Cults are utterly fascinating. Their manipulative setup, designed to prey on desperate, sad, lonely, or unwell people is atrocious, but cults are clever, too. They’re designed to be insular and isolated, making their members utterly reliant on the group and devoted to the leader. I find it fascinating that even now, in our modern interconnected world that these groups still exist.
Although the definition of a cult is a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious, or a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object, not all cult-like groups are actually religious in nature. Most cults, thankfully, are relatively small groups with beliefs or practices that are seen as strange or sinister by others. There have been many cults throughout history, some plain weird and others extremely dangerous.
Peoples Temple
Created in 1955 by Jim Jones, members of the Peoples Temple were forced to give up their belongings and often abused. In 1974, Jones moved the entire organization to “Jonestown” in Guyana. After reporters who visited the town to investigate claims that people were being held against their will were ambushed and shot, Jones led his 909 followers in a mass suicide by drinking Flavor-Aid laced with cyanide.
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)
Created soon after polygamy was banned by the Mormon church in the late 1800s, the FLDS moved to Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah from Salt Lake City in 1998. In 2003, they moved again to a ranch in Eldorado, Texas. Women as young as 14 were forced into arranged marriages and Warren Jeffs, who took over as High Priest Apostle in 2002, had at least 87 wives. Jeffs is currently serving life + 20 years for sexually assaulting underage girls.
Love Has Won
The Love Has Won cult, also known as the Galactic Federation of Light, was founded by Amy Carlson, otherwise known as “Mother God”. Amy claimed she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe and Jesus Christ. According to the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office, Amy and members of the cult were brainwashing people and stealing their money. In April 2021, Carlson’s mummified body was found in a Moffat, Colorado home.
Branch Davidians
The Branch Davidians broke away from the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists in 1955. In 1981, David Koresh became leader of the group, which was based at a commune called Mount Carmel near Waco, Texas. After allegations of child abuse, the ATF attempted to raid the commune and a violent gun battle ensued. The FBI then launched a siege that lasted 51 days and ended with the entire compound being destroyed and over 75 people killed.
The NXIVM Cult
Pronounced “Nexium”, this cult was founded by Keith Raniere in 1998. It was purported to be a self-help group with classes and workshops on empowerment. NXIVM gained over 18,000 followers across the USA. It turned out that NXIVM was a sex cult, with many female members being psychologically and sexually abused.
Angel’s Landing
Angel’s Landing is a 20-acre piece of property just outside Wichita, Kansas, home to Lou Castro and a group of followers. Castro convinced his followers that he was a seer and an angel who could tell when someone was going to pass away. Castro took out life insurance policies on key members and then someone would ‘accidentally’ die every couple of years. Members eventually came forward with allegations of abuse and murder and Castro, whose real name was Daniel Perez, was convicted of 28 felonies.
Children of God
Originally called Teens for Christ, the Children of God was founded in 1968 in California. The cult attracted young hippies and runaways and preacher David Berg combined the Bible with the 1960s free love movement. In the late 1970s, it became known for something known as “flirty fishing,” a practice where women would have sex to get men to join the cult. There were also accusations of sexual and physical abuse of children, although the cult leader was never tried or convicted.
The Church of the Lamb of God
The Church of the Lamb of God was created in Chihuahua, Mexico by Ervil LeBaron. He convinced his followers that he received instruction from God, which included using an old Mormon doctrine called Blood Atonement that allowed for the murder of sinners to cleanse them of evil. Ervil had 13 wives and 51 children. Over the course of 20 years, he instructed his followers to murder more than 20 people. Ervil was eventually charged with the murder of another cult leader and jailed for life.
The Manson Family
Even if you know little about the cult, you probably know the name Charlie Manson. In 1967, Manson started his cult in San Francisco and then moved to Los Angeles later that year. Manson tried to establish himself as a musician and became obsessed with the Beatles’ song “Helter Skelter.” He started using the term to describe a race war he thought would bring in the apocalypse. In 1969, he sent a group of his followers to a home and told them to kill everyone inside. The next night, his followers murdered a couple in another home. Many believe he ordered the murders to kick-start his “Helter Skelter” concept.
Heaven’s Gate
Founded in the 1970s by Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite, Heaven’s Gate was a cult that believed in aliens, spaceships and an impending recycling of the Earth. When Nettles died in 1985, Applewhite became even more extreme and in 1997 he claimed that a spaceship following the Hale-Bopp comet would carry the Heaven’s Gate members to the next level of existence. Applewhite and 38 of his followers committed suicide by taking phenobarbital mixed with applesauce. They all wore the same clothes and Nike shoes and all had $5.75 in their pockets.
