In the first episode of False Gods – a new series about various movements led by people claiming to be God – VICE host Josh Osborne focuses on “Love Has Won” (LHW). The group calls itself “the highest truth”, but has also been called a cult by multiple former members. You can watch the film now by clicking here.
Love Has Won’s figurehead is a 44-year-old woman named Amy Carlson, who insists on being referred to as “Mother God” or “Mom” at all times. Her most obsessed devotees live with her in a chaotic house in Colorado, where they are required to leave their old lives behind and instead concentrate on bringing in money and pandering to Carlson’s every need.
Videos by VICE
To recruit more members, they host daily live streams which encourage viewers to make financial donations to prove their dedication. In the videos, they claim that everything we know and accept about the world is a lie, before offering an alternative reality available to anyone willing to donate cash.
To her most ardent supporters, Carlson is a divine being. Currently living through her 534th reincarnation, they believe she’s been trying to save humanity for 19 billion years and will soon lead 144,000 chosen ones into a new mystical dimension.
“She didn’t have the ego programming like we do,” Hope, an official spokesperson for LHW, told VICE in the documentary. “Mom was just in full consciousness for her whole life.” She added: “That’s why she is the example, because we are not at that consciousness level. Nowhere near.”
The group is facing accusations from former members and families of members of fraud, brainwashing and abuse. Here are five other things we learned from watching the documentary.
A Lot of People Think It’s a Cult
“Let’s call it what it is: a cult,” says Dan, a former friend of a LHW member. The sister of another member says, “Nothing will change my mind that it’s not a cult,” while former member Ashley agrees, alleging: “I do feel like it’s a cult. It’s a scam.”
Aurora, a spokesperson for LHW, responds by saying “humanity is a cult” and that the group’s members are the only people who can see the truth.
Mother God Gets On It, But Nobody Else Can
Amy doesn’t allow any members of her group to take drugs, but she appears to enjoy getting inebriated herself. In the opening scene of our film she can be seen, drink in hand, slurring the words, “Jesus Fucking Christ… Who I am!” In another scene, she’s smoking a bong.
Despite that footage, Aurora claims, “Mom is a ‘no’ on drugs; we are not allowed to do drugs, she doesn’t do drugs and she has kicked people out of this field for doing drugs.” Must have just been tobacco in the bong.
Mother God Is an ‘Angry’ Drunk
Andrew Profaci was seeking a “spiritual mission in life” after a near death experience as a teenager. He ended up spending ten months as Carlson’s lover, acting as “Father God” to the group. “Amy, at that point in time, was definitely one of the most brilliant, insightful people I have ever met,” he says. “But it all changed after dinner. She could drink like I’ve never seen before.”
“She would fill a highball glass almost the whole way with vodka and just spritz water on top,” he continues. “She probably drank eight or nine of those a night. She’d turn into somebody else; she would become angry, she would talk smack and just be very bitter about things, yelling and cussing.”
LHW spokesperson Aurora explains this by saying: “[Carlson] is organic, she’s not going to consume pharmaceuticals. But she does it with alcohol, which she explains is a natural painkiller.”
Mother God Doesn’t Seem That Fun to Be Around
Some other nasty things we see her do: have a screaming child placed into a cupboard; aggressively blow into a cat’s face; mistreat the same cat by grabbing it and holding it at arm’s length; and screaming abuse at people.
She’s also seen claiming to vulnerable people (like those ill with cancer, for instance) that she can improve their health condition merely by talking to them on the phone. “We want to say to the YouTubers that we are doing brain surgeries and organ repair,” she sensationally claims in a live stream.
‘Father God’ Also Seems Like a Bad Vibe
Currently, Carlson has a new “Father God”, 44-year-old Jason Castillo, who is helping her run the operation. In one scene we observe him sitting on a barstool, screaming incoherent gibberish at the top of his lungs, like, “SURRENDER YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Later, we see him taunting and a group member for the indiscretion of bringing Mother God meatballs instead of chicken parmesan.
The abuse starts with Father God calling a group member insane and encouraging him to agree on camera, then we witness him getting in the same guy’s face while informing him that he is going to become paraplegic.
The Group Allegedly Doesn’t Want Members to Sleep
Taylor, a former LHW member, recalls her time in the group. “It’s a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of mental manipulation, a lot of brainwash,” she claims. “She [Carlson] only let us sleep for four hours, we have to wake up every day at 5AM, we start the live stream at 6[AM].”
The group denies forcing people to reduce their sleeping hours, with Aurora saying: “It’s usually people who are really lazy [who make this claim], I think it’s the people who grew up in a different way; they were the people who sat on the couch all day and laid in bed all day. So they get very triggered by it [the unpaid work required to live at the house].”
