The Three Christs of Ypsilanti

by Milton Rokeach

  Another informant, a buddy of Leon’s, told us the following: “I do not think Leon liked boys. He did not know how to act with women. His mother drove him out of his mind. She was the one they should have shut up; she was crazy, praying all day and all night—came in Leon’s room, praying over him in the middle of the night. She nagged him about everything he did. Leon said he wasn’t mad at her, that she couldn’t help it, but sometimes he was mad but he just couldn’t walk out on her. He was afraid of her, afraid of the priest, afraid of everything. I guess he couldn’t take it any more.”

  Leon’s diagnosis is the same as Clyde’s and Joseph’s: schizophrenia, paranoid type.

  After admission, Leon remained, and is still, alert to his surroundings, well oriented in time and space. He was, for example, able to discuss the meaning of proverbs in remarkably good fashion. When asked to interpret “People in glass houses should not throw stones,” Leon replied: “Why see the mite in another man’s eye when there is a bean [sic] in your own?”

  CHAPTER III

  “THAT’S YOUR BELIEF, SIR”

  HOW DID CLYDE, Joseph, and Leon perceive and explain one another’s claims to the same identity? How did they feel about the daily group meetings? And how did they deal with one another not only during the group meetings, but at meals, in the laundry room where they worked, and during their spare time? Tape recordings of group sessions and individual interviews, and observation of the three Christs in their daily routines provided answers to these questions.

  Clyde, when asked to explain Joseph’s and Leon’s claims, replied: “They are really not alive. The machines in them are talking. Take the machines out of them and they won’t talk anything. You can’t kill the ones with machines in them. They’re dead already.” Somebody by the name of Nelly, he went on, had shot Leon, and Joseph had been shot by his wife. When I asked Clyde exactly where this machine was located, he replied by pointing to the right side of Joseph’s stomach. I asked Joseph if he would mind unbuttoning his shirt, and with his permission Clyde tried to feel around for the machine. “Can you feel it?” I asked. “That’s funny,” Clyde replied. “It isn’t there. It must have slipped down where you can’t feel it.”

  Joseph’s delusion, voiced in the second group session, that he was “raised up in England” by Clyde, was short-lived. We never heard of it again. With a consistency that never varied, Joseph insisted that Clyde and Leon “can’t be God or Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit, by any means. There is only one God. I’m the only God. Clyde and Rex are patients in a mental hospital and their being patients proves they are insane.”

  Leon on the other hand gave several explanations, all of them differing from each other and from Clyde’s and Joseph’s. His companions claimed to be Christ, he said, to gain prestige, and because of prejudice, jealousy, hatred, negativism, duping, interferences, and electronic imposition. But, as he made clear, he did not deny that the other two were “hollowed-out instrumental gods with a small ‘g’.” Quoting from Psalm 82: “I have said ye are gods and all of you are children of the Most High,” he added that, to their detriment, they were assuming a false personality. He maintained that he did not contest their beliefs because if he did he would be “stamped into shit, cosmically or physically.” He, too, he said, is an instrumental god, but he was the first one made and this automatically conferred certain privileges on him. Also, Leon claimed that Joseph was a fallen angel and the reincarnation of the Englishman, Captain Davy Jones, and that Clyde was the reincarnation of King Mathias.

  To the question “Why are you in this hospital?” Clyde contined to reply that he owned it and all its adjacent lands and properties, and that he was in the hospital to look after them. Joseph sometimes said that he was “sick in the head but not insane”; at other times that: “The hospital is an English stronghold. I protect for the English against the enemy ‘gunshots.’ I have never been sick in the head. I haven’t any hallucinations, nobody says anything to me about my being insane. I’m logical.” Asked what he meant by “logical,” he explained that this meant saying the right things at the right time. “I never contradict myself. I’m darn proud of myself. I can take care of myself. I certainly haven’t been insane for quite a while.”

