CULT’s
This is maybe what you are waiting for. As I said before, there are many, many cults in this world. But, I just list 10 Cults that I found interesting about.
People’s Temple
Do you know about a mass murder of 900’s people in Jonestown? This crime makes the world interested in doing research about the Peoples Temple.
In the 1950’s, there was a man called Jim Jones. He built an independent congregation in Indianapolis, it’s named Peoples Temple. Jim Jones was inspired by the cruelty between American people and colored-people. The members of Peoples Temple are dominated by African-American people that think Jim Jones is such a nice man and just want to uphold the justice of racism in America. Later, the congregation opened in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Jim Jones invites more and more people to join his ‘congregation’. The congregation or community grew up fastly, and in 1977, Jim Jones led his hundred members to Guyana because back in America, he’s being threatened as a fraud and persecuting the children in Peoples Temple. Jim Jones promised to the members that in Guyana, there is a Land of Heaven called Jonestown. And that land is not there.
The members are suspicious of Jim Jones and some of them leave the community. Until 1978, the ex-members of Peoples Temple convinced the United States Congress from California, Leo Ryan, to visit Jonestown. It’s really happened. Leo Ryan and another observer visit Jonestown, it goes really well at the beginning. Jim Jones knows there is a traitor behind this (from his own community), so he planned to kill Leo Ryan and another observer when they’re gonna leave Guyana. And it’s happening.
After that happened, Jim Jones instructed his members to drink the poison or the ‘Kool-Aid’ (but people said that the poison is a brand ‘Flavor-Aid’). Why Jim Jones instruct that? Because he doesn’t want to be arrested and put in the prison, so he rather died together with his followers than go to prison, this is pretty selfish. This is the moment where Jim Jones and his 900’s members of Peoples Temple were found dead in Jonestown.
This is a ‘Mass Murder’ not a ‘Mass Suicide’.
Aum Shinrikyo
A cult that predicted the world would end in 1993 because of nuclear war. But, he’s totally wrong until he threatens people with his cruelty.
A Japanese man, Shoko Asahara, claimed himself as a ‘Christ’ and the ‘enlightened one’ after Buddha. It sounds pretty weird right, a man calls himself as the next ‘GOD’. He began a spiritual group, Aum Shinrikyo, in 1984. A spiritual group mixing Hindu, Buddhist, and apocalyptic Christianity. In other words, Shoko Asahara makes a new religion based on his concept. At the beginning, he attracted many college students that were disappointed with modern life.
They often do a really weird ritual, such as drinking Shoko Asahara water bath and wear an electric hat when his followers want to connect their brain wave with Shoko Asahara. Aum Shinrikyo becomes a paranoid doomsday cult, convinced that the world is gonna end because of World War Three and only the members can survive. Beside that, they often do violent actions like kidnapping, and killing opponents, also using chemical and biological agents in other attacks. Creepy, right? They just want ‘themself’ to survive and put other people in a dangerous condition, such selfish people. This is why more and more people want to join Aum Shinrikyo because they believe in the prediction (and also want to survive).
Until March 1995, the group released the Sarin Gas (a toxic gas) on Tokyo subway. Make some people choke, vomiting, blinded and also paralyzed. Two days after the attack, police raided the Aum Shinrikyo compound. But, the police still want to find the ‘mastermind’ behind the attack. Yet, Shoko Asahara admitted himself as the ‘mastermind’, so he was arrested right away by the police.
Aum Shinrikyo still exists until now, but with a different name, ‘Aleph’. They declare to free from Shoko Asahara cruelty. But still, we don’t know.
Heaven’s Gate
A cult that makes theory’s from a sci-fi movie.
Mother Mary was taken abroad a spaceship and impregnated with Jesus Christ.
Yes, it’s really weird.
Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, who found a religious group called Heaven’s Gate. They convinced themself as “The Two Witnesses”, that based on the Bible, Revelation Chapter 11 in The New Testament. In 1975, they attracted more people to become “The Two”, they must drop out of society and prepare for the “transition” to a new life in a spaceship. Because Applewhite and Nettles are big fans of Star Wars, they brought a sci-fi concept for the group.
If the expected transition did not occur, they will be settled in Texas and lived a quiet communal or the “transition” 2.0 that they believe in. To perfect the “transition phase”, they must settle in different areas. They also divested most of their possessions and began a pilgrimage that led them to California.
In 1996, when they settled in San Diego, they created their sites on the world wide web for the internet, so the site can attract more and more people to join them and become “The Two”. In 1997, there was a rumour that an artificial object, or spaceship was following recently with the discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp, which will approach Earth around no-time. When Heaven’s Gate people hear this, they think the phase of “transition” is over and they’re ready to live a new life on a spaceship. Before they leave the Earth, they make an explanation video to the people of the whole world about “their dead”.
At that time, the number of members had already shrunk to 39 people. They wore black tracksuits and sneakers, then they took a poison because of the belief that the spaceship would arrive to take them to a better place. After that, they put bags over their heads and lastly, they sleep in their own bed.
A very interesting cult, right? It’s between funny, weird, and interesting.
Manson Family
Murdered 11 people in 3 month, one of them is Sharon Tate (actress) who was 8-month-pregnant at that time.
In 1967, a 32-years-old man, Charles Manson was released from prison again after 11 years. His life is a whole criminal, starting when he was just 9-years-old that like stealing and cutting school.
After he was freed from the prison, he found a home in the counterculture movement in San Francisco. Charles is obsessed with being a central attention or an important person. Then, he becomes a spiritual guru and attracts people through the hippie-filled Haight-Ashbury district of the city, when there is already a “Summer of Love”event. Many young women there were looking for a sense of belonging, and he can give that sense. The trick that Charles used was very clever, he attracted people not with a word but with a reflection that people can relate to. The member’s don’t want to be a killer or a bad person, they were looking for a connection with each other.
Later, they call themself as “The Manson Family”. In 1968, they traveled to Los Angeles and settled in L.A. Spahn Ranch, listening to Charlie’s spiritual teaching, taking some drugs, and rubbing each other’s shoulders with the music that Charlie hoped would help him make it big as a musician. Then, they took a big action in summer 1969 or “the infamous Manson murders”.
Several Mason Family member’s try to collect their money to Gary Hinman (musician and a friend in Manson Family), but they have no luck and just decide to kill him. The action started again on the night of August 8, 1969, four members of Manson Family (Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian) went to the house at 10050 Cielo Drive because the previous person that lived there is a music producer, Terry Melcher, and yet they know it but still. Charlie’s said to kill anyone in that property, and in the house, there is Sharon Tate (an actress) who was 8-month-pregnant, with her 4 friends and has been killed by the members.
The next night, August 9, the members with Charlie Manson and Lelsie van Houtten snuck into the home of grocery store executive Leno LaBianca and Rosemary, and then, they died. Lastly, they murder Donald “Shorty” Shea in the end of August. One day, they were suspected of stealing a car, then Charles and his followers got arrested in October 1969. After that, all of their secrets are revealed.
Why do they kill Sharon Tate, even though she is not doing anything bad to them? This is the reason that being told by one of the members, Susan Atkins
Because we wanted to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to stand up and take notice
To shock the world? By killing your own kind? Murder someone that have an attention form the whole world is not a solution to get the attention that you want.
Rajneesh Movement
The craziness makes people scared of this cult. Oh, they do not like it when people call them ‘a cult’. Until, they made people even more scared when they moved to Oregon and bought 64.000 hectare land to be the ‘Home Base’.
A person that believes as an ‘the holy one’ in India. He is Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or commonly called as Osho. He advocated for free love, not by ‘a forced marriage’ that still happens in India’s traditional life. Eventually, he found a wealthy investor to fund a series of meditation retreats. In the early 70’s, he began to attract more people to join his community and he already had 4.000 followers at that time. The followers are called ‘Sannyasins’. Outside India, he built the same community in Australia. He wants to attract more people from around the world.
