Famous cult leader

• Famous cult leader. Why it’s one of the best TV shows about cults: This 6 part documentary methodically unfolds the twisty, unexpected tale of the Rajneeshee cult and their leader, Bhagwan, from their inception in Pune, India to their utopian commune, Rajneeshpuram, back to India. Jul 28, 2019 · Charles Manson (November 12, 1934–November 19, 2017) was a mass murderer who founded a desert cult known as "The Family" in the 1960s and manipulated its members into brutally killing people on his behalf, including the pregnant actress Sharon Tate and other Hollywood residents. But the reality of life under cult influence is rarely as headline-grabbing. S. The group started as what appeared to be a progressive organization that advocated for civil rights. Subcategories This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total. Nov 17, 2018 · We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Located on a commune in Burnt River, Ontario, Canada, Thériault claimed to be the reincarnation of the biblical Moses and made the nine women living in the Ant Hill Kids commune May 29, 2020 · Tragedy took place under direction of cult leader Jim Jones, in which 909 members of the Peoples Temple died by murder-suicide in 1978. Placement was determined by the actions of one’s father’s Nov 17, 2023 · Indian cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh created the spiritual practice of dynamic meditation. And while most cult leaders are men, most cult followers tend to be women. Mainly though, for something to qualify as a cult, it needs to hold a creed that is deviate from the mainstream religious community or have a leader that is somehow deified. Oct 27, 2020 · Keith Raniere, Leader of Nxivm Sex Cult, Is Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison. [15] Fred Phelps - Leader of anti-gay Westboro Mar 12, 2023 · SEOUL – Among the four Korean religious cult leaders featured in Netflix’s latest Korean documentary series, In The Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal, Mr Jeong Myeong-seok – the leader of the Jul 19, 2024 · Leader: Charles Manson. Often trained to adore a male central figure, members are often incapable of processing their own Apr 2, 2014 · Self-proclaimed prophet Marshall Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious cult group. From Charles Manson to Jim Jones, plenty of notorious figureheads had children who were born cult leaders real life cult leaders cults religious cults socio-political cults leader evil cult leaders famous cults dangerous cults cult leader name cult leaders of the 20th century killer cult leaders killer cults murderuous cults crime cult crime sex cult scary cult scariest cults Valentina de Andrade David Berg Sun Myung Moon Michel Jun 7, 2024 · Infamous cults such as the People's Temple, Heaven's Gate and the Manson Family gained notoriety for their extreme beliefs and tragic outcomes. Nov 3, 2021 · Asahara was eventually sentenced to death in 2018, and Japanese filmmaker and survivor Atsushi Sakahara delved more into the story with his 2020 documentary Me and the Cult Leader. [8] Mar 27, 2023 · Cult leader David Koresh led the Branch Davidians in a deadly 51-day standoff against the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Some experts suggest that most cult leaders tend to be psychopaths. In the 1960s, Manson took advantage of the hippie youth culture in San Francisco to create a commune based around his own beliefs (which, according to Britannica, were derived from fringe psychology, the occult, and contemporary sci-fi). Despite the controversies surrounding cults, they have been a source of great interest and entertainment to the general public. The cult’s leader, Alfonso Constanzo, became influential with the drug cartels and wealthy businessmen in the area, insisting they partner with him, or their families would end up dead and Jul 3, 2024 · From 1977 to 1989, a charismatic French-Canadian man named Roch Thériault led a small cult known as the Ant Hill Kids. Aug 10, 2017 · Personality cults rely on the use of propaganda to create an idealized portrait of a leader or regime. These are the obvious reference points for many of us. Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple. com Editors and Colin McEvoy Cults are notoriously tricky to define. He was able to lure in many followers, especially women, into his cult. The last of America’s famous cults, the Twelve Tribes, were founded by Elbert Eugene Spriggs, often known as “Yoneq”, in 1971. We think of The Waco Siege, the Manson killings, the Jonestown Massacre and Heaven's Gate. [3] NXIVM is also the name of the defunct company that Raniere founded in 1998, which provided seminars ostensibly about human potential development, [4] and served as a front organization for criminal activity by Raniere and his close associates. We have seen the state intervene to stamp out dangerous cults. Only four people who were in Jonestown when the mass-murder suicide started survived (AP) AP/words by Adam Lusher. He started the Rancho Rajneesh commune in Oregon in the 1980s. Unsurprisingly, that "free love" attitude means there are lots of kids of cult leaders. 