Amy Carlson (November 30, 1975 – c. April 16, 2021), also known by her followers as Mother God, was an American religious leader and the co-founder of the new religious movement Love Has Won.[1] Carlson and her followers believed that she was God, a 19-billion-year-old being, and a reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and that she could heal people of cancer "with the power of love."[2] Her group has been described as a cult by many, including ex-members and media outlets.
Amy Carlson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 30, 1975 McPherson, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | c. April 16, 2021 (aged 45) Ashland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Cause of death |
|
| Body discovered | Crestone, Colorado, U.S. |
| Other names | Mother God |
| Movement | Love Has Won |
| Children | 3 |
Carlson's body was found mummified in Love Has Won's compound in Crestone, Colorado, in April 2021.
Early life
editCarlson was born on November 30, 1975, in McPherson, Kansas. Her parents divorced when she was a child, and after they both remarried, Carlson was raised between their homes in Kansas and Oklahoma City.[3][4] Carlson and her sister Tara left to live with her mother and stepfather after claims of abuse by their stepmother.[4] The family later lived a middle-class life in Dallas, Texas, where Carlson received good grades and sang in the school choir. They later relocated to Houston.[5][6]
Carlson had three children by three different fathers.[7] She worked as a manager at McDonald's.[8]
During the mid-2000s, Carlson developed an interest in New Age philosophy, and became a regular poster on the forums of the website lightworkers.org. On the forum, she met Amerith WhiteEagle, who convinced Carlson that she was divine, and Carlson began to claim to experience paranormal phenomena; specifically, she heard a voice telling her she would one day become President of the United States.[9]
In late 2007, Carlson left her third husband, her children, and her job,[10][8] and ceased contact with most members of her family.[10] She then joined up with WhiteEagle in Colorado.[9] The group was originally known under the name "Galactic Federation of Light".[11] The group posted their first videos to YouTube in 2009.[9] Carlson and WhiteEagle led the group as Mother and Father God.
Love Has Won
editCarlson left WhiteEagle around 2014 after gaining her first follower, Miguel Lamboy. Miguel managed the group's logistics and finances. The movement began to grow from 2014 onwards, mainly by the internet.[9] The group travelled between Colorado, Oregon, California and Florida prior to 2018, before moving to Moffat, Colorado.[11] There was a succession of "Father Gods", with Jason Castillo becoming the final "Father God" in 2018.[9]
The group briefly moved to the Hawaiian island of Kauai in August 2020, where they were met with hostility from locals after Carlson publicly proclaimed that she was the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele.[12] A multi-day protest ensued, with protestors lighting driftwood fires and chanting Hawaiian prayers around the rented property the group were staying in.[12] Video footage provided to The Denver Post by Love Has Won member Lauryn Suarez showed eggs and rocks being thrown at the house, as well as the broken windows of the house and the SUV parked in the driveway.[13] The mayor of Kauai, Derek Kawakami, intervened to negotiate the departure of the group from the island.[13] They subsequently flew to Kahului Airport on Maui, and were convinced to return to Colorado in September 2020.[14][15]
Just before Carlson's death in April 2021, Lamboy paid the Colorado Secretary of State's office $50 to register a new nonprofit, Gaia's Crystal Schools Inc., listing the associated address as 4 Alcedo Court, where authorities recovered Carlson's body.[16][17]
Carlson's followers claimed that, rather than dying, she had "ascended" to the fifth dimension after assuming all of mankind's pain. The website lovehaswon.org was taken offline.[18][19][when?] Several core members of Love Has Won still believe that Amy Carlson is God and reject what they refer to as the "3D world".[20]
The group renamed their Facebook page and YouTube channel to "5D Full Disclosure",[11] and launched a new website, 5dfulldisclosure.org. In the aftermath of Carlson's death, the group splintered, with Castillo forming the separate group Joy Rains with a small number of followers.[21]
Mother God and beliefs
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Carlson's teachings revolved around the idea that she was the 534th incarnation of Mother God, a deity who was destined to lead exactly 144,000 believers out of the superficial reality of the "3-D world" and into a fifth-dimensional plane of higher existence.[17] She claimed to have been Mother Earth, Gaia,[22] Cleopatra, Jesus Christ, Joan of Arc,[2] Harriet Tubman,[23] Helena Blavatsky,[24] and Marilyn Monroe; she claimed to have full memory of her past lives, including the crucifixion of Jesus.[2] She also said she could "produce miracles, kind of like Jesus."[22] She also claimed to be the mother of Elvis Presley.[24]