Osho sends her personal secretary to the United States to buy land that can be their ‘Home Base’ to gather and business. But, she never comes back. One of his loyal followers, Ma Anand Sheela, is his new personal secretary. Once again, Osho sends Sheela to the United States with the same purpose. Sheela found a 64.000 hectare land which is not far from the city of Antelope in Oregon, a little city with just 40 people living there. She decided to make the ‘Home Base’ in there with an image of paradise land.
In 1981, the ‘sannyasins’ in India and Australia decided to move to the city of ‘Rajneeshpuram’. They do meditation, businesses, farming, gardening, and other weird things. One day with Osho, they came to Antelope wearing orange clothes. Of course, people are scared of them because they don’t know what they’re doing and can only hear the screaming. Later, people called them ‘Orange People’.
In 1984, Osho was nominated as the candidate for Wasco County mayor. They have the plan to bring down local people and let Osho win. First, they sent a bus to different states in the United States to attract more people, especially homeless people. They carry 3.000 homeless people to Rajneeshpuram. And second, they spread a ‘salmonella poison’ in 10 restaurants around Wasco County. 751 local people fill the emergency room because of the salmonella attack. They also want to poison local water supplies. It’s very inhuman right? The desire to win the election is killing themself.
But, Osho wins the election before the secrets are revealed. The locals are really suspicious that ‘Orange People’ are poisoning the restaurant. When locals ask Rajneeshees, they deny it. Police and locals are cooperating to do a research that Rajneeshes is the ‘one’ who is poisoning the restaurant. And yes, Rajneeshees is the one who is poisoning the locals. But before that, Ma Anand Sheela and her friends in Rajneeshees run away with their private plane to Germany. After Sheela ran away, Osho called her a ‘traitor’.
Osho has been arrested by police. He said that Sheela is ‘the mastermind’ behind all of this. Sheela was discovered in Germany with her friends and arrested by the police. Sheela and her friend return to the United States. Osho and Sheela are put in prison for years
There is no Rajneeshpuram now. But, there are Osho International Meditation Resorts in several countries. Osho died in 1990 because of a heart attack while in his house in India. Sheela is still alive, she lives in Switzerland with her husband and runs two nursing homes that cater to the elderly and people with disabilities.
The Order of the Solar Temple
When Jesus Christ will come for the second time, they believe that the apocalypse is near. Although, they choose to suicide beside end their life when apocalypse.
Switzerland 1984, Joseph Di Mambro built a community called ‘The Golden Way Foundation’. Mambro allowed occult enthusiasts to join his community. In his new community, he meets Luc Jouret. They two have the same interest, and planned about something.
They built ‘a cult’ by combining their experience with various other cults that they have been in contact with. After this, they changed the name to ‘The Order of the Solar Temple’.
When they start to plan the mass suicide? When Mambro’s son, Elie, suspicious and skeptical with their ‘spiritual visions’ when Mambro and Jouret share their spiritual vision through the projector. Other reason they planned the suicide is one of their followers, Antonio and Nicky Dutoit, named their newborn children, Emmanuel. It’s against their belief. Makes Mambro and Jouret angry and disappointed. One of their beliefs is that the end of the world would be the birth of a god-child (in the Old Testament, Emmanuel means God with us and Emmanuel is Jesus Christ itself) and they have a belief that Jesus Christ is the solar God-King. They decided to kill Antonie and Nicky’s whole family by stabbing them to death.
After that, they declared that the apocalypse is already closer than before and the followers need to transport themself to get an early start on inhabiting the planet orbiting Sirius with a poison. Those who don’t want to drink are forced into the afterlife earlier. But, before they drink the poison, Mambro had a re-creation of the Last Supper and of course, Mambro played as Jesus Christ.
