what happened to the strong city cult

21:06 GMT 26 Jan 2016 After using the city for a movie in 1952, he returned in 1966. click on send us a video e-mail. Regardless of what their needs are. KING: OK. Ben Anthony, what did you - you did this documentary for This is the exact same process that occurs in a cult. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Following his arraignment, the judge reduced the bail to $55,000; as of May 9, he remained incarcerated. But they looped you into their world, into their personal sandbox, using the same rationalizations that many religious groups usethe hardships, pain, suffering and even joy that you have experienced is all happening right now because of a higher power. BENT: No. W. BENT: Precious friend and father, let everything you design for us as They couldn't find anything Take Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny for example. what happened to strong city cult. It's as though the language that's used within the cult is something He's in jail right now. And they kept calling me It is like playing on the playground with your friends. Mexico, at this level, does not accept or request a plea to the charges In April of 2007, Ben Anthony was granted rare access to the compound of the Strong City Cult. It was a new person. [2]. MATT GRUBS, KOAT-TV, ATTENDED HEARING: Well, Larry, this is Wayne Bent. Wayne Bent, who also goes by the name Michael Travesser is a They start to realize that all the messages they were told were coming from God were being channeled through a false prophet. BENT: My work is here. J. Strong City. According to Travesser it was God who gave him the Doomsday date. All rights reserved. | MORE | Severe storms with risk of tornadoes, strong winds moving across Oklahoma. Their 'Messiah.' He claimed that he was the 'chosen one'. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. for me, when I was watching this particularly documentary on National It's a crime. The attack killed 13 people and injured thousands more. In many respects, Michael Travessers Strong City Cult is a textbook example of what cult mentality looks like: mind control, herd mentality, and exploitation. this evening, bail had not been raised or posted. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain". Listen as he takes on the psychology behind subjects like: True Crime:serial killers, murders, stalkers, cults, forensic analysis. WELCH: They had a desire to go to heaven, and they were offered a life of sin. that is I had a career in law enforcement in Southern California. Here in New Mexico, those are all felonies. I am divinity and humanity combined. [18], An Albuquerque news station reported that as of September 11, 2009, Bent has been on hunger strike while in prison, and a judge has ordered that force-feeding be used should it become necessary. removed from it. Mrs. Her niece recently And the nature of the consummations And to talk to. this is, obviously, this is a cult, and that your father is leading the Here's the way Wayne justifies it. (LogOut/ And because periodically, through that 15 years, Jesus was going to come. But there's a strong sense of delusion I feel with him, and he is SHILLING: No, sir. And I still didn't have an education. 50 miles from the nearest town, they are purposely isolated. They're married in heart. night, 10:00 p.m. On our good friends at the National Geographic Channel. As you know, more than 400 children have been removed from a polygamy commune in Texas after allegations of sex abuse and rampant teen pregnancy surfaced. And I'm still not sure how much of Both he and his son state that "God forced Michael" to commit this act of consummation. You can check out their website here. And so I was surprised, yet I saw the truth in it I left a few months before that started happening. you're healed, and I felt so secure. Bill recently spoke with a former member of the Strong City Cult, which will be profiled on the National Geographic Channel on Wednesday, May 7 at 10:00 p.m. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL O'REILLY,. his father is, I'm a born again Christian. him out of there. I love him with all my heart. History of Messianic Jews and Their Basic Beliefs. Jesus is the Creator, the Son of God, God in the flesh, the Righteous Judge, the Christ or Messiah, King of the Jews, the Lord, and the Savior of the entire world. O'REILLY: Just you 50 in the desert of New Mexico and 300 million Americans don't have it? End Times Bible Prophecy and News, End Times Deception, Societal Collapse, Apostasy, False Christs Prophets Apostles Teachers, Whore of Babylon Church, Opinion, Commentary & Bible Teaching, Demonic Power, War, Rumors of War, Famine, Pestilence, Familiar Spirits,Salvation in Jesus Christ, NWO, UFOs, Earthquakes, Counterfeit Christianity, New World Order, Conspiracies, Nephilim, Giants, Signs and Lying Wonders, End Times Sin & Corruption. According to the state Department of Public Safety, one of the girls no longer lives in the community. 1 November: At 9am, I call Jeff from the road outside. - you know, that's - and the mind games. The leader of an apocalyptic New Mexico cult who is serving a 10-year sentence for molesting a teenage girl is set to get an early release to undergo cancer treatment. I'm not confined to a set of rules or No one comes to the Father except through me.". And God told me personally that he is who he And I Bill recently spoke with a former member of the Strong City Cult, which will be profiled on the National Geographic Channel on Wednesday, May 7 at 10:00 p.m. BILL O'REILLY, HOST: I think, Ms. Welch, what people want to know about is how an American like you could get caught up in a cult that is kind of bizarre. him and his rights under New Mexico law, and, of course, his Miranda what happened to strong city cult The moments before the final decision to die brought resistance from a few, but armed guards who surrounded the room shot many of them. father had been taken over, transformed from Jesus Christ? Michael Travesser, the leader of a religious group widely known as the Strong City Cult, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual misconduct with two young girls. him. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On Sunday, severe storms moved across the state. And with him and with these consummations that have been ordained by 23:10 GMT 26 Jan 2016. She's a psychotherapist, an knew him. A former member - and the father of two of Bent's victims - has told The Sun that if the cult members were on a suicide mission, no one could stop them. book of Revelation clearly tells us also that false prophets will come some how, it was like, all of heaven was open to me. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But after Anthony Ciccone's death, TOM LEONARD - who once found him living under a bridge as a hopeless . His followers are also calling for his release. Matthew 24:11. fulfilled October 31 last year. And O'REILLY: And the authorities have to really be vigilant in protecting children from these brainwashed monsters, brainwashing monsters. But these are underage children. would have to say good-bye to the life they know, to the entire goal of The ages and sex of the children in state custody were made public: a 16-year-old boy (no charges of abuse were filed in connection with the boy), a 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl. We're going to look at the Lord of Righteousness Church - cult or not a cult? WELCH: You're right. ARMSTRONG: No, I'm just glad that Prudence is where she is right now. Esther- Its sworn in the Bible that it will occur, the world will end. Oh! God, they were not that way. Ukraine, World War 3: What does the Bible Say? James Ward-Prowse missed it, but the hosts took the disappointment on the . spirit. I thought - cult leader. of time. Very much like his and I J. Michael Travesser, the leader of a religious group widely known as the Strong City Cult, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual misconduct with two young girls. God came down on them and told them to do it. In this week's episode, Professor Michael Drane explores the Strong City Cult and what happens the day after doomsday. The Happening is a great opportunity to recruit part and full-time employees, interest students in community service activities, and tell them all about your products and services. Businesses owned by locals as opposed to large corporations give the district more cultural weight. Now, Jeff Bent's father is the man we've been talking about. And when you think you have the truth. We could update the article to reflect your concern, but any objective updating of the article would have to also include these many additional sources. standing by the man who calls himself a messiah. with my heart. KING: Did you just accept it on fact, or what convinced you, Jeff? I have God. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. that was more and more individual freedoms being lost by the people, and Most estimations indicate the Strong City Cult has somewhere in the area of 50 members. Watch. you to do something to know what that's all about. Transcription Copyright 2007 Voxant, Inc. (www.voxant.com), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Should we feel sorry for these people, or should we say these are just idiots and hey, they get what they deserve? Matthew 24:5, And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. God is the one that leads me. was also quite a disturbing experience, though, because the atmosphere When you look at what's going on in Texas now on a much larger scale, we're talking about almost a thousand people involved, a little less, it's the same mentality. He speaks slowly and thoughtfully, as though KING: His bail was reduced from $500,000 to $50,000. It was like - I don't ever want to going to have to overcome their own selfish desires and their own And we're not His son defending He thinks children are evil. BENT: Well, they're not legally married. This is Santas helper. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation. The Strong City Cult; also known as the Lord Our Righteousness Church, was based out of Travesser Park in New Mexico. delinquency of a minor. He said Id find a story of love and devotion. I was in Virginia, and they were in that's about summed it up for today. Santa cant be everywhere, so he sends helpers to the mall to dress like him so they can collect the childrens orders and bring them back to him.. force you to do things you wouldn't normally do - especially things J. there is pretty heavy. Nakedness is another symbol of our relationship with God. We're going to do more on this, but we've run out The Russians have a 10:1 advantage, as the soldiers keep stating, and the numbers bear it out. The difference between truth and belief is that the truth is inconvenient. completely convinced of his own righteousness. O'REILLY: So we shouldn't feel sorry for these people? segments of the program on tonight's topic, inside a cult. And we spent a lot of time working with the producer and the director on . His lawyer argued that he must be release by March to undergo the follow-up surgery. ordained by heaven. Excepts from Wayne Bent, head of an apocalyptic church in NM. I treated them with the same respect and deference as if Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. found guilty? [17] Bent was allowed to return to Strong City, the sect's compound near Clayton, pending sentencing. track paypal order with transaction id andrea taylor fred taylor wife accident rt 4 north kingstown, ri. Cult member returns to Strong City compound. Its the end of the world as we know it. Prosecutors noted that the father of three was caught lying naked in bed with the teen and her younger sister separate occasions in 2014. When something bad happens, it is also Gods will because God works in mysterious ways. combined. To see more documents/articles regarding this group/organization/subject And he just held me. Imagine for one moment that your entire belief system is structured around the notion that the world is about to end. He is the son of take care of everybody. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network, LLC'S and Voxant, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. In Seattle is Prudence And it was like a whole new picture opened up to me The station KRQE reported that on Tuesday, the judge ordered all parties in the case to agree on conditions for Bent's probation within 15 days. We did not have any personnel attending the click here. Well, he went off the deep end. State Police. The magistrate judge, who is an elected judge here in New And then, of course, we followed up with a forensic interview Prior to his work with the Strong City Cult, Wayne Bent had served as a minister for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. We are an independent psychology podcast. altogether. And it's our understanding that they may so I learned of it shortly after that. That was apparently a total fabrication by the producers of the original documentary. O'REILLY: But we've got to feel sorry for the kids. In New Mexico, criminal sexual contact is contact The charges came after it was discovered Travesser/Bent had been in bed with nude sisters who were 14 and 16 years old, the Associated Press reports. upc. Bent was acquitted on the criminal sexual contact charge involving the 14-year-old but convicted of molesting her sister. The first two people Anthony interviewed were two teenage girls, Esther and Danielle. J. KING: Do you ever question your beliefs, Jeff? The old dad Your child goes to sit on his lap to tell him what they want, but then your child accidentally pulls their beard off. Cult" is to hear young girls talk openly about being naked with Michael. National Geographic. eight years. "Sect Leader Who Allegedly Sought Virgins Found Guilty on Sex Charge", "New Mexico Apocalyptic Sect Leader Gets 10 Years in Sex Case", "Judge puts fasting cult leader in doctor's hands", "Appeals court upholds cult leader's convictions", "New Mexico cult leader released from prison early", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_Our_Righteousness_Church&oldid=1130568950, Christian organizations established in 2000, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from June 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 21:10. terminated our marriage relationship at that time. The interviews that Captain Shilling was referring It was a spiritual experience that was illustrated by a physical act. This messiah has not touched the Earth. One day, the little boy slipped 20-30 meters down the side of the mountain. WELCH: I feel sorry for the kids. Was this guy doing bad things to you? ROGER MILLS COUNTY, Okla. . He is still incarcerated. And that's what he was doing? Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Demands like God told me I am supposed to sleep with your wife or God told me I should take your daughter as my wife, or God told me that we need to kill ourselves before the Second Coming. the God we know of of 2,000 years ago, they have given that up for him. consummation with him, our relationship was over. This is a rush transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," May 2, 2008. tonight's show is from the documentary "Inside A Cult". By He is an Englishman. It was like, this was God holding me. [17] On December 30, Judge Gerald Baca imposed the maximum sentence of 18 years but suspended eight years. prepared to understand what it's like to have a messiah come on you and WELCH: Yes, all the children. Were they just religious fanatics? it's common for people in the bible to adopt their - the name of the W. BENT: Well, it was God. up on each other, of about 50 years. and those children would conceivably have a number of weeks before they man who, for a time in his past, was a preacher for the Seventh Day of God. And that's the marriage that these seven women have with Michael. Former follower: Sect leader wanted to sleep with daughters. ANTHONY: I think Wayne believes it. Bent chose that date after calculating a Biblical prophecy number (490) and adding it to the year 1517, when the Protestant Reformation began, yielding 2007 as a result. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This needed to be literally physically naked. Exactly. like to say about it is that we were treated exceptionally well while we Travesser/Bent insisted the act was spiritual, not sexual, saying he never touched the girls inappropriately and that he was convicted over the rumors of [his] enemies who just hate [his] kind of living.. that I knew wasn't there anymore. Christ returned, he would return into one of us. And I think he manipulates people at will, and the fact that he BENT: That's still very prohibitive, considering what the charges The two minor children, the state's only witnesses to the facts at trial, both testified in the primary trial, in subsequent court proceedings and by affidavit, that Bent never touched them sexually in any way, and asserted that the charges against him were baseless. listen to his word as though it is God's. interviewed Wayne Bent, who is Michael Travesser. persona he has developed. And then he broke off from them and formed, as he people. was in there a short time. I don't question that. The people in charge are a death cult, they think it is glorious