To accomplish her goals, she needed to regularly commune with "The Galactics", an "etheric team" of spiritual ambassadors that she said was largely made up of deceased celebrities[17][24] including Robin Williams, Patrick Swayze,[25] John Lennon (identified with Ashtar),[24] Whitney Houston, Prince, Steve Irwin, Carrie Fisher, Rodney Dangerfield, Tupac Shakur, Chris Farley, David Bowie, Gene Wilder, and Michael Jackson, as well as the then-living Donald Trump and Carol Burnett. She also claimed to receive help from the Count of St. Germain.[24]
She claimed that she lived in Lemuria and Trump was her father. A special, obscure technology was stolen, causing an explosion that sank Atlantis. "Mother God" was able to save the technology, but was not able to fully ascend to the fifth dimension because humanity was not ready, so she continued returning to Earth in human form.[16]
The group's former website said that Carlson was a spiritual surgeon who would work "multidimensionally" to operate on people's bodies and cure various physical ailments. She said she had cured cancer, Lyme disease, addiction, and suicidal thoughts, as well as removed brain tumors, and helped cases of autism.[7][16]
Death
editIn September 2020, it had been stated[by whom?] that Carlson was in poor health and was paralyzed from the waist down; Carlson herself stated that she had cancer.[26][13] In the weeks leading up to her death, the police were called multiple times to perform wellness checks on her. On each visit, LHW members claimed she was not home.[7]
In early April 2021, the group was located in an RV park in Mount Shasta in northern California but were asked to leave due to overcrowding.[27] Carlson was last seen alive by someone outside the group on April 10, 2021.[21]
In the HBO documentary Love Has Won, the group said that they traveled to Ashland, Oregon, upon Carlson's request, and stayed in Callahan's Mountain Lodge. While there, Carlson lost all motor control and had to be carried around. According to a YouTube video by two members, Carlson had asked to be taken to the hospital, but they had refused.[7] She died in the room at Callahan's Mountain Lodge on an unknown date very soon after the move. The group moved Carlson's body a few days after her death to the Mount Hood National Forest when the hotel staff became suspicious. The group waited for the "Galactic" beings to pick up her body, but Castillo claimed that he heard a calling to move Carlson's body. Her body was driven back to the group's mission home at 4 Alcedo Court in Crestone, Colorado.[28]
On April 28, 2021, Lamboy went to the Saguache County police department[29] and reported that the group had come to his home with Carlson's corpse and were staying there without permission, and that he had not been in touch with Carlson for several months. Upon arrival, police discovered Carlson's mummified corpse; its state of decay suggested that she had been dead for several weeks. The body was found in a sleeping bag wrapped in Christmas lights, the face covered in glitter and the eyes missing, in what authorities stated was a makeshift shrine. Seven members of the group were charged with abuse of a corpse as well as child abuse due to the presence of two children in the property.[30][31] A photo from a few weeks before Carlson is thought to have died shows her appearance to be emaciated; she had thinning hair and discolored skin with a purplish hue.[30] She was 75 pounds when she died.[20]
According to Saguache County Coroner Tom Perrin, Carlson had been ingesting large amounts of colloidal silver, which the group had been promoting as a COVID-19 cure, and had received a warning from the FDA for promoting it.[32][33] Consuming colloidal silver over a long period of time can lead to blue-grey discolouration of the skin, as well as seizures and organ failure.[30] An autopsy report released in December 2021 stated that Carlson had died from "global decline in the setting of alcohol abuse, anorexia, and chronic colloidal silver ingestion."[34] The autopsy found no evidence that Carlson had cancer.[34]
On May 5, Deputy District Attorney Alex Raines announced plans to upgrade the abuse of corpse charges to the more serious charge of tampering with a deceased human body, and the group members were reported to be facing a mix of charges of child abuse, abuse of a corpse, tampering with deceased human remains, and false imprisonment.[18][35] The charges were later dropped.[36]
Though the house and the group's bank accounts were in Lamboy's name, he was not charged in connection with the corpse. Lamboy reportedly emptied the group's bank account, which contained $330,000. Group members reported that they'd not heard from Lamboy since April 28, 2021, and several news outlets have failed to locate him.[37]
Media appearances
editCarlson appeared on Dr. Phil in 2020, where she spread her claims of being God and confronted her family.[2]
Dateline NBC aired a two-hour documentary about the group on October 15, 2021.[38]
The HBO documentary series Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, directed by Hannah Olson, premiered on November 13, 2023.[39][40]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Kreps, Daniel (2021-12-03). "'Love Has Won' Leader Amy Carlson's Cause of Death Released". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b c d Peiser, Jaclyn (2021-05-05). "She told followers she was 'Mother God.' Her mummified body was found wrapped in Christmas lights". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ "Episode 1". Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. November 13, 2023. Max.
