Epsilon Program (3D Universe)

The Epsilon Program is a fictional religious cult across a number of Grand Theft Auto games, led by Cris Formage. The cult first emerged as a teaser site for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and later referenced numerous times on radio stations and by pedestrians in the game itself. The cult is an obvious scam, intended to gain money by brainwashing its followers into paying large sums of money, parodying real-life cults in the late 20th century. In Formage's own words, it is "a fellowship of like-minded adults who tithe money in exchange for salvation and merit badges".

The Epsilon Program existed for about as early as 1984 when Tina Jane, a DJ for VCFL in GTA: Vice City Stories references the program on her radio show, indicating that a friend was trying to get her to join.

Religious beliefs
The main ideals of the Epsilon Program are established on their website. The religions main deity is Kifflom, and members follow his twelve tenets:


 * 1) The world is 157 years old.
 * 2) Dinosaurs are a lie that people believe because they are weak.
 * 3) You are happy, you just don’t know it.
 * 4) We all come from the same tree.
 * 5) Everyone is related to everyone else, except for people with red hair.
 * 6) Sperm does not exist - it is a lie spread by biology teachers - along with everything else you have ever been told.
 * 7) Men are supposed to lie with nine new partners a week. Women are supposed to lie with six, except for in July, when they must lie with five men a day.
 * 8) Aliens exist and are present on earth. If you have a birth mark, you may be descended from Kraff, the famous Emperor of the 4th Paradigm.
 * 9) Trees talk, but only some people hear them.
 * 10) People who believe in something live much longer than atheists, and they have eternal life thrown in for good measure.
 * 11) If you believe this and turn you hands and wallet over to EPSILONISM, you’ll live a happy life. Otherwise you are doomed.
 * 12) KIFFLOM - HAPPINESS IS YOURS! KIFFLOM!

Their site contains a page about the Tract, which is expected to hold the truth about Epsilon. However, the site states that the tract has not yet been written. There is an address in Grand Canaria to send a cheque to, from which you would supposedly be sent a copy of the Tract. Grand Canaria is well known as a tax haven and offshore location for many dubious companies.

"Cris Formage tells us in his wonderful book, It Happened To Us All, that the TRACT will be written when we are all ready. However, Cris is also very clear on another point - although the TRACT has not yet been written, it can still be read by those that are willing to read it."

Members
The cult's founder and leader is Cris Formage. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, he can be heard on the radio arguing with Lazlow Jones and fellow con-artist Darius Fontaine.

The cult attracts many celebrities, including Samantha Muldoon, who famously converted from Buddhism to Kabbalah to Epsilon within one week, and musicians Jezz Torrent and Maccer, who both claim the cult helped them with their drug addictions. WCTR host Billy Dexter is also believed to be a member of the cult, as he occassionaly says "Kifflom" during his show.

Other followers are listed on the cult website under "testimonials":
 * Jonas Ackerman
 * Jeremy Smith
 * Brian Van Ginsberg
 * Jane Pole
 * Mary Fortune
 * Morgan August

The cult is mentioned in small talk by pedestrians in San Andreas; in particular, barbers (excluding Old Reece), and a certain kind of pedestrian commonly found around Verdant Bluffs (identifiable by his rucksack), who claim to be followers. Katie Zhan, one of Carl's girlfriends in GTA San Andreas, is not impressed with the cult and will occasionally refer to them as "nutjobs" during a date.

Possible background to the cult
The Epsilon Program is named after the Greek letter E. The name could possibly be in reference to the Epsilon Team, a Greek secret society. In the 1987 film Dragnet, two cops are involved in investigating a crime. The crime gang is ran by a reverend, who has a voice similar to Cris Formage's. All members of the gang are in a cult, and perform a number of weird rituals throughout the movie. In certain scenes a quiet background music can be heard, identical to the one on the Epsilon Program website. The movie is shot in Los Angeles and some scenes are shot near the observatory - which is sometimes linked with Epsilon in the game. The short scene from the movie featuring both reverend's voice and the music can be seen here.