9 The Source Family Apr 23, 2023 · People have lost their free will, happiness, freedom of movement, and sometimes lives to dubious and manipulative cult leaders who prey on their innocent followers for personal gain. 2 days ago · Charles Manson, a notorious criminal and cult leader, orchestrated a series of brutal murders that shocked the world and left an enduring legacy as one of history’s most infamous figures. Nov 18, 2020 · But whether cults are religious or not, many of these groups follow one central leader. Mar 6, 2020 · A cult with an Aries leader is a cult that's going straight to hell in a hand basket. , the adopted son of the cult leader, discovered the rusting remains of an oil drum near the former entrance to the pavilion. No group with high ideals starts off as a cult; they become one when their errant ways are exposed. Symbol of the Life Awakening Movement. Those involved in these cults seem to be totally enraptured long past the point most people believe they would know they’re being told lies. The first recruits of the cult belonged to the hippie culture, who were instantly attracted to Berg’s attitude towards the system. Commonly designated a cult, it was founded in 1974 and led by Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985) and Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997), known within the movement as Ti and Do. By Biography. Charles Manson - Leader of the Manson Family who served life in prison for first degree murder until his death in 2017. Warren Steed Jeffs (born December 3, 1955) is an American cult leader who is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault following two convictions in 2011. They amassed fanatical followers and left death in their wakes. Shoko was the founder of the apocalypse cult, Aum Shinrikyo although he was born in 1955 as Chizuo Matsumoto. 205 (2016). University of Jabalpur officials forced Rajneesh to resign in 1966. Our compilation, crafted by avid history enthusiasts, casts a spotlight on the most enigmatic and talked-about groups of our times, those that continue to capture public imagination despite the Jan 6, 2022 · Another UFO cult — one of many that came out of the 1980s alien frenzy — the Superior Universal Alignment UFO cult was led by female cult leader Valentina De Andrade. Citizens were grouped into five strata in the "songbun" system. Jul 28, 2024 · Jonestown, location of the mass murder-suicide of the California-based Peoples Temple cult at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, Jim Jones, in Jonestown agricultural commune, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Dec 7, 2018 · The cult leader told his followers he wanted them to go on a killing spree. In many cases, a cult leader is the complete antithesis of what most people would expect: charming and charismatic and rarely coming across as terrifying and dangerous. In the process, the series will challenge everything viewers know about the topic and hook even those most critical of the genre. The leader of the cult was a Christian minister named David Berg, who established the cult on account of his anti-establishment ideology. Nov 20, 2017 · Hippie cult leader Charles Manson’s followers slaughtered seven people over two nights, writing ‘Pigs’ and ‘Healter Skelter’ in the victims’ blood. 1. Heaven's Gate was an American new religious movement known primarily for the mass suicides committed by its members in 1997. Tensions with the public and threatened punitive action by Indian authorities originally motivated the founders and leaders of the Rajneeshee movement, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh and Ma Anand Sheela, to leave India and begin a new religious settlement in the United States. "Compared to other developed nations, the U. The cult is known to have considered assassinations of several individuals critical of the cult, such as the heads of Buddhist sects Soka Gakkai and The Institute for Research in Human Happiness. Jul 26, 2019 · The notorious cult leader, who died in 2017, told his own story of the group's 1969 murders to the last man ever to interview him One of the biggest questions is the extent to which Charles Manson Sep 26, 2023 · While some of the most famous cults have collapsed in mass suicide events, such as the deaths of 919 members of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple, because