The History Of Exalted Figures

Footnotes:

{1  We might also recall Thomas Jefferson’s observation that there would never have been an infidel if there had never been a priest.}

{2  Roman Catholicism has an extensive hierarchy–replete with “vicars”, “abbots” / “abbesses”, and “priests”.  Higher offices include [arch]bishops and cardinals; while lower level functionaries include chaplains, pastors, deacons, friars, et. al.  Communal stations include monks / nuns.}

{3  Celebrity and a cult of personality typically go hand in hand.  One feeds off of–and conversely, fuels–the other.  It is possible to be a celebrity (i.e. command fame) without generating a cult of personality; but it is not possible to generate a cult of personality without some kind of celebrity.  In either case, one amasses a loyal following of epigones (i.e. acolytes; a.k.a. disciples).}

{4  The Imami (a.k.a. “Twelver”) Shia version of the “Mahdi” is the (pending) 12th imam, Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Husayn ibn Ali “al-Muntazar”…who is believed to currently be in a state of suspended animation at the bottom of a well.  Meanwhile, Isma’ilis (e.g. the “Qarmatians” of Bahrain from the 10th century) await the arrival of Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Jafar al-Sadiq.  Over the centuries, various political leaders have invoked the exalted mantle of “ordained imam” to legitimize their movement–as with, say, Berber (Barghouata) ruler, Salih ibn Tarif, who claimed to be the Mahdi in the 8th century…and Abd (alt. Ubayd) Allah “al-Mahdi”, founder of the Fatimid Empire in the early 10th century…and “shah” Ismail, the leader of the “qizil-bash” [red-heads], who founded the Safavid dynasty in the late 15th century.}

{5  Saying “false prophet” is like saying “fake fortune-teller” or “phony quack”.  One may as well say “artificial astroturf”.  Is there a NON-deceptive scam?  (Must we also inquire about “duplicitous con-men”?)  Some things are fraudulent by definition.  Hucksters are hucksters; and balderdash is balderdash…no matter how well-packaged. There is a reason we needn’t specify “non-scientific astrology”.}

{6  Musaylima’s campaign for prophet-hood failed, while Mohammed’s succeeded.  What exactly explains this difference?  We can only speculate.  Musaylima may not have been quite as phenomenally charismatic as was Mohammed.  Certainly, one of the former’s mis-steps was to pursue CO-prophet-hood (with Mohammed), whereas Mohammed was adamant about being the SOLE prophet.  Unsurprisingly, the bolder claim (from the far more audacious demagogue) ultimately prevailed.  Indeed, most of Mohammed’s followers would most likely have been impressed by just about anything…so long as it was confidently stated and hit the right nerves.  This was a reminder: Bold messages–delivered with confidence by charismatic figures commanding prodigious gravitas–tend to be more compelling.  In any case, we are left with scant solid evidence for the exact details of what transpired.  The surviving accounts of the life of Mohammed (the Hadith) are highly dubious, as they were composed / compiled centuries after his death.  Indeed, the Hadith are a veritable smorgasbord of tall tales.  For the reason, I provide the best account I can of this dubious hagiography in the Addendum to the present book.}

{7  This Persian prophet lived in the late 5th / early 6th century.  His followers were referred to as Mazdakites; and later as the “Khurramiyya” [Khurramites].  Other key prophets in this tradition was the Karenid figure, Sunpadh of Nishapur and the Sogdian figure, Hashim of Balkh (a.k.a. “Al-Muqanna”), both of whom lived in the 8th century.  The Faith seems to have been a synthesis of Zoroastrianism and Islam.}

{8  It was figures like Nathan of Gaza and the Krymchak preacher, Abraham ha-Yakini who proclaimed Sabbatai Zevi to be the Messiah, thereby inaugurating the Sabbatean movement.  Ironically, he eventually converted to Islam.}

{9  There were fundamentalist offshoots of the Church of Latter-day Saints–such as those founded by John Wickersham Woolley and Charles William Kingston.  Joseph White Musser and Rulon Clark Allred founded a sect called the Apostolic United Brethren.}

