The Mighty and Grand Sez Who

Gerald B. Bryan is mostly known for "Psychic Dictatorship in America", a blistering attack on the bizarre religious cult known as The Mighty I AM Activity, led by Guy Ballard and his wife Edna. The book was published in 1940. The Ballards had their five minutes of fame during the 1930's, when thousands of students were attracted to their message. It also generated a lot of unwanted media attention and a couple of law suits. Today, the Activity is almost forgotten, although the group still exists under the name Saint Germain Foundation. More heat has been generated by an almost identical group, Elizabeth Clare Prophet's Church Universal and Triumphant, presumably an off-shot of the original Activity.

Before writing his definitive work on the Ballard couple and their weird cult, Bryan had already published a number of short brochures criticizing various aspects of the I AM teachings. This is the first one, the full title of which is "The `I AM' Experiences of Mr. G. W. Ballard (Godfré Ray King). An analysis of `Unveiled Mysteries', the `Magic Presence', and the `I AM Discourses'. Brochure No. 1".

I consider "Brochure No 1" to be the least interesting of the anti-Ballard pamphlets. It deals with various contradictions in Guy Ballard's writings. When did he really meet the ascended master Saint Germain (a quasi-divine personage that plays a central role in the I AM pantheon)? When did Ballard travel to Wyoming or India? Who were his mysterious companions? Bryan has little problem showing that Mr Ballard (alias Godfré Ray King) constantly contradicts himself in his published writings. A check with the relevant steam boat company shows that Ballard can't have travelled to India at the date given in his canon. Ballard's expositions sometimes border the comical, as when he claims that he had two bodies during his trip to India. Apparently, the second one was still laying in bed back home in America, guarded by a panther! Ballard even contradicts himself on minor details, such as whether he could drive or not. Bryan argues that Ballard's books are really fiction, and that the autobiographical details should be taken with a large grain of salt.

Still, the whole thing feels a bit irrelevant, unless you are a convinced cultist who believes that Ballard's or Saint Germain's discourses are literally infallible. Interestingly, Bryan confronted Guy Ballard (or Godfré) with the discrepancies in the latter's published writings during a private interview. The infallible prophet had no good answers, and refused to grant the pesky critic any further audiences!

Since "The I AM Experiences" is part of a broader series, I will give it three stars, but on its own, it only feels like two.