Police found 16 corpses arranged in the pattern of the shape of the sun, they were also wearing plastic covers over their heads, drugged, and shot. Honestly, I still confused with their ‘suicide’. Why it’s called suicide but the police found them wearing plastic over their heads, being drugged and shot? I think there must be a ‘second person’ in this ‘mass suicide’?
NXIVM
One of the members is the ‘slave’ for the master, Sarah Edmondson (American actress). She being instruct to send her naked photos as the guarantee of her master, and she being instruct to held down in the massage table and must said :
Master, please brand me, it would be an honor.
NXIVM, a personal development company which gives people techniques of self-improvement through open-class. Interesting company, right? I haven’t seen one company that only focuses on personal development which is relatable now. Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman founded NXIVM in 1998. Raniere wants people to experience more joy in their lives not only to suffer, that’s why he made a company to help people be happy. They offered people an Executive Success Programs (ESP), until in 2003, there were 3.700 people who joined the class.
So far, we see a company that works normally, not weird at all. Rainer claimed himself as ‘Vanguard’ and Salzman as ‘Prefect’, which is Rainer has the higher position than Salzman even though they founded the company together. Businessmen, businesswomen, the daughter of Mexican President, entrepreneur, and even actresses are attracted to NXIVM. Many of them that join the class have the same problems, such as anxiety, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
From outside, the company looks normal, but from inside, it’s not normal at all. Raniere claimed himself as a ‘Vangular’ but everyone looked to him as a ‘Master’. But before that, let me explain the ‘system’ of ‘this company’.
ESP is just the entry point into the world of NXIVM. The members who have a high-ranking in the organization, they will live together in commune-like housing, teaching a class and sessions. Of course they are already into the world of NXIVM.
No matter if they’re a man or woman, before the class they must greet Raniere with a kiss on the mouth. Getting weirder, right? After this, it’s 10 times weirder than this or more disgusting and it’s everlasting for years. In 2017, one of the members, Sarah Edmondson, was treated like she was a slave and yes, he called her a ‘slave’. The initiation required Sarah to send her naked photos as a guarantee to the ‘Master’, and yes, Sarah is recruited to be a slave. And it’s completed with Sarah being blindfolded, held down in the massage table, and instructed to say “Master, please brand me, it would be an honor”. They also have a highly secret women’s society called Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS) or translated as “lord over the obedient female companions”. The women in DOS also required to do an 24-hours-call operator, if they didn’t answer the text from their master within 60 seconds, they will punished with starvation and several of them will were assigned to have ‘sex’ with Rainiere. Okay, this is getting scary and weirder, it’s like Rainiere invented human-abuse in this organization.
Yet, not far from that problem, Rainiere fled to Mexico. At that time, police and court found Rainiere as ‘guilty’ for his violence action to the members or human-abuse. The federal court requested to arrest Rainiere. Mexican police arrested Rainiere and returned him to the United States. Now, he’s still in prison for another 118 years.
To be honest, this is the most interesting cult I’ve ever known. They hide behind the glass so the world doesn’t feel suspicious of them. Also this is the hardest and most complex cult to really understand their history. Not a very ‘cultish’ group, but they like to summon by obeying their master or they will be punished to death. Rainiere is the devil, he treats his own kind with violence and ‘his pleasure’.
Children of God
Freedom of love is the pillar of the Children of God. God is love, so love is sex. They legalize have sex with children, no matter what.
In 1968, Priest David Breg founded a movement, he called it ‘Children of God (COG)’. The members of COG established a commune called ‘Home’ in several countries. They actively spread their literature in the streets to attract more people to join them. Those that just join COG must memorize the Bible, take Bible class, and hopefully imitate the People of Early Christianity.
In 1978, they decided to change the name to “Family of Love”. Before that, Berg introduced a new proselytizing method called ‘Flirty Fishing’ which encouraged the female members to show God’s love through sexual relationship with potential converts. But, why with sexual relationships? They have the concept that God is love and love is sex, so the concret action to show love is by sex.