{10  His followers still exist.  There are between 10 and 20 million “Ahmadiyya” [Ahmadi Muslims] worldwide; testament to the fact that one can be Muslim and believe in rather outlandish things that have nothing whatsoever to do with the Faith as it originally existed.  Felicitously, Ahmadi Muslims tend to be the most liberal denizens of Dar al-Islam.}

{11  He also fashioned himself the “Lamb of God”.  His cult, “Aum Shinrikyo”, was essentially a crude, Messianic hybridization of Abrahamic lore and Vajrayana Buddhism.}

{12  Founders of the World Mission Society, Church of God.}

{13  5 were Judaic in nature, 18 were some variant of Christian, and 10 were a Mohammedan derivative–including Islam itself.  (That’s in addition to the four Arabian prophets mentioned prior to the list.)  Another one of the 50 was syncretic–incorporating elements of Abrahamic lore.  In the Jewish tradition, there were several auspicious figures who claimed to be Messianic in a certain sense (that is: mantic in nature), including Bar Kokhba.}

{14  The “catch” for Christians–especially after the Nicene creed was established–was to explain away Jesus’ ignominious death by prognosticating his coming back to Earth as the coming eschaton.  (This required rationalizing his being executed by the Roman authorities by positing vicarious atonement; as if his martyrdom had been the plan all along.)  Thus, in the Nicene tradition, “Messiah” equated with JoN as SAVIOR, who’s eventual return would usher in the End Times.  The Kingdom NOW was thereby re-conceptualized as the pending Kingdom COME.  For Jews, rather than a worldly place that WAS promised, what was offered was an otherworldly place that HELD promise.}

{15  Zhang Jue was the leader of the Yellow Scarf Rebellion and of the “Taiping Tao” [“Way of Heaven”].  His gimmick should sound familiar in a few respects.  He claimed to have found (or to have been given by the godhead, “Huang-Lao”) a holy book called the “Tai-ping Yao-shu” [“Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace”]; thereby giving him unique access to the deity’s will.  He fashioned himself a sorcerer, performing miracles like faith-healing (which, in order to work, required people to confess their sins).  His social philosophy resembled socialism.}

{16  Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad of Khorasan was founder of the Druze, which is technically not Islamic.  Both he and the aforesaid Ad-Darazi proclaimed the Fatimid heir, Abu Ali Mansur as the incarnation of god.  As the Fatimid caliph, he was anointed “Hakim bi-Amir Allah” [Ruler by God’s Command] like his father, Al-Aziz Billah.  As with, say, the Baha’i Faith, the Druze Faith incorporates many other Faiths (including Kabbalah, Gnosticism, and even Hinduism) into its repertoire, even as it originated as an offshoot of Islam.  Druze effectively resulted from the integration of elements from Ismaili Islam and neo-Platonism (along with Christian mysticism; i.e. Gnosticism).}

{17  Founder of the Alawi sect of Shiism.  Another example of such a “bab” was Abu Yaqub Ishaq, also in the 9th century.  Shia Muslims believe in 5, 7, or 12 total imams, the last of which shall be the savior of mankind (the “mahdi”, the arrival of whom is pending).  For “Imamiyyah” Shiites like the Alawites, the latest imam–the 11th–was Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad of Samarra (a.k.a. “al-Askari”).}

{18  This rabbi was actually part of a fabled lineage, starting with Eliyahu Baal Shem of Worms, then Yoel Baal Shem of Zamosc, then Adam Baal Shem of Ropczyce (alt. David Moshe Abraham of Troyes), then Yisro-El ben Eliezer (a.k.a. “Baal Shem Tov”).}

{19  Baal Shem Tov’s great-grandson, Na[c]hman of Beslov [Podolia], inspired his own heterodox sect of “Breslover” Hassidim.}

{20  Founder of “Donghak”; later re-named “Cheon-dogyo”.)

