Leland Jensen
Encyclopedia
Leland Jensen was the founder of a Bahá'í sect
called the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant
(BUPC). Jensen initially supported the claim of Mason Remey
to be the successor to Shoghi Effendi
in 1960, resulting in his excommunication from the mainstream Bahá'í
community. Jensen further believed that he was chosen by God to re-establish the proper administration of the religion, and went on to propagate his own teachings among a group of followers that observers say probably never exceeded 200. but declined in size significantly from 1990-1996. During his lifetime adherents were mostly concentrated in Montana, with smaller groups in other states.
Jensen gained national attention when on April 26, 1980 he led a group of followers into fallout shelters, expecting an apocalyptic nuclear holocaust. He went on to predict that Halley's Comet would enter earth's orbit on April 29, 1986, and collide with the earth exactly one year later. With Jensen's approval, in the early 1990s his companion Neal Chase
made a total of 18 predictions which pertained to small-scale disasters that he claimed would lead step-by-step towards the Apocalypse
, as well as dates for a nuclear attack on New York City by middle Eastern terrorists.
on his mother's side. He and his wife, Opal, received doctorates in natural medicine, becoming chiropractic doctors. They attended the School of Drugless Physicians and graduated in 1944. Opal was the valedictorian and Jensen graduated with distinction (cum laude).
After they graduated, and after practicing for a while, they moved to St. Louis. In 1953 Shoghi Effendi
launched the Ten Year Crusade
, which aimed at bringing the message of Bahá'u'lláh to the entire world. Jensen and his wife gave up their practice and went to two tiny islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar
. The first island was the French island of Réunion
, which practiced Catholicism as the State Religion. He then stayed six months in Mauritius
. Jensen and his wife were the first Bahá'ís to visit these islands, and therefore received the title of Knights of Bahá'u'lláh
. More than 200 Bahá'ís received the title after moving to areas designated by Shoghi Effendi. His wife Opal died in 1990.
in 1963. However, in 1960 Remey declared himself to be the successor of Shoghi Effendi, and expected the allegiance of the world's Bahá'ís. Subsequently, he and his followers were declared Covenant breakers
by the Hands. They reasoned that he lacked a formal appointment from Shoghi Effendi, and that the office was confined to male descendants of Bahá'u'lláh
, the Aghsan
. Almost the whole Bahá'í world rejected his claim, but he gained the support of a small but widespread group of Bahá'ís. Jensen was among these first supporters of Remey. In 1964 he moved to Missoula, Montana with his wife where they opened a chiropractic clinic.
were "covenant-breakers" and the administration they established beyond Shoghi Effendi's death was faulty and not in line with the covenant. According to Jensen, shortly after returning to his cell,
He recruited many followers in prison, and after his parole in 1973 he founded the BUPC. By the time his 1980 predictions were receiving national press coverage he had attracted followers in Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas.
and focused on natural and manmade disasters predicted in the Bible. He developed a series of Fireside Classes that attempted to show students the proofs of his beliefs. The main tenet of these proofs were that Jesus, Bahá'u'lláh, and Jensen himself were prophesied in the Bible by their names, their missions, and the time and place of their appearance. He also taught on the "Purpose of Life", "The Covenant", and the "Prophecies in the Great Pyramid". Jensen claimed to have decoded prophecies hidden in the inner passageways of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He postulated that if one equates each inch along its inner passageways to a solar year that there was a correspondence to historical events marked off along these passageways. He taught that the Flood of Noah
, Exodus of Moses
, Birth of Jesus
, appearance of the Báb
, proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Establishment of the Kingdom could all be found in the prophecies of the Great Pyramid.
, made twenty specific predictions centering nuclear attacks, worldwide catastrophes, and some smaller scale disasters. Jensen himself set two of the dates, while Chase set the other 18. Between 1980 and 1996, four researchers took part in group activities and even stayed the night in three BUPC fallout shelters in 1980.
The disconfirmed prophecy resulted in Jensen losing several contingents of adherents, and his response was that he was right all along. Over the following years Jensen used several types of explanations, as noted by researcher Robert Balch,
Jensen's followers had made substantial commitments to the prediction, building shelters, writing letters to government agencies and newspapers, and distributed thousands of leaflets urging fellow Missoulians to build fall-out shelters. To them the disconfirmation was "painfully obvious", and researchers used them as a case study in cognitive dissonance
.
