Ancient Teachings of the Masters
Ancient Teachings of the Masters (also called ATOM) is the name Darwin Gross used to carry on the original teachings of Paul Twitchell after his termination from Eckankar.
Darwin Gross became the new Living Eck Master upon the death of Paul Twitchell in 1971. In 1981, he named Harold Klemp to take that position, continuing to function as the president of the Eckankar Corporation himself. In 1983, his relationship with Eckankar was formally terminated by Klemp, who formally terminated all of his agreements with the corporation and his status as an Eck Master, amid a cloud of charges of misappropriation of funds that were later sustained in court. (Source untrustworthy)
At that time, Darwin Gross began teaching independently, clearly stating that he was not creating a separate teaching, but that he was maintaining the original teachings of Paul Twichell.
Having retained copyright for all of his own books and music, Gross began publishing these works, and the works of his students, independently, under the SOS ("Sounds of Soul") Publishing label through 1989. Darwin Gross continued the original teachings of Paul Twitchell until his death on March 8, 2008.
Religion
- Lewis, James R. The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998. ISBN 1-57392-222-6.