One World Family Commune

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One World Family Commune
Logo of the Universal Industrial Church of the New World Comforter.png
AbbreviationOWFC
Formation1967
FounderAllen Noonan
Founded atSan Francisco
Location
  • United States
OriginsCalifornia

The One World Family Commune (OWFC), is a new religious movement commune, which could be considered a cult under some definitions. It was formed in 1967, in San Francisco by 51 year old year old artist, café owner and UFO enthusiast Allen Noonan, who opened the first vegetarian restaurant in the city, completely operated by the commune's members. As a religion OWFC practices the Everlasting Gospel, a combination of UFO beliefs, Christianity based themes of good and evil, along with new age beliefs like spirituality and higher states of being. In 1973 it was officially registered as The Universal Industrial Church of the New World Comforter. The commune was most active in Berkeley, California where it ran the One World Family Natural Foods and Entertainment Center, a restaurant, clothing store and a performance hall, while living in two large, former Greek system houses. By 1975 the commune began decreasing in size, and relocated to Stockton, California. OWFC has been politically active throughout, taking part in the anti Vietnam War movement, promoting pacifism and rejection of capitalism. In 1980 and 1996 Noonan ran for president of the United States as a member of the United Synthesis Party. He died in 2010 when he was 93. At that time there were four people in their 60s living together practicing the Everlasting Gospel.

Allen Noonan[]

Allen Noonan, who was later known as Allen Michael,[1] was born in Britt, Iowa November 21, 1916.[2][3] In his recollections he would say that as a child he received several angel visitations while playing alone.[4] In high school he became a track runner and earned an athletic scholarship to Drake University which he attended for one year.[3] He worked as a sign painter, and after being drafted for World War II he served as a conscientious objector in a camouflage battalion in Africa.[3][5] After the war, he married his first wife Marian and moved to Long Beach, California where they lived with their three sons.[3] In Long Beach he continued his work as a sign painter and in 1947 when he was thirty one years old, and just before Easter Noonan had a spiritual experience while painting a billboard. He described being enveloped by "ultraviolet light entwined with gold threads" and pulled into a spaceship, where he had a transcendental experience of being shown his entire life and made aware of spirits guiding humanity and of his own future role in that process.[4]

Several months after the revelations Noonan's wife divorced him.[6][7] He then became involved in the UFO community, going to conferences and interacting with prominent Ufologists like George Van Tassel, George Adamski, and Gabriel Green.[3][8] Noonan stated that his first personal contact with alien beings happened in 1954 near Giant Rock in Mojave Desert, when he had an extatic experience interacting with three beings that exited a landed spaceship.[9] Soon after this experience, Noonan opened a cafe-art studio in Long Beach called House of Meditation. He wrote that while successful at first he felt that it eventually attracted problematic individuals. Guided by telepathic transmission from "God Mind," Noon left for San Francisco in 1967. In 1969 he married Diane, a member of the commune, together they had two children, the two later divorced with Diane still remaining a member of the community.[7]

One World Family Commune[]

Amazon Music formerly One World Family Natural Foods and Entertainment Center

Then 51 years old, Noonan formed the One World Family Commune (OWFC), shortly after moving to San Francisco. It was composed of adherents to Christianity related and religious beliefs centered on UFO - the Everlasting Gospel; he would later register it as the Universal Industrial Church of the New World Comforter.[10] Noonan preached that he was the New World Comforter, channeling the plan of the God Mind or Universal Mind of ETI - Extra Territorial Intelligence "setting up the world environment into creative schools of experience, providing food, clothing, shelter, care, recreation and transportation for all of the people on the planet as one family."[11][12][13] OFWC, like other New Age and hippie communities, was largely composed of young people, motivated by rejection of capitalism, western religion, search for closer connection to nature through macrobiotic diet and psychedelics, embracement of communal living and non-monogamous relationships.[14][15][16] At that time OWFC actively recruited members and attained national recognition when Chip Oliver, starting linebacker for the Oakland Raiders joined the commune.[13][17][18]

