“I am a god!”: Jailed Cult Leader’s Followers Accused of Murder
While cults have been around since ancient times, people still fall for the fake enlightenment they claim to offer. Even when they are as poorly assembled as the University of Cosmic Intelligence.
This cult, whose leader Rashad Jamal White, aka Divine Insight, is currently detained in Borrow County, Georgia, for three counts of child molestation and two counts of child cruelty, simply feeds off of racism to accomplish its goals.
White preaches that Black and Latin people are “gods and goddesses” in their own right, and are naturally earth inhabitants, white people are not.
His mixed messages of peace and violence have led to several of his followers being charged with murder among other crimes since January 2022.
Damien Winslow Washam, 24, is charged with murder, attempted murder and attempt to elude when he was alleged to have killed his own mother on Jan. 24 with a sword. He is also alleged to have attacked his brother and an uncle who has cerebral palsy.
Washam’s father, Hubert Washam, said his son was first told about White’s extremist message in a “Call of Duty” game chat. He tried to find out what his son was learning, but couldn’t listen to the messages himself, “It was stupid. I tried to look at some of these videos and I can’t even listen to them, it’s so dumb. Lizard people and aliens.”
Krystal Diane Pinkins, 36, and Yasmine Hider, 20, also are charged with first-degree murder. This charge stems from the Aug. 14 slaying of 22-year-old Adam Simjee. Simjee stopped to help Hider who was pulled over on the side of the road after having car issues. Hider then allegedly tried to rob Simjee by pulling a gun on him, but he also had a firearm. The situation ended with Simjee being shot and Hider arrested.
Pinkins was alleged to have watched this situation unfold from the woods. When the police did a sweep of the area, they found Pinkins at an off-grid base camp, and her 5-year-old son who was in possession of a loaded shotgun, according to WBMA.
These followers of White’s were carrying out his instructions, which promise “a better life” and a “closer connection to God,” if they carry out “heinous things—terrible things, at times—even hurtful to people.”
This counteracts White’s own instructions of finding peace and freeing one’s mind, which he himself does not have.
A cursory scan through his many tweets, which he posts in all caps and in copied pairs, one does not see a man who is at peace. Instead, White shows signs of a personality disorder with his often aggressive and sometimes violent tweets followed by a message of inner peace. He is able to influence his followers to not only carry out violence, but give him their money as well.
After viewing the University of Cosmic Intelligence website, the amateurish nature of its design begs the question how anyone could fall for such a blatant scam. With beaded bracelets selling for $111.11 and crystal chains going for $119.99, the goal of the website is to make money. Nevermind the fact that one of the few ‘public library’ articles uses a copyrighted image from the video game series “Assassins Creed” as its picture, and it becomes clear this is more likely the ploy of a modern-day huckster that somehow influences people.
It is not so much White who is doing the influencing, but the devil behind his words. Psychotherapist and mental health expert Alyza Berman, of the Berman Institute in Atlanta, gave Fox News Digital an in-depth look at how cult leaders like White can influence followers from the physical and biological perspective:
“When you finally get the opportunity even to meet that [cult] leader in person, they become this godlike figure to you and you do things that you never thought you would do because you want that acceptance and that approval, and you don’t want to disappoint the reader.
Berman went on to describe persons who may have joined the cult, “They … separate themselves from you in a weird way. They start talking about this leader. They are constantly watching him or on social media. They separate themselves from loved ones and family and friends and … only really hang out with these group of people. It’s very black and white. There’s no moderation. There’s no gray. And they won’t listen to anyone else. They only think this is the word, this is what we have to do.”
Within Berman’s answer is the door to the spiritual influence the devil and his minions get. They create a false god within the person, who is then able to lead people away from the one, true God and this accomplishes the devil’s goals.
Second Peter 2:1-3 describes Mr. White’s situation in frighteningly accurate detail:
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed, they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their judgment, made long ago, does not linger, and their destruction does not slumber.”
Dr. Berman suggests if people notice their family or friends begin showing erratic or cult-like signs to seek help instead of engage them directly. For Christians, praying over them is also a necessary step in the process while alerting a qualified counselor or pastor to overcome the spiritual influence and oppression that is trying to take over their lives. {eoa}
James Lasher is a Copy Editor for Charisma Media.
