This was part of the absurd attempt to change public perceptions of Divine LIght MIssion (see ???? ). As I recall Chris was a very nice guy and might have been a tug-boat captain, certainly-a-one-of-a-kind premie.

Letters to the Digger Editor

November/December 1974.

Divine Light Refocused

THE GURU GETS PIED

The second controversial story involved the rise of religious cults. With the dropoff of political activity, a lot of young people were apparently still searching for something-anything-to believe in. Religious cults moved in to fill the psychological need and soak up the energy, often giving back little in return.

People in many cases gave all their worldly possessions to these groups, took part in long sessions called "love bombing," where attention was showered on them (actually a form of indoctrination), and submitted to control over the most minute aspects of their daily lives. They also worked at fundraising for next to nothing.

Some examples of these cults included "Moses David" and the early Jesus Freak movement, and Sun Myung Moon, whose church was already well enough developed in 1974 to lead demonstrations against impeachment. The black community was also affected. Jim Jones' congregation was growing in San Francisco, and Jonestown-the nation's wake-up call about the danger of cults-lay four years in the future.

In 1973, still another cult was growing in power and influence: the Divine Light Mission of the 15-year old Guru Maharaj Ji, who claimed to be God himself. The Divine Light Mission had attracted followers in chapters across the country, including Detroit, and the guru himself embarked on a national tour.

Total amazement gripped the Fifth Estate office when staffers first heard that Rennie Davis, an antiwar organizer par excellence since 1965 and an architect of the 1971 May Day demonstration, had announced in California that he was now a supporter of the young guru. Quite simply, credulity again was strained, and staffers even made several long distance calls to the West Coast to confirm the news.

Soon the guru visited Detroit on his national tour, and the Detroit City Council, not having enough to do with a major national recession and automotive slump approaching, decided to give the guru an award (for what is lost in the mists of history).

Pat Halley was another new Fifth Estate staffer, and the only one ever to advocate pandemonium as a political solution. He went to the City Council Chamber posing as an admirer of the guru, carrying a bouquet of flowers. However, under the flowers was concealed a shaving cream pie, which Halley placed in the face of the :Guru Maharaj Ji at a strategic moment (see figure 1). [Ed.: Halley tells his own story for the first time in "Looking for Utopia" at the end of this article.

With City Council President Mel Ravitz suddenly sounding very unliberal, in fact yelling for Halley's head, the master of pandemonium dashed down multiple flights of stairs and out of the city county building without being caught.

A Ken Kelley article describes what followed:

"I don't want the man hurt or arrested, explained the embarrassed child-god to his followers and the press as he wiped the soap from his face. However, one week later the pie-thrower was brutally beaten from behind by two of the

- BOB HIPPLER -

28 VOICES FROM THE UNDERGROUND