Israelite House of David

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House of David is a Christian sect and commune in Benton Harbor ( Michigan ), founded by the traveling preacher Benjamin Franklin Purnell (* 1861, † December 16, 1927) and his wife Mary Stollard (* November 13, 1862, † August 19, 1953 in) 1902 Fostoria ( Ohio was founded) and built in Benton Harbor 1,903th The community regards themselves as descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel .

origin

According to the teaching of the 1822 by John Wroe (1782-1863) founded and Jane Leade (1624-1704), Joanna Southcott (1750-1814) and James Rowland White (James Jezreel, 1851-1885) Christian Israelite Church saw each other Purnells as the seventh messenger of God, as they interpreted the seventh angel from Revelation chapter 10 verse 7. For themselves and their followers, whom they considered the 144,000 elect (Revelation 7: 4), they wanted to create a paradise on earth and prepare for the second coming of Christ.

founding

With the help of the couple Silas and Cora Mooney and brothers Albert and Louis Baushke of the Baushke Carriage Works , they bought a large piece of land on Britain Avenue in Benton Harbor, on which they set up a self-sufficient community. The full name of the community was "The Seventh Church at the Latter-Day, the Israel House of David, Church of the New Eve, Body of Christ". The main building was named Shiloh Mansion , while the Purnells lived in the Diamond House Mansion . The followers of the community undertook to a. of celibacy , of pacifism , lived vegetarian, refused alcohol and tobacco, and advocated equal rights for women. The private assets and labor of the members were donated to the community and, with reference to Numbers, chapter 6, were pooled. In order to reinforce the impression of paradise, men were forbidden to cut their hair and beard.

To recruit additional members, Benjamin Purnell sent so-called House of David ambassadors to spread his teaching. In addition, a printing company was set up and from 1903 the monthly newspaper Shiloh's Messenger of Wisdom was published.

In March 1905, 85 new followers of the Purnells arrived from Australia, including many gifted musicians. In 1916 the community already had 1,000 members.

From 1908, the House of David Commune owned its own amusement park, Eden Springs Park ; formerly Eastman Springs . The approximately 500- acre park, equipped with its own small railroad and a zoo, made a significant contribution to the awareness of the religious community, as it was also open to the public and was particularly popular with Chicago's high society . It became the biggest tourist attraction, drawing up to 200,000 visitors annually in the 1930s.

Theater performance at the House of David Park

The commune became widely famous for its wealth and entertainment. There were restaurants, billiard halls, a baseball team (from 1913) and the House of David Jazz Orchestra Syncopep Serenaders .

The House of David Commune drew people from all over the world who wanted to live there according to the teachings of the Purnells. In the newspapers, Benjamin Purnell, who had risen to become a millionaire, was referred to as "King Ben".

Delegation of the House of David community in Washington DC 1920

In 1923 the commune and Benjamin Purnell were indicted. He was charged with promoting forced labor, religious fraud and raping underage girls. The State of Michigan opened a lawsuit (People vs. Purnell) in 1924, but the charges were dropped.

cleavage

After Benjamin Purnell's death in February 1930, the House of David community split into two factions. Mary Purnell's followers believed that she and her husband were the seventh ambassador of Revelation, while former Judge Harry T. Dewhirst's followers only considered Benjamin Purnell to be. Mary Purnell founded the nearby Israelite House of David on April 1, 1930 with 217 followers , later also known as Mary's City of David .

During the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 , many tourists were drawn to Eden Springs, who were brought by steamboat from Chicago across Lake Michigan to Benton Harbor.

literature

  • Philip Jenkins, Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History , Oxford University Press, New York, NY 2000
  • George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States , Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland 2016
  • Kenneth GC Newport and Crawford Gribben, Expecting the End: Millennialism in Social and Historical Context , Baylor University Press, Waco, Texas 2006
  • Brad Olsen, Sacred Places: North America , Consortium of Collective Consciousness, 2nd Edition, 2008
  • Joseph L. Price, Rounding the Bases: Baseball and Religion in America , Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia 2006
  • Jane Shaw and Philip Lockley, The History of a Modern Millennial Movement: The Southcottians , IB Tauris & Co. Ltd, London 2017
  • Christopher Siriano, The House of David , Images of Amerika, Arcadia Publishing 2007
  • Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor , Images of America, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina 2003
  • Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos, Legendary Locals of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor , Legendary Locals, Charleston, South Carolina 2017
  • Stuart A. Wright, Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict , University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1995

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Philip Jenkins, Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History , Oxford University Press, New York, NY 2000, pp. 3-4
  2. ^ Stuart A. Wright, Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict , University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1995, pp. 7 + 10
  3. ↑ Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos, Legendary Locals of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor , Legendary Locals, Charleston, South Carolina 2017, p. 61
  4. ^ Joseph L. Price, Rounding the Bases: Baseball and Religion in America , Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia 2006, 47
  5. ↑ Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos (2017), page 62
  6. ↑ Kenneth GC Newport and Crawford Gribben, Expecting the End: Millennialism in Social and Historical Context , Baylor University Press, Waco, Texas 2006, pp. 214-216 + 224-226
  7. ^ Stuart A. Wright (1995), p. 7
  8. ^ Joseph L. Price (2006), 47
  9. ↑ George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States , Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland 2016, 1143
  10. ↑ Christopher Siriano, The House of David , Images of Amerika, Arcadia Publishing 2007, 66
  11. ^ George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport (2016), p. 1143
  12. ^ George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport (2016), p. 1143
  13. ↑ Christopher Siriano (2007), p. 79
  14. ↑ Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos (2017), page 62
  15. ^ George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport (2016), p. 1143
  16. ↑ Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor , Images of America, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina 2003
  17. ↑ Christopher Siriano (2007), p. 9
  18. ↑ Jane Shaw and Philip Lockley, The History of a Modern Millennial Movement: The Southcottians , IB Tauris & Co. Ltd, London 2017
  19. ^ George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport (2016), p. 1143
  20. ↑ Christopher Siriano (2007), p. 7
  21. ↑ Philip Jenkins (2000), pp. 3 + 131
  22. ↑ Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos (2017), page 62
  23. ↑ Elaine Cotsirilos Thomopoulos (2017), page 61
  24. ^ Brad Olsen, Sacred Places: North America , Consortium of Collective Consciousness, 2nd Edition, 2008, p. 259