  As for Leon, his reply was usually that he is in a mental hospital because of prejudice, jealousy, duping, etc.; occasionally he said he was sent to the hospital by his uncle, the reincarnation of the Archangel Michael, to investigate conditions.

  Clyde was the only one who was completely unable to answer the question “Why do you suppose I brought you all together?” Joseph and Leon, however, developed their initial reactions into consistent perceptions of the purpose of the confrontation.

  Joseph persisted in saying that my purpose was “to iron out that I’m the one and only God.” He further stated that I had brought them together to help him convince Clyde and Leon that they were crazy, so that he could do his work “with greater tranquility.”

  Leon had a different answer: “I understand that you would like us three gentlemen to be a melting pot pertaining to our morals, but as far as I’m concerned I am myself, he is him, and he is him. Using one patient against another, trying to brainwash and also through the backseat driving of electronic voodooism. That has an implication of two against one, or one against two.” Leon’s main objection to this procedure was that it was an effort to change someone’s mind when his convictions were firm. “You can’t push a person into heaven by an organic thrust into God. This is not a hospital in the true sense; it is noted for brainwashing.”

  On one occasion, following an argument, Leon abruptly stood up and said that he didn’t want to discuss the matter any further, and that he was wasting his time here. With a little effort he was persuaded to stay, but as he sat down he proclaimed: “I know what’s going on here. You’re using one patient against another, and this is warped psychology.”

  While all three were superficially aware of being in a mental hospital, none of them had even the vaguest insight into the meaning of their situation. Only Leon was able to grasp—and with a sensitivity that amazed us—the purpose of the research project in reasonably realistic terms: that we had come “to agitate one against the other” for the purpose of trying to alter their beliefs. Almost immediately after the initial encounter, all three were able to produce rationalizations that explained away the others’ claims to be God or Christ. It is clear that these three psychotic men, like all men, were stimulated by their environment and responded to it. Like all men, they immediately perceived their personal and social situation, were affected by it, tried to understand it, thought about it, and formulated hypotheses designed to explain it. The three Christs were, if not rational men, at least men of a type we had all encountered before; they were rationalizing men.

  Early Quarrels

  During the first two weeks of the experiment the three delusional Christs had almost daily arguments over identity. These quarrels were often heated, but none of them was as violent as the ones we were to witness later. In tone they were relatively restrained, and Leon especially was polite. At least on the surface the intent seemed to be to persuade each other and to impress everyone; including us, with the fact that they were reasonable men who could talk things over.

  July 3, 1959

  “Sir,” Leon began, “I told them my sincere belief but these gentlemen also stated their sincere belief. I don’t care to lead their life, and they have a right to live their own.”

  Then he turned to Joseph: “Captain Davy Jones, will you get up there and talk about your subconscious institution pertaining to your character? Therefore, do you have any past subconscious reflections that you wondered about pertaining to? Do you have any dreams?”

  “I’m just simply God and I work for the cause of the English,” Joseph answered.

  “Sir, Jesus Christ, man!” Leon exclaimed. “I have to disagree with you on that because England …”

  —If Joseph is the reincarnation of Davy Jones, is
this to say that he is not God?—

  “He’s an instrumental god, now please don’t try to antagonize him,” Leon said. “My salute to you, sir, is as many times as you are a hollowed-out instrumental god.”

  “Quite all right,” Joseph said.

  —What about Clyde?—

  “I’m not sure who he is,” Leon said, “possibly a buccaneer-general, a reincarnation of a king or a pirate. How many times have you been hollowed out, sir?”

  “Six,” Clyde answered.

  “You have to understand,” Leon went on, “that this particular place has the electronics in many instances to depress, fool, confuse, bewilder, and dupe people.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Clyde said.

  “And because of that you feel you are somebody way up,” Leon said.

  “That’s right.”