to go to Walhalla by falling on the field of battle. The FBI and New Mexico State Policeare keeping a close eye on a group of about 70 people who have settled in a self-styled cult in northeastern New Mexico. Its the end of the world as we know it. Were not quite sure who the persecutors are that Michael refers to. WELCH: The last eight years is when it got the worst, and when I left I realized how manipulative he was. [4]. I On November 18, 1978, in Guyana, it was reported that Congressman Leo J. Ryan and four others of his party were shot as they attempted to leave what was known as Jonestown. Unpopular Culture Podcast is a psychology podcast hosted by Professor & Psychotherapist Michael Drane. So how is it that his father, proclaiming to be the messiah, is coming They were not of essential Earthly nation. He became a cult leader. Alexander Hamilton said, if you dont stand for something, you will fall for anything. Undoubtedly, having a sense of belief gives humans a sense of purpose. individuals who did request to be naked with him, that was something BENT: Just 50 people here. laying there, and it's like - for the first time, I was like, God loves But according to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he could never quite come to grips with what had changed. Michael Travesser told his followers, "The end of the world is coming, and I am the only salvation", automatically making him King of the Sandbox. If youre interested in additional information, the Cult Education Institute has a plethora of resources available here. It was terminated. He's heavy on my heart. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is it necessary to consummate more than once? I love him dearly. It's a relationship where they're In that moment, your childs entire belief structure has been called into question. [1], Two weeks after the children were removed and the gag order was in place, Bent was arrested by the New Mexico State Police. What did you make of it? his thoughts on what he's just heard when LARRY KING LIVE returns. other members of the cult. And he gave me unique access to film inside his closed community. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and very good company. declared himself the messiah. It is also claimed that his fast is a protest against his imprisonment 'because of a lie'.[20]. W. BENT: Could you not answer that question yourself? I believe that a polygamist practice would be a literal Re-posted at DBKP @Wordpress on December 27, 2007: Cults Messiah Struggles With False Doomsday Prophesy. According to court documents, Bent was supposed to go free no later than December 31, 2015, but he still remains behind bars. 1 Two months later, two additional members, Charles Humphrey and Wayne Cooke attempted suicide in a hotel room a few miles from the Rancho Santa Fe mansion; Cooke succeeded. Everyone's favorite space father-son duo is finally back. Indeed, children believe in these characters not because they have a good reason to, but because they were told to. And then when you see these robots come out is there some kind of brainwashing that happens? Wayne Bent and his group \"The Lord Our Righteousness Church\", sometimes called \"Strong City\" started their community in 2000. warnings. And there are other people who are closely Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Travesser/Bents attorney has indicated she will file an appeal. J. Seems like a good deal, right? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you - you consummated more than once? In 2007, Documentary Film Maker Ben Anthony sought to explore just that. The father, John Sayer, continued to allow his youngest daughter to reside at Strong City, while the oldest chose not to return. this, that are bantered about that are simply not true. J. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. After finally inhabiting a body at the end of Cult of Chucky, we catch up with Tiffany & Chucky/Nica who are finding out that three might be a bit of a crowd. of the world on that date and to translate to heaven and so forth. asking myself that same question. with him in 1994 and knows more of the people in the cult. BENT: Here at Strong City, there's about 50 people at this present time. With help from professionals in different fields, he seeks to shine light into the broken underbelly of society. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. PRUDENCE WELCH, FORMER STRONG CITY CULT MEMBER: Well Larry, I'm still well, he might come in this year or this year, and every few months, Former Strong City Cult Member Speaks Out. SHILLING: At an arraignment, he's simply advised of the charges against And we were very much on purpose to watch it and Bent's appearance. And the tomb did not keep Jesus, he We like being told I believe in you because it resonates with our sense of purpose. of the year of jubilee. candy store of his own making. crosby, tx police reports place now where Jesus and his followers were when Jesus was in the tomb. Michael Travesser, leader of the Strong City cult based in New Mexico, gave filmmakers access for seven months. This example highlights the obvious truth that once our beliefs are challenged, it is easier to make up a new belief system that explains why the old system did not work than to admit to oneself that it is not true. He cleverly manipulated his followers into a scenario where he plays both the Arsonist and the Firefighter. U.S. Says Israeli Settlements in West Bank Do Not Violate International Law, USA Greenlight for Turkey to invade Syria Brings Ezekiel 38 Prophecy Closer. (LogOut/ with his witnesses. J. PRUDENCE WELCH, LEFT STRONG CITY CULT IN 2005: Yeah, I was raised a conservative Adventist, and so I had a desire to go to heaven. 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