Soon after forming the commune, Noonan opened "Here and Now" in the Haight and Ashbury area of San Francisco, the first vegetarian restaurant in the city.[19][20] In 1968, Noonan was arrested and served six months in jail for selling marijuana to an undercover officer posing as an astronomy teacher.[21][7] The commune left San Francisco in 1969, opening Mustard Seed restaurants and communes in Marin County - Mill Valley and Larkspur; and the city of Berkeley across the San Francisco Bay.[22][23][24] The following year, and due to the communes negative association with counterculture, the restaurant was evicted by the landlord of its location in Mill Valley forcing the Larkspur commune to relocate and combine with OFWC branch in Berkeley.[22][24][n 1]

In 1970, the Berkeley's Mustard Seed was briefly closed, before reopening under a different name.[26] One World Family Natural Foods and Entertainment Center was located in a large building on Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street in Southside part of Berkeley.[12][27][n 2] It also included a pizzeria, "Far Outfits" airbrushed clothing store, and a performance hall; the commune also ran a bakery at a different location.[14][24] In 1970, Noonan changed his last name to "Michael," telling that he was taken to planet Altamira and assigned the duties of Archangel Michael.[30]

At that time the popularity of University of California Greek Life was decreasing with many near campus fraternities and sororities being unable maintain their leases, and were often replaced by student cooperatives and religious organizations.[15][31] In 1970 the Berkeley branch rented the former residence of Acacia fraternity on Piedmont Avenue, this was followed by another move, and by early 1973 the OWFC settled at 2405 and 2415 prospect street houses, its final Berkeley location.[14][12] The houses were named Novida and Altamira and in 1973 were home to 55 adults and 25 children.[12] At one poin the commune had over 100 members in the United States.[12][32] With rejection of capitalism being one of their principles, all OWFC income was shared within the commune, with members performing daily 5 hour "love service" work shifts. Because they were not paid for their work at the restaurant, they received Supplemental Security Income from the federal government.[14] At that time the commune experienced its most active period, at this stage it welcomed new members, but did not prevent members from leaving.[12]

In 1973, Noonan officially registered the commune as a religious organization - The Universal Industrial Church of the New World Comforter.[33] Two books - To the Youth of The World and a vegetarian cookbook - Cosmic Cookery, were published the same year.[34][35] During this period the group began practicing Natural Selection a tantric yoga group sexual activity. One of the members stated that: "We could see the benefit of going beyond the mortal-minded status quo programming in order to provide for one another the health benefits in exchanging hormones and energies in right sexing and the accompanying increased telepathic communication, while at the same time ridding ourselves of false programming of shame, guilt, jealousy and possessiveness."[14][35]

In 1974 commune opened a smaller version of the restaurant, including an air brushed t-shirt store on Maui, Hawaii.[34] By 1975 the commune began decreasing in size and due to financial struggle and the selling of two houses to Berkeley Student Cooperative by their landowner, the commune relocated to a twelve bedroom mansion in Stockton.[34][36][35] That same year it released a music album - Quazar - One World Family - Extraterrestrial Music From ETI.[37][n 3]

By 1978 group size decreased to twenty adults.[39] Throughout its existence the commune has remained politically active, rejecting growth of capitalism and promoting pacifism. 1980, Allen Noonan formed the Utopian Synthesis Party[33] and ran for president of the United States, campaigning on cancellation of money debts and establishing of a system were everything is free and shared by everyone.[33] The 30/30 was one of the key principles of the campaign where one half of the population worked for 30 days while the other rested half rested.[34] Noonan ran again in 1996.[40] Over the years the group slowly decreased in size, moving to several locations before Allen Noonan's death when he was 93 years old in 2010. At the time there were four people in their 60s living together and practicing their religion.[34][41]

Universal Industrial Church of the New World Comforter (UICNWC)[]

Like other UFO religions Universal Industrial Church combines dissimilar themes with the key principles being "reincarnation, a concept called Uni-Communism, the Hegelian dialectic (Thesis, Anti-Thesis, and Synthesis), and extraterrestrial assistance that will bring about the salvation of planet Earth."[1][42] The dialectic is based on Christianity's Book of Revelation, with the Thesis being the Galactic Electic Elohim of Galactica fighting on behalf of God Mind, also known as Universal Christ Consciousness Extraterritorial Intelligence (ETI). With Gaal-Lucifer acting as the Anti-Thesis.[30]

