This Detroit Prophet Had an Empire, Until a Sex Scandal Brought Him Down

Northwest Detroit was once home to a self-proclaimed prophet.

While the average Detroiter in the 1950s may have spent the month of November preparing for Christmas and purchasing gifts for their children, followers of the Dominion Ruler of the Church of the Universal Triumph were preparing for a very different celebration. Their focus was Philamathyu, the annual observance of the birth of the Rev. James Francis “Prophet” Jones.

Jones, by divine decree, instructed his followers to commemorate his birthday rather than the birth of Jesus Christ, making “Philamathyu” on Nov. 24, the central holiday of the church's religious calendar.

This was one of the many eccentric teachings of Prophet Jones, who operated his Church of the Universal Triumph, the Dominion of God.

Jones hailed from Birmingham, Alabama and began his ministry at the age of 11 after leaving school to evangelize. Encouraged by his parents, who convinced him that he possessed prophetic powers, he devoted himself to preaching from an early age. When he turned 21 Jones moved to Detroit to open up his first “thankful center.”

At exactly 1 a.m. on Sep. 28, 1944, Jones reportedly received a message from a higher power, declaring him to be the “Dominion Ruler” and the “sole representative” of God on earth. With this newly invested power came 50 decrees to his faithful followers. Alcohol and tobacco were banned. Checkers and poker were abolished. Socializing outside of the “Dominionites” was outlawed. Weddings had to be approved by the Prophet, and all women were obliged to wear girdles. Even nail polish had to be put on in a specific manner.

And what was the reward for all of those who obeyed the Dominion Ruler’s decrees?

His faithful followers would stay alive until the year 2000 when all beings would become immortal and heaven would come to earth.

Following the decrees was not the only thing expected of Dominionites, however. Extravagant donations became a requirement for true believers.

Some of his followers recalled that Jones would often lock the doors of his sometimes five-hour-long church services until his congregation donated a satisfactory amount of money.

With his newfound holiness, Jones came into a wealth of money not only from donations from his diehard believers, but also from his illustrious career as a musician.

Among his most popular recordings were “He Helps His People,” a song in which Jones praised himself in the third person, and the controversial "God Don't Like Women.”

As Jones’s success grew, opulence became a defining feature of his ministry. From custom-designed, velvet-lined mink coats to 10-foot-tall birthday cakes, ornate thrones modeled after King Solomon’s, and tens of thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry, no expense was spared for the Prophet.

It was said that Jones would favor wearing green suits because it was “the color of money.”

At the height of his popularity, Jones boasted 425 “thankful centers” across the country and around 6 million members. He was even invited to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inauguration.

"All is well," Jones would proclaim, prompting his followers to echo the words back to him.

All was well for the Prophet, but little did he know that everything would soon be tumbling down.

In 1955, Jones allegedly sexually propositioned a young man in his entourage, who ended up being an undercover police officer. When officers went to arrest him, they found two young boys in his room with the Prophet. “All is not well,” yelled a crowd that had gathered outside his cell.

Although he was eventually exonerated of the "gross indecency" charges, the scandal damaged on his reputation and soon took a significant toll on his finances.

Followers started dissipating, and money began to dry up.

Jones began begging his followers at services for enough money to “pay the light bills.”

In a fit of cryptic panic in 1970, Jones ordered his followers to mail a postcard with the word “sleep” on it to Pontiac. Shortly thereafter, the Prophet suffered a massive stroke which left him unable to talk. The Prophet who made his living by preaching from his mouth was silenced as he left the world in 1971.