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History

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Background

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The founder of the Church, Eusebio Joaquin Gonzalez, was born in August 14, 1896 in Colotlan, Jalisco. At a young age, he joined the Constitutionalist army during the Mexican Revolution.[1] While he was on leave in 1920, he met Elisa Flores whom he married in Guadalajara.[2] While stationed in the state of Coahuila, he came into contact with two preachers known as "Saulo" and "Silas" in 1926. Their teachings were extreme in which they forbid their followers to keep good hygiene and wear regular clothes.[3] Joaquin Gonzalez and Flores worked as servants for the two men after Joaquin Gonzalez resigned from the army.[4] During the 1920's Mexico was undergoing a period of instability under the Plutarco Elías Calles administration was seeking to limit the influence of the Catholic Church to realize the goals of modernizing and centralizing the state within the religious sphere of Mexican society. To protest Elias Calles' policies, the Catholic Church suspended all services which brought about an uprising in Mexico. This uprising, or Cristero War, lasted from 1926-1929 and appeared again in the 1930's.[5] During this time in April 6, 1926 the Church claims that God changed Joaquin Gonzalez's name from Eusebio to Aaron via a vision and was later told to leave Monterrey (where he and his wife served Saulo and Silas).[6] Joaquin Gonzalez was tasked by God with restoring Primitive Christianity and thus reestablish God's "chosen people." On his way journey, he preached near the entrances of Catholic churches which contributed the persecution he faced until arriving at Guadalajara in December 12, 1926.[7] During these early years the Cristero Wars impacted both Catholic and None-Catholic congregations and preachers, especially evangelical movements. Small movements were subject of attacks by both the government and the Cristeros which provided for a hostile environment for Joaquin Gonzalez's work.[8]

Aaron Joaquin Gonzalez's Early Ministry

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Working as a shoe vendor, Joaquin Gonzalez managed to form a small group of ten who met at his wife's apartment. By 1930 their meetings were held in various areas around the city. It was also the year that he began constructing the Church's hierarchy by instituting the first two deacons, Elisa Flores and Fransisca Cuevas. Later he charged the first minister to take care of 14 congregations in Ameca, Jalisco. [9] During these early years, he also traveled to the states of Michoacan, Nayarit, and Sinaloa to preach.[10] In 1931 the first "Santa Cena" (Holy Supper) was held to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ with the eating of unleavened bread and wine where 23 members attended.[11] The church held meetings in rural areas out of fear of complaints from Catholic neighbors during this time. Immigrants from rural regions of the country added a significant amount of members to the church. In 1934 a temple was acquired and members were encouraged to buy homes in the same neighborhood thus establishing a community. The church was then registered as "Iglesia Cristiana Espiritual" (Spiritual Christian Church) but Joaquín González claimed to have received word from God in the dedication of the church, saying that the church was "Light of the world" and that they were the "Iglesia del Dios Vivo, Columna y Apoyo de la Verdad" (Church of the Living God, Column and Ground of the Truth). Thus the church would have two names, the name under its registration and the name that they use to identify themselves. In 1939 the church moved to a new meeting place at the 12 de Octubre colony forming its second small community which was populated mainly by members of the church. This was an attempt to escape the hostile environment, not to create an egalitarian society.[12]

Schism of 1942

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In 1942, the church would experience the most significant schism in its history in which 250 members deserted the church. Anthropologist Renée de la Torre would describe this schism as a power struggle in which Joaquín González was accused of having enriched himself at the expense of the faithful.[13] Individuals sympathetic to the Buen Pastor church wrote in El Occidental various accusations of impropriety. Some of their accusation were geared towards attempting to close down a temple that LLDM used with government permission.[14] Members of La Luz del Mundo attribute this rupture to the envy and ambition of the dissidents. The dissidents would form their own group called El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd), with doctrines and practices similar to those of La Luz del Mundo.[15] During This schism was followed by a new baptism (due to Lino Figueroa leaving the church to join the other group) which church biographer says was an order from God himself to Joaquín González.[16] With the growth of the church and the city, issues of safety developed in the 12 de Octubre colony meeting place in the late 1940's and early 1950's. As a result Joaquín González purchased a plot of land outside of the city and called it "La Hermosa Provincia" (The Beautiful Province) in 1952.[17][18]

Hermosa Provincia

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In 1952, Jouaquin Gonzalez purchased land in the outskirts of Guadalajara with the intent of forming a small community made up exclusively by members of LLDM.[19] The land was then sold to members at relatively cheap prices. The community included most necessities for such a community. Services provided in La Hermosa Provincia included health, educational, and other urban services.[20] These services were provided in full after six years due in part to help that the church recieved from both municipal and non-municipal authorities. This dependency for outside assistance to obtain public services ended by 1959 when residents formed the "Association of Colonists of Hermosa Provincia" which was used to directly petition the government.[21] Roger S. Greenway says that Hermosa Provincia recieved a white flag from the city for being the only colony in the city that has eliminated illiteracy by the early 1970's.<Greenway 1973 , Pages 118</ref> Joaquín González started missionary efforts in Central America and by the early sixties La Luz del Mundo had 64 congregations and 35 missions.[22] By 1964, after his death, there were between 20,000-30,000 members of La Luz Del Mundo spread through five nations including Mexico.[23][24] The colony also became a standard model for the Church which has replicated it in many cities in Mexico and other countries.