On the day after Jensen's seemingly failed prophecy, the local newspaper of Missoula, Montana, the Missoulian, published the following on April 30, 1980:
When asked by a UPI reporter Jensen did not express concern that the prediction might not come true, remarking "There will be a nuclear holocaust some day."
had begun on the date of his prediction of a nuclear holocaust, and thus committed himself to another event happening on the same date in 1987. In 1985 he made the prediction that Halley's Comet would enter Earth's orbit on April 29, 1986, and collide with the Earth exactly one year later. In the interim year, he taught that the comet would break apart, pelt the Earth with debris, and produce massive earthquakes. The new prophecy rekindled his followers, who became excited with the new idea.
As opposed to the first prediction, this time his followers made very little commitments to the prophecy, and began making disclaimers even before the 1986 event. When the members gathered on the night before the comet was supposed to enter Earth's orbit, nobody mentioned the comet. Jensen later said that the massive earthquakes were fulfilled by a "spiritual earthquake" when one of his important followers defected and left him.
, and psychics. After each failed prediction, the BUPC adherents carried on as usual, giving disclaimers to future predictions, and focusing on Jensen's other teachings.
. The Bahá'í Publishers Under the Provisions of the Covenant published several of his and other books on the Bahá'í Faith. A few of his more notable books are:
Bahá'í divisions
The Bahá'í Faith has had challenges to leadership, usually, at the death of every head of the religion. The vast majority of Bahá'ís have followed a line of authority from Bahá'u'lláh to `Abdu'l-Bahá to Shoghi Effendi to the Custodians to the Universal House of Justice. Sects diverging from this...
called the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant
Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant
The Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant is a small Bahá'í sect founded originally by Leland Jensen in the early 1970s. The claims of the BUPC focus on a dispute in leadership following the death of Shoghi Effendi in 1957, and a subsequent dispute among the followers of Mason Remey...
(BUPC). Jensen initially supported the claim of Mason Remey
Mason Remey
Charles Mason Remey was a prominent and controversial American Bahá'í who was appointed in 1951 a Hand of the Cause, and president of the International Bahá'í Council...
to be the successor to Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
in 1960, resulting in his excommunication from the mainstream Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
community. Jensen further believed that he was chosen by God to re-establish the proper administration of the religion, and went on to propagate his own teachings among a group of followers that observers say probably never exceeded 200. but declined in size significantly from 1990-1996. During his lifetime adherents were mostly concentrated in Montana, with smaller groups in other states.
Jensen gained national attention when on April 26, 1980 he led a group of followers into fallout shelters, expecting an apocalyptic nuclear holocaust. He went on to predict that Halley's Comet would enter earth's orbit on April 29, 1986, and collide with the earth exactly one year later. With Jensen's approval, in the early 1990s his companion Neal Chase
Neal Chase
Neal Chase is the disputed leader of a small Bahá'í sect known as the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant , which was last known to have fewer than 100 members in 1990, mostly concentrated in Montana, and declined rapidly in the 1990s...
made a total of 18 predictions which pertained to small-scale disasters that he claimed would lead step-by-step towards the Apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, as well as dates for a nuclear attack on New York City by middle Eastern terrorists.
Background
Jensen was a third generation Bahá'íBahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
on his mother's side. He and his wife, Opal, received doctorates in natural medicine, becoming chiropractic doctors. They attended the School of Drugless Physicians and graduated in 1944. Opal was the valedictorian and Jensen graduated with distinction (cum laude).
After they graduated, and after practicing for a while, they moved to St. Louis. In 1953 Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
launched the Ten Year Crusade
Ten Year Crusade
The Ten Year World Crusade was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith....
, which aimed at bringing the message of Bahá'u'lláh to the entire world. Jensen and his wife gave up their practice and went to two tiny islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The first island was the French island of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, which practiced Catholicism as the State Religion. He then stayed six months in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Jensen and his wife were the first Bahá'ís to visit these islands, and therefore received the title of Knights of Bahá'u'lláh
Knights of Bahá'u'lláh
The title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh was given by Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, to Bahá'ís who arose to open new territories to the Faith during the Ten Year Crusade....
