Live the lives of the first Christians
Live without sin
Release their goods and all their possessions
Spend their time working for the community
Eat as little as possible to avoid the sin of greed
Attend community confessions
Consult Moses before every decision
Respect Moses’s dress-code
He instructed them to build a commune, the construction of which he oversaw, rather than participated in as he was suffering from stomach problems and cancer which, he claimed, did not permit him to help. His followers toiled on the building for long hours every day.
In the Autumn of the first year in the Gaspe region, Roch married each of his 12 women followers. This was necessary, he claimed, in order to create large families as the biblical kings Saul, David and Solomon had done before him. But with 12 women now at his every beck and call, his attentions were diverted from his pure and healthy lifestyle, and concentrated more on sexual gratification.
On January 3, 1979, Moses’s first child was born in the commune. Over the whole 12 years which the group existed, over 20 children, from five different women, were born into the group. Moses was the father of most of them.
FEBRUARY 17, 1979
Roch foretold of impending disaster based on the biblical prophecy in the Book of Revelation. He forecast this doomsday for February 17, 1979, but he told his followers not to fear, for he had been chosen by God to lead them away from the wickedness of the world and to form a new social order which would embrace God’s 1,000-year reign.
The day came, and nothing happened. To explain this hiccup, Roch told his members that although God had given him this date, nothing was certain. He explained that one second in the life of God could equate to 40 years of life on Earth, and conversely, one second of time on Earth could represent 40 years of God’s existence. It is likely therefore, that the calculations were inaccurate. The members were not disillusioned by this error in Roch’s prediction. They were fixed on their sole objective – to help Roch in his divine mission.
HYPOCRISY
Over time, Roch either forgot, or chose to ignore, the vegetarian diet he had previously advocated and began regularly to eat large quantities of meat, washed down with ‘Pepsi Cola’. His attitude to his followers however, did not slacken at all. He still made them work ceaselessly, now on minimal amounts of food. There was no breakfast, and only a small lunch. No one dared to complain because they knew this meant that the portions would decrease further. One of the women, pregnant at the time, was so hungry that she stole two pancakes – a crime for which Roch hit her so hard that he broke two of her ribs.
Moses justified any deviation from his original rules as part of the secret nature of his role in the group, and therefore he was unable to give away too many details. He did explain his new diet by saying that fresh foods had a bad effect on his body, and that by eating them, he was forcing himself to suffer, not indulging in greed. He also explained that he was allowed to have sexual relations with whomever he chose as he was God’s representative and was sowing God’s seed on earth. Members who wanted to have a sex life had to receive Moses’s blessing first. He had to approve of any procreation, and he decided with whom the members were allowed to have sexual relations.
However, no one was allowed to question Moses anyway. Members had to follow his every word. They should not think for themselves, or query anything he said. Any private thought they had, encouraging them to speak up, was the voice of the devil.
POLICE INTERVENTION
Following an agreed radio interview given by Roch, the police became interested in the group and issued a court order which insisted that one member of the group be taken to hospital for psychiatric tests. The police also took Roch and three other members to the police station to answer further enquiries.
All members were free to go shortly afterwards, but Roch was accused of keeping the members at the commune against their will, when he refused to let one of the group be taken to the hospital for a mental health assessment. Following a psychiatric evaluation however, Roch was deemed unfit to undergo trial. He was transmitted to a psychiatric institution in the Quebec region. After a second evaluation, he was deemed fit, and went to trial. He was found guilty of the charges and given a suspended sentence. Roch returned to the commune on April 27, 1979.
INCREASED VIOLENCE
Shortly after Roch’s return, the violence at the commune greatly increased. Gabrielle Lavallée was punched by him for falling asleep during one of his speeches. After this, the punishments became more frequent. He also began drinking heavily. He would keep the already exhausted group members up throughout the night, and anybody who fell asleep would be beaten with a wooden club.
It was not only he who conducted this violence, the members themselves were forced to impose punishments on each other. Moses would get members to admit that they were worthless and that he had to punish them. He would then instruct the other followers to administer the punishment, kicking, punching and hair-pulling.
On one occasion, Roch ordered one commune member to cut off the toe of his wife, as a punishment for disobedience. He told the sobbing man that he had to learn how to discipline her in order to keep her under control. The man could not bring himself to do the deed, but knew that if he didn’t, then Roch would do it himself and with much less accuracy and compassion. So, with tears in his eyes, he brought the axe down on his poor wife’s delicate foot.
During one of his punishment sessions, he ordered two of his followers to go out into the winter air, totally naked. One protested, telling him that they would freeze outside and fall ill. He told them that they would not fall ill as long as he decided so. He told them that nothing happened at the commune without his express endorsement, which was the will of God. He ordered them outside.
Moses saw himself as the enforcer of purity and of making the members respect the rules. Sinners were punished by him, or by other members of the group. Moreover, it was a privilege to be punished by Moses himself. Completely naked, they were beaten by him until they bled.
Through punishment, the members would find the inspiration to record their faults in The Diary of the Children of Israel – the reference book of the community.
Roch went some way towards explaining his insistence on complete submission by saying that he had to prepare them to obey him. When the end of the world arrives, they will need a guide. The Hebrews could not have escaped Egyptian slavery without Moses, and now he was there for them. Even if he did not understand God’s will, as he was not chosen to be an interpreter, he would guide them. If his members chose to follow him, then they had to follow him to his word, and not criticize him – no matter what may come. He was not acting on his will, but on that of God. They were not following him, but through him they were following God.
Roch Theriault began to see himself as more and more powerful. He even began to believe that he had shaman and healing powers and began to treat his followers when they fell ill.
GUY VEER
In November 1980, the commune was joined by Guy Veer, a mental patient who had had enough of society and had heard about Roch Theriault’s group on ‘Eternal Mountain’. He joined, and was sent by Roch to sleep in the storage shed, along with one of the other member’s son, Samuel.
Samuel had been severely mistreated by Roch, who was angry because the boy was not his own son. If he cried, his father was instructed to roll him in the snow. One night in March, 1981, the drunk Roch decided to circumsize Samuel, and to prepare him, poured ethanol into his mouth. Samuel was found dead the next morning. The blame was instantly passed to Guy Veer. Roch claimed that he had punched the young boy over and over again to stop him crying. A mock court, set up by Roch months later, also came to this conclusion. Guy’s punishment for murdering Samuel was castration, for which Guy even signed a consent form. Roch gave Guy some alcohol, and wound an elastic band around his genitals to perform the operation.