Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1995, page 54
afterwards, the members were required to buy survival equipment, gold and silver, and
guns because of a predicted collapse of the economy and the onset of a war. This activity
was called “Operation Christ Command,” and the Prophets maneuvered to profit from sales
of supplies to the devout. Pietrangelo points out that the church sold products at inflated
prices, 40% to 50% higher than retail, to the naïve “chelas” (literally, slaves) (p. 73).
It took the author 14 years of sometimes tortured belief before he and his wife finally made
the break from CUT and Elizabeth Prophet in 1983. It may be difficult for some people to
understand how an otherwise intelligent man could do this. What most people do not
understand is the process that someone goes through before and after conversion to any
extremist view and allegiance to that view. Pietrangelo intersperses his story with
commentary about the persuasiveness of the leaders and how their subtle and not-so-subtle
influences led to his mind control, or “brainwashing.” Only too late did he realize how much
his emotional investment in the group promise could be manipulated.
The promise included not only the ultimate opportunity for personal and planetary salvation,
but also the power with which to subvert and conquer all evil. The two most important
elements in the CUT formula for salvation are a strong allegiance to Mother and the practice
of decreeing. Decreeing is a form of rapid chanting of a large collection of prayers,
commands, and invocations used by CUT members for self-improvement, planetary
purification, and self-defense. CUT teachings include identifying a host of “dark forces” in
the guise of black magicians, spirit entities, and evil, colored rays that become pervasive in
the consciousness of the believer. Pietrangelo was caught in this tangled web of forces,
which only Mother Prophet could truly identify for him. He had unwittingly entered a psychic
minefield with only one way out: through Mother‟s direction --that is, until 1983 when he
had an intimate chat with his longtime friend Randall King.
This is perhaps the most revealing and most controversial portion of Lambs to Slaughter. By
1980 Randall King had been divorced from Prophet and exiled from the cult. After many
months of confused existence, King began to collect his wits and his self-esteem. He met
with Gregory Mull, another former CUT member, who had been sued by CUT‟s leader for
money. In order to protect himself, Mull initiated a countersuit claiming fraud, psychological
slavery, and money owed him from six years of unpaid services as a church architect. Mull
had been kicked out by Prophet after he learned that she was using the devotees‟ written
confessions as references when they were supposed to have been burned. King became a
star witness for Mull, who won his case against Prophet and CUT. In 1986 Mull was awarded
approximately 1.5 million dollars.
Pietrangelo reports that Prophet tried to manipulate him into testifying against King in her
behalf, but she made one too many errors. Prophet tried to convince Pietrangelo that King
once had threatened her with a knife and drew blood. Pietrangelo confronted King with this
information. It was then that King, shocked by the lie, opened up to his friend and told his
bizarre tale, a tale that included months of erotic massages and mutual masturbation with
Mother, even before Mark Prophet died. According to King, one week after Mark‟s death,
Elizabeth brought forth (channeled) Mother Mary, like a personality puppet, to marry her
and Randall in a very private ceremony, after which they had intercourse.
Sex among the Philistines or the unenlightened is one thing, but in CUT teachings,
extramarital sexual contact has been strictly forbidden. It was not the sex, however, that
bothered Pietrangelo he was most angered by the ugly duplicity of the woman to whom he
had submitted his soul‟s salvation, albeit a woman he had begun to dislike. He told his wife
what he had learned. They both snapped out of their enchantment with CUT and left, never
to return.
Pietrangelo‟s testimony is tinged with remnants of a wounded disciple who is still angry,
even though he claims to have recovered. He lacks the cool objectivity of a trained
afterwards, the members were required to buy survival equipment, gold and silver, and
guns because of a predicted collapse of the economy and the onset of a war. This activity
was called “Operation Christ Command,” and the Prophets maneuvered to profit from sales
of supplies to the devout. Pietrangelo points out that the church sold products at inflated
prices, 40% to 50% higher than retail, to the naïve “chelas” (literally, slaves) (p. 73).
It took the author 14 years of sometimes tortured belief before he and his wife finally made
the break from CUT and Elizabeth Prophet in 1983. It may be difficult for some people to
understand how an otherwise intelligent man could do this. What most people do not
understand is the process that someone goes through before and after conversion to any
extremist view and allegiance to that view. Pietrangelo intersperses his story with
commentary about the persuasiveness of the leaders and how their subtle and not-so-subtle
influences led to his mind control, or “brainwashing.” Only too late did he realize how much
his emotional investment in the group promise could be manipulated.
The promise included not only the ultimate opportunity for personal and planetary salvation,
but also the power with which to subvert and conquer all evil. The two most important
elements in the CUT formula for salvation are a strong allegiance to Mother and the practice
of decreeing. Decreeing is a form of rapid chanting of a large collection of prayers,
commands, and invocations used by CUT members for self-improvement, planetary
purification, and self-defense. CUT teachings include identifying a host of “dark forces” in
the guise of black magicians, spirit entities, and evil, colored rays that become pervasive in
the consciousness of the believer. Pietrangelo was caught in this tangled web of forces,
which only Mother Prophet could truly identify for him. He had unwittingly entered a psychic
minefield with only one way out: through Mother‟s direction --that is, until 1983 when he
had an intimate chat with his longtime friend Randall King.
This is perhaps the most revealing and most controversial portion of Lambs to Slaughter. By
1980 Randall King had been divorced from Prophet and exiled from the cult. After many
months of confused existence, King began to collect his wits and his self-esteem. He met
with Gregory Mull, another former CUT member, who had been sued by CUT‟s leader for
money. In order to protect himself, Mull initiated a countersuit claiming fraud, psychological
slavery, and money owed him from six years of unpaid services as a church architect. Mull
had been kicked out by Prophet after he learned that she was using the devotees‟ written
confessions as references when they were supposed to have been burned. King became a
star witness for Mull, who won his case against Prophet and CUT. In 1986 Mull was awarded
approximately 1.5 million dollars.
Pietrangelo reports that Prophet tried to manipulate him into testifying against King in her
behalf, but she made one too many errors. Prophet tried to convince Pietrangelo that King
once had threatened her with a knife and drew blood. Pietrangelo confronted King with this
information. It was then that King, shocked by the lie, opened up to his friend and told his
bizarre tale, a tale that included months of erotic massages and mutual masturbation with
Mother, even before Mark Prophet died. According to King, one week after Mark‟s death,
Elizabeth brought forth (channeled) Mother Mary, like a personality puppet, to marry her
and Randall in a very private ceremony, after which they had intercourse.
Sex among the Philistines or the unenlightened is one thing, but in CUT teachings,
extramarital sexual contact has been strictly forbidden. It was not the sex, however, that
bothered Pietrangelo he was most angered by the ugly duplicity of the woman to whom he
had submitted his soul‟s salvation, albeit a woman he had begun to dislike. He told his wife
what he had learned. They both snapped out of their enchantment with CUT and left, never
to return.
Pietrangelo‟s testimony is tinged with remnants of a wounded disciple who is still angry,
even though he claims to have recovered. He lacks the cool objectivity of a trained
