he Sarah Lawrence cult was a group of young people who were allegedly brainwashed and abused by Larry Ray, the father of one of the students. Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm room in 2010 and began to exert control over her friends. He would pressure them into doing degrading and sometimes sexual acts, and …
The Sullivan Institute was a psychotherapy cult that operated in New York City from the 1950s to the 1990s. The Institute was founded by Saul B. Newton, a Marxist with no formal training as a therapist, and his wife, Dr. Jane Pearce. The Institute’s teachings held that traditional family ties were the root cause of …
Chen Tao is a UFO religion that originated in Taiwan. It was founded by Hon-Ming Chen (陳恆明 born 1955), who first associated it with UFOs and later had the group misrepresented as a New Age UFO cult. Chen was a former professor who claimed to be an atheist until he joined a religious cultivation group …
he Fellowship of Friends is a religious organization that has been accused of being a cult. The group was founded in 1970 by Robert Earl Burton, who claimed to be a spiritual teacher. The Fellowship of Friends has its headquarters in Oregon House, California, and has a number of smaller communities around the world. The …
Ho No Hana Sanpogyo is a Japanese new religious movement founded by Hogen Fukunaga in 1987. The group is often referred to as the “foot-reading cult” because of Fukunaga’s claim that he could diagnose physical illness by examining the soles of an individual’s feet. Ho No Hana has been accused of a number of fraudulent …
Superior Universal Alignment (SUA) is a religious movement that was founded in Brazil in the 1980s by Valentina de Andrade. SUA is a syncretic religion that draws on elements of Christianity, Hinduism, and other spiritual traditions. SUA members believe that the world is in a state of spiritual crisis and that only SUA can save …
Teal Swan is an American self-help author, speaker, and spiritual teacher. She is known for her work on trauma, abuse, and healing. Swan has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Forbes. Swan was born in Idaho in 1982. She had a traumatic childhood, including abuse and neglect. …
Bikram Yoga is a system of hot yoga, a type of yoga as exercise, devised by Bikram Choudhury and based on the teachings of B. C. Ghosh, that became popular in the early 1970s. Classes consist of a fixed sequence of 26 postures, practised in a room heated to 105 °F (41 °C) with a …
Synanon was a self-help drug rehabilitation program that was founded in 1957 by Charles Dederich. The program was based on the idea that addiction was a disease that could be treated through group therapy and peer support. Synanon quickly became one of the most popular drug rehabilitation programs in the United States, and it was …
Love Has Won: A New Religious Movement or a Dangerous Cult? Love Has Won is a new religious movement that has been gaining attention in recent years. The group is led by Amy Carlson, who is known as “Mother God” by her followers. Carlson claims to be a divine being who has come to Earth …