Samuel Jouquin Flores' ministry

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Samuel Joaquín Flores was born on February 14, 1937 and became the leader of the church by the age of 27 after the death of Joaquin Gonzalez. He continued his father's desire for international expansion by travelling outside of Mexico extensively.[25] He first visited members of the church in the Mexican state of Michoacán in August 1964 and later that year he also traveled to Los Angeles, California on a missionary trip. The Church expanded to include Costa Rica, Colombia, and Guatemala by the end of the decade. The first small temple in the Hermosa Provincia was deconstructed for the construction of a second much larger temple in 1967.[26] With Joaquín Flores' work, the church became integrated into the urban community of Guadalajara and replicated the model of La Hermosa Provincia colonoy in many cities in Mexico and in other nations. Along with these developments, several professional platforms were established in Mexico. By 1972 there were an approximate 72,000 members of the church which increased to 1.5 million by 1986 and then to 4 million by 1993. Patricia Fortuny says that the church's growth can be attributed to multiple factors including it's social benefits which, "improves the living conditions of believers."[27]

?Title?

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After the Heaven's Gate mass suicide, in March 27, 1997 Jorge Erdely accused the Church of being a "destructive sect" and having the potential for mass suicide on Mexican national TV. The Church responded that it respects life and thus teaches against suicide. A controversy in the Mexican media evolved from these accusations where on one side intellectuals and academics demanded tolerance for religious minorities and on the other side two organizations, the Departamento de Investigaciones Sobre Abusos Religiosos and the Instituto Cristiano de México lead by Hugo Elizalde and Jorge Erdely, respectively, sustained the accusations against the church. Former LLDM members also made allegations of human rights violations against the leader of the church.[28][29] According to Gordon Melton and David Bromley the church was one of many victims of fraudulent accusations brought upon by "ideological enemies" and unsupported claims from former members.[30] That same year, four individuals made accusations of sexual abuse against Joaquin Flores. Mexican authorities said that those accusations came after the statute of limitations ran out and thus would not be admissible in court. Moses Padilla, who also made similar accusations, was kidnapped and stabbed multiple times. He claimed that individuals of the police and LLDM were responsible. The Church accused Padilla of orchestrating the attack to legitimize his accusations.[31] Lino Gonzalez, a spokesman for Guadalajara's prosecutor's office declared his belief that these accusations were unfounded. [32] Joaquin Flores said that he was a victim of sensationalism in the Mexican media and slander due to the nature of the accusations which carried no proof, yet the need of proof is not needed to damage anyone's name.[33] Critics Jorge Erdely and Lourdes Argüelles said that "the wealth and publicly known political connections of the sect with Mexico’s most powerful political party help explain the impunity with which this and other alleged human rights violations have occurred for decades."[34] In an interview, Joaquin Flores said that the he does not intervene in politics and members of the church are not used to support any individual. He said that members are taught that a fundamental right of a human being is the freedom to choose who to vote for.[35] Several scholars have said that LDM members vote pragmatically for a variety of local political parties including the PAN, PRI, FDN, and PRD depending on which state they live in and also, according to Dormady and Fortuny, in an attempt to find defense from persecution (the Church is considered apolitical in the US).[36] Dormady says that Sara Pozos Bravo discovered that "PRI voter fraud created the illusion of total LDM support for the party just as it had done with all of Mexico."[37]

XAftermathX

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A spokesperson for the Church in 1998 stated as a result of the accusations, the children of LLDM members have been asked where they would kill themselves upon arriving to school. He also said that religious intolerance increased and that LLDM temples were being damaged. The Church decided against filing lawsuits against the individuals responsible for the accusations.[38] The events of 1997 spilled over into the United States where community members led by Argüelles attempted to prevent the construction of a LLDM temple. [39] She was a professor at Claremont Graduate University who considered the Church a “destructive sect.”[40] She claimed she had seen children and teens, working over night in the site, under precarious conditions.[41] Argüelles claimed her concerns did not stem from religious intolerance but from fear of the church's “totalitarian control of powerless people.”[42] Ontario officials met with concerned residents and began researching the church and checking with other cities that had Luz del Mundo temples in them, but were unable to “find any problems at all.”[43] After considering zoning questions and citing traffic, parking and disruption of economic plans for that area, the city denied the permit to the church. La Luz del Mundo then sued the city for denying it use of its own building for services and for allegedly violating its civil rights. The case was settled out of court in 2004, with the church being allowed to construct the temple[44] and the city agreeing to pay about $150,000 in cash and fee credits to the Church[45] since city officials believed that they would lose the case.[46]

Joaquín Flores oversaw the construction of various schools, hospitals, and other social services produced by the church.[47] The church also expanded through the Eastern Hemisphere to include nations such as England, Holland, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Israel and others between 1990 and 2010.[48]

