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My name is Jesus and I'm serious: Cult leader claims to be Christ... and his partner says she's Mary Magdalene

Daily Mail, UK/May 18, 2011

He is the charismatic preacher who claims to be Jesus Christ returned to Earth.

She, meanwhile, tells followers she is the repentant prostitute Mary Magdalene, the woman who first saw the risen Messiah standing by the empty tomb.

But it is perhaps no surprise that the Australian authorities remain unconvinced by this somewhat far-fetched declaration of the second coming.

They have warned people to be wary of Alan John Miller, 47, and Mary Suzanne Luck, 32, who have attracted a number of followers to their church in rural Wilkesdale, near Kingaroy, Queensland.

Miller, who has tailored his appearance to match conventional depictions of Christ, claims he now has 30 to 40 people living on site who have flocked to his cult of 'Divine Truth'.

Bizarrely, the presence of Miller and Luck has sparked a property boom in the area - appropriately dubbed Queensland's Bible Belt.

Some 30 followers have aggressively bought much of the land surrounding Miller's compound, where he has been living since 2007, leaving very little available to locals.

His disciples also joined forces in 2009 to buy a $400,000 property where they hold weekly meetings and plan to build a centre for international visitors.

In an apparent coincidence, land clearing has created a giant cross on neighbouring properties. Locals insisted it was not carved deliberately.

'My name is Jesus and I'm serious,' Miller says. 'Just a little over 2000 years ago, we arrived on the Earth for the first time.'

'Because of my personal desire and passion for God, as I grew, I recognised not only that I was the Messiah that was foretold by ancient prophets, but also that I was in a process designed by God that all humans could follow, if they so desired.'

Miller, a divorced father-of-two, claims that he was Jesus in a past life. He said his first marriage broke down when he 'began to remember details' of the supposed incarnation.

Police are said to have been called to investigate screams, only to discover members taking part in a healing exercise where they shout to help process 'past soul damage'.

Australia's Cult Awareness and Information Centre and the Anglican and Catholic churches are concerned that the couple are drawing in vulnerable people searching for meaning in life.

Miller, who was born in Loxton, South Australia, and Luck do not have conventional employment and their lifestyles appear to be funded by supporter donations.

Miller says in one recording: 'There's probably a million people who say they're Jesus and most of them are in asylums. But one of us has to be. How do I know I am? Because I remember everything about my life.'

Miller has also told his followers, 'I don't want to be Jesus. Who wants to be Jesus? But I love the divine truth.'

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