Robin Jackson Blog

The past two weeks here in South Africa has seen the much publicized manhunt for the cult couple in Sutherland who shot and killed a policeman and wounded another. The hunt ensued after the couple were evicted from the farm they were living on for the past twelve years because of their bizarre behaviour. Jaen Du Plessis said his father had agreed to the couple occupying the house on the farm partly because they could have someone looking after the place while they were away. Du Plessis added that at first they were very good friends. The couple would come over for dinner and at times the Du Plessis family would have a meal at the couples place.

However, during the past two years the couple had become reclusive and their behaviour changed. It emerged that they were involved with the Ramtha School of Enlightenment which is a cult started in the United States by Judith “JZ” Knight in 1988. Knight, who is a very charismatic person claims

to be channeling a 35000 year old spirit by the name of Ramtha. It is this warrior warlord, Knight claims, who conveys the secrets of the ancients to our wisdom starved world. Speaking in a deep male voice and swooping up and kissing the female devotees, Knight, by all accounts, puts on a good show.  She regularly dispenses Ramtha wisdom to hundreds who pay up to fifteen hundred dollars for a private audience. In addition she runs an industry of Ramtha books, audio tapes, and videotapes. Well known television and movie stars have taken to Knight and people such as Shirley Maclaine and Linda Evans endorse or follow her teachings.

Knight has built up a multi-million dollar empire with Ramtha but a series of failed prophesies have seen her credibility being challenged. Natural disasters Ramtha prophesied–California and Florida falling into the ocean, acid rain poisoning New England’s water supply–didn’t happen, causing many who had sold their homes and moved to the Pacific Northwest for safety to question Ramtha’s omniscience. The state of Washington slapped an injunction on Knight, who’d been telling followers that Ramtha recommended they buy her Arabian horses, at up to $250,000 each. Knight’s former advance man revealed he’d come upon Knight in a non-trance state practicing Ramtha voices. And after Ramtha began making homophobic comments some started questioning how enlightened Ramtha really was.

However, the Ramtha School of Enlightenment continues to operate and amass millions of dollars. Ramtha teaches a mixture of quantum physics and spirituality which appeals to many in our modern day era of New Age thinking. Furthermore, members are taught to prepare themselves for natural disasters and end time prophecies continue to be preached. Ramtha has distanced themselves from the events surrounding the eventual death of the couple here in South Africa and insist that they severed ties years ago.

We may never know the real motive behind the cult couple’s actions. Events surrounding their eventual death is still very sketchy and vague. However, in my opinion, cults cannot simply choose to distance themselves from the actions of their members. They are the ones who psychologically manipulated the minds of these ones in the first place.