Love Has Won (LHW) is a
new religious movement
A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin or th ...
which was led by Amy Carlson (November 30, 1975 – April 2021), referred to within the group as "Mother God". The group has been described as a
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
by ex-members and media outlets. The group had between 12 and 20 full-time members who lived with her at the time of her death.
Origins
According to her family, Amy Carlson grew up in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, and was a "straight A student". In Carlson's early adult life, however, she began to talk increasingly about "outlandish concepts" such as starships.
During the mid 2000s Carlson developed an interest in
New Age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
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.
In late 2007, Carlson left her third husband, her children, and her job as a manager at
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
,
and ceased contact with most members of her family,
and joined up with WhiteEagle in Colorado.
The group was originally known under the name "Galactic Federation of Light".
The group posted their first videos to YouTube in 2009.
Doctrine and beliefs
The theology of Love Has Won has been described as fluid, combining New Age spirituality,
conspiracy theories, and elements from mainstream
Abrahamic religions
The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran.
Jewish tradition ...
.
The group proclaimed that Carlson was a divine, 19 billion year-old being who had birthed all creation. Carlson claimed she had been reincarnated 534 times, including as Jesus,
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
,
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
and
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
, and would lead
144,000
144,000 is a natural number. It has significance in various religious movements and ancient prophetic belief systems.
Religion Christianity
Book of Revelation
The number 144,000 appears three times in the Book of Revelation:
* Revelation 7:3–8 ...
people into a mystical "5th dimension".
Carlson had several romantic partners throughout the group's history, beginning with Amerith WhiteEagle, who were referred to as "Father God", and who played a counterpart role to Carlson in the theology of the group.
The group also adopted elements of the
QAnon conspiracy theory.
The group claimed that Carlson was the queen of the lost continent of
Lemuria
Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the di ...
,
and the group incorporated the belief that Lemurians
live within Mount Shasta in California.
Carlson had stated that
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
was her father in a past life, and that she had spoken to the spirit of deceased actor
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
, who she claimed was
Archangel Zadkiel.
The group's theology also included references to the concepts of
Atlantis, the
Anunnaki
The Anunnaki (Sumerian: , also transcribed as Anunaki, Annunaki, Anunna, Ananaki and other variations) are a group of deities of the ancient Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians. In the earliest Sumerian writings about them, which c ...
and "
reptilians".
They believed that the world was run by a "
cabal" determined to keep the planet in a "low vibration" state.
Structure and abuse allegations
A core group of 12–20 members lived with Carlson in
Crestone, a small town in
Saguache County
Saguache County (suh-WATCH ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,368. The county seat is Saguache.
History
Saguache County was formed December 29, 1866 in the Territory of Colorado wh ...
in southwestern
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
The group did daily livestreams on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
in order to recruit more members, solicit donations, and promote New Age products
and vitamin supplements.
The group offered "etheric surgery", which cost $88 per session, claiming that it could remove sickness and "
negative energy
Negative energy is a concept used in physics to explain the nature of certain fields, including the gravitational field and various quantum field effects.
Gravitational potential energy
Gravitational potential energy can be defined as being ne ...
" from the body.
The group has been described as a
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
by ex-members and numerous media outlets.
Ex-members accused the group of physical abuse and sleep deprivation, with members allegedly only being allowed to sleep for 4–5 hours a night.
The Saguache County Sheriff's Office reported that they had received "many complaints" about the group from families, about "
brainwashing
Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...
" and fraud.
In May 2020, a member of the group was found wandering the wilderness disoriented, naked, and dehydrated, after being described by the group as lacking the "right energy" and being on "the wrong side of the mountain."
Despite the group banning drink and drugs for members, Carlson was accused of drinking large amounts of
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
and subsequently behaving abusively.
The group featured on an episode of ''
Dr. Phil
Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...
'' in September 2020, where Carlson and two members were confronted with claims of abuse, which they denied.
Recordings which were produced by the group show its members making
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
and
racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
remarks.