References

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Citations
  1. ^ de la Torre 2000, Page 71
  2. ^ Dormady 2011, Page 22
  3. ^ de la Torre 2000, Page 71
  4. ^ Fortuny 1995, Page 149
  5. ^ Fortuny 1995, Page 148
  6. ^ de la Torre 2000, Page 73
  7. ^ Fortuny 1995, Page 149
  8. ^ de la Torre 2000, Page 73-74
  9. ^ Dormady 2011, Page 28, 35-37
  10. ^ de la Toree 1993, Page 73
  11. ^ Dormady 2007, Page 141
  12. ^ Dormady 2011, Page 37-42
  13. ^ de la Torre 2000, Pages 80
  14. ^ Dormady 2011, Page 42-45
  15. ^ de la Torre 2000, Pages 80
  16. ^ Dormady 2007, Pages 151–155
  17. ^ Dormady 2007, Page 159, 161
  18. ^ Dormady 2011, pages 46-47
  19. ^ de la Torre 2000, Pages 81
  20. ^ Fortuny 1995, Pages 149
  21. ^ Dormady 2011, Pages 50-51
  22. ^ Fortuny 1995, Pages
  23. ^ Joaquin 2004, Pages 104
  24. ^ Greenway 1973, Pages 121
  25. ^ Fortuny 1995, Pages 151
  26. ^ Joaquín 2004, Pages 61, 67}}
  27. ^ Fortuny 1996, Pages 33–37
  28. ^ Medina 1997
  29. ^ Masferrer 2004, Pages 158"
  30. ^ Bromley and Melton 2002, Pages 50
  31. ^ L.A. Times 1998
  32. ^ Todd Bensman
  33. ^ El Norte 1997
  34. ^ Erdely and Argüelles
  35. ^ Cobián R 2005
  36. ^ See Fortuny 1995, Pages 155; Dormady 2011, Pages 60-61; Biglieri 2000 Pages 420-421; and for the US Marquardt et al 2011 Pages 162
  37. ^ Dormady 2011, Pages 55
  38. ^ Reforma 1998
  39. ^ Sheridan 1998
  40. ^ Sheridan 1998
  41. ^ Masferrer K 2004,Pages 153
  42. ^ Sheridan 1998
  43. ^ Sheridan 1998
  44. ^ Bensman 2008
  45. ^ Gazzar 2005
  46. ^ Gazzar 2005
  47. ^ de la Torre, Pages 87
  48. ^ Joaquín 2004, Pages 71
References
  • Bensman, Todd (25 May 2008). "Divine Retreat". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  • Bromley, David G.; Melton, J. Gordon (2002), Cults, religion, and violence, Cambridge University Press, p. 50, ISBN 978-0-521-66898-9
  • Cobián R, Felipe (11 December 2005). "Responde La Luz del Mundo". Proceso. Retrieved 4 December 2012.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • de la Torre, Renee (2000). Los hijos de la luz:discurso, identidad y poder en La Luz del Mundo. ITESO. ISBN 9685087156.
  • Dormady, Jason H. (2007). "Not Just a Better Mexico": Intentional Religious Community and the Mexican State, 1940--1964. University of California, Santa Barbara. p. 119. ISBN 0549152474, 9780549152477. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Dormady, Jason H. (2011). Primitive Revolution: Restorationist Religion and the Idea of the Mexican Revolution 1940--1964. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826349514.
  • Erdely, Jorge. "Chapter IV Secrecy and the Institutionalization of Sexual Abuse: The Case of La Luz del Mundo in México". In Argüelles, Lourdes (ed.). To Live and Die in The Light of the World Polygamy, Politics and Human Trafficking Inside La Luz del Mundo: Mexico's Most Secretive Religious Sect. Revista Académica para el Estudio de las Religiones. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  • Fortuny, Patrica (1995). "Origins, Development and Perspectives of La Luz del Mundo Church". Religion. 25 (2): 147–162. doi:10.1006/reli.1995.0014.
  • Gazzar, Brenda (10 February 2005). "Ontario clears way for La Luz Del Mundo". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
  • Greenway, Roger S. (1973). "The 'Luz Del Mundo' Movement in Mexico". Missiology: An International Review. 1 (2): 113–124. doi:10.1177/009182967300100211.
  • Joaquín Flores, Samuel (28 October 1997). "A la opinion publica". El Norte. Monterrey, Mexico.
  • Joaquín, Benjamin (2004). El Elegido de Dios. Guadalajara: Fundación Maestro Samuel Joaquín Flores.
  • Masferrer K., Elio (2004). Es Del Cesar o Es de Dios?: Un Modelo Antropológico Del Campo Religioso. Plaza y Valdés, CEIICH-UNAM. pp. 153–158. ISBN 9707223162, 9789707223165. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Medina, Maria Elena (03 April 1997). "Niegan induzcan suicidio colectivo". El Norte. Monterrey, Mexico. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  • Marie Marquardt (2011). "4 Picking Up The Cross". Living "Illegal": The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration. The New Press. pp. 119, 162. ISBN 1595586954, 9781595586957. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Sheridan, Mary Beth (10 March 1998). "A Growing Faith--and Outrage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
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