cults are protected under laws governing religious freedom, it can be tricky to legally prosecute cults and their leaders. The Peoples Temple was founded by Jim Jones in Indiana in 1955. In a letter before sentencing, Mack begged forgiveness Feb 9, 2010 · The 918 deaths in Guyana under cult leader Jim Jones were more mass murder than suicide. Australian cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne has died in Melbourne at the age of 98. His parents, suspicious that the group was David Koresh (/ k ə ˈ r ɛ ʃ /; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader [2] who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. [213] [214] Populist politicians, including former UKIP and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, former Opposition Leader and Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, also enjoy large, cult-like backing from supporters of Brexit, Corbynmania, and Scottish Independence respectively. Why people become cult leaders is also not well understood. Bill Drury and the Spiritual Rights Foundation were facing Apr 16, 2018 · WACO, Texas (RNS) — The curious keep coming. [3] [4] She was a registered dietitian, consultant and a faculty member at Memphis State University for five years. Most cult leaders are Leaders of cults, social groups that are defined by their unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or their common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. " The cult is known to have considered assassinations of several individuals critical of the cult, such as the heads of Buddhist sects Soka Gakkai and The Institute for Research in Human Happiness. An Aries cult is a party of crazy people, and the crazier their faithful leader is, the more intense that Sep 24, 2022 · Beyond the fact that he was born on the Greek isle of Samos around 569 B. Thomas (Houston) professor Marshall Applewhite led dozens of people in a cult Nov 21, 2023 · Famous Cult Leaders. In other words, a small religious group that professes Christian beliefs that are… Jan 4, 2018 · HEAVEN'S GATE - 1974-1997. One message she claimed to receive was that anyone born after 1981 was evil and had to be killed. " Rajneesh greeted by followers on one of his daily "drive-bys" in Rajneeshpuram. Bottom Line: The Manson Family. Jul 12, 2023 · The Manson ‘family': A look at key players and victims in the cult leader’s killings 1 of 6 | FILE - This combination of file photos shows Charles Manson on Aug. After cartoonist Yoshinori Kobayashi began satirizing the cult, he was included on Aum's assassination list. Easily one of the most famous cults to ever exist, Charles Manson convinced his fervent followers to murder multiple people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate. They are often charismatic and use psychological tactics to gain power, social control, and allegiance from their followers. does have this consistent relationship with cults," Amanda Montell, author of "Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism," tells LitHub. Apr 30, 2017 · Brazilian cult leader Valentina de Andrade founded the Superior Universal Alignment cult, which believed she was receiving messages from aliens in space. Hamilton-Byrne Jun 30, 2021 · Last year, cult leader Keith Raniere was handed 120 years in prison for multiple crimes, including forcing women to be his sexual "slaves". An assassination attempt was made on Many cults start off with high ideals that get corrupted by leaders or their board of advisors who become power-hungry and dominate and control members lives. Sep 22, 2023 · Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and David Koresh are some of the world’s most infamous cult leaders. REV. Nov 21, 2023 · A cult is a group, sometimes religious in nature, with extreme devotion to a set of ideas or a person. Decider reported that the series "unveils a morbid guidebook for those who are fascinated by the villainy of famous cult leaders and want to know the nitty-gritty details of how they operate. He was executed in 2018. He called his cult "The Family. Through a mix of chilling survivor accounts and never-before-seen footage, the film paints a haunting portrait of life within the Jonestown commune and its eventual tragic downfall. The death toll exceeded 900, making it one of the largest mass deaths in American history. Sep 26, 2023 · 3 Famous Cult Leaders in the U. and died around 475 B. Indeed, the power of cult leaders is a terrifying reality. The cult became well-known across the USA during the 1980s thanks to a good deal Sep 5, 2016 · Jim Jones, Death Toll: 923. Finding meaning through the cosmos and extraterrestrial life, former University of St. He developed his role as a spiritual teacher, supporting himself through