John-Roger, founder of controversial new-age church, dies at 80

LOS ANGELES -- John-Roger, a coal miner's son who founded the controversial new-age Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness church in the 1970s that had thousands of followers, multimillion-dollar enterprises and celebrity endorsements, died Wednesday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. He was 80.

He had been in frail health for several years and died of pneumonia, said MSIA board member Mark Lurie.

In its heyday, the nondenominational church gave out annual awards to figures such as Desmond Tutu, Jonas Salk, Stevie Wonder, Mother Teresa and Ralph Nader at events so celebrity-studded that "Entertainment Tonight" covered them. Its Insight Training seminars for personal growth and productivity were purchased not only by individuals and several corporations, such as Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas, but also the U.S. Social Security Administration.

John-Roger was referred to in church teachings as the Mystical Traveler, and among those closely associated with the church were Arianna Huffington, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and actress Sally Kirkland.

John-Roger's teachings were not laden with complex philosophical or liturgical discourses. "To awaken, keep going back inside of you," he wrote in a 1989 church publication. "The greatest challenge is not outer space; it's inner space."

He advocated daily "spiritual exercises," some akin to traditional meditation techniques, to achieve inner peace and banish negative thoughts.

But in the 1980s, several former members said that MSIA had become a cult with an all-powerful leader. In a Los Angeles Times series on the inner workings of the organization, there were reports that any deviations from rules set down by John-Roger could lead to banishment from the church that members had come to rely on for emotional well-being.

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Financial irregularities were alleged, and John-Roger was said to be living a lavish lifestyle. Additionally, some male devotees said they had been "spiritually seduced" into having sex with him.

The organization and John-Roger denied the accusations, but some high-ranking members of the church left and many celebrities distanced themselves.

In 1988, John-Roger stepped down as the spiritual head of the organization and took on a lower profile, as did MSIA. But unlike many other new-age organizations of that era, MSIA continues to function.