The Galactic Elohim of Galactica are an extraterrestrial civilization, who created all life on earth and will eventually bring people of earth to a higher existence. Their creation occurred 6 million years go following Baal-Lucifer's causing of the "Solar Catastrophe."[30] On Earth the Galactic Elohim and God Mind are represented by Allen Michael, the Galactic Messenger and the New World Comforter.[43][44] While Baal-Lucifer's powers are channeled through "Zionist conspiracies that extend to the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve System, the CIA, the Secret World Government, and general destructive tendencies toward 'Babylonian usury' (capitalistic economic exploitation based on lending money at high interest rates)."[45][n 4] Synthesis will occur when the Galactic Elohim arrive on Earth and bring all people on board the Galactic Mothership, a higher plane of transcendental energy.[46]

Publications[]

Books

• Michael, Allen (1977). To The Youth Of The World. Starmast Publications.

• Michael, Allen (1977). ETI Space Beings Intercept Earthlings. Starmast Publications.

• Michael, Allen (1977). UFO-ETI World Master Plan. Starmast Publications.

• Michael, Allen (1982). GOD – Ultimate Unlimited Mind – Speaks. Starmast Publications.

• Michael, Allen (1994). Spirit God's Seven Churches. Starmast Publications.

• Michael, Allen (2001). Everlasting Gospel - The New World Bilbe. Starmast Publications.

• Michael, Allen (2002). Michael's Stand. Starmast Publications.

• Hannaford, Kathryn (1973). Cosmic Cookery. Starmast Publications.

• Antaree, Joseph (2015). The Great World Celebration. Starmast Publications.

Audio

• Quazar- One World Family - Extraterrestrial Music From ETI (LP Record). 1976.

Notes[]

