MINDSET

In March, the city of Los Angeles designated the Superet Light Church, on 3rd Street just west of downtown, a historic landmark--a landmark because of the 11-foot-tall neon purple heart atop the steeple, historic because it symbolizes one of the many offbeat religions that have their roots in Los Angeles. Superet was founded by Polish Countess Josephine C. Trust in 1925. Trust, who died in 1957 and is now called Mother Trust by a 50-member congregation, said she was an “atom aura scientist” who could see people’s auras and rid them of black, poisonous atoms.

The church, with 18 branches around the world, believes in healing through the standard biblical confession, repentance and forgiveness formula. The twist is that devotees take monthly inventories of their natures by constructing atom aura charts to identify black and colored atoms (sins) and light atoms (good deeds). Prayer is used to restore auras. “You are not sick,” Superet dogma holds, “you only have sick atoms.” Church literature also waxes poetic about the atom bomb, claiming it was “brought from heaven,” and referring to it as the “Spiritual Atom Bomb” and the “Light Atom Bomb.” Dr. Strangelove would be proud.