  “That isn’t you, Clyde, when you do that,” Leon explained. “That is initiative in the wrong direction trying to fool you. That’s when you get the idea you are the Almighty. But I do admit that you are only an instrumental god. But these other characters who through electronics are doing this to you, they want you to be misinformed. That’s why I’m telling you the truth. I’m not trying to mislead you. I’m talking simple righteous Christian doctrine, sir.”

  July 7

  “I made God,” Clyde stated.

  —You made Joseph?—

  “Why, he’s a Catholic. I didn’t have anything to do with him. I made a fine God. I made the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, by baptizing, I suppose, baptized at seven years old.”

  —What do you mean, seven years old?—

  “Is it any of your business? It doesn’t concern you, birdy-burger. Because I worked myself up to a saint. I got the light around my head too, for that is Jesus, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter what he (indicating Leon) says. He’s a Catholic.”

  “I’m a Protestant, genuine Protestant,” Leon protested. “I was held under duping to a certain extent under the Catholic Church when I broke away.”

  “You’re a Catholic!” Clyde insisted.

  “I believe in truthful bullshit,” Leon said. “There are two types of bullshit. The genuine is truth and truth can be compared to dung: it looks like dung, smells like it, and acts like it. When you put it on top of soil, it makes it grow.”

  Clyde objected to Leon’s use of the word “bullshit” and suggested he call it manure. “I don’t like to hear junk.” he said. “I’m too good.”

  “Have you ever been a farmer, sir?” Leon asked him.

  “Well, I guess I am a farmer. You’re a city pinhead.”

  July 8

  Joseph began: “There is nothing wrong; you can’t tell me there is another God that’s bigger than I. Nobody confuses me.”

  “Nobody can change you, you are too set in your ways,” Leon answered.

  “I’m God, for crying out loud!” Joseph shouted.

  Of the rationalizations offered by the three Christs, Leon’s were clearly the least stable. Whereas Clyde said consistently that the other two were dead, and Joseph that they were crazy, Leon had to employ a variety of explanations—Davy Jones, duping, insanity, instrumental gods, prestige motives. But most significant of all was his tendency from the very beginning to shift the meaning of the words Jesus Christ from the name of a specific person to a general term standing for manliness. This is exemplified in the following exchange.

  “Sir,” Leon said to me, “it so happens that manliness as such to me means Jesus Christ, and as the penis has a hole through it, the person who gets hollowed out becomes a Jesus Christ.”

  —Is Joseph a Christ?—

  “Yes, sir.”

  —Are you a Christ?—

  “I am a Christ.”

  —How about Clyde?—

  “Yes, sir.”

  —That makes three Christs.—

  “There is only one! That’s me!” Joseph insisted.

  Clyde mumbled angrily, and Leon said: “Anyone with testicles is a Christ. That’s what ‘sir’ means.”

  The Tension Mounts

  As the weeks wore on, the quarrels became more stormy. The attempts that the three men made to persuade one another and to maintain a “reasonable” façade had not really worked and very soon they gave way to strong outbursts of hostility which sometimes led to efforts to placate each other, sometimes to sudden withdrawals, and at other times to near-fights. These first weeks were a period of high tension, anger, and emotional excitement. The exchanges generally involved two of the men rather than all three at once, and they occurred both during the group meetings and at other times during the day.

  July 16, at the group meeting

  “People can use the same Bible but some of them will worship Jesus Christ instead of worshipping God through Jesus Christ,” Leon said.

  “We worship both,” Clyde said.

  “I don’t worship you,” Leon put in. “I worship God Almighty through you, and through him, and him,”

  “You oughta worship me, I’ll tell you that!” Clyde announced.

  “I will not worship you!” Leon shouted. “You’re a creature! You better live your own life and wake up to the facts.”

  “I’m living my life,” Clyde shouted back. “You don’t wake up! You can’t wake up!”

  “No two men are Jesus Christs,” Joseph interjected.

  “You hear mechanical voices,” Leon said.