  1. ^ The Larkspur commune was also threatened eviction by the city due to its prohibition on five or more unrelated people living together.[25]
  2. ^ In 1990 that building became the founding home of the renowned Amoeba Music record stores.[28][29]
  3. ^ Music has always been considered an important part of OWFC. Several bands were formed to both perform within the community as well tour and pass on their religious practices.[38]
  4. ^ In describing their religion, UICNWC practitioners explain that in their teachings Zionism does not refer to Judaism or Jewish people, making a point that they embrace the unity and love for all people without exception and find it unfortunate that they are misunderstood.[45]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Maggio, Elizabeth (1978-07-27). "'Cosmic Messiah' has mission". Newspapers.com. Arizona Daily Star. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  2. ^ Tumminia, Diana (2007-05-17). Alien Worlds: Social and Religious Dimensions of Extraterrestrial Contact. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0858-5.
  3. ^ a b c d e Michael, Allen. "Allen Michael: His Early Life". Galactic Messenger. Archived from the original on 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  4. ^ a b Michael, Allen. "Allen Michael's Cosmic Initiation". Galactic Messenger. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  5. ^ Tumminia p. 44
  6. ^ Tumminia, p. 45.
  7. ^ a b c Polcyn, Greg; Richardson, Vanessa. "New World Comforter, Allen Michael Noonan". Parcast, Cults Miracle Healers.
  8. ^ Tumminia, 46.
  9. ^ Michael, Allen. "First Physical ETI contact". Gallactic Messenger. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18.
  10. ^ Tumminia, ps. 54-55.
  11. ^ Michael, Allen. "Serving Humanity". Galactic Mesenger. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Ramella, Richard (12 December 1973). "Noonan spreads the galactic word". The Berkeley Gazette. p. 13.
  13. ^ a b "commune 'envoy' recruiting here". The Honolulu Advertiser. 5 September 1969. p. 15.
  14. ^ a b c d e Rainer, Del. "My Life In The One World Family Commune". Galactic Messenger. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  15. ^ a b H. Ward, Hiley (May 9, 1970). "The Trees Are Alive at Dawn As Hippie Communes Seek God". Detroit Free Press. p. 4. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  16. ^ Weinstein, Henry Elliot (6 September 1970). "College-educated rebels spurn conventional careers". The Boston Globe. p. 25.
  17. ^ "Raider Joins Hippy Colony". Philadelphia Daily News. 11 May 1970. p. 66.
  18. ^ Acton, Jay; LeMond, Alan; Hodges, Parker (1972). Mug Shots; Who's who in the New Earth. World Pub. ISBN 978-0-529-04513-3.
  19. ^ Kauffman, Jonathan (2018-01-19). "How the Bay Area's counterculture helped sprout hippie food". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  20. ^ Ross, Drew Eliot (1999). Topography of Taste: Globalization, Cultural Politics, and the Making of California Cuisine. University of Wisconsin--Madison.
  21. ^ "'Family' will appeal in must-marry ruling". Newspapers.com. The Miami Herald. 1972-05-18. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  22. ^ a b Nevin, George (21 September 1970). "One World Family, Commune Faces Displacement". Daily Independent Journal. p. 15.
  23. ^ Nevin, George (22 September 1970). "One World Family, Life in a Commune: Love-Service Done". Daily Independent Journal. p. 15.
  24. ^ a b c Dian (10 January 1971). "What the readers think". San Francisco Examiner.
  25. ^ Nevin, George (23 September 1970). "Larkspur Had Policy On Commune Housing". Daily Independent Journal. p. 7.
  26. ^ "10 Jan 1971, 212 - The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  27. ^ Conroy, Ed (1990). Report on Communion. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0-380-70811-6.
  28. ^ Kruth, John (February 14, 2021). "Amoeba Music: Marc Weinstein's thirty-year odyssey curating California's musical treasures". WaxPoetics.
  29. ^ Pereira, Alyssa (September 28, 2016). "Amoeba Music Berkeley gets license to open pot dispensary". Archived from the original on August 16, 2021.
  30. ^ a b c Tumminia, pp. 47, 50.
  31. ^ Daniels, Carol (Jan 19, 1972). "Frat Houses Get Different Occupants". The Indianapolis News. p. 19.
  32. ^ Jaramillo, Paula (2015). "Communal Living Sketches in Berkeley". Found SF. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  33. ^ a b c Get with the New Age Synthesis Party: Allen Michael, Candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Synthesis Party. 1979.
  34. ^ a b c d e Rainer, Del. "My Life In The One World Family Commune". Galactic Messenger. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  35. ^ a b c Tuminia p. 55
  36. ^ "Our History | Berkeley Student Cooperative". www.bsc.coop. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  37. ^ "365 Days #346 - Flying Saucers Unlimited / Extraterrestrial Music From ETI (mp3s)". WFMU's Beware of the Blog. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  38. ^ "My Life In The One World Family Commune – Page 2 – Galactic Messenger". Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  39. ^ Tumminia p. 55
  40. ^ "Unconventional 'wisdom' lands in Meyerhoff". UCLA Daily Bruin. April 22, 1996.
  41. ^ Tumminnia p. 57
  42. ^ Tumminia, p. 47.
  43. ^ Tumminia, p. 49.
  44. ^ Michael, Allen. "The Everlasting Gospel". Galactic Messenger. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  45. ^ a b Tumminia, p. 51.
  46. ^ Tumminia, p. 48.

Bibliography[]

  • Tumminia, Diana (2007-05-17). Alien Worlds: Social and Religious Dimensions of Extraterrestrial Contact. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0858-5.
  • Get with the New Age Synthesis Party: Allen Michael, Candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Synthesis Party. 1979.
  • Conroy, Ed (1990). Report on Communion. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0-380-70811-6.
  • Streiker, Lowell D. (1990). New Age Comes to Main Street: What Worried Christians Must Know. Abingdon Press. ISBN 978-0-687-27715-5.
  • Melton, J. Gordon; Group, Gale (2003). Encyclopedia of American Religions. Gale. ISBN 978-0-7876-6384-1.
  • Page, Cecelia Frances (2009). The Future Age Beyond the New Age Movement. iUniverse. ISBN 978-1-4401-6585-6.
  • Community, Fellowship for Intentional (2000). Communities Directory: A Guide to Intentional Communities and Cooperative Living. Fellowship for Intentional Community. ISBN 978-0-9602714-8-1.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""