What was Love Has Won?

Response

Love Has Won (LHW) was a cult that preached New Age theology along with various conspiracy theories and aspects of Abrahamic religions. The organization was led by Amy Carlson, who referred to herself as “Mother God” and asserted that she would ascend to a “fifth dimension” to rescue humanity (source, accessed 5/15/23).

The Love Has Won cult gained traction in 2014. It started in Crestone, Colorado, under the name Galactic Federation of Light. By 2018, it had relocated its headquarters to Moffat, Colorado, and rebranded itself as Love Has Won. The group consisted of twelve to twenty full-time members who lived together, while many others worldwide engaged with the cult through the Love Has Won YouTube channel. Amy Carlson asserted she was 19 billion years old, having undergone 534 reincarnations. Among her claimed identities were Marilyn Monroe, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, and Jesus Christ (source, accessed 5/15/23). She also professed to communicate with the spirit of the late actor Robin Williams. Love Has Won later moved to the West Coast and briefly to Hawaii, where Carlson declared herself as the Hawaiian goddess Pele. Throughout these transitions, Carlson’s followers adored her, served her, and abandoned their families and jobs for her.

Amy Carlson was raised in Dallas, Texas, alongside two younger sisters. Her family fondly recalled her successful years in the choir and her outstanding academic performance. However, as Carlson matured, she became engrossed in New Age ideologies. She began actively participating in online New Age forums and connected with like-minded individuals. At 32, Carlson had three children with different partners, after which she abruptly left her family to reside with the New Agers she had met online (Denver Post, op. cit.).

During her tenure as “Mother God,” Carlson appointed various mEmbers to the position of “Father God.” Jason Castillo was the final Father God, and under the combined leadership of Castillo and Carlson, Love Has Won increased its reliance on coercion and verbal and physical abuse. Cult members underwent “etheric surgeries” to remove negative energy and followed a schedule based on the seven colors of the chakra. Some were told to stare at the sun “to get light codes” (ibid.). They sold crystals and other products online.

On April 28, 2021, the body of 45-year-old Carlson was found in a house in Moffat, Colorado. She was found inside a sleeping bag, mummified, and wrapped in Christmas lights. A makeshift shrine was nearby. Her death has been attributed to alcohol abuse and anorexia. Seven members of Love Has Won faced a mix of charges related to their actions after Carlson’s death, though the charges were later dropped. Cult members announced that Carlson had ascended, and they removed their website and splintered off into two similarly minded cults. Castillo currently leads a group called Joy Rains, and the Love Has Won YouTube channel continues under the name of 5D Full Disclosure.

This disturbing and heartbreaking story points to humanity’s desperate need for a true Savior. One that is holy, dependable, and loving rather than abusive, unpredictable, and dangerous. The God of the Bible is the one and only true God and the only way of salvation (Isaiah 44:6;1 Timothy 2:5). He is holy, and our sin separates us from God, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). But out of His deep love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to live the perfect life, die on a cross, and rise again, thus shattering the chains of sin and death, “who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteo.

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed., (1 Peter 2:24). Those who confess their sins to God and believe in the death of Christ for them will obtain salvation and eternal life with Christ (Romans 10:9-10). Salvation cannot be achieved through cults; only the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide salvation «Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through me. », (John 14:6).