Cults and New Religious Movements Cults and New Religious Movements Case Study #5: Solar Temple

The Violence  October 4, 1994 –Fire in at a condominium complex in Quebec Canada  5 dead  October 4 & 5, 1994 –Fire in a barn in Cheiry, Switzerland  22 dead –Fire in Granges-sur-Salvan, Switzerland  25 dead  March 22, 1997 –Fire at a house in Saint- Casimir, Quebec

Joseph Di Mambro  Born in 1924 in France  Died in 1994  Was a watchmaker and jeweler  Founded several religious groups from the 1970s through the 1990s

Luc Jouret  Born in 1947 in Zaire  Died in 1994  Had his own homeopathic medicine practice  Was the front man and spokesman for the group

Attributes of Solar Temple  Highly educated  Middle and upper-middle classes  Appealed to French speaking Roman Catholics  442 members at its height in 1984

Beliefs of the Group  Reincarnation  Apocalyptism  Communal living –Felt that the community had a ““bank of consciousness” that would usher in the New Age” (p. 221)  Rearranged marriages by leaders –Goal was the conception of nine “cosmic children”  Ultimate concern: To form a nucleus of people who would bring in the Age of Aquarius

The Persecution  Anti-cult group Info-Secte put out a letter of warning to the media in 1991  The Canadian police began to investigate the group in 1993  The arrest of Luc Jouret in 1993  Di Mambro’s son, Elie, was exposing the group  Increased cultural opposition by others  Also several internal struggles –Emmanuelle was becoming unruly –Elie was exposing his father & the leadership –Tony & Nicki Dutoit left & had a child (Christopher Emmanuel)  Di Mambo saw Christopher as a threat to Emmanuelle

The Response

The Decision to Commit Violence  Leaders felt it was no longer possible to effect a transition to the new age of Aquarius –Due to the persecution and internal struggles coupled with decreased membership  This led to the eventual suicides (transits) and murders