My Cult Your Cult: How Cults Destroy Truth and Bolster Authoritarian Power - Paperback

by Sean Prophet (Author)

Sean Prophet was vice president of a millenarian cult that predicted nuclear war and prepared to survive it-building massive underground bomb shelters and stockpiling food and weapons for thousands of followers.

My Cult Your Cult is part insider case study-and part personal reckoning.

Prophet was born into Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), which began as The Summit Lighthouse. The cult was founded in 1958 by his father, Mark Prophet, and later led by his mother, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, both of whom claimed to channel "Ascended Masters." CUT drew from Theosophy, Agni Yoga, Rosicrucianism, and the Mighty I AM-a lineage steeped in spiritual elitism, racialized mythology, and authoritarian control.

During its most extreme period, Prophet held a position of apparent authority as CUT's vice president, yet remained firmly under his mother's spiritual dominance-constrained by a system of secrecy, loyalty, and manipulation. In 1987, she predicted a Soviet nuclear strike for 1989-setting in motion one of the largest private bomb shelter construction efforts in American history. When the prophecy failed, he left the organization and began the long process of confronting his complicity and emerging as one of its sharpest critics.

The book draws powerful parallels between CUT's apocalyptic dogma and the authoritarian tactics of contemporary movements including MAGA, Christian Nationalism, and online cults like QAnon. Prophet's analysis shows how cults and authoritarian governments alike weaponize divine claims to exploit fear, suppress dissent, and dismantle human rights.