Church of the Universe
Encyclopedia
The Assembly of the Church of the Universe, an entheogen
religion
, was established by Walter Tucker in 1969 in the Canadian
province of Ontario
.
The Church uses marijuana
as a sacrament
and promotes nudity
as a demonstration of human equality. The church's use of cannabis is allegedly founded in ancient Judaic practices
involving Kaneh-Bosm, meaning cannabis. This translation is based on the findings of Polish anthropologist
Sula Benet
in the mid-1940s.
:
Although often quoting from the Bible
and other scriptures, the church denies a direct connection to Christianity
. It also accepts as valid sources of inspiration ancient and modern sources such as the culture of Sumer
, pagan holidays of the solstice
s, Canada Day
, the Knights Templar
, Chaldea
ns, Gnostic Gospel
s and the Desiderata
.
Their sacrament is cannabis
, and followers are encouraged to smoke marijuana and use hemp products. They draw on accounts in Genesis and associate the Tree of Life with the hemp plant, additionally quoting Psalm 22:30 and Revelation
22:2,14.
Nudity also finds its origins in Genesis, since Adam and Eve were unclothed until they ate from the Tree of Knowledge rather than the Tree of Life. However, members are enjoined to cover their heads on any official occasion or when interacting with government agents. Each person is encouraged to do so as God directs. Nudism is no longer practiced in many communities within the Church of the Universe.
Since all members joining the church are simultaneously considered to be ordained as ministers, there is theoretically no distinction made between "clergy" and "ordinary members". However, founder Walter Tucker and leading member Michael Baldasaro
have partially developed a system of structured religious titles derived from Catholic Christianity
, such as reverend, archbishop
, bishop
and abbot
.
in Wellington County
between Hamilton
and Guelph
in 1969. After he leased the site for a nominal fee, he renamed it Clearwater Abbey.
Clearwater Abbey's presence in the area was not without controversy, including allegations of noisy ceremonies on the property, the discovery nearby of human remains in 1975, the termination of its lease in 1982, and the final forcible removal of members from the property by police and sheriffs. An attempt to relocate to a disused foundry, renamed Hempire Village, in Guelph in 1994 met a similar fate. The church is now located in north Hamilton.
The church's ritual use of cannabis and its occasional practice of nudism has attracted attention from both the media and police. Because of members regular possession and use of cannabis as a sacrament, legal charges of criminal possession and trafficking in marijuana laid against individual members are a common occurrence.
Frequent court challenges, based on charges or the exercise of political rights, have created an additional pair of intertwined activities: the Legal Self-Defence fund and the University of Universe. Members who defend themselves or others in court are granted degrees from this non-accredited university, the level depending on the level of court involved.
In the past, both Baldasaro and Tucker have utilized political candidacy
for various public and party offices as a platform for espousing their religious beliefs.
Entheogen
An entheogen , in the strict sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. Historically, entheogens were mostly derived from plant sources and have been used in a variety of traditional religious contexts...
religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, was established by Walter Tucker in 1969 in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
The Church uses marijuana
Spiritual use of cannabis
Sacramental, religious and spiritual use of cannabis refers to cannabis used in a religious or spiritual context. Cannabis has an ancient history of ritual usage as an aid to trance and has been traditionally used in a religious context throughout the Old World....
as a sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
and promotes nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
as a demonstration of human equality. The church's use of cannabis is allegedly founded in ancient Judaic practices
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
involving Kaneh-Bosm, meaning cannabis. This translation is based on the findings of Polish anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
Sula Benet
Sula Benet
Sula Benet , also known as Sara Benetowa, was a Polish anthropologist of the 20th century who studied Polish and Judaic customs and traditions.-Biography:...
in the mid-1940s.
Theology
The guiding rules of the church are variations on the Golden RuleEthic of reciprocity
The Golden Rule or ethic of reciprocity is a maxim, ethical code, or moralitythat essentially states either of the following:* : One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself....
:
- Do not hurt yourself.
- Do not hurt anyone else.
Although often quoting from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and other scriptures, the church denies a direct connection to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. It also accepts as valid sources of inspiration ancient and modern sources such as the culture of Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
, pagan holidays of the solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
s, Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
, the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, Chaldea
Chaldea
Chaldea or Chaldaea , from Greek , Chaldaia; Akkadian ; Hebrew כשדים, Kaśdim; Aramaic: ܟܐܠܕܘ, Kaldo) was a marshy land located in modern-day southern Iraq which came to briefly rule Babylon...
ns, Gnostic Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s and the Desiderata
Desiderata
Desiderata is a 1927 prose poem by American writer Max Ehrmann...
.
Their sacrament is cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
, and followers are encouraged to smoke marijuana and use hemp products. They draw on accounts in Genesis and associate the Tree of Life with the hemp plant, additionally quoting Psalm 22:30 and Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
22:2,14.
Nudity also finds its origins in Genesis, since Adam and Eve were unclothed until they ate from the Tree of Knowledge rather than the Tree of Life. However, members are enjoined to cover their heads on any official occasion or when interacting with government agents. Each person is encouraged to do so as God directs. Nudism is no longer practiced in many communities within the Church of the Universe.
Since all members joining the church are simultaneously considered to be ordained as ministers, there is theoretically no distinction made between "clergy" and "ordinary members". However, founder Walter Tucker and leading member Michael Baldasaro
Michael Baldasaro
Michael A. James Baldasaro is a political and religious figure in Hamilton, Ontario. Together, with his friend Walter Tucker, he presides over a religious sect known as the Church of the Universe...
have partially developed a system of structured religious titles derived from Catholic Christianity
Order of Precedence (Catholic Church)
The order of precedence in the Catholic Church is contingent upon the organization of the hierarchy, including both the Hierarchy of Order and the Hierarchy of Jurisdiction, as well as various honorary titles....
, such as reverend, archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
, bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
.
Activities
Tucker founded the church at a water-filled former quarry in Puslinch, OntarioPuslinch, Ontario
Puslinch is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in the County of Wellington south of Guelph. The area is rich in natural gas resources. The main source of production is agricultural, bottling and mining. Mining has been dominant throughout the county. About half of the township is...
in Wellington County
Wellington County, Ontario
Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices...
between Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
in 1969. After he leased the site for a nominal fee, he renamed it Clearwater Abbey.
Clearwater Abbey's presence in the area was not without controversy, including allegations of noisy ceremonies on the property, the discovery nearby of human remains in 1975, the termination of its lease in 1982, and the final forcible removal of members from the property by police and sheriffs. An attempt to relocate to a disused foundry, renamed Hempire Village, in Guelph in 1994 met a similar fate. The church is now located in north Hamilton.
The church's ritual use of cannabis and its occasional practice of nudism has attracted attention from both the media and police. Because of members regular possession and use of cannabis as a sacrament, legal charges of criminal possession and trafficking in marijuana laid against individual members are a common occurrence.
Frequent court challenges, based on charges or the exercise of political rights, have created an additional pair of intertwined activities: the Legal Self-Defence fund and the University of Universe. Members who defend themselves or others in court are granted degrees from this non-accredited university, the level depending on the level of court involved.
In the past, both Baldasaro and Tucker have utilized political candidacy
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
for various public and party offices as a platform for espousing their religious beliefs.
External links
Stories in local newspapers such as The Hamilton Spectator and The Guelph Mercury on the church and its members do not remain online for long. The following links have been chosen for their stability on the web.- Church of the Universe official site
- Marijuana & Hemp article
- pot-tv.net television documentary