Uriella

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Uriella (born Erika Bertschinger-Eicke on February 20, 1929 in Zürich, Switzerland) is the spiritual leader and founder of the new-revelationist (Neuoffenbarer) religious movement known as Fiat Lux (Latin for "let there be light").

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[edit] Fiat Lux

The Order of Fiat Lux (Orden Fiat Lux) is the centre of Uriella's religious movement. There are several organizations which are affiliated with it: the relief organization "Adsum – ich bin bereit", the club "Internationaler gemeinnütziger Verein zur Erforschung und Förderung einer naturgemäßen Lebens-, Ernährungs- sowie Behandlungsweise" and the international research group "Internationale Forschungsgruppe für Bioenergetik e. V.".

In the past, Uriella had a “sanctum” in Egg ZH, Canton of Zürich, (Switzerland), it served as a centre for the members to gather around her, and she was considered to be the direct “Sprachrohr” (speaking tube) of Jesus Christ. The archangel Uriel advised her as well.

The order “Fiat Lux“ was founded there January 12, 1980. According to the order's members, Jesus founded it using Uriella as a medium. Later, the sanctum, that was origin and centre of the movement, was moved to Ibach/Lindau in Schwarzwald.

The doctrine of Fiat Lux is based on relevations by Uriella, received from Jesus or Mary, interpreted in first person. These announcings wanted to offer a deeper insight on God's plans and to help proselytizing the people before Judgement Day.

Despite the doctrine using many Christian terms and names, it does not contain many Christian aspects. The group's philosophy is a mixture syncretic Jewish-apocalyptic, gnostic, and eastern religious (Buddhist) beliefs as well as esotericism, astrological Kabbala, spiritualism, Theory of Colours, alternative medicine, ecology, archaic mysticism and UFO related ideas.

The ideology of Fiat Lux concerns reincarnation as well. Uriella claims to have been Mary Magdalene and Icordo claims to have been Isaac, Joseph of Egypt, Huldrych Zwingli and Johann Strauss. According to Uriella, the popes John XXIII and John Paul I were poisoned, Paul VI was replaced by a doppelganger, and the whole Vatican was ruled by freemasons. Positive and negative "radiation" plays an important role, as well as world's end. In 1991 Uriella prophesied the end, and the sect members being rescued by ETs with UFOs (Reichsflugscheibe), brougth to a „cleaned“ earth called „Amora“. [1] In 1997 the sect declared, that „Im August 1998 werden der Mord an einem wichtigen Regierungsoberhaupt, der Weltbörsencrash mit dem anschliessenden Weltwirtschaftszusammenbruch, zufolge Computerviren, sowie der Einmarsch der Russen in Deutschland erfolgen. Nach drei Monaten wird ein Meteorit in die Nordsee fallen. Die davon betroffenen Küstenländer werden für immer im Meer verschwinden. Die menschliche Strategie wird nicht aufgehen, den Meteoriten mit Atomwaffen von seiner Bahn abzulenken, denn Engel werden dies mit magnetischen Kraftstrahlen verhindern. Eine mehrere hundert Meter hohe Flutwelle wird sich mit Jet-Geschwindigkeit ausbreiten. Kalifornien und Los Angeles und Hollywood werden im atlantischen Ozean verschwinden.“ [2]

The sect is afraid of bar codes, they get pasted over with stickers. Uriella makes "Athrums-Wasser" ("Athrum water") in her sterile bath tub by stirring tap water. The water is filled into canisters and stored in the basement. The believers drink it, wash themselfes using it, or heal wounds. According to www.relinfo.ch, that water is free, but the most members (some drive 700 km) buy some "remedies" from "God's drugstore." Fiat Lux prophesied the world's end, but when it didn't happen, it was "postponed." While the members offer their money, Uriella is not poor at all. Some members wear very bright, white clothes, because dark clothing absorbed cosmic radiation. Furthermore, it holds off Lucifer's radiation ("Schamanah"). There are rules concerning nutrition and meditation. Watching TV or listening to the radio isn't allowed. Internet is forbidden, to, that's why the sect doesn't have a website (Despite that, some domains are booked).

