Lord Our Righteousness Church

A man convinced his followers he was Christ, but was later imprisoned for sexual contact with minors

1987-present

Wayne Bent (founder)

Lord our Righteousness Church is a cult founded by Wayne Bent (born Michael Travesser) in 2000. Believing God told him he was the messiah Bent moved to New Mexico with his followers and waited for the apocalypse. However, things started to go downhill for Bent when God told him that he must sleep with seven virgins, lay in bed with naked children, and have sex with his daughter-in-law. Eventually, authorities took children from the compound, and Bent was imprisoned for his actions. In 2016, he was released from prison and later wrote a book about his experiences.

Religion: Christianity

Denomination: Other

Founder: Wayne Curtis Bent ("Michael Travesser")

Founded: 1987

Location: Union County, New Mexico, US

Size: 50 (2008)

Also called: The Strong City sect

Child Abuse Lawsuits

Authorities removed three minors in 2008 (source)
Founder Wayne Bent was convicted of one count of criminal sexual contact with a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2008 (source)

Bent with several followers

Doomsday

Believed the world would end on 31 October 2007 (source)

Leader-Prophet

Bent claims to be the messiah and the embodiment of God (source)

Suicide

Bent went on a hunger strike in prison to protest what he claimed to be false imprisonment. According to Bent's son and the judge presiding over the case, Bent was prepared to die during this strike (source)

Unique Sexual Practices

Bent slept with "seven virgins," claiming it was the will of God (source)
Bent also lay in bed with naked underage girls (source)
Bent had sex multiple times with his daughter-in-law, claiming that God "forced" him to do so (source)

Wayne Bent with a follower

Documentary on the cult, focusing on the legal troubles of the leader