Sarita Vendetta

The nails were tapered iron spikes approximately 5 to 7 inches long.

Blood of the Lamb

"After they crucified Jesus, on the third day, he rose to Heaven. That's the Resurrection. We all go up to Heaven after the third day." Floyd visualizes Heaven as a beautiful place where he will see all his family together. His parents, his wife, the baby sister his parents lost when he was a young boy. "But I have no way of knowing. None of us do.

By Mary Lang, William Edwards, Wesley Gabel, Floyd Hosmer, M. Corinne Mackey, Adam Parfrey, March 28, 1991 Read full article

They walk through the park toward the senior services center, which houses the shuffleboard court, game room, and dining room.

Photo by Craig Carlson

In sight of Heaven

"We came here to visit, my husband and I. On a vacation. We got here, my husband died, I’m still here. We’d been married for twenty-nine years.” Her voice drops off and she straightens in her chair. A smile lifts the corners of her mouth: "I’m planning to see my husband up there. I’m planning to.”

By Judith Moore, Sept. 1, 1988 Read full article

Najieb says women were never “put back” by the Nation, that “the only place we sit in the back is in worship.”

Photo by Craig Carlson

Looking toward Mecca

In 1976 Farrakhan still gave his allegiance to Imam Muhammad. He spoke that year in San Diego, at Gompers Junior High School. The crux of his speech was a defense of the necessity for changes being made by Imam Muhammad. Then in 1977 Farrakhan made his break. Some in the San Diego group followed him out.

By Judith Moore, June 26, 1986 Read full article

The hidden canyons of the back country, Ramona, Santee, Escondido, even Oceanside, are said to be riddled with the ritual sites of devil worshippers.

Photo by Dave Allen

Satan chasers

San Diego has many experts in the field of Satanism who say the county is a hotbed of Satanic activity. The hidden canyons of the back country, Ramona, Santee, Escondido, even Oceanside, are said to be riddled with the ritual sites of devil worshippers. But physical evidence of such groups is almost nonexistent.

By Mary Lang, Dec. 5, 1991 Read full article

"Our boys stick out so much. The white shirts and dark trousers, riding bicycles.”

Randy Hoffman

Nobody doesn't like Mormons

Church members in good standing — that is, those who attend services regularly, tithe, support the community, and adhere to the Mormon strictures against the use of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine — receive a “temple recommend" that allows them to enter the temple. There, they can be married for eternity.

By Mary Lang, Oct. 31, 1991

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Uriel (Ruth Norman) on swan boat. Uriel purchased 67 acres of land in Jamul as the landing site for the Interplanetary Confederation.

The gods must be crazy

At an early age, Ruth harbored theatrical ambitions, which might have been inflamed by her apparent blood relationship to the famous silent-film director King Vidor. Nothing came of this dream until she was 75, when she began playing ingenue roles in Unarius’s improvised, videotaped psychodramas.

By Adam Parfrey, June 6, 1991 Read full article