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Why does LJ even still have followers? Wikipedia lists several prophecies he
made that failed to materialize...
1. 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.[3] On the fateful
night, Jensen led a group of followers into fallout shelters in Missoula,
Montana.[16]
The disconfirmed prophecy resulted in Jensen losing several contingents of
adherents,[1] 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,[17]
1. The prediction was fulfilled spiritually rather than physically.
2. The prophecy was fulfilled physically, but not in the manner
expected.
3. The date was off because of a miscalculation.
4. The date was a prediction, not a prophecy.
5. The leaders had a moral responsibility to warn the public despite
the date's uncertainty.
6. God had given the world a reprieve.
7. 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",[4] 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:
"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)
Neal Chase later claimed that a "provocative act" occurred April 29 1980 when
the Soviets launched a nuclear-powered satellite[18] (Cosmos 1176[19]) designed
to monitor US naval activity by radar.[20]
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."[21]
2. After the 1980 event, Jensen introduced the idea that the seven-year
Tribulationhad 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.[4]
In 1985 he made the prediction that Halley's Cometwould 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.[4] 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.[22] Jensen later said that the
massive earthquakes were fulfilled by a "spiritual earthquake" when one of his
important followers defected and left him.[17]
3.Throughout the 1990’s 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.[23] He based these predictions on Biblical prophecies,
evidence from Hopi prophecies, planetary conjunctions, dreams, numerological
coincidences, Nostradamus, and psychics.[22] After each failed prediction, the
BUPC adherents carried on as usual, giving disclaimers to future predictions,
and focusing on Jensen's other teachings. (This last one was Neal Chase, but
you get the piont.)
________________________________
From: Susan Maneck <sman...@gmail.com>
To: Baha'i Studies <bahai-st@list.jccc.edu>
Sent: Thu, January 21, 2010 10:54:31 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: RE: Sects
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Here's a testimonial from a former Jensen followers.It was part of a
thread of posts by women who had been victims of Jensen's womanizing.
Date: Tue Jul 8, 2003 5:14 pm
Subject: Re: Accounts of Official or Institutional Abuse of Individual
Baha'is
I wanted to offer some support and corroboration for Sara's story and her
accounts of Doc's sexual deviancies. Most of the females who were involved
in the BUPC community, either permanently or just passing through for a
series of firesides, which usually lasted two weeks, were well aware of
Doc's sexual problems. Many experienced them firsthand, as did I. Doc was
not aggressive or violent toward me, because when I pushed him away, he
went. Others may have had a different experience.
Women who passed through the community to attend firesides often stayed at
Doc's house. This became a serious problem, especially if the women were
young and attractive. Doc would come onto these women, causing Opal Jensen,
his wife, anxiety and stress. She knew what was happening, and spoke to me
of her fear that he would "get into trouble again." On more than one
occasion she called me up in a panic and implored me to get these women out
of her house, to please find them another place to stay. This I did on at
least two occasions. I often found myself trying to explain to young women
how a promised one of God could also be a sex offender. As you can imagine,
this proved difficult. But, as Sara pointed out, wearing the "dirty jacket"
was part of the proofs. Although Doc claimed innocence, many of us felt he
was guilty of the dirty jacket, true to the biblical language in Zechariah,
and would someday have to come to terms with it in order for the jacket to
be "removed." We did not speak of this publicly, however.
Most of the community was in denial, but many knew it was true and just
refused to confront it. Those who did confront it were challenged by the
community. Women who did speak up, seeking some support, became the objects
of chastisement and ridicule and usually called flat-out liars. This is not
unlike the ridicule women are often subject to when they dare to come forth
about rapes. And the treatment these women received at the hands of people
like Doc and Neal can be attributed to the kind of power and control men
want to have in rape and other sex crimes. To pretend it wasn't happening
was silly, because so many of us experienced it. I could list names of the
women who knew, integral members of the community who had been part of the
BUPC for years, often longer than a decade. However, without their
permission I don't feel right about naming them. But they know who they are
and no doubt many of them are reading these posts.
Sara's assessment that Doc was in denial was probably true. I think we can
go one step farther. When I left the BUPC in 1991, having finally figured
out that Doc was not the 7th Angel or any of those other things he claimed
to be, I read the transcripts of the trial. Finally. These are a matter of
public record and available for anyone to see. All one has to do is read the
transcripts to see that Doc was guilty of the charges. And to know him
personally, and to experience his sexual advances firsthand, sealed the
matter.
In 1969 (I think that's the year), when Doc was convicted and sent to
Montana State Prison, he was a successful chiropractor and owned several
properties in Missoula; more important to our story, he was an accomplished
Baha'i teacher, a knight of Baha'u'llah, having been knighted by Shoghi
Effendi. He served in the islands as a pioneer, and taught hundreds the
Faith. Both his parents were Baha'is, and his mother met 'Abdu'l-Baha (as he
tells the story). One can imagine the denial he underwent as the severity of
his situation settled in. So he invented a station for himself that could
only be discovered while incarcerated. God had to find a way to put him in
prison, so he could have the stone with seven eyes before him. So Doc was
framed. He wasn't guilty; he was fulfilling God's Will for him. This, by
the way, is not my theory but someone else's, and I do not wish to take
credit for it. However, knowing Doc as well as I did, it is a very plausible
explanation for what happened to this man, who was an excellent Baha'i
teacher and a respected man in the Faith. The delusion became so deeply
integrated into his life, that I believe he became convinced of it as the
years rolled by; he believed he was the Joshua.
I want to commend Sara for telling this side of the story. It is an
important side, not to vilify a man who is dead and gone, but to help get at
the truth. If Doc was deluded, than what of his research, his findings, his
views of the Baha'i Faith? Everything he taught must be questioned,
especially his relationship with Pepe and the role he wanted Pepe to play.
It was Doc who claimed that Mason was adopted by Abdu'l-Baha, and therefore
he was Aghsan; this is not part of the Baha'i Faith. Others on HOBF have
made excellent points about Doc and his findings and the obvious fallacies
in them. Although Doc knew the Faith well, he used it for his own purposes.
This cannot be forgotten. He taught me, and countless others, that the
guardianship did not come to end. This perspective was priceless. But
weeding out all Doc's other rhetoric has taken years, and I see the process
continues and is on-going for many.
Again, thank you Sara, for giving us this window of discussion.
Best wishes in El Abha to all the friends,
Anita
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