{21  Founder of “Shin-cheon-ji”; a.k.a. “Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony”.}

{22  He was the bellwether for the Russian “Skoptsy” cult.}

{23  Founder of the “Eastern Lightning” cult (a.k.a. “Church of the Almighty God”).}

{24  The People’s Temple is perhaps the most notorious cult in modern history.  However, it is not nearly as extraordinary as some make it out to be.  In fact, it was a prototypical example of cult activity–what might be called a “textbook case”.}

{25  Vorilhon actually first claimed to have received a message from Yahweh before tweaking his narrative to be about advanced alien beings.}

{26  Bhakti-vedanta, a practitioner of Gaudiva Vaishnavism, was founder of the (faux Hindu) “Hare Krishna” sect.  One of his disciples, a yoga teacher from Hawaii named Chris Butler (a.k.a. “Jagad Guru”; “Siddha-Swarup-Ananda”; “Para-Mahamsa”) ended up forming his own cult: the “Science Of Identity”–later affiliated with a political party called the “Independents For Godly Government”.}

{27  We might also note Reactionary Zoroastrian priests [moa-bad / mo-bed]: Karter and Zaradusht of the 3rd century.  Azar Kayvan was a Zoroastrian high priest who lived in the late 16th century.  He mustn’t be confused with the famed 12th-century Persian philosopher who founded the Ishraqiyyah movement [a.k.a. “Hikmat al-Ishraq”; “Wisdom of Illuminism”]: “Shahab ad-Din”, Yahya ibn Habash ibn Amirak of Sohrevard (a.k.a. “Suhrawardi”; a.k.a. “Shaikh al-Ishraq”).}

{28  He was known for claiming, “I am the Truth.”  Sufi cynosure, Abu Said ibn Abi al-Khayr (of the late 10th / early 11th century) was a disciple.}

{29  One of his disciples, Sayyid Muhammad Noorbakhsh, himself became the founder of a new sect.}

{30  Isaac Luria is an interesting case-study–in that he is an example of (alleged) divine ordinance.  As the story goes, “Eliyahu HaNavi” (a.k.a. the angel of the prophet, Elijah) visited his father, Shlomo [“Solomon”], delivering a message that he would sire a special child.  And so it went.}

{31  He was followed by such epigones as “Maggid” Dov Ber ben Avraham of Mezeritch; and later “Rebbe” Israel Friedman of Ruzhyn.}

{32  Oriented around the “Enneagram of Personality” popularized by Oscar Ichazo (founder of “Arica”) and Claudio Benjamin Naranjo Cohen (founder of “Seekers After Truth”).  We find that dogmatism systems are interconnected, and feed off of one another.}

{33  It is reported that–during his heyday–Hinn earned tens of millions of dollars EACH YEAR perpetrating his hoax.  He claimed to be conduit for god’s power (via what he called “the anointing”).  As with miscellaneous celebrity televangelists, he contends to be capable of performing miracles.  The most miraculous thing about scams like these is that such an astonishingly large number of people insist that they have personally witnessed the miracles first-hand.  Both Sathya Sai Baba (also listed) and Hinn boast countless eye-witness accounts of their astonishing, preternatural feats.  The accounts are provided by loyal followers who are thoroughly convinced of their own testimony.  (Benny Hinn’s partner in the “LoveWorld” ministries is the infamous Nigerian pastor, Chris Oyakhilome.)  Such popinjays are case-studies in how even the most flagrant con-men can accumulate a bevy of die-hard, wall-eyed acolytes.}

{34  His disciple, Jan Matthias of Haarlem, is probably more infamous.  Matthias was the (militant) self-proclaimed prophet of the New Jerusalem…designated as Münster, Germany.  In other words, Westphalia was the New Zion.  He was then followed by yet ANOTHER self-proclaimed prophet, HIS disciple, Jan van Leiden [John of Leiden]; who eventually anointed himself monarch of a New Zion.  Anabaptism began as a fanatical movement–its earliest leaders as delusional as most other demagogues.  We should bear in mind: When it comes to cult activity, fanaticism comes in very handy.  Memetically-speaking, insofar as a charismatic leader is able to parlay his own delusion / obsession onto his followers, fanaticism can be stupendously effective.  (Groupthink ensures all will remain in lockstep conformity, intoxication ensures people will remain both deluded and addicted.)  So it goes with ALL the charismatic leaders listed in this endnote.}

