Aum Shinrikyo: A Deadly Cult
Aum Shinrikyo is a Japanese doomsday cult that was founded in 1987 by Shoko Asahara. The group is responsible for a number of terrorist attacks, including the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, which killed 12 people and injured over 5,000.
Aum Shinrikyo’s beliefs are a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. The group believes that the world is in a state of spiritual crisis and that only Aum can save humanity. Asahara, who is blind, claimed to be a messianic figure who could see the future. He also claimed to have psychic powers and to be able to levitate.
Aum Shinrikyo attracted a large following in the early 1990s. The group offered its members a sense of community and belonging, as well as the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Aum also offered its members training in martial arts and other forms of physical fitness.
Asahara’s teachings became increasingly violent in the early 1990s. He began to preach that the world was going to end in a nuclear war and that Aum was the only group that could survive. He also began to order his followers to commit acts of violence, including assassinations and bombings.
In 1995, Aum Shinrikyo carried out the Tokyo subway sarin attack. The attack was carried out by members of Aum who released sarin gas on five different subway trains during morning rush hour. The attack killed 12 people and injured over 5,000.
After the Tokyo subway sarin attack, Aum Shinrikyo was banned in Japan. The group’s members were arrested and Asahara was sentenced to death. Aum Shinrikyo has since been reorganized as Aleph, but it remains under close scrutiny by the Japanese government.
Aum Shinrikyo is a dangerous cult that has caused a great deal of harm. The group’s beliefs are based on violence and hatred, and its members have shown a willingness to carry out acts of terrorism. It is important to be aware of the dangers of Aum Shinrikyo and to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from this dangerous cult.
References:
- Lifton, Robert Jay. Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism. University of Chicago Press, 2000.
- Murakami, Haruki. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. Vintage, 2001.
- Reader, Ian. A Poisonous Cocktail: Aum Shinrikyo’s Path to Violence. Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.
- Steinhoff, Patricia G., and Yoshiko Sakurai. The Aum Shinrikyo Incident: A Case Study in Religious Violence. Brill, 2003.