The Temple of Love Crumbles & A celebrated sect leader is convicted of conspiracy in Florida

Miami civic leaders hailed Yahweh ben Yahweh for his message of black self- sufficiency and clean living. The mayor declared a day honoring Yahweh for his efforts to get drug dealers out of blighted neighborhoods. But a Fort Lauderdale jury was unpersuaded by the notion of sect leader as Boy Scout. After five days of deliberation, Yahweh and six of his followers were found guilty of conspiracy in the murders of "white devils" and fire bombing an entire block of Delray Beach.

As head of the Temple of Love, Yahweh, born Hulon Mitchell Jr. in Enid, Okla., boasted of building a $100 million real estate empire, and lectured thousands of Miami-area residents on "How to Move from Poverty to Riches." Yahweh ben Yahweh, whose name in Hebrew means "God the Son of God," says he is the son of God and that whites are "the devil," seeking to enslave blacks economically and spiritually. Appearing in white robes and a turban throughout his five-month trial, the leader quoted the Bible often and denied the charges that he had ordered the murder of black defectors from his cause and the slicing of ears from randomly selected white people for trophies.

Yahweh wasn't the only controversial figure in the courtroom; his lawyer, Alcee Hastings, was a federal judge who was impeached after questions were raised about his involvement in a bribery conspiracy, although he was acquitted of related criminal charges. Hastings, who heralded Yahweh as a persecuted "Ghandiesque" figure, is now running for Congress.