Guy and
Edna Ballard forbade their followers from having sex, even to procreate. And on
this matter, Gerald B. Bryan, who was a former member of the I AM cult,
commented the following:
Complete
abolition of sex is taught by this cult, and although they formerly taught that
sex could be used to bring children into the world, they today teach quite
differently.
As we have
seen from the Goddess of Purity’s (?) statement, a philosophy of race suicide
is preached. No marriage, no children. Make the “Ascension” instead. Leave the
earth to the morons. What a wonderful chance for the Dictators!
Despite the
alleged “purity” of this cult, a disguised but easily discernible eroticism
plays through this cult.
Guy Ballard,
over and over again on the public platform, referred to his so-called “Sex
Law,” and seemed to take delight in picturing the fearful consequences which
would result for any violation of it. At one of his early classes in Los
Angeles (August 19, 1935), he said:
“The sex
urge was only to be used for procreation. When it is used for so-called
pleasure, mankind loses the dominion of his physical form . . . When it is
wasted, the body becomes decrepit and helpless . . . Your aura becomes charged
with the most vicious entities you can imagine.”
Since then,
with fanatical persistence, the Ballards have constantly referred to the
subject of sex. They inject the strongest sort of fear-thought into the minds
of their students should any violation of their instruction take place. Time
and again their “Ascended Masters” come forth to keep this subject flaming
before the minds of their audiences.
“. . . To
seek these classes,” says their Great Divine Director, “to gain acquaintance
and companionship for sex desire is the most infamous thing ever on this earth!
. . . There are those who have been doing it . . . If you don’t stop it, I
shall pick you out! . . .You have been told repeatedly that unless you cease
your sex desire, you cannot gain your Freedom and Ascension . . . Do not be
surprised if I release the Fire, the Flame of Life to burn these desires out of
you tonight. (applause)” (pp. 18-19, April 1940, V.)
This sex
taboo teaching has been given indiscriminately in public for over five years
among people of all walks of life. It applies, they say, to all regardless of
their circumstances, conditions, beliefs, obligations, spirituality, or
anything else. It is the unalterable, inexorable “Law of Sex,” and will react
upon all who disobey it, producing degeneration of both mind and body.
Naturally,
such extreme views concerning the dominant, biological urge of sex, enunciated
to people who in their marital lives had built up certain habits in regard to
it, had widespread repercussions.
This sex
teaching alone, has resulted in an extraordinary number of divorces,
separations, and disagreements among married people, many of whom up to the
time Ballardism entered their homes had doubtless been living normal, sensible
sex lives.
With the
sudden introduction of a fanatical religion into the home environment, with its
rigid taboo of sex expression in any form, a condition of affairs was brought
about which frequently became intolerable to the marriage partner who did not
embrace the religious fanaticism of the other partner.
The result
was separation or divorce in many homes which had formerly been happy and
contented ones before the arrival of Ballardism and its extreme sex teaching.
The instructions from the Ballards were to divorce the partner who desires
marital relations, or leave the movement.
Referring to
the unhappiness that has come to the I AM students as a result of this sex
teaching, the Great Divine Director encourages them to go on with the program,
even though it separates husband and wife, parent and child.
“I say to
you blessed ladies of the Light,” says he, “be not dismayed in the unhappiness
that has come of your search for and acceptance of the Light. Stand firm and
unyielding . . . Everyone of you must now stand by your ‘I AM Presence’ — I
don’t care how much you love your wives, husbands and children . . . If your
home life has become unbearable and you have severed it, don’t seek the
companionship of other men . . . Ungratified sex desires will make a human
being the most vicious individual ever known . . .” (pp. 21-22, April 1940, V.)
Required
even from non-followers
Sexual
abstinence is required even for family members who do not belong to the I AM
cult, and to demonstrate this we quote the following letter written by a former
class leader dated June 29, 1939:
“Last July
during the Shrine class I had a private interview with Mrs. Ballard, at which
time she told me (I might well use the terms, ordered or commanded, as that was
her manner) to call for the release of my own mother, whom she knew I love with
all my heart, just as we were taught to call for the release of our little
pets.
“Why?
Because my mother did not believe in them nor their teaching, though she never
opposed me or them in any way.
“Mrs.
Ballard told me I was carrying a big load and that my mother was a ‘Vampire
activity’ keeping alive on my energy.
“She shot
this question at me: ‘Doesn’t your mother take a lot of soda?’ ‘Yes.’ Then:
‘Doesn’t she eat a lot?’ I answered: ‘She has a good appetite.’ ‘Yes,’ she
said, ‘and she sits around no good to herself or anyone else and she can keep
alive for years drawing on your energy and living on it. Call for her release,
you have work to do!’
“Then she
told me to come home and ‘Tell to stop all sex relations.’ (is my daughter, who
is very happily married to a fine fellow and they have two beautiful children.)
“I told her:
‘But they want two more children,’ etc. ‘No,’ said the dictator, ‘It is too
near the Ascension for that now.’
“I asked:
‘What if her husband will not agree?’ ‘Tell her to take a child by each hand
and walk out and slam the door,’ was her reply.”
The Ballards
themselves, at least in this regard, evidently live up to their own teaching.
Years ago, Mrs. Ballard pushed her own aged mother and only sister out of her
life because they would not accept the Mighty I AM or believe that Guy
Ballard’s books and his trips to India were true, knowing as they did that he
was right here in the United States all the while.
Why did the Ballards prohibit sexuality?
One of the
reasons for such puritanical sex teachings seems rather obvious.
In the
failures of the average student to fulfill these sex admonitions in all
particulars, the Ballards have a perfect alibi for the non-deliverance of their
promised miracles. For the reason why these poor struggling students do not
make their “Ascension,” have their “financial freedom,” achieve “radiant
health,” and so on, is they have not kept sufficient “emotional control” over
their feelings!
Knowing
their weaknesses, these students blame themselves instead of the Ballards for
the non-appearance of promised miracles; and so the stress and struggle of
killing out the “entity-demons” within themselves —which they are assured are
responsible for their backsliding— still continues.
What
complexes are built up, what mental and physical reactions are brought about by
such teachings, only time and an intimate investigation into their lives will
reveal.
But
certainly within the lives of students who go to such fanatical extremes, there
are queer tangles of suppressed desires . . . “Twin Ray” complexes . . .
condemnation of self or marriage partner for not being able to live up to the
idea of a non-sexual love . . . lurking fear of alleged mental and physical
degeneration as a result of giving in to the dominant biological urge . . . the
spectre of divorce or separation . . . and dozens of other reactions from such
ill-advised and distorted sex teachings.
There is
consequently a sad need for a sane consideration of the sex question among the
Ballard students, a real need for the psychoanalyst and psychiatrist to
straighten out the tangles in the lives of these people.
(This
is found in chapters 25 and 26 of the book Psychic Dictatorship in America,)
OBSERVATION
Guy and Edna Ballard were already in their fifties and
had a son, so it was easy for them to advocate sexual abstinence. But
prohibiting to their followers seems to me to be a total aberration and lack of
consideration on the part of those two individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment