THE BALLARDS ATTACK ON CHRISTIANITY

 

By Gerald B. Bryan

 

The mighty I AM cult of Guy and Edna Ballard will go down in history as one of the most insidious affronts to the religion of the Christ that America has ever seen.

 

Abroad, we have seen the spectacle of a dictator attempting to do away with religious worship. Christian Americans look with consternation on the burning of church edifices and the confiscation of its symbols of worship. Yet some of these same patriotic and religious Americans, ignore, tolerate, and some even promote one of the most subtle attacks on the Christian church and its teachings that we have ever had in American history.

 

For five years we have seen two people proclaiming by means of the lecture platform, over the radio, and through their voluminous literature, the strange doctrines embodied in the “Saint Germain Instruction of the Mighty I AM.”

 

In this so-called instruction, a “Mystery Man” of the 18th century has been resurrected or pushed forward, that he might supplant in the hearts of thousands the Christ of Christendom.

 

Or to curry favor with those who might be inclined to look askance at this sacrilege, the Ballards brought forth an astral counterfeit of the Christ to appease those who still hold reverence in their hearts for the Personage who braved the organized power of the Sanhedrin and sought to save the people from idolatrous worship of heathen gods.

 

And, instead of being satisfied with producing one astral god or “Saint,” these “Accredited Messengers of Saint Germain” have given their poor psychologized followers the most multitudinous array of gods and goddesses since the days of heathen mythology.

 

Not only have these two self-proclaimed “Messengers” endeavored by hypnotic methods to substitute an 18th-century miracle worker for the Man of Galilee and to bring forth a vapid astral creation for those who still want a Christ, but they actually endeavored to personally steal the show from their own psychic creations!

 

Time and again the writer has sat among the huge assemblage at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles and heard the Ballard smooth-tongue announcer say:

 

“Dear ones, these blessed Messengers today are occupying the place that Jesus, the Christ, occupied two thousand years ago!”

 

Not one voice of protest in that audience did he hear against this utterance. Only a placid acceptance, or a look of sickening personality worship, was usually observed on the faces of those present.

 

On the stages of the various “Temples” and auditoriums were the Ballards lecture there is always shown the painted portrait of the Head of Christ, by Charles Sindelar. Incidentally, Mr. Sindelar is the “Western Representative of the Saint Germain Press,” and publisher of the Voice of the I AM.

 

And always, on the stage, alongside of this Christ picture, is a portrait, by the same artist, of the mighty “Ascended Master Saint Germain.”

 

When the Ballards first came to Los Angeles in 1935 bringing only their “Saint Germain” with them, they almost forgot to mention Jesus or say much about Him.

 

This was soon found to be a mistake. They discovered that many people in Los Angeles, which incidentally has its quota of other Saviors, still wanted the Christ of the Gospels.

 

The Sindelar Christ head, which had been created previous to their trip to Los Angeles, was therefore extremely timely and most acceptable to the Ballards when it was called to their attention. “Saint Germain” had evidently failed to mention the picture to them before coming to Los Angeles.

 

Without the Christ, even their most enthusiastic supporters balked at accepting their “Saint.” Therefore, the two pictures were, and are today, presented together instead of the Saint alone.

 

It was, however, an expediency rather than a worshipful necessity that Jesus should come into the Ballard plan of salvation, for their real “Savior” is, was, and shall be, the bearded and mustached, piercing-eyed Saint Germain!

 

And their followers have gradually learned to accept the substitution. In the first editions of their books the Ballards printed a cut of what was perhaps the best available picture they could secure which met their ideas of a bearded Master.

 

But alas! Saint Germain’s beard, mustache, and closely-cropped hair in that picture were all as black as night!

 

Now, black is supposed by them to be the symbol and color of black magic, and that of course wouldn’t do in their “dazzling, white-light” Mighty I AM Instruction. So, despite the fact that this particular black-bearded portrait had been okayed by Saint Germain himself and authenticated by them through their own 1934 copyright notice printed below the portrait, something simply had to be done about it.

 

The fortunate addition of Charles Sindelar, the artist, to the Ballard organization, evidently pointed to them the way out of this dark-visaged predicament. Mr. Sindelar was commissioned by Saint Germain himself —so Guy Ballard said— to paint his own peculiar portrait, who, it appears, despite his noteworthy achievements in “precipitating” Government money, could not paint or precipitate his own picture.

 

We learn from one of the Ballard advertising leaflets that “Saint Germain revealed himself to Mr. Sindelar previous to and while he was painting Saint Germain’s likeness, and he has said that it is splendid” — which assures us that the portrait is now quite authentic!

 

And so, since that time, the faithful have had a “Saint Germain” far removed from the stigma of being a black magician because of the color of his beard; for he has succumbed to the blondine tendency of the age and has come off Mr. Sindelar’s easel a golden-haired, blue-eyed, sandy-mustached Saint!

 

Having successfully substituted a new Saint Germain portrait for the old one, and an astral creation of Jesus, the Ballards proceeded to discredit the Christian Bible. The students were early urged to substitute the Ballard books for the Bible, this being done by “Jesus” himself.

 

“I urge students everywhere,” said the astral Jesus “. . . to forget everything else you have ever studied.” (p. 5, Feb., 1936, V.)

 

Jesus’ own life story, as recorded in the gospels, was to be forgotten, and the Ballard literature substituted instead!

 

Intent on their idea of substituting the Saint Germain series of books for the Bible and their “Saint Germain” for Jesus, the Ballards brought forth their astral “Jesus” to say:

 

“It is My Determination to break down within the concepts of Mankind the feeling that Saint Germain should not be accepted as Myself. I shall not give My Radiation to anyone who questions it.” (p. 6, Dec., 1937, V.) “I want to say to the whole world: ‘Every human being who rejects My Beloved Brother, Saint Germain, rejects Me, and don’t forget it.’” (p. 15, Feb., 1937, V.) This is the same counterfeit “Jesus,” who in addition to saying, “don’t forget it,” would sometimes close his discourse by weakly saying: “I thank you.” Imagine it!

 

Then showing that the Ballards are today doing a greater work than Jesus did, they had this same astral Jesus say: “. . . The calls of the Messengers are performing thousands more healings than I performed!” (p. 6, Dec., 1937, V.)

 

Thus for the I AM student, Jesus and the Christian Bible are both discredited, and are being supplanted by Saint Germain and his series of books.

 

The Christian ideology of the worship of One God through His divine Messenger, the Christ, is being replaced by a blasphemous and fantastic lot of astral gods and goddesses who are supposed to propitiate the sins of the I AM students.

 

The ideal of a loving God, Creator of the Universe, whose Power and Glory are without end, is being taken over by a fictitious “Mighty I AM Presence” located from twelve to fifty feet overhead, floating around like a balloon and connected with the physical body below by means of a thread of light substance.

 

It is this creation that the Ballard students shout at when they go through their decree antics. All of which recalls to mind the prophecy of the Christ of nineteen hundred years ago:

 

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand.” (Matthew 24: 24-25.)

 

Demonstrating before his group what he thought of the Bible, one of the prominent I AM leaders flung it down upon the platform and stamped upon it.

 

Despite all their irreverence for Christ and the Bible, the Ballards actually made an effort to build up a following among church people; and in so doing made use of the crudest and dizziest sales psychology. They resurrected some of the most revered characters of the Bible and had them advertise the Ballards and boost their book sales.

 

For any Protestants who might be attracted by the bait, they brought forth Jesus’ most beloved disciple, “John the Beloved,” and had him do his bit in advertising and proselyting. We quote: “... There never were two such interested, selfless human beings on the face of this earth as the Messengers are.” (p. 13, Feb., 1938, V.)

 

For the Roman Catholics who might be lured away because of the “Saint” prefix to St. Germain’s name —which they always insist upon writing out in full— they brought forth the “Virgin Mary,” and had her say nice things about the “Ascended Masters” and the Ballard advertising leaflets:

 

“The inception of the Catholic Church,” says the Virgin Mary (!) “was brought about by and through the Power of the Ascended Masters” — their own, of course, there are no others. (p. 426, A.M.L.)

 

“These little ‘Save America Folders’ which the blessed ones have sent forth . . . are doing tremendous things. Keep it up, I urge you!” (p. 434.)

 

The Ballards actually told their audiences that Cardinal Bonzano, during the Eucharistic Congress held June, 1936, at Soldiers’ Field, Chicago, made his ascension!

 

When it was called to their attention that Cardinal Bonzano did not die until a year and five months later, and at Rome instead of Chicago, Guy Ballard made the following absurd effort to cover up the fabrication:

 

“What of it?” he asked. “Certainly He did!” and went on to say: “While the physical body remained during those months, yet it was but a shell, and Ascension was accomplished there at that time.” (p. 29, Aug., 1939, V.)

 

Can one imagine anything more absurd than the representative of the Pope going around for seventeen months attending to the exactitudes of his official duties when he himself physically was not there — and with only his “shell” officiating? And to force acceptance of this absurdity upon his psychologized students, Ballard said: “Who of you are to say what the Great Law of Life may do?”

 

The Ballard harvest of souls, however, has been particularly bountiful among the waving fields of the unorthodox. Many of these, having no abiding resting place, spiritually speaking, were attracted by greener fields beyond the old occult barriers.