{35  An offshoot of this was “Ariosophy”, founded by Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels.}

{36  The groundwork for his scam was first laid by a Zulu demagogue named Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa.  He was inspired by the writings of British mystic, David Icke.  If we venture further back to the late 19th century, there was the Boer prophet, Niklaas van Rensburg (a.k.a. “Siener”).}

{37  Konko-kyo has something interesting in common with the Vietnamese monotheistic religion, Cao-Dai.  They both posit an androgynous godhead that is considered a cosmic parent of mankind.  The former posits “Tenchi Kane No Kami” while the latter posits “Duc Cao-Dai”.}

{38  For good measure, she also claimed to be the Maitreya AND the Mahdi.}

{39  He was followed by Chaibul Sutthipol (a.k.a. “Phra” Thepyanmahamuni).}

{40  He claimed to be the incarnation of Supreme Being, “Radha-soami Sahab”.  So his followers often referred to themselves as the “Radha-swami” movement.  A more recent leader of the sect was “Maharshi” Mehi Paramhans.  “Sant Mat” means the “True Word”; though “Sant” is a common term for a person who has grasped the essence of Reality.}

{41  An offshoot of this is the (Sikh) “Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha”, founded by “Baba” Puran Singh[-ji] (a.k.a. “Kericho wala Bapuji”).}

{42  There have been various messianic Buddhist cults throughout history.  Most notable is the White Lotus sect, founded by Mao Tzu-yuan c. 1100; inspired by the teachings of the 4th-century buddhist monk, Hui-yuan.  (The White Lotus Society inspired the so-called “Red Turbans” of the 14th century.)  Also during the 4th century, “Pure Land” buddhism was founded by Tao-an (himself a disciple of Kuchean monk, Fotu-deng).  Various sects have associated themselves with the bodhisattva, “Avalokitesvara” (rendered “Guan[-shi-]yin” in Chinese Buddhism).  More recently, in the early 19th century, Yang Shou-i claimed to be the reincarnation of the Chinese goddess, Kuan Yin; and is purported by followers to have written the so-called “True Scripture”.}

{43  This was an offshoot of “Xian-Tian-Tao”, a religion from Jiang-xi which began during the Qing era as neo-Luo-Tao (a newfangled version of “Wu-wei-ism”).  It is essentially an awkward syncretism of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.}

{44  “Yan-sheng-Tao” [Way of the Holy Word] was a spin-off of this sect.}

{45  Later re-named the “Chinese Soul Light Research Association”; then re-named “God’s Salvation Church” under Hon-Ming Chen.}

{46  Strangely, this Japanese (millenarian) messianic buddhist cult eventually merged with the Korean neo-Christian “Unification Church” in 1988.  Kawase Kayo was a Japanese woman who fashioned herself a shaman.  She claimed to be a medium who foretold the coming of the Maitreya.  This merger occurred after a schism in the Unification Church in 1980, whereby Jung Myung-seok (a.k.a. “Joshua”) created his own sect, the Ae-chun Church–now variously known as the International Christian Association, [Jesus] Morning Star (in Taiwan), Bright Moon (in Hong Kong), Providence [“Setsuri”] (in Japan), and Christian Gospel Mission (for ex-pats).  As it turned out, Jung Myung-seok’s operation was largely about giving him access to sex with fawning female supplicants.  Such an arrangement is far from unusual when cult activity is afoot.}

{47  It was spun off of another cult movement, “Sekai Kyusei Kyo” [Church of World Messianism].  An offshoot of this is “Sukyo Mahikari”, founded by Okada Keishu.}

{48  This may be attributed to the indomitable entrepreneurial verve of America.  Evangelism has been a hallmark of American culture since the “Awakenings” of the 18th and 19th centuries.  Other notable examples include John Graham Lake’s “Apostolic Faith Mission” and John Alexander Dowie’s “Zionist” (Christian) movement (both primarily focused in South Africa).  One of the most successful domestically has been Charles Ward Smith’s “Cavalry Chapel” movement.  More recent examples include the evangelical movements of Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and Rick Warren: savvy performers with an eager, ecstatic flock.}

{49  The name of his Californian cult was “Buddha-Field”; discussed in the 2016 documentary, “Holy Hell”.  This is not to be confused with OTHER cults that have operated under the same moniker (derived from the Mahayana Buddhist term for “Pure Land”).  Notable is the cult based on “Shyalpa” Tenzin Rinpoche in Kathmandu, Nepal (leaders of which were subsequently dubbed “Kyabgon”); as well as the Kagyu (Vajrayana) cult centered on “Kyabgon” Traleg Rinpoche.}

{50  This is actually the un-spoken name of the ultra-right-wing cabal on C Street in Washington D.C.  It was a moniker coined by Vereide’s successor, Douglas Coe.  Vereide was a Christian fundamentalist and fascist sympathizer (as with Henry Kissinger, a vigorous Suharto supporter).  He first became known for an operation he called “Goodwill Industries” before founding the “International Christian Leadership Council” / “Fellowship Foundation”–an organization predicated on Social Darwinism (power is a reflection of merit / virtue; god favors the strong; the strong shall inherit the Earth; etc.)  The cult is deeply involved in the military-industrial complex, and has been an active supporter of dictators around the world–from Siad Barre of Somalia to Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.  As an ardent corporatist, Vereide inaugurated the “Presidential Prayer Breakfast”–a highly-publicized, annual ritual now known as the “National Prayer Breakfast”.}

{51  This shows how organizations re-brand themselves after falling into disrepute.  Call it the “Amway-to-Quixtar” phenomenon–famously done by Philip-Morris cum “Altria”; and most recently exemplified by “Blackwater” cum “Xe” cum “Academi”.  “Landmark” is a self-help scam that marries free-market fundamentalism with trans-personal psychology and neuro-linguistic programming.  Since time immemorial, con men (e.g. priests and shamans) have been persuading credulous audiences that THEY, and THEY ALONE, have privileged access to X (where X can be ancestors, a deity, or the deepest secrets of the universe).  This scam goes back many millennia.  The notion that a particular person has a private hot-line to the inner workings of the cosmos is extremely enticing.}

{52  To the query, “But how do you know?” a prophet need only respond: “Because god told me.  And he talks to ME, not to YOU; so you’d be well advised to heed whatever I say.”  End of discussion.  The quality of being unimpeachable is endemic to prophet-hood; as one need “look no further” than the ultimate source.  Such sacrosanctity also accounts for the appeal of holy books: No need to read anything else; just refer to THIS.}

{53  There is no need to fear death if one is certain that paradise is held in store for oneself in an after-death “life”.  For a recent (disturbing) explication of divinely assigned purpose-to-one’s-life (DAP), see Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life”.  This mindset accounts for ideological agendas from Nazism and Revisionist Zionism to that of Salafis and Christian Quiver-fulls.  We encounter elements of this in any kind of ardent evangelism (read: fanaticism).  Such Providentialism (which is effectively collective DAP) is made manifest in its ethno-nationalistic form, whereby adherents are convinced that they are doing god’s work.}

{54  Under certain circumstances, human credulity seems to know no bounds.  We might recall that snake-oil has taken many forms: from rhino-horn powder and magic crystals to homeopathy and Paltrow’s “Goop”.  When hankering for solutions to (imagined) problems, people are willing to believe the darndest things…especially when they are entranced by confident declarations of magic.  For a great book on this topic, see Michael Shermer’s “How We Believe”.}

{55  This peculiar yet mostly anodyne cult is an offshoot of Nichiren Buddhism.  They specialize in the mindless repetition of chants; and are highly secretive.}