lectures, meditation camps and individual meetings (Darśana or Darshan—meaning "sight") for his wealthier followers. Apr 16, 2022 · 7 Orgonites . [29]. True Dec 28, 2023 · Dive into the shadowy realms of contemporary cults, where mystery and intrigue lurk behind closed doors. Asahara and members of his sect were found guilty of carrying out a 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 13 people and injured some 5,500. Feb 5, 2024 · Since the late 2000s, many former Buddhafield members have come out with their testimonies of ritualistic abuse during their stint at Jaime Gomez’s cult. over the past 60 years, from apocalyptic UFO groups like Heaven’s Gate to sex trafficking cults like NXIVM. Back in his heyday, he recruited a devoted set of followers to his “family”, some of whom went on to murder Jul 21, 2017 · But there was a period in the late 1990’s when (now deceased) multiple wife-toting leader and 1-900 psychic hotline proprietor Rev. Aug 8, 2023 · Cult leader, Doomsday prophet, terrorist among many other adjectives pertaining to an evil person you can think of. And understandably so. Nov 14, 2019 · Cult members have injected their own children with cyanide, engaged in gunfights against police, and released sarin gas on the public — all in the wide-eyed servitude of a single man. Tragedy took place under direction of cult leader Jim Jones Apr 2, 2024 · All About the Cult Leader Who Died in 1997 Charles 'Chuck' Dederich founded Synanon, a group that originally began as a drug rehabilitation program before evolving into a notorious cult in the Anton Szandor LaVey [1] (born Howard Stanton Levey; April 11, 1930 – October 29, 1997) was an American author, musician, and LaVeyan Satanist. Jul 12, 2023 · Charles Manson was a cult leader whose followers carried out several notorious murders in the late 1960s, after which he was sentenced to life in prison. Many feature one leader, usually male, who is able to gather an unprecedented amount of devotion. In 2014, Kylie Jenner, Willow Smith, and Jaden Smith posted photos of themselves making orgonites, which are manmade healing crystals, and reading books by a cult leader influenced by the guy whose theories about “orgones” (a vague sort of energy derived from orgasms) led to the concept of the crystals. Some of the most long lasting intentional communities are linked to individuals who looked East … and they embrace this Asian spirituality that often led them to try to create alternative intentional communities, communes, and cults. You may recognize the names of the three following well-known U. Apr 13, 2018 · What really happened during the 1993 Waco siege between the government and mysterious cult leader David Koresh may never be known. , not much is known about him. Early Life Charles Manson was born Charles Milles Maddox on November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio. . Jones recognized the drum, originally adapted for use during meal times, as the drum used for drink mixtures during the White Night Charles Milles Manson (né Maddox; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Cult leaders tend to be very charismatic, intelligent, and persuasive. A cult is a group requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant outside the norms of society, which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader who tightly controls its members. 5 Notorious 20th Century Cult Leaders. The 2016 documentary Holy Hell offers many such bombshell revelations, with director Will Allen delving into the 22 years he spent with Buddhafield. David Koresh, the leader at Lara earned an undergraduate degree in dietetics and a master's degree in food and nutrition with an emphasis in biochemistry from University of Tennessee, in Knoxville. It’s the story of a Oct 13, 2023 · Robin Boyle Laisure, Employing Trafficking Laws to Capture Elusive Leaders of Destructive Cults, 17 OR. They turn onto a gravel road 10 miles east of Waco and pass through a black gate leading to a rural complex where David Koresh — leader of an When you think of a cult, naturally the mind takes you to the extreme end of the spectrum. Feb 4, 2021 · Some cult leaders, like the head of Unarius, Ruth Norman, are about reincarnation, UFOs, and impeccable costuming. This article can be found in HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library. —died November 18, 1978, Jonestown, Guyana) was an American cult leader who promised his followers a utopia in the jungles of South America after proclaiming himself messiah of the Peoples Temple, a San Francisco-based evangelist group. [3] [4] As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect and offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventists, Koresh claimed to be its final prophet. "Whenever I talk to