From 1984 to 1988 Uriella's subsequent husband Kurt Warter (called Uriello, died 1988 in an accident, supported Uriella's activities and unified/standardized the doctrine. Since 1992 legal action was taken against Erika Bertschinger-Eicke multiple times, because two members died after mysterious healing methods. She didn't want them to consult regular physicians. (In that case, "Fiat Lux" was compared to Ryke Geerd Hamer's "Neue Germanische Medizin," a suspect club that wants to heal with quack methods, too) Today, Fiat Lux actually is administrated by Uriella's fourth husband, Eberhard Bertschinger-Eicke (called Icordo), Uriella took herself of the publicity. [3] The centre today is in Ibach, Ortsteil Lindau. Other groups are located in Schwellbrunn (Appenzell Ausserhoden, Schweiz), Egg, ZH Schweiz and Strittmatt (Deutschland).

"Icordo" stated 723 members in October 1997. Since that it is supposed that membership has shrunk. 300-400 members are estimated. In 1999 there was an electoral list of Fiat Lux members campaigning for a mandate in "Gemeinderat" (district council). Icordo was successful. In 2004, there wasn't a list anymore. Icordo hoped for worldwide changes, and stated, that he would be the earthly leader of a "cleaned mankind" afterwards. [4][5]

[edit] Erika Bertschinger-Eicke (Uriella)

Bertschinger had contacts to the Geistige Loge Zürich (Literally: Spiritual Loge Zürich) and to various sects in England and the U.S., relatively soon in her life. After a riding accident in 1973, in which she suffered heavy injuries to the head, she claimed to be clairvoyant. Christmas day 1975, she allegedly had her first revelation at the "Lichtzentrum Bethanien" during heavy trance. On the occasion of worships in the Sanctum in Egg, Canton of Zürich, she had her first appearances as Uriella. Uriella and her husband Icordo appeared in the media, not heavily resisting against photographies and fun being made of themselves. Both even had appearances in Viktors Spätprogramm, a satiric TV show with discussion part, moderated by Viktor Giacobbo. When Icordo once was one of the guests, he acted in an absurd selfmade sketch, playing a tomato. When Uriella was one of the guests, she was interviewed by weedhead junkie Fredy Hinz, an alter ego of Viktor Giacobbo. Hinz asked for the Nazi Ufos, and Uriella explained him different types of UFOs, that would come on earth. Hinz even addressed her riding accident, that she had suffered "like Martina Hingis". Uriella about her "clairvoyance" after the accident (that hurt her to the head): "Yes, afterwards it started".

At least once, an actor of Giacobbo's show made up himself like Uriella: e.g. in the sketch about esoterictist fairs, where bouncer Harry Hasler (another alter ego of Giacobbo) had a stand, the false "Uriella" shortly appeared (See "Viktors Universum 1", DVD 1/2).

December 1998, the court "Landgericht Mannheim" condemned Uriella to a conditional prison sentence of 22 months on parole because of toll- and tax evasion (Import of various „remedies“ from Switzerland).Furthermore, she had to pay 100.000 DM (Germany's former currency) to charitable institutions.They are considered to be completely insane by most of the world's countries, and the U.S proposed to include them in their terrorist list.

[edit] Sources

[edit] Literature

  • Gasper, Müller, Friederike Valentin: Lexikon der Sekten, Sondergruppen und Weltanschauungen. Herder 2001. ISBN 3-451-05528-7
  • Barbara Büchner: Irrlicht; Im Bannkreis der Sekte. St. Gabriel 1993. ISBN 3-401-02551-1 (A novel loosely based on Fiat Lux.)

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Uriella
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION spiritual leader of the Fiat Lux order
DATE OF BIRTH Februar 20 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Zürich, Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Languages