- ^ a b Moyer, Christopher (November 26, 2021). "From 'Mother God' to Mummified Corpse: Inside the Fringe Spiritual Sect 'Love Has Won'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "From 'Mother God' to Mummified Corpse: Inside the Fringe Spiritual Sect 'Love Has Won'". Rolling Stone. 26 November 2021.
- ^ "How a Texas mom left her family to become 'Mother God', leader of Colorado's Love Has Won cult". The Denver Post. 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b c d Shoaib, Alia. "Abuse, exploitation, and a mummified leader: Inside the bizarre cult Love Has Won". Insider. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b "Watch Our New Documentary About 'Love Has Won', a Group Former Members Call a Cult". Vice. March 23, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Moyer, Christopher (2021-11-26). "From 'Mother God' to Mummified Corpse: Inside the Fringe Spiritual Sect 'Love Has Won'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
- ^ a b Iati, Marisa. "'She didn't deserve to die the way she did,' says family of cult leader found dead and mummified". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c Phillips, Noelle (May 16, 2021). "How a Texas mom left her family to become 'Mother God', leader of Colorado's Love Has Won cult". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Bodon, Sabrina (September 4, 2020). "Residents protest Love Has Won". The Garden Island. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c Tabachnik, Sam (September 11, 2020). "'Cult-like' Colorado spiritual group met with violent protests during Hawaiian sojourn". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Police say Colorado-based group, Love Has Won, has departed Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. September 7, 2020.
- ^ Sallinger, Rick (May 20, 2021). "'Love Has Won' Cult Reappears Online Under New Name: 5D Full Disclosure". CBS Denver. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c Virginia Pelley (2021-09-07). "How a Former McDonald's Manager Convinced Millennial Women She Was God". Marie Claire Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b c "The True Story Behind HBO's Love Has Won". TIME. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b Phillips, Noelle (May 5, 2021). "Love Has Won followers face more severe charges in connection with cult leader's death". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ Kinkade, Skye. "Authorities don't know where Love Has Won leader died. Could it have been in Siskiyou?". Mount Shasta Herald. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Mother God, Robin Williams, and Alcohol as Medicine: Inside Love Has Won". Vanity Fair. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b Vallejo, Justin (June 10, 2021). "'They become re-wired, a different person': Inside the fight to deprogram Love Has Won cult members". The Independent.
- ^ a b Elliott, Josh K. (2021-05-05). "Cult leader's mummified body found wrapped in Xmas lights at Colorado home". Global News. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ Travers, Ben; Thompson, Anne (2023-12-12). "The Best Documentaries and Docuseries of 2023". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ a b c d e McFarland, Melanie (2023-04-12). "The celebrity worship of 'Love Has Won': Why Robin Williams may have resonated with a cult". Salon. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ Blake, Meredith (2023-11-28). "HBO's 'Love Has Won' shows how cult leader Amy Carlson went from McDonald's manager to mummy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Yuhas, Alan (May 5, 2021). "7 Arrested After Police Find Mummified Body in Colorado Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ Kinkade, Skye. "Spiritual group accused of cult-like activities may be planting roots in Mt. Shasta area". Mount Shasta Herald. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Episode 3". Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. November 27, 2023. Max.
- ^ "Love Has Won: Family's grief at death of mummified cult leader". 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ a b c Graziosi, Graig (May 4, 2021). "What we know about the Love Has Won 'cult' whose leader was found mummified in Colorado". The Independent. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Phillips, Noelle (May 3, 2021). "Mummified remains of Love Has Won cult leader found in group's Colorado home". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ McKinley, Carol (May 3, 2021). "'Mummified' Cultist's Corpse Found With Glitter Makeup but No Eyes". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Gaia's Whole Healing Essentials Warned for Colloidal Silver Coronavirus Claims". ConsumerLab.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Alcohol, anorexia, colloidal silver dosing killed Love Has Won cult leader". The Independent. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
- ^ Vallejo, Justin (May 26, 2021). "Love has Won cult member Christopher Royer appears in court". The Independent. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Charges related to death of spiritual leader dropped". AP News. 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ Shoaib, Alia. "Abuse, exploitation, and a mummified leader: Inside the bizarre cult Love Has Won". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ Phillips, Noelle (October 15, 2021). "Colorado's Love Has Won cult to be featured on 'Dateline NBC': The two-hour documentary will look at how Amy Carlson became Mother God to her followers". DenverPost.com. The Denver Post. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 11, 2021). "HBO Greenlights 'Love Has Won' Docuseries Directed By 'Baby God' Helmer Hannah Olson". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "HBO Original Documentary Series 'Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God' Debuts November 13". Warner Bros. Discovery. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.