The game takes place in the year 1992; as Cris Formage says that the Earth is 157 years old, that would put its creation at 1835, a time when Mormonism, a religion with many "cultish" factors, was starting to attract a following.

Importance to San Andreas
The Epsilon cult is one of the largest things some players search after. It is even believed that Epsilon may even be in connection with most of if not all myths, not only in San Andreas but even spanning to other games. Some of the people involved in the games production also have thrown out some hints toward Epsilon and Kifflom. The object of many players searches is for the "Red Truck". There was a posting that claimed that there is a connection between a red truck with a dent in the right front bumper (supposedly the beater variant of the Sadler), Kifflom and the dry pass in Blueberry. Supposedly if the special red truck is found, and driven under the dry pass just outside of Blueberry, a cutscene would pop up that supposedly reveals the screts of Epsilon. Many have tried and failed in doing this. Many now believe that there is no cutscene and that it is just a mystery with nothing actually behind it, more alike to a snipe hunt designed to keep people entertained, but it is still being sought after to this day.

Sprunk Sprunk.jpg
Sprunk is believed to be used to brainwash people. There is a supposed connection between the Sprunk factory in Montgomery and Epsilon. The old Sprunk factory in GTA IV is also a center of attention for GTA IV myth hunters.

The_blueberry_mystery.jpg Farm.jpgerry
The town of Blueberry may be the single most important place in San Andreas to Epsilon. This is believed to be the birthplace of the Epsilon hunt. The "Blueberry Mystery" started with the strange blue light that glows in an abandoned building, under a dry pass, a farmhouse and a strange rock formation accross the road. There is a sign next to the empty blue light building, reading "Truck Terminal", and below it "Red County" - the words "Truck" and "Red" are aligned, possibly referring to the "Red Truck".

The_farm_at_night.jpg Cult Farm
The Cult Farm is an important location to Epsilon and those who search for it. It is the supposed base for Epsilonism, and supposedly where cultists culminate. The farm has little in the way of things to investigate other than a house with one of the glowing blue lights. This farm appears in the mission Body Harvest, where Truth asks CJ to steal a combine harvester from the survivalists who live on the farm.

400px-Area-69.jpg 69
Area 69 is a secretive military facility located in the desert west of Las Venturas. The complex is highly guarded by soldiers, police and SAM sites. In the mission "Black Project", you are asked by Truth to break into area 69 and steal a jetpack. This jetpack is used later in the mission "Green Goo", where you steal some "green goo" from a military train. The goo is believed to be something alien, since Truth claims that he knows "aliens are here" and he has held them "in his own hands". Area 69 is believed to be used for alien research and it maybe connected secretly to the cult.

57-gtasa57.jpg
Truth, the hippie, may be the most knowledgeable person in the game. He knows a lot about government issues, secretive military operations, aliens, and he may know a lot more about the cult and Epsilon than just his complaints about them messing with his peace. He also refuses to tell you much about what he knows. Truth loves nature and marijuana. He was quite adamant about the importance of Area 69 and the green goo, both of which are believed to have something to do with Epsilonism.

Epsilon in GTA IV
Some little things in GTA IV do seem to have some potential leads to Epsilon. There are hobos who believe aliens are trying to take their sperm, pedestrians who cry "Oh no! They've killed another truth seeker", and soapboxxers who rant about the paradise and how all others are slaves and are basically damned.

Bluesy St. John claims she once ended up spending her Thursday nights in a group that prayed to Kifflom.

Brendan Roberts suggests that he is a member of the cult, as noted when he says "Kifflom" at the end of his interview on Intelligent Agenda on Public Liberty Radio.

The cult sponsors Chiropracticovernight.com, and is mentioned by the MyRoomOnline user RavenVamp11 on her profile.