100.000 people from around the world have received God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. That means 100.000 people are joining the Family of Love. Based on Bill Bainbridge research, 223.989 members have sexual relationships while doing ‘Flirty Fishing’. And also, ‘Flirty Fishing’ caused the birth of many children. The child that was born because of ‘Flirty Fishing’ is called ‘Baby Jesus’. About more than 300 babies were born.
In 1982, they decided to change the name again to ‘The Family’. More members have been moved to the southern and eastern world. Which is, Indonesia has been discovered by them. Not long enough, Indonesian Attorney General banned ‘The Family’ or at that time it was still popular with the ‘Children of God’ name to spread their doctrine to Indonesian. Besides that, Berg’s writing caused people to be suspicious about child care in this movement because he challenged the modern taboo in western society about sexual relationships between adults and children. In 1988, the reports about sexual harassment arrive in ‘Family’. This encouraged Berg to throw away his concept about sexual relationships between adults and children.
We do not condone having sex with children and therefore we reject any writing about anyone in our “Family” that might be described as such. We absolutely forbid it! — David Berg
In 1994, David Berg died at his 75-years-old. Berg is gonna be replaced with Karen Zirby who is known as Mama, Queen Mary, Maria David or Maria Fontaine and later, she married her partner, Steven Douglas who is known as Christopher Smith, Peter Amsterdam, or King Peter.
In 1995, they introduced the ‘Love Charter’ which defined responsibilities and rights of the members. Which is a good start to get away from sex life. Still in this year, Lord Justice Alan Ward (from British Court) ruled that the group, including some top leaders are a part of sexual practises involving childrens and also used corporal punishment to the childrens. But, Ward found that ‘The Family’ has abandoned these practises and concluded that they were a safe environment for childrens.
Last, in 2004, they decided to change their name again to ‘The Family International’. Here, they still do the same as ‘The Family’ but they make some changes and make it better than before. The Family International is still active until this day. They’re not dangerous as ‘Children of God’ but still. Don’t get easily influenced by an unknown person because they can get you to their home forever.
Raëlisme
Several women pregnant with cloned embryos inside their bodies, and finally one cloned was born called Eve. Because they believe that humans are cloned aliens.
In 1975, Claude Vorilhon, an ex-car racer, found a ‘new religion’ called ‘Raëlism’ in France. This religion was formalized as the International Raëlian Movement or Raëlian Church. Where does ‘Raël’ come from? Claude was kidnapped by aliens and being told about the origin of humans. Those aliens give him a name, ‘Raël’.
Many people are interested in ‘this religion’, and maybe I will believe in them at that time. The concept kinda makes sense though, and I think people join them because the question that the answers are really not there, but in Raëlism, it’s very clear that people’s answers are in here. So far, there are 65 thousand people that become members of ‘this religion’.
Raëlism has a concept, that those aliens are called ‘Elohim’, they create humans with their high-technology and they are the ‘GOD’ for them. Claude being told that throughout the history of humans, Elohim just created forty human hybrids to be a prophet for telling people about their origin. Between the forty prophets, there are The Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad SAW, and others. Claude or Raël are the forty prophets and the last one.
The Elohim will come in 2025 which is the Judgement Day or Apocalypse. Elohim will record every human memory and DNA with their high-tech computer. When they arrive on Earth, they will awaken soul-less people with cloning. So, the monks must prepare for the arrival of Elohim to build an embassy in Jerusalem that will be equipped with landing pads for spaceships.
But, after a long time, they become controversial in society. First, they built a big company called ‘Clonaid’ for cloning humans in 2002. They have their first cloned baby called Eve. Second, they make a protest action for the government to give a permission that all womens can not-wear a bra in public. It’s crazy right? Statements like that depend on every individual’s thoughts, not by a group-like cult. And third, they used swastika (that identics with Nazi logo) for a peace symbol.
