TIME: Almanac 1993/TIME Almanac 1993.iso/time/060892/06089920.000

Text File | 1992-09-22 | 1.7 KB | 39 lines

                                                                                THE WEEK, Page 30

SOCIETY

The Temple of Love Crumbles


A celebrated sect leader is convicted of conspiracy in Florida


    Miami civic leaders hailed Yahweh ben Yahweh for his message
of black self-sufficiency and clean living. The mayor declared a
day honoring Yahweh for his efforts to get drug dealers out of
blighted neighborhoods. But a Fort Lauderdale jury was
unpersuaded by the notion of sect leader as Boy Scout. After
five days of deliberation, Yahweh and six of his followers were
found guilty of conspiracy in the murders of "white devils" and
fire bombing an entire block of Delray Beach.

    As head of the Temple of Love, Yahweh, born Hulon Mitchell
Jr. in Enid, Okla., boasted of building a $100 million real
estate empire, and lectured thousands of Miami-area residents
on "How to Move from Poverty to Riches." Yahweh ben Yahweh,
whose name in Hebrew means "God the Son of God," says he is the
son of God and that whites are "the devil," seeking to enslave
blacks economically and spiritually. Appearing in white robes
and a turban throughout his five-month trial, the leader quoted
the Bible often and denied the charges that he had ordered the
murder of black defectors from his cause and the slicing of ears
from randomly selected white people for trophies.

    Yahweh wasn't the only controversial figure in the
courtroom; his lawyer, Alcee Hastings, was a federal judge who
was impeached after questions were raised about his involvement
in a bribery conspiracy, although he was acquitted of related
criminal charges. Hastings, who heralded Yahweh as a persecuted
"Ghandiesque" figure, is now running for Congress.