  “You don’t get it right,” Clyde shouted. “I don’t care what you call it. I hear natural voices. I hear to heaven. I hear all over.”

  “I’m going back to England,” Joseph said.

  “Sir, if the good Lord wills only,” Leon put in.

  “Good Lord! I’m the good Lord!” Joseph exclaimed.

  “That’s your belief, sir,” said Leon quietly.

  July 20, in the ward, before breakfast

  Leon pointed to Joseph and said: “His foster father’s a barracuda. Clyde’s is a sandpiper.”

  “My foster father was not a sandpiper,” Clyde answered.

  “That’s your belief, sir,” Leon said.

  “It is not my belief,” Clyde asserted. “I got proof of what I say.”

  “That’s what you think,” Leon said.

  At this, Clyde said: “I’m gonna kill you—you—son-of-a-gun! I’m gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!”

  “I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Leon said. “My father was a white dove and so was my mother, and later she became a witch. But your foster father was a sandpiper.”

  Clyde jumped up and stormed over to Leon. “I’m really going to let you have it,” he shouted. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” And he shook his fist and put it right next to Leon’s chin.

  “Sit down—sit down,” Leon said. “You’re creating a disturbance.”

  Clyde cooled off and sat down. After a moment Leon resumed: “You can’t help it if you’re under the influence of electronic duping.”

  “I am not. I’m Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and God Almighty himself,” and he drew back his arm as if to hit Leon.

  “Sit down, sir, sit down,” Leon said. “Sir, do you have a cigarette paper to give me?”

  July 26, at the group meeting

  Joseph said he wanted to be deported back to England, where he belonged.

  “I don’t think they do that,” Leon said.

  “So I just say, fuck you all!” Joseph yelled. “I’m going back to England and that’s that.”

  Clyde growled at Joseph’s language, and Leon said: “I think they’d say you’re an undesirable over there also. My uncle said: ‘What are you going to do about Mr. Cassel’s body when he passes away?’ He said this to my other uncle. The other uncle replied: ‘Deportation to England? What for? He can rest over here too.’ ”

  August 4, at the group meeting

  Leon and Joseph had been quarreling. Joseph said: “I don’t want to be insane like you.”

  Leon, highly agitated, countered: “My uncle’s ball of lig
htning is going to put an end to your warped psychology. You’re on his dung list.”

  “Pure insanity, that’s what it is!” Joseph exclaimed.

  “Do you remember you flushed a towel down the toilet and I reprimanded you?” Leon asked. “Now that toilet is stopped up, and it’s inconsiderate of other men who might want to go to the toilet.”

  “I can’t see it,” Joseph said.

  “Why do you throw books out the window?” Leon asked. “Why did you tear down the notice of church services? Because you didn’t want other people to read it? The Ten Commandments say, Do not steal. You’re for stealing, cheating, falsehood.”

  “Crazy! Crazy stuff!” Joseph yelled.

  As this incident demonstrates, Joseph and Leon each paid attention to what the other was doing, and expressed their awareness openly. Such behavior, representing as it does an enlargement of the sphere of involvement with others, is uncommon in paranoid schizophrenics, who are generally concerned only with themselves. In the very process of defending their delusional systems against attack, these two men became realistically oriented toward each other in order to obtain information to use as weapons of attack and defense.

  Outbreaks of Violence

  The first show of physical violence took place three weeks after the initial encounter. At the time, the three men had been having a discussion about the pre-Christian era.

  July 22, group meeting

  “Adam was a colored man,” Leon said, “because his body was taken from the rich brown mud. Did you know that? Woman Eve was a mulatto because she was taken from his rib, and rib meat is a little bit lighter.”

  “Adam was a white,” Clyde said. “I made the passing of that at one year old.”

  “I wish to mention while we are talking about Adam that he is reincarnated,” Leon said, “and he happens to be my foster brother, and he’s a colored boy.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Clyde shouted. “There isn’t any such thing!”