History
WhiteEagle left Carlson around 2014. Carlson gained her first follower, Miguel Lamboy, the same year. Miguel would serve as the manager of the group's logistics and finances. The movement began to grow from 2014 onwards, mainly by the internet.
The group travelled between Colorado, Oregon, California and Florida prior to 2018, before moving to
Moffat, Colorado
The Town of Moffat is a Statutory Town in Saguache County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 116 at the 2010 United States Census.
Geography
Moffat is located at (37.998855, -105.905973). According to the United States Censu ...
.
Jason Castillo would gain the position as the final "Father God" in 2018.
The group briefly moved to the island of
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
in Hawaii in August 2020, where they were met with hostility from locals after Carlson publicly proclaimed that she was the Hawaiian goddess
Pele.
A multi-day protest ensued, with protestors lighting driftwood fires and chanting Hawaiian prayers around the rented property the group were staying in.
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.
The mayor of Kauai,
Derek Kawakami
Derek S.K. Kawakami is an American politician serving as the eleventh Mayor of Kauai since December 3, 2018. Kawakami previously served as a Kauai County Councilmember from 2016-2018 and 2008-2011 and as a member of the Hawaii House of Representat ...
, intervened to negotiate the departure of the group from the island.
They subsequently flew to
Kahului Airport on
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
, but were convinced to fly back to Colorado in September 2020.
In September 2020, it had been stated that Carlson was in poor health and was paralysed from the waist down, with Carlson herself stating that she had cancer.
In early April 2021, the group was located in an RV park in
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades ...
in northern California, but were asked to leave due to overcrowding.
Carlson was last seen alive by someone outside the group on April 10, 2021.
On April 28, 2021, the
mummified corpse of Carlson was discovered in the mission house near Crestone. Its state of decay suggested that she had been dead for several weeks. She was 45 at the time of her death. 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
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
. 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.
A photo from a few weeks before she is thought to have died shows her appearance to be
emaciated
Emaciation is defined as the state of extreme thinness from absence of body fat and muscle wasting usually resulting from malnutrition.
Characteristics
In humans, the physical appearance of emaciation includes thinned limbs, pronounced and protrud ...
, with thinning hair and discoloured skin with a purplish hue.
According to Saguache County Coroner Tom Perrin, Carlson had been ingesting large amounts of
colloidal silver
The medical uses of silver include its use in wound dressings, creams, and as an antibiotic coating on medical devices. Wound dressings containing silver sulfadiazine or silver nanomaterials may be used to treat external infections. The limited ...
, which the group had been
promoting as a COVID-19 cure, and had received a warning from the
FDA
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...
for doing so.
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.
An autopsy report released in December 2021 revealed that Carlson had died from "global decline in the setting of alcohol abuse,
anorexia, and chronic colloidal silver ingestion." 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, 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.
The charges were later dropped.
Authorities stated that Carlson had not died at the property, but in California; her body was subsequently transported back to Colorado.
After Carlson's death was publicised, the group's Facebook page stated that she had "ascended", and the website Lovehaswon.org was taken offline.
The group renamed their Facebook page and YouTube channel to "5D Full Disclosure",
and launched a new website, 5dfulldisclosure.org.
In the aftermath of Carlson's death, the group splintered, with the most recent "Father God" Jason Castillo forming the separate group Joy Rains with a small number of followers.
Television
In June 2021,
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
ordered a docuseries about the group and its leader Amy Carlson, with
Hannah Olson
Hannah Olson is an American documentary film director and producer. She is best known for her work on the HBO documentaries, ''Baby God'', ''The Last Cruise'', and ''Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God''.
Life and career
Olson was born in Minn ...
set to direct.
''
Dateline NBC'' aired a two-hour documentary about the group on October 15, 2021.
Notes
References
{{reflist
External links
lovehaswon.org captureson the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
Love Has Won YouTube channel
New religious movements
Religious belief systems founded in the United States
Religious organizations based in the United States
Religious controversies in the United States
Cults
UFO religions
New Age communities
New Age organizations
Religious organizations based in Colorado
Religious organizations based in California
Religious organizations based in Hawaii
QAnon
Deified women
Deified American people