Grandparents who sleep in the same bed with their grandkids are actually stealing their "light" to stay in embodiment longer.

Dancing a waltz takes away past sin (karma) Hawaii is really a remnant of Mark and Elizabeth’s former Kingdom, when they did us the GREAT FAVOR of coming back several lifetimes to now run the cult of CUT.

So, I ask you again — why were none of these things mentioned in Melton’s so-called comprehensive "study," can you tell me that???