Heaven’s Gate was an American UFO religion that gained notoriety in 1997 when 39 members of the group committed mass suicide. The group believed that a spaceship was following the Hale–Bopp comet and that if they committed suicide, their souls would be transported to another level of existence. The group was founded in 1974 by […]
AJ Miller, also known as Solarus, is the founder of the AJ Miller Cult, a controversial religious group that has been accused of a number of abuses, including financial exploitation, physical and emotional abuse, and child abuse. Miller was born in 1966 in New York City. He began his spiritual journey at a young age,
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The Jonestown Massacre: A Socio-Psychological Analysis The Jonestown massacre was one of the most horrific events in American history. On November 18, 1978, over 900 people, including 276 children, were killed by their leader, Jim Jones, in a mass suicide/murder in Jonestown, Guyana. The event has been the subject of much study and speculation, and
The Remnant Fellowship Cult The Remnant Fellowship is a religious organization that was founded in 1999 by Gwen Shamblin. Shamblin is a former weight loss counselor who developed a program called Weigh Down Workshop, which is based on the idea that people can lose weight by controlling their thoughts and emotions. The Remnant Fellowship is
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The Manson Family The Manson Family was a cult led by Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group was responsible for a series of murders, including the Tate–LaBianca murders, which shocked the nation. Charles Manson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1934. He had a troubled
Cargo Cults: A Brief History and Overview Cargo cults are a type of religious movement that emerged in the South Pacific islands during the 20th century. These cults are characterized by their belief that certain rituals will bring about the arrival of material goods, such as food, clothing, and machinery. The term “cargo cult” was
Whether a belief system is a cult or not is up for debate. This is even more true with the Seventh day Adventists. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination that observes Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian calendar, as the Sabbath, and is distinguished by its emphasis on
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A cult is a group of people who follow a particular person or set of beliefs. Cults can be religious, political, or philosophical. They are often led by a charismatic leader who promises to provide members with something they are lacking, such as love, acceptance, or meaning in life. Cults can be very dangerous. They
Sharon Gans Horn started an “innocent” group in Manhattan to study the works of Russian philosopher George Gurdjelf. Her and her husband recruited among members of New York and Boston’s high society, intellectuals, and wealthy. What started as Odyssey Study Group became a cult around one single figure Sharon Gans. She demanded 100% loyalty, monthly
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Each week a group of friends (Thor, Gunnar, Nathan, and on occasion Don) get together and discuss cults. We talk about their history, belief system, practices, and leader. Then we decide what they got right, what they got wrong, and then choose something from the cult that we can incorporate into our own parody cult
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