Lou de Palingboer (19 February 1898 - 23 March 1968) was the founder and figurehead of a

new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or Spirituality, spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

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Lou was born Louwrens Voorthuijzen in

Breezand Breezand is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, which is known for its flower bulbs, and lies about 7 km southeast of Den Helder. Overview The village was first mentioned in ...

. He had a strong religious interest from an early age, probably under the influence of his devout father. He chose the profession of

fisherman A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or rec ...

. After a failed marriage he met Mien WiertzWilhelmina Wiertz, *14-08-1914 in Baarn and began to believe under her influence that he must save the world from the devil. Voorthuijzen sold his boat and took up employment as an eel vendor at the Dappermarkt in Amsterdam, where he became known as ''Lou de Palingboer'' (''Lou the eel vendor''). From his market stall, he preached to his customers that he was "the resurrected body of Jesus Christ". He would elaborate further in a nearby café. A circle of followers formed around him. In 1954, he began holding weekly meetings in the ''Frascati'' and ''De Brakke Grond'' theatres, where he captivated his audience with a mix of mystical language and down-to-earth humour. In 1957, a rich supporter bought a large house in

Muiderberg Muiderberg () is a village in the municipality of Gooise Meren in the Netherlands. It lies about 6 km north of Bussum and 2 km west of Naarden, adjacent to the Naarderbos. Geography Muiderberg is in the east of the municipality of ...

in the municipality

Muiden Muiden () is a city and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Mere ...

. They called it the "White House", and lived in it communally. His followers believed him to be a God. According to Harry Mulisch's ''Voer voor psychologen'' (''Fodder for Psychologists''), he claimed to be the author of the Bible. Some members of his group rejected medicine in favour of his blessing as a cure for ailments. Lou himself claimed to be immortal. Around this time, Dutch society began to see them as a cult. Tensions frequently arose when one partner of a couple was not "in Lou" and the other one was. This resulted in a number of divorces in which Lou was summoned to testify, which he disliked. Lou moved to Agimont in the French-speaking part of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

to avoid summons of this kind. After his death in Belgium in 1968, the movement seems to have dissipated. Wiertz, who moved to Spain, continues to have faith in him and there are a few other elderly believers left.

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*
De God die Lou heette
(Dutch language) "The God that was called Lou"

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more ...

TV programme
Louwrens Voorthuijzen
(Dutch language) biographical dictionary 1898 births 1968 deaths People from Anna Paulowna Dutch fishers Dutch religious leaders Founders of new religious movements Deified people Religious controversies in the Netherlands Nicknames Nicknames in religion Cult leaders {{netherlands-reli-bio-stub

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