Universal Life (german: Universelles Leben, unofficially abbreviated UL) is the name of a controversial
/ref>http://members.aol.com/bbsaktuell/weristue.htm and http://members.aol.com/bbswerth/weristue.htm
/ref>

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 ...

based in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

International Religious Freedom Report 2006
(

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

), released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
The vast majority of groups termed "sects" by the Government were small organizations with fewer than 100 members. Among the larger groups present in Austria, are the Church of Scientology, with between 5,000 and 6,000 members, and the Unification Church, with approximately 700 adherents throughout the country. Other groups found in the country included Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Hare Krishna, the Holosophic community, the Osho movement, Sahaja Yoga, Sai Baba, Sri Chinmoy, Transcendental Meditation, Landmark Education, the Center for Experimental Society Formation, Fiat Lux, Universal Life, and The Family. which is described by members as a part of the new revelation movement. The group was originally called ''Heimholungswerk Jesu Christi'', "Sekten : Wissen schützt. Eine Information des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Jugend und Familie, Stubenbastei 5, 1010 Wien, 1996 (Sects : Knowledge protects. Information from the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Youth and the Family, Stubenbastei 5, 1010 Wien, 1996). Transcript of the 2nd (revised) edition online at http://www.ilsehruby.at/Sektenbroschuere.html (retrieved 2007-02-17). Unofficial English translations at (retrieved 2007-02-17) and http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/books/990913b.htm (retrieved 2007-02-17)German Scientology News in Frankfurt, Germany
/ref> but has been known as Universal Life since 1984.

Organisation

The founding of Universal Life was through teachings distributed by Gabriele Wittek.German Scientology News in Frankfurt, Germany
/ref> These works were claimed to be revelations from

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

or other spiritual beings, which Gabriele received as a prophetess and promulgated. These are, along with the

Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It ...

and the 10 Commandments, the fundamental basis of the faith. In 2003 Wittek published her own bible, ''Das ist mein Wort'' (''This is My Word'').Gabriele Wittek, ''Das ist mein Wort – Alpha und Omega, das Evangelium Jesu''. Members of Universal Life run, among other institutions, a school,former Bruderhof members and residents KIT Newsletter June 1997 Volume IX #6
/ref> a natural healing clinic and a publisher. The beliefs of the group are propagated by Radio Santec GmbH of Marktheidenfeld through two TV stations, Die Neue Zeit TV and Sophia TV, transmitted from SES Astra 1KR satellite at the 19.2° East orbital position. They operate agricultural establishments, which farm according to the principles of

organic farming Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...

. However, these establishments are not officially connected to Universal Life.

History

Gabriele Wittek claims to have heard the first "inner words" after the death of her mother. After a year, she saw her dead mother appear during a spiritual meeting, and spoke to her. Wittek claimed to have experienced several apparitions later, including of a spiritual being named "Brother Emmanuel". Finally, she met Christ himself. On 18 April 1987 Christ allegedly spoke in a great revelation, among other things, about the "Inner Path". It concerns a mystic school of thought in which God is considered to be in people and in all living beings, according to Jesus' saying: "The kingdom of God is 'within' you." In the past, Universal Life claimed contact with an alien from outer space named Mairadi.German Scientology News in Berlin
/ref>

Adherents

Exact numbers are hard to determine, since there is no formal membership within Universal Life. Georg Schmid estimated, in his book ''Churches, Sects, Religions'', the number of members to be 100,000 worldwide, including 40,000 in Germany. Other estimates claim 10,000 members worldwide, with 3000 in the

region. The association ''Universelles Leben e.V.'' has around 500 members. The inner circle, who live in communities in the Würzburg region and work on farms, calls itself the "Covenant Community of the New Jerusalem". The activities of Universal Life are concentrated in Bavaria. The organisation is represented in other regions of Germany,McNair report on religious discrimination in Germany, 1996
/ref> as well as in Austria, Italy and in Switzerland. They also do activities in other countries, as Spain.
15 March 2008 EcoDiario

Beliefs

Members believe in

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrectio ...

and promote

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianis ...

. Moreover, UL members refer to themselves as "Original Christians".Gabriele Wittek, "Das ist mein Wort", 4th edition 2004, Verlag DAS WORT GmbH, ISBN 3-89201-153-2, p. 1080. In consequence, a characteristic feature of ''Universal Life'' is the fomenting of resentment against "established religious leaders," especially the Roman Catholic Church, which is the predominant religion in Bavaria. In 2010, for example, ''Universal Life'' failed in a lawsuit before the Freiburg Administrative Court in which it sought to prohibit the Catholic Church from calling itself "Christian." Since Jesus in UL reading is believed to have rejected violence against humans and animals as well as ecclesiastical institutionalism, ''Universal Life'', acccording to the Catholic diocese of Trier, appeals primarily to "idealistically minded people" in search of "authentic Christianity" despite the fact that the group's teaching contains Far Eastern elements.

Footnotes

External links