Authorities removed four minors from a New Mexico religious cult's compound following allegations of "inappropriate conduct" involving the cult's leader, a 66-year-old former sailor and self-proclaimed Messiah called "Michael," whose real name is Wayne Bent."My children are kidnapped because some demon wrote a letter to people in authority accusing me of some crimes," Michael/Bent told nobody in particular, on the internets.
One of the minors is the daughter of former cult member John Sayer, who left the compound in 2005 after Sayer noticed that Bent "got weirder" ... in 1999. "He was claiming to be God," said Sayer, who hung around another six years to make sure he wasn't. Or was.
The daughter since returned. Sayer can't say whether Bent had sex with either of his two teenage daughters, who Sayer claims only "lay naked" with Wayne Bent. But, shrugged Sayer, "Anything's possible."
Jeff Bent, son of Michael/Wayne Bent, wrote an insolent letter to NM Gov. Bill Richardson, threatening God's wrath on the erstwhile Democratic presidential hopeful. "Now that you have moved against us because of our faith, the cup of God's anger* is full to the brim, and now He is free to move against you," the letter reads.
Wayne Bent's other son, Get, was unavailable for reply.
While Jeff Bent also denies any inappropriate conduct, he told a UK film crew that “God came down on Michael and forced him to consummate with Christiana. It was a terrible, strange act of God.” Christiana is Jeff Bent's wife and Wayne Bent's daughter-in-law.
Confusing ... like Father's Day on Cape Breton Island.
The British documentary about the cult, incidentally, reruns on the National Geographic Channel May 7. Nat Geo's programming is generally limited to wild animal safaris and visits to the zoo, so why would it air ... hold on; never mind.
There is some speculation as to whether Wayne Bent's cult is of the suicide variety, because Bent had predicted the end of the world for October 31, 2007, which turned out to be only the end of the Toronto Maple Leafs' regular NHL season. After the world didn't end again, Bent's followers told the film crew they were "preparing for death."
Leafs fans, on the other hand, got on with their sad little lives. Messiahs, doomsday portents, and sexual initiations are all standard features of religions dating back several thousand years.
* WWJD? Try the decaf.
Earlier cult news.
Wayne Bent's other son, Get, was unavailable for reply.
ReplyDeleteClassic. You made it to the bonus round.
The sad note is that probably even with this nutjob, like the goofs in Texas, there will still be some who would defend them as persecuted Christians.