Church Universal and Triumphant
The Church Universal and Triumphant is a religious organization founded in 1958 by Mark Prophet, who later led the church alongside his wife, Elizabeth Clare Prophet. This sect is known for integrating diverse religious beliefs, drawing from Judeo-Christian principles as well as elements from Buddhism, Hinduism, and New Age thought. Initially called the Summit Lighthouse, it gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly due to Elizabeth's apocalyptic teachings, which included warnings of imminent nuclear disaster. The church built a bomb shelter and encouraged members to invest in supplies and gold, a strategy that ultimately led to financial losses when the predicted events did not occur.
After Mark Prophet's death in 1973, Elizabeth became the leader, and the organization transitioned to become the Church Universal and Triumphant. The church emphasizes beliefs in ascended masters, reincarnation, and the importance of prayer as a transformative power. Its membership has since declined significantly, particularly after Elizabeth began experiencing health issues in the 1990s and passed away in 2009. Today, while still operational primarily in Montana, the church maintains a low profile and its membership numbers remain undisclosed.
Church Universal and Triumphant
The Church Universal and Triumphant is a religious sect that was created by an American named Mark Prophet in 1958. The Church Universal and Triumphant is sometimes called the Summit Lighthouse or Summit University. The organization was led for most of its existence by Mark Prophet's wife, Elizabeth. This religious sect says it is based on Judeo-Christian principles, and it combines elements of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and New Age thought. Some people consider the organization a cult.
The church was at its largest during the 1970s and 1980s, but membership began declining in the 1990s after the world did not end as the church's leader predicted. The sect maintained a low profile in the twenty-first century, and membership numbers were generally not disclosed. Some former church members left to create their own similar religious sects, though a small portion of the church reportedly remained in operation in Montana.
History
In 1958, Mark Prophet started a church named Summit Lighthouse. The organization taught religious practices from several different faiths. Prophet met Elizabeth Clare Wulf, who would become his wife, while she was studying political science at Boston University. They married in 1963 and continued growing the church together. The church moved to Colorado in 1966, where it bought a building called the Tower in Colorado Springs and attracted a number of new members.
Mark Prophet was inspired by a religious sect called I AM that was popular in the United States during the 1930s. He adapted many of its principle ideas. The Prophets said that they had led many past lives. Mark claimed to have lived as author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Sir Lancelot, a knight of King Arthur. Elizabeth claimed to have lived as Martha, the disciple of Jesus, and Lady Guinevere, wife of King Arthur. The couple claimed that their past lives had helped them become messengers of the ascended masters. Because the Prophets were Messengers of the masters, their writings and words provided some of the most important guidance for the church.
When Mark Prophet died in 1973, Elizabeth Prophet became the leader of the church. In 1975, she established the religion as the Church Universal and Triumphant and moved the sect to California. She moved the church again in the early 1980s, this time to Montana, where the church purchased a twelve-thousand-acre parcel of land near Yellowstone National Park. Elizabeth Prophet told reporters she moved the church because the area was peaceful and it was easier to meditate and think there.
During the 1980s, Elizabeth Prophet and the church gained notoriety because she warned that a nuclear Armageddon was inevitable. Mark Prophet had warned about the world's destruction during his lifetime, but Elizabeth Prophet and the Church Universal and Triumphant focused on impending doom even more in light of her message. The church spent a great deal of money building a bomb shelter and stockpiling supplies to protect its members against the predicted attacks. The church also encouraged members to stockpile their own supplies and invest in gold, as they believed paper money and banks would soon be worthless. When the world was not destroyed as foretold, the church lost much of its membership and money. Many members also lost a great deal of money because of their personal investments in supplies and the church, and because the value of gold decreased.
In the mid-1990s, Elizabeth Prophet stepped down as the church’s president when she started experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Membership of the church was still declining and much of the land belonging to the sect was sold. Elizabeth Prophet remained the spiritual leader of the church and continued to produce writings and videos that were fundamental to the church’s teaching. A devout member named Gilbert Cleirbaut became the organization's president in 1996, but he stepped down in 1999. In 2009, Elizabeth Prophet died at the age of seventy. The church continued to operate from the ranch in Montana, but its membership had drastically declined since the 1970s and 1980s when its membership was estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 members.
Beliefs
The Church Universal and Triumphant is based on a number of different faiths. Followers believe that ascended masters, who include important religious figures from Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, help guide them in their faith. The group believes that most people are reincarnated, but members believe that the ascended masters are with God and have escaped the cycle of rebirth. They also believe that Messengers (such as Mark and Elizabeth Prophet) can receive teachings from the ascended masters that are not yet known to the rest of humankind.
The church follows these tenets of faith:
- Foundation, Head and Communicants of Church Universal and Triumphant
- God, Christ, and the Soul
- Ascended Masters, Hierarchy, the Great White Brotherhood
- Sacred Scriptures, Progressive Revelation, the Messengers
- The Path of Becoming the Christ and the Buddha
- The Divine Mother and the Aquarian Age
- Baptism, Violet Flame, Balance of Karma
- The Nine Sacraments of the Church
- Free Will, Antichrist, Armageddon
- Sacrifice, Surrender, Selflessness, and Service
- Law of the Tithe
Members of the church believe that repetitive spoken prayer is extremely powerful. They believe that this type of prayer is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, and this prayer can bring about healing and events. The Church Universal and Triumphant has as its sacraments Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Penance, Marriage, Anointing the Sick, and Ordination.
Organization
People who are interested in becoming members of the Church Universal and Triumphant begin by studying the organization's teaching and the information revealed to the Messengers through the ascended masters. Then, people can become Keepers of the Flame, who are at the lowest levels of the organization. Next, individuals can become full members of the church, or Communicants. The church is led by a number of bishops, archbishops, and other leaders.
Bibliography
"Beliefs of the Summit Lighthouse." ElizabethClareProphet, Summit Publications, Inc., www.elizabethclareprophet.org/Teachings/Summit-Lighthouse-Beliefs.html. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
"Church Universal and Triumphant: About." Church Universal and Triumphant, Summit Publications, Inc., www.summitlighthouse.org/aboutus/church-universal-and-triumphant. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
"Elizabeth Clare Prophet Dies at 70; Former Leader of Religious Sect." Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2009, articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/19/local/me-elizabeth-clare-prophet19. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
"Elizabeth Clare Prophet." The Summit Lighthouse, www.summitlighthouse.org/elizabeth-clare-prophet. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Harnett, Emily. "The Prophet Who Failed." Harper's Magazine, 16 May 2024, harpers.org/archive/2024/06/the-prophet-who-wasnt-after-the-apocalypse-that-failed-emily-harnett. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. "The World Didn't End, and This Once Thriving Doomsday Cult Has Faded. But Some of Its Loyal Leaders Still Operate Near Yellowstone National Park." BusinessInsider, 25 Feb. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/a-once-thriving-doomsday-cult-has-shrunk-2020-2. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Religion News Service. "Church Leader Has Alzheimer's Disease." Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 1998, articles.latimes.com/1998/dec/05/local/me-50816. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Szimhart, Joseph P. "Denouement of the Prophets’ Cult the Church Universal and Triumphant in Decline." International Cultic Studies Association, articles1.icsahome.com/articles/denouement-of-the-prophets--cult-the-church-universal-and-triumphant-in-decline. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.