. More than 200 Bahá'ís received the title after moving to areas designated by Shoghi Effendi. His wife Opal died in 1990.
Mason Remey
When Shoghi Effendi died in 1957, he died without explicitly appointing a successor Guardian, and Remey was among the nine Hands of the Cause elected as an interim authority until the election of the first Universal House of JusticeUniversal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
in 1963. However, in 1960 Remey declared himself to be the successor of Shoghi Effendi, and expected the allegiance of the world's Bahá'ís. Subsequently, he and his followers were declared Covenant breakers
Covenant-breaker
A Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of heresy. Being declared a Covenant-breaker by the head of the Faith — which since 1963 refers to the elected nine-member Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís....
by the Hands. They reasoned that he lacked a formal appointment from Shoghi Effendi, and that the office was confined to male descendants of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, the Aghsan
Aghsán
Aghṣán , is a term in literature of the Bahá'í Faith referring to male descendants of Bahá'u'lláh.It has particular implications not only for the disposition of endowments but also for the succession of authority following the passing of Bahá'u'lláh and of his son `Abdu'l-Bahá....
. Almost the whole Bahá'í world rejected his claim, but he gained the support of a small but widespread group of Bahá'ís. Jensen was among these first supporters of Remey. In 1964 he moved to Missoula, Montana with his wife where they opened a chiropractic clinic.
Prison
In 1969 Jensen was convicted of "a lewd and lascivious act" for sexually molesting a 15-year-old female patient, and served four years of a twenty year sentence in the Montana State Prison. He claimed to be wrongly convicted, and later taught his followers that his prison stay was instrumental towards fulfilling prophecy. It was in prison that Jensen claimed to have a revelation, and converted several dozen inmates to his idea of being the "Establisher" of the Bahá'í Faith, stemming from his belief that the Hands of the CauseHands of the Cause
The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life, whose main function was to propagate and protect the Bahá'í Faith...
were "covenant-breakers" and the administration they established beyond Shoghi Effendi's death was faulty and not in line with the covenant. According to Jensen, shortly after returning to his cell,
"I felt a presence only. I saw nobody. I saw no dove, no burning bush or anything of that nature. It talked to me- not in a physical voice, but very vividly expressing to me that I was the Promised Joshua."
He recruited many followers in prison, and after his parole in 1973 he founded the BUPC. By the time his 1980 predictions were receiving national press coverage he had attracted followers in Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas.
Teachings
Along with Baha'i and biblical prophecies, Jensen incorporated pyramidologyPyramidology
Pyramidology is a term used, sometimes disparagingly, to refer to various pseudoscientific speculations regarding pyramids, most often the Giza Necropolis and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt...
and focused on natural and manmade disasters predicted in the Bible. He developed a series of Fireside Classes that attempted to show students the proofs of his beliefs. The main tenet of these proofs were that Jesus, Bahá'u'lláh, and Jensen himself were prophesied in the Bible by their names, their missions, and the time and place of their appearance. He also taught on the "Purpose of Life", "The Covenant", and the "Prophecies in the Great Pyramid". Jensen claimed to have decoded prophecies hidden in the inner passageways of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He postulated that if one equates each inch along its inner passageways to a solar year that there was a correspondence to historical events marked off along these passageways. He taught that the Flood of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, Exodus of Moses
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
, Birth of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, appearance of the Báb
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
, proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Establishment of the Kingdom could all be found in the prophecies of the Great Pyramid.
Predictions
Between 1979 and 1995 Jensen, and his companion Neal ChaseNeal Chase
Neal Chase is the disputed leader of a small Bahá'í sect known as the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant , which was last known to have fewer than 100 members in 1990, mostly concentrated in Montana, and declined rapidly in the 1990s...
, made twenty specific predictions centering nuclear attacks, worldwide catastrophes, and some smaller scale disasters. Jensen himself set two of the dates, while Chase set the other 18. Between 1980 and 1996, four researchers took part in group activities and even stayed the night in three BUPC fallout shelters in 1980.
