Editing Church Universal and Triumphant (section)

==Reception==
Whitsel noted that the CUT was "one of the most prominent" new religions to appear in the United States during the 1960s and early 1970s.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=xi}} Lewis thought that they represented "one of the most intrinsically interesting religious communities to come into being" during the 20th century.{{sfn|Lewis|1994|p=xiii}} The Church faced opposition from the [[anti-cult movement]], especially the [[Cult Awareness Network]].{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=373}} In one case, a deprogrammer kidnapped a Church member in Belgium.{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=379}}

Along with many other [[new religious movement]]s, Church Universal and Triumphant has been described as a [[cult]],<ref name=Herald>{{cite news|newspaper=Calgary Herald|title=Church under fire|author=Lorraine Locherty}}</ref><ref name=cult/> especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Articles and letters critical of the church were published in the local newspapers the ''[[Livingston Enterprise]]'' and the ''[[Bozeman Daily Chronicle]]''.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=March 17, 1990|title=Montana Residents Leery Of Activity Around Church Universal Property|author=Jeanie Senior|quote=Chris Gilbert, 16, who is a junior at Park High in nearby Livingston, told the Livingston Enterprise that after he moved in with a Livingston family, his mother visited him at his part-time job to warn him 'something might happen.' He said she invited him to rejoin his family in the church's fallout shelters. Church members have built a network of more than 40 such shelters.}}</ref> Several of the letters were written by former church members who raised lawsuits against the church.<ref name=cult>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 26, 1986|title='Cults' And The Aged: A New Family Issue|author=Andree Brooks|quote=What is believed to be the first jury decision in this area was handed down this month. Gregory Mull, a 64-year-old architect, was awarded $1.6 million in damages in a suit against the Church Universal and Triumphant, a spiritual organization with headquarters in Malibu, Calif.}}</ref> In 1986, the church was accused of using [[sleep deprivation]] to control its members.<ref>{{cite news|title=Church Blamed for Stroke |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5019423/mark_l_prophet_19181973/|newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel|date=February 14, 1986|page=18|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = April 23, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref>

During its history, the Church has attracted both scholarly and media attention.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=xi}} In July 1993, a group of academics including Lewis and Melton were permitted to visit the Royal Teton Ranch and study the community, in a trip financed by the Association of World Academics for Religious Education (AWARE).{{sfnm|1a1=Lewis|1y=1994|1p=xi|2a1=Kent|2a2=Krebs|2y=1998|2p=38}} An edited volume containing contributions from these scholars was subsequently published in 1994.{{sfn|Kent|Krebs|1998|p=39}} Writing in ''[[Skeptic (American magazine)|Skeptic]]'' magazine, [[Stephen A. Kent]] and Theresa Krebs criticised this publication, claiming that it was "as much an apology as a social scientific product."{{sfn|Kent|Krebs|1998|p=38}} Kent and Krebs made this criticism as part of what they saw as a "questionable relationship" between certain social scientists and specific new religions, including the CUT but also the [[Church of Scientology]] and [[The Family International|The Family]].{{sfn|Kent|Krebs|1998|p=36}} The political scientist Bradley C. Whitsel subsequently devoted his doctoral research to the group, undertaking interviews with members between 1993 and 2000.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=xii-xiii}}