{56  Demagogy is largely about generating mass-mania / mass-hysteria through some sort of agit-prop.  It comes as no surprise, then, that in the political realm, fantastical claims are often used for sheerly propagandistic purposes.  Chinese Empress, Wu Zetian proclaimed herself the “Maitreya” (sent from heaven) in the late 7th century.  She did so in order to consolidate her power under the aegis of Buddhism.  The gambit worked like a charm.  She ended up pioneering a Chinese form of fascism that presaged Maoism by twelve and a half centuries.  It is no secret that there have been a plethora of Christian zealots who parlayed their stature into political power–many of them accorded saint-hood.  Perhaps the most infamous was John Calvin (listed above), who temporarily established a (fascistic) Protestant Christian theocracy in Geneva, Switzerland.  During the modern era, the most notorious of Messianic political figures have been Adolph Hitler (Nazism), Kim Il-Sung (Juche), and Mao Tse-Tung (the Great Leap Forward).  One of the most virulent cases of cult activity in the political sphere was the “Khmer Rouge”, founded in Cambodia by Saloth Sar of Kampong Thom (a.k.a. “Pol Pot”)…who envisioned a return to the golden age of Angkor; and himself as the divinely-appointed deliverer.  In a sense, MOST political leaders present themselves as savior-figures to some degree, in one way or another.  After all, if one is not charismatic and making big promises, it is that much more difficult to drum up fervor, and galvanize a following.  This is why intellectuals (especially those who are utterly un-interested in self-aggrandizement) almost never enter politics; and if they do, they rarely fare well.  When it comes to POLITICAL cults, Switzerland, Germany, North Korea, China, and Cambodia were not alone.  Cults of personality have also occurred in Russia (Lenin, then Stalin).  In Japan, Mitsuo Matayoshi anointed himself “The Only God, Jesus Christ”.  The fascistic cynosure, Hakuun Yasutani was the founder of the Soto / Linji (alt. “Cao-dong Rinzai” hybrid)–a variation of Japanese Zen known as “Sanbo Kyodan” (later re-branded “Sanbo-Zen International”).  In India, Tamil (Shakti) cynosure, Venkataraman Iyer (a.k.a. “Bhagavan Sri” / “Rama-Swami” Ramana Maharshi) fashioned himself the avatar of Shakti when promoting the cultic “Quit India” movement.  Cult activity is cult activity, irrespective of the context.  (See footnote 57 below.)  In this sense, leaders of fanatical POLITICAL movements are no different from the religious figures listed above.}

{57  The dictator of Haiti, “Papa Doc” Francois Duvalier, claimed to be the reincarnation of “Baron Samedi” (the spirit of death in Voodoo lore).  The dictator of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, anointed himself “Turkmen-bashi” (Father of the Turkic people)…and even composed a holy book, the “Ruhnama” [Book of the Soul].  The gold medal for overwrought monikers goes to the dictator of Zaire (eastern Congo): Joseph-Desiré Mobutu.  He christened himself “Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga”: “Warrior who knows no defeat [because of his endurance and resolute will]; and who is all-powerful, [leaving fire in his wake as he goes from conquest to conquest]”.  In America, the nexus of demagogy and showmanship was illustrated by the campaign and election of Donald Trump for president of the United States in 2016.  In effect, any ambitious politician is obliged to fashion himself as a quasi-Messianic figure–replete with a cult of personality–in order to be sufficiently successful to become head of State.  To illustrate this, one could reference any politician who’s managed to amass a fanatical following.  In the political realm as in the religious realm, charisma almost always trumps merit.  It comes as little surprise that those who create a cult of personality around themselves tend to be tyrannical.  Such figures are often paranoid (Stalin), often blithering idiots (Turkmen-bashi), and sometimes BOTH (Mao).  Tragically, the tradition of “Juche” continues to the present day in North Korea–through Kim’s progeny: Jong-Il followed by Jong-Un.}