Nuclear holocaust
In 1979, approximately 6 years after being released from prison, Jensen began teaching his followers that on April 29, 1980 a nuclear holocaust would kill a third of the world's population, and that over the next twenty years, the planet would be ravaged until in the year 2000 "God's Kingdom" would be established and a thousand years of peace would follow. On the fateful night, Jensen led a group of followers into fallout shelters in Missoula, Montana.The disconfirmed prophecy resulted in Jensen losing several contingents of adherents, and his response was that he was right all along. Over the following years Jensen used several types of explanations, as noted by researcher Robert Balch,
- The prediction was fulfilled spiritually rather than physically.
- The prophecy was fulfilled physically, but not in the manner expected.
- The date was off because of a miscalculation.
- The date was a prediction, not a prophecy.
- The leaders had a moral responsibility to warn the public despite the date's uncertainty.
- God had given the world a reprieve.
- The prediction had been a test of members' faith.
Jensen's followers had made substantial commitments to the prediction, building shelters, writing letters to government agencies and newspapers, and distributed thousands of leaflets urging fellow Missoulians to build fall-out shelters. To them the disconfirmation was "painfully obvious", and researchers used them as a case study in cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Dissonance is also reduced by justifying,...
.
On the day after Jensen's seemingly failed prophecy, the local newspaper of Missoula, Montana, the Missoulian, published the following on April 30, 1980:
- "Based on his interpretations of the Bible and on measurements of the Great Pyramid of Kuhfu in Giza, Egypt, Jensen said, ‘either a provocative act that will escalate into World War III, or World War III itself,’ was to occur at 5:55 p.m. MDT Tuesday [4/29/80]." (Missoulian, Vol. 107 No. 311 April 30, 1980)
When asked by a UPI reporter Jensen did not express concern that the prediction might not come true, remarking "There will be a nuclear holocaust some day."
Halley's Comet
After the 1980 event, Jensen introduced the idea that the seven-year TribulationTribulation
The Great Tribulation refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse...
had begun on the date of his prediction of a nuclear holocaust, and thus committed himself to another event happening on the same date in 1987. In 1985 he made the prediction that Halley's Comet would enter Earth's orbit on April 29, 1986, and collide with the Earth exactly one year later. In the interim year, he taught that the comet would break apart, pelt the Earth with debris, and produce massive earthquakes. The new prophecy rekindled his followers, who became excited with the new idea.
As opposed to the first prediction, this time his followers made very little commitments to the prophecy, and began making disclaimers even before the 1986 event. When the members gathered on the night before the comet was supposed to enter Earth's orbit, nobody mentioned the comet. Jensen later said that the massive earthquakes were fulfilled by a "spiritual earthquake" when one of his important followers defected and left him.
Neal Chase
Throughout the 1990s Chase made a total of 18 predictions which pertained to small-scale disasters that he claimed would lead step-by-step towards apocalypse, as well as dates for a nuclear attack on New York City by middle Eastern terrorists. He based these predictions on Biblical prophecies, evidence from Hopi prophecies, planetary conjunctions, dreams, numerological coincidences, NostradamusNostradamus
Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
, and psychics. After each failed prediction, the BUPC adherents carried on as usual, giving disclaimers to future predictions, and focusing on Jensen's other teachings.
Works
Having worked in a print shop while in college, Jensen became a self-publisherSelf-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
. The Bahá'í Publishers Under the Provisions of the Covenant published several of his and other books on the Bahá'í Faith. A few of his more notable books are:
- The Most Mighty Document (1996) - The 7th Letter to Pepe Remey explaining their roles, the Covenant, and Jensen's beliefs on the succession of the Guardianship.
- Jeanne Dixon Was Right! (1994)
- The Seventh Angel Sounded (1994)
Newspapers
- "Millennial Fever" (July 17, 1997). Missoula Independent. Front page.
- “Local Bahá'í Leader dead at 81”. August 8, 1996. MissoulianMissoulianThe Missoulian is a daily newspaper printed in Missoula, Montana. Its circulation is 34,855 on Sundays, 30,466 on weekdays. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Missoulian is the 2nd largest published newspaper in Montana, just behind the Billings Gazette...
p. B2. - “Ezekiel’s Temple in Montana!” (Feb. 9, 1991). The Montana Standard. Front Page.
- "Bahá'í: Deer Lodge Sanctuary" (January 29, 1991). The Missoulian. Front page.