John de Ruiter

John de Ruiter (born November 11, 1959) is a Canadian spiritual leader and author who conducts meetings in Edmonton, Alberta and abroad. He operates a centre called the College of Integrated Philosophy and conducted his seminars and lectures from the Oasis Centre in west Edmonton from 2007 to 2021, when it was sold to the Aga Khan Foundation for $6,650,000.

Born in Stettler, Alberta to a Dutch shoemaker, de Ruiter attended Bible college and interned with a Lutheran pastor before forming his own spiritual practice in the late 1980s. His charismatic presentation and teachings, characterized by one observer as "New Age gospel," attracted thousands of followers over the next few decades, with several academic scholars interpreting his movement as the possible beginning of a new religion.

De Ruiter has built followings in a number of countries, primarily Canada and the United States but also the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, India and Israel among others. Many of de Ruiter's devotees relocate to Edmonton to attend his seminars and to perform volunteer work for the College of Integrated Philosophy.

De Ruiter has been implicated in a number of public controversies, including accusations of being a cult leader by multiple independent news outlets, and a civil lawsuit in which he was sued by two sisters, who alleged he was in a three-way common law marriage with both women simultaneously. De Ruiter has been accused by former followers of using faith-based claims to coerce them into sexual acts. De Ruiter was arrested on January 21, 2023 for sexual assault of four members of his community. Provided by Wikipedia