They are the truth finder, they do not think that the concept they use is ‘totally right than others’. Raëlism never teach something stupid and primitive. They are just people who want to find the truth behind the origin of humans and want to make it right. They really like scientists who want to find the formula. I’m not forcing you to believe in them, I just want people not to have the ‘sensitive look’ for them.
The Matamoros Cult
This is really different from other cult I told before and maybe this is what people commonly think about cult. The Matamoros do a human sacrifices because they think it can be a protector.
In 1984, Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo was an Cuba-American model before he moved to Mexico City. In there, he began offering spiritual cleansing and magic spells to the city’s elite, including celebrities and politicians, also drug cartels looking for him to give them an ‘mystical protection’ during smuggling runs and territory war.
When he was younger, he studied Vodou and Palo Mayombe. If you don’t know what those two are, let me explain. Voodoo is a fusion religion between West African Traditional Religion and Roman Catholic, they used dolls, skulls, and others to worship Bondyé (universe creator) and the Iwa (angels). Palo Mayombe is a fusion religion between Central African Congo Religion, Roman Catholic, and Spiritism. Paleros (Palo members) used a cauldron called ‘nganga’ which contains bones and sticks to worship Nsambi or Sambia, the creator god. He included Vodou and Palo in his ‘new religion’.
Constanzo has an male and female lovers who he began recruiting them to join the cult. In the cult, he is known as ‘El Padrino’, The Godfather. There was a college student from Matamoros named Sara Aldrete, known as ‘La Madrina’, The Godmother. Aldrete was fascinated by the occult things and she knows people in Mexican drug trade because her uncle, Elio Hernandez Rivera is one of them.
In 1987, most of the Hernandez family got arrested because they’re a drug dealer and got caught, but not for Elio. He becomes the leader of the gang and asks Constanzo to give them supernatural help and guidance. From time to time, the Hernandez gang fell under Constanzo’s sway. Constanzo become their high priest and took responsible for performing ritualistic animal sacrifices that he claimed would help their business prosper and protect them from “police and bullets”.
Constanzo and his followers moved into Rancho Santa Elena in Matamoros, Tamaulipas because it was Hernandez’s own property, and set up their operations there. There, they took the first-human-victim from other gang members or corrupt cops, who were brought back to the ranch where they were tortured and ritualistically slain.
After this, it will be disgusting, so just prepare yourself. The body parts were put in the ‘nganga’ (cauldron) and boiled, they made a foul brew that cult members would drink. They believe it will make them invisible and bulletproof, and some of them wear a necklace made from their victims vertebrae.
Constanzo made Elio an ‘executioner priest’, branding Elio chest with sacred marks. In March 1989, Constanzo ordered his followers to bring him an ‘Anglo male’ for his next human sacrifice. Why does Constanzo choose to do a ritual with human sacrifice not animal? He believe that human sacrifice would grant even greater supernatural powers to himself and his followers.
There is one male called Kilroy that came to South Padre Island in Texas for vacation with his friend. The cult members were looking for their next target in Texas. Until, in March 14 early morning, the cult members found and snatched Kilroy directly back to their ranch in Matamoros. Same with others, Kilroy was probably tortured and lastly, Kilroy was killed by Constanzo by a machete chop to the back of his head.
But, they’re found a worse victim because Kilroy uncle was a special agent with the U.S. Customs Service and within days his disappearance was already reported by UPI (United Press International) and being investigate by multiple law enforcement agencies from both countries.
And, in May 1989, Constanzo was found by the police outside the apartment when he picked up a machine gun and began firing the police. After a 45 minute battle, Constanzo ordered his members to shoot him rather than being captured alive. Aldrete was apprehended as she tried to flee the apartment.
“He said, ‘Let’s all die’. But I didn’t want to die.” — Aldrete
She told that to the Authorities and police. After that, Aldrete was captured and was sentenced to 62 years in prison. Also for the other members, Elio and Serafin Hernandez were sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Last word, don’t open your mind very widely because there will be a new influence or a new concept that easily makes you believe.
