Lou (1898-1968)

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Lou (1898-1968)

Name assumed by the Dutch fisherman Louwrens van Voorthuizen (or Voorthuyzen), who claimed to have experienced the annihilation of his human self and the taking over by a divine self, as a kind of Christian avatar. Lou was born in 1898 at Anna Paulowna, in the Netherlands. He began preaching in 1950 with the words: "I preach Jesus Christ bodily, his resuscitated body, with his new name, which is Lou. Those who accept this shall experience it and those who have experienced, shall be as Jesus Christ was on earth. Brothers and sisters of Jesus, sons and daughters of God."

A small group gathered around Lou and in 1963 produced a mimeographed magazine in English from Amsterdam, Holland. In his later years, Lou declared himself to be the immortal God and Creator of the universe. However, he died in 1968. His death created a crisis among his followers, and the group soon dispersed.