 

“The old occult order has been set aside,” the Ballards announced; and so, like the days of the forty-niners, the “gold rush” was on, both spiritually and materially speaking.

 

But most of the material gold flowed into the coffers of the Ballards instead of the other way around. And most of the spiritual gold today is being found spurious.

 

From the Theosophists the Ballards purloined their Masters, and set out to catch their students with unique psychic holds all their own.

 

They had the Masters Morya and Kuthumi come forth to say that when they started the Theosophical Society through their messenger, Madame Blavatsky, they “were not then ascended,” and “could only go so far.” (pp. 317 and 334, A.M.L.)

 

And very generously and humbly these new “Ascended” Masters admitted: “Our Beloved Saint Germain has accomplished more in three years than We did in the many years of Our humble efforts.” (p. 323.)

 

The Ballards were able by these and other methods to make fair-sized catches among the Theosophists, but it was hard to hold some of these disciples of the out-spoken Blavatsky, who warned her students of astral “spooks.” Many got into the movement, but got out when the “blasting” with the “Blue Lightning” threatened too much carnage in the land.

 

Fair haul were also made from members of the various Rosicrucian societies in America. But, like the Theosophists, those who did not get rid of their intellects, got out; those who did, no doubt are still there.

 

From the Spiritualists, or those inclined that way, the Ballards naturally made many converts. Which is very understandable, considering that the Ballard cult itself is nothing but a glorified spiritualism with streamlined additions.

 

And yet, of all people who have ever condemned spiritualism, the Ballards have been the worst! They practiced the very thing they condemned, but distorted it, adding so much which is illegitimate and absurd that is has been a real detriment to the scientific investigation of spiritualism. They unwisely opened the psychic plane to people who have no comprehension of or control over the forces they have been led to play with, interfering with their proper focus on the physical plane of being, and threatening their mental balance.

 

No doubt the Ballards have made their greatest catches among students who have been associated with one or more of the various metaphysical organizations scattered throughout the United States. Most of these schools had been teaching about the “I AM” long years before Mrs. Ballard set herself up as an authority on the I AM in all languages.

 

The Ballards have drawn many from the Unity School of Christianity at Kansas City, and the variously-named Divine Science, New Thought, and Spiritual Healing groups.

 

The bait the Ballards used in getting converts from the various metaphysical schools was usually a more dynamic presentation of the “I AM,” the greater lure of material prosperity, health, and the addition of streamlined “Masters” and “Goddesses.” With so potent a combination, is it any wonder so many of the ever-growing numbers of metaphysically-inclined people in America fell for the Great Deception?

 

The Ballards have been particularly desirous, it seems, of getting the disciples of Mary Baker Eddy into their fold; and in their efforts to do this, have gone to extremes of both denunciation and flattery.

 

Thinking, perhaps, that the Christian Scientists would be more responsive to a feminine personality than a masculine one, they brought forth one of the “lady Ascended Masters,” whom they called the “Lady Master Leto.”

 

Leto “came forth” at the Pasadena, California, class, on the evening of January 17, 1937, and among other things she quite generously admitted that “Mrs. Eddy brought another phase of Knowledge to Mankind.” Then in the usual Ballard way, loyal Leto, who, like other Ballard “Goddesses,” has a good sense of advertising values, referred to the “Saint Germain I AM Instruction,” and said: “Now, this had come forth as the final Knowledge!” (p. 226, A.M.L.)

 

But the outspoken “Saint Germain,” not so lady-like and diplomatic as little Leto, threatens to “empty their churches” if the Christian Scientists do not allegedly stop criticizing the Mighty I AM. We quote:

 

“. . . I tell you frankly, EVERY SOURCE, whether it is Unity, Christian Science or whatever it is that attempts to bring disgrace upon This Work or condemns or criticizes It will fail utterly and their churches will be empty!” (p. 10, March, 1937, V.)

 

For the most part, we think Saint Germain waxes a little overenthusiastic about the emptying of the Christian Science churches, and the others.

 

Doubtless some of the more restless souls of the Mother Church have become loosened from the C. S. imperturbable rock of faith and have fallen into Ballardism — Saint Germain’s “final knowledge” of Christian Science!

 

And some of these have come out again —sadly disillusioned— and like wandering planetoids with irregular orbits are seeking some parent sun in the religious cosmos, some focus of more dependable faith than Ballardism with its strange coterie of man-made gods and goddesses.

 

 

 

(Psychic Dictatorship in America, chapter 27)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OBSERVATION

 

The author of this book believes that the Ballards communicated with astral entities who posed as teachers (Master Jesus, Master Saint-Germain, etc.). Just as spiritualists do. But that is false and in reality the Ballards completely invented the communications they claimed to have with the “Ascended Masters.” It was all quackery.