The Process Church of The Final Judgment
Encyclopedia
The Process, or in full, The Process Church of the Final Judgment, commonly known by non-members as the Process Church, was a religious group that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, founded by the English
couple Mary Anne and Robert DeGrimston
(originally Robert Moor and Mary Anne MacLean). Originally headquartered in London
it had developed as a splinter client cult group from Scientology
,
so that they were declared "suppressive persons" by L. Ron Hubbard
in December 1965. In 1966 the members of the group underwent a social implosion
and moved to Xtul
on Mexico
's Yucatan
peninsula, where they developed "processean" theology
(which differs from, and is unrelated to process theology
). They later established a base of operations in the United States
in New Orleans.
They were often viewed as Satanic
on the grounds that they worshipped both Christ
and Satan
. Their belief is that Satan will become reconciled to Christ, and they will come together at the end of the world to judge humanity, Christ to judge and Satan to execute judgment. Vincent Bugliosi
, the prosecutor of the Charles Manson
family trial, comments in his book Helter Skelter that there may be evidence Manson borrowed philosophically from the Process Church, and that representatives of the Church visited him in jail after his arrest. According to one of these representatives, the purpose of the visit was to interview Manson about whether he had ever had any contact with Church members or ever received any literature about the Church.
In April, 1974 Robert DeGrimston was removed by the Council of Masters as Teacher. They renounced The Unity, his exposition of the above-noted doctrine
s, and most of his other teachings. DeGrimston attempted to restart the Process Church several times, but he could never replace his original following. Following DeGrimston's removal, the group underwent a significant change in orientation and renamed itself the Foundation Faith of the Millennium. Further changes in both name and focus followed, and the organization eventually became the Best Friends Animal Society
, which is now one of America's best known animal welfare rescue groups. Later on, many of these same believers went on to support Gilles Deleuze
in his leadership of the Anti-Oedipal movement of 1968.
A detailed account of the history of and life within the Process Church as told by a participant-observer is contained in William S. Bainbridge
's book Satan's Power. (He employed a pseudonym for the name of the group, referring to it as "The Power", and disguised the names of people to preserve their identities, a procedure used for sociological studies of living groups to ensure privacy.)
derived from the thoughts of Alfred North Whitehead
.
At Xtul
was the first 'channeling' of God
. After Xtul, Jehovah
was the only recognised God. Later, with Jehovah, Lucifer
and Satan
were recognised as "The Three Great Gods of the Universe" and Christ
as the Emissary to the Gods. The Three Great Gods represent three basic human patterns of reality:
In between these Three Great Gods and man, is an entire hierarchy of Gods, beings and superbeings, angels and archangels, demons and archdemons, elementals and guides, and fallen angel
s and watchers.
The Process believes that, to varying degrees, these "God-patterns" exist within all of us. The main doctrine of The Process is the unity of Christ and Satan, who exist as opposites. Jehovah and Lucifer exist as opposites and when Christ and Satan are united this will unite Jehovah and Lucifer.
In the original 1960s literature of the church, Christ, Lucifer, Satan, and Jehovah were all arranged on a mandala
, with Christ at the top opposite Satan on the bottom and Jehovah on the left opposite Lucifer on the right.
(The descriptions of the Gods comes from a teaching called "The Hierarchy" published in December 1967, as a part of "The Tide of the End".)
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
couple Mary Anne and Robert DeGrimston
Robert DeGrimston
Robert DeGrimston was a founder of The Process Church of The Final Judgment in the 1960s...
(originally Robert Moor and Mary Anne MacLean). Originally headquartered in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
it had developed as a splinter client cult group from Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
,
so that they were declared "suppressive persons" by L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
in December 1965. In 1966 the members of the group underwent a social implosion
Social implosion
In sociology, a social implosion refers to an event where a subgroup of a larger group suddenly becomes separated from the larger group—the members of the subgroup sever their connections to the larger group , and their entire social lives become involved in the smaller group...
and moved to Xtul
Xtul
Xtul, , is a small village in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. It is on the north Gulf of Mexico coast, located 24km west of the city of Progreso inside of the Progreso municipality, about half way along the road between Sisal and Progreso...
on Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
peninsula, where they developed "processean" theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
(which differs from, and is unrelated to process theology
Process theology
Process theology is a school of thought influenced by the metaphysical process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and further developed by Charles Hartshorne . While there are process theologies that are similar, but unrelated to the work of Whitehead the term is generally applied to the...
). They later established a base of operations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in New Orleans.
They were often viewed as Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
on the grounds that they worshipped both Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
and Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. Their belief is that Satan will become reconciled to Christ, and they will come together at the end of the world to judge humanity, Christ to judge and Satan to execute judgment. Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. His most recent books are Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy , The Prosecution of George W...
, the prosecutor of the Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
family trial, comments in his book Helter Skelter that there may be evidence Manson borrowed philosophically from the Process Church, and that representatives of the Church visited him in jail after his arrest. According to one of these representatives, the purpose of the visit was to interview Manson about whether he had ever had any contact with Church members or ever received any literature about the Church.
In April, 1974 Robert DeGrimston was removed by the Council of Masters as Teacher. They renounced The Unity, his exposition of the above-noted doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
s, and most of his other teachings. DeGrimston attempted to restart the Process Church several times, but he could never replace his original following. Following DeGrimston's removal, the group underwent a significant change in orientation and renamed itself the Foundation Faith of the Millennium. Further changes in both name and focus followed, and the organization eventually became the Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society, founded in its present form in 1984, is an American nonprofit 501 organization that is one of America’s best known animal welfare rescue groups. Best Friends works in outreach programs with shelters, other rescue groups and members nationwide to promote pet adoption,...
, which is now one of America's best known animal welfare rescue groups. Later on, many of these same believers went on to support Gilles Deleuze
Gilles Deleuze
Gilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
in his leadership of the Anti-Oedipal movement of 1968.
A detailed account of the history of and life within the Process Church as told by a participant-observer is contained in William S. Bainbridge
William Sims Bainbridge
William Sims Bainbridge is an American sociologist who currently resides in Virginia. He is co-director of Human-Centered Computing at the National Science Foundation and also teaches sociology as a part-time professor at George Mason University. He is the first Senior Fellow to be appointed by...
's book Satan's Power. (He employed a pseudonym for the name of the group, referring to it as "The Power", and disguised the names of people to preserve their identities, a procedure used for sociological studies of living groups to ensure privacy.)
Processean theology
The term "processean theology" distinguishes these ideas from the process theologyProcess theology
Process theology is a school of thought influenced by the metaphysical process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and further developed by Charles Hartshorne . While there are process theologies that are similar, but unrelated to the work of Whitehead the term is generally applied to the...
derived from the thoughts of Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
.
At Xtul
Xtul
Xtul, , is a small village in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. It is on the north Gulf of Mexico coast, located 24km west of the city of Progreso inside of the Progreso municipality, about half way along the road between Sisal and Progreso...
was the first 'channeling' of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. After Xtul, Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....
was the only recognised God. Later, with Jehovah, Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
and Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
were recognised as "The Three Great Gods of the Universe" and Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
as the Emissary to the Gods. The Three Great Gods represent three basic human patterns of reality:
- Jehovah, the wrathful God of vengeance and retribution, demands discipline, courage and ruthlessness, and a single-minded dedication to duty, purity and self-denial.
- Lucifer, the Light Bearer, urges us to enjoy life to the full, to value success in human terms, to be gentle and kind and loving, and to live in peace and harmony with one another. Man's apparent inability to value success without descending into greed, jealousy and an exaggerated sense of his own importance, has brought the God Lucifer into disrepute. He has become mistakenly identified with Satan.
- Satan, the receiver of transcendent souls and corrupted bodies, instills in us two directly opposite qualities; at one end an urge to rise above all human and physical needs and appetites, to become all soul and no body, all spirit and no mind, and at the other end a desire to sink beneath all human codes of behavior, and to wallow in a morass of violence, lunacy and excessive physical indulgence. But it is the lower end of Satan
' s nature that men fear, which is why Satan, by whatever name, is seen as the Adversary.
In between these Three Great Gods and man, is an entire hierarchy of Gods, beings and superbeings, angels and archangels, demons and archdemons, elementals and guides, and fallen angel
Fallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
s and watchers.
The Process believes that, to varying degrees, these "God-patterns" exist within all of us. The main doctrine of The Process is the unity of Christ and Satan, who exist as opposites. Jehovah and Lucifer exist as opposites and when Christ and Satan are united this will unite Jehovah and Lucifer.
In the original 1960s literature of the church, Christ, Lucifer, Satan, and Jehovah were all arranged on a mandala
Mandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
, with Christ at the top opposite Satan on the bottom and Jehovah on the left opposite Lucifer on the right.
(The descriptions of the Gods comes from a teaching called "The Hierarchy" published in December 1967, as a part of "The Tide of the End".)
Further reading
- Bainbridge, William Sims (1978). Satan's Power: A Deviant Psychotherapy Cult., Univ of California Press. ISBN 0-5200-3546-1
- Rowlett, Curt (2006). Labyrinth13: True Tales of the Occult, Crime & Conspiracy, Chapter 10, Charles Manson, Son of Sam and the Process Church of the Final Judgment: Exploring the Alleged Connections. Lulu Press. ISBN 1-4116-6083-8.
- Timothy WyllieTimothy WyllieTimothy Wyllie is a writer specialising in the study of "non-human intelligences" such as angels.He was born in London in 1940. He moved to America in the mid-sixties and now lives in the desert of New Mexico. He had a near death experience in 1973...
(1991). Dolphins, Extraterrestrials and Angels. - Terry, Maury (1987). The Ultimate Evil. Doubleday & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-38523452-X.
External links
- 'The Process Church of the Final Judgment', Official website.
- Book Review of 'Love, Sex, Fear, Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgment', Tina Estlin Page, ChuckPalahniuk.net.
- Religious Movements, Kathryn L. Duvall, University of Virginia.
- A profile of The Process, Gary Lachman
- MaryAnne Moore - Obituary, The Skepticaltheurgist
- Friends find their calling, Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News
- Preparing for the Fiery End: Process, Bill Beckett, Harvard Crimson
- Sommaire, Deleuze, Gilles, (1992)
- Writings by Robert deGrimston
- Interview about The Process Church & 4p2 on Alterati.com
- Love Sex Fear Death: Inside The Process Church of the Final Judgment with Timothy Wyllie