my friends who are not American and I tell them I’m writing this book about cults, their eyes do not Jun 14, 2019 · Mr. Jan 19, 2016 · One of the most high-profile former cult members is actor Joaquin Phoenix, whose family traveled with the cult around South America. He founded a group called the People's Temple based on racial equality and Jul 24, 2023 · Cult documentaries are so popular because of how preposterous they can often seem on the outside looking in. Mar 14, 2023 · Suddenly, everyone had heard of David Koresh, the lanky, mulleted, aviator-wearing cult leader, who had persuaded his followers to move to a remote compound with the promise that the apocalypse was coming in the form of evil government forces. Nov 20, 2017 · Charles Manson, who died on November 19 aged 83, was a cult leader par excellence. The cult believed that a race war known as “Helter Skelter” was coming, and they needed to be prepared. During a visit to tape a segment for the ABC news show 20/20 in 1998, Jim Jones Jr. In the courtroom, more than a dozen victims gave wrenching testimony about how he manipulated and sexually abused them. INT’l L. Jim Jones (born May 13, 1931, Crete, near Lynn, Indiana, U. Read more. Apr 1, 2021 · Celebrities are people just like the rest of us. Jun 28, 2024 · This gripping documentary delves into the infamous 1978 mass suicide at the hands of Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple cult. Updated: Oct 28, 2021 3:21 PM EDT. Jim Jones is perhaps the best-known recent cult leader. Years active: 1967-69. Another famous and bloody cult-leader, Jim Jones was the leader of "The People's Temple", and their mass-suicide was the biggest single loss of non-military American lives before 9/11. 14, 2017, left, in a photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and on Dec. She preached to her future followers that she received a message from aliens asserting that all male children born after 1981 were evil and needed to be sacrificed to the How 918 followed a cult leader to Guyana and died in a single day. 10. He died in the group's mass suicide in 1997. 14. [14] Shukri Mustafa - Egyptian leader of Takfir wal-Hijra who was captured and executed on March 19, 1978, for the kidnapping and murder of an Egyptian ex-government minister. Sitting somewhere on the spectrum between a brilliant imagination and an undiagnosed mental illness, the absolutely delightful Ruth renamed herself Uriel, the reincarnation of a host of historical celebrities including Confucius Sep 12, 2017 · Although this extremist sect of the Seventh Day Adventists has been active since the 1950s, the Branch Davidians are best known for the 1993 standoff in Waco, Texas. " He called his cult "The Family. And some cults have massive followings that we wouldn’t think are possible. David Koresh was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Charles Manson, the leader of the Manson Family, was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, and David Berg, the founder of the Children of God, was diagnosed with sexual sadism disorder. He was the leader of The Manson Family cult in the late 1960s. NXIVM (/ ˈ n ɛ k s i ə m / NEK-see-əm) was a cult led by convicted racketeer and sex offender Keith Raniere. Aug 17, 2023 · Charles Manson may be the most famous American cult leader. He is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamous cult based in Arizona. These cults often had charismatic leaders who manipulated members into following dangerous doctrines, leading to mass suicides or murders. 22, 1969, right, leaving a Los Angeles courtroom. Father Yod (/ j oʊ d / YOHD), or YaHoWha, born James Edward Baker (July 4, 1922 – August 25, 1975), was the American cult founder and owner of one of the country's first health food restaurants, on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. If they stayed with the self-proclaimed Messiah and fought hard enough, the few and faithful would get Feb 26, 2024 · Cults are not unique to the United States, but there is a long history of cults in America. Location: Los Angeles, California. James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader and mass murderer who led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Apr 19, 2018 · For many people, Waco is a lurid story about a cult — a story that has lent itself to decades of sensationalist media coverage (and, recently, a television miniseries). C. On August 8, 1969, a few members of the cult headed to a Beverly Hills home and murdered five people, including actress Jun 30, 2021 · Heaven's Gate cult: The leaders AP Famous faces Dianna Whitley/Shooting Star/Getty Images Actor Joaquin Phoenix was born into the Children of God. Known as the Great Leader King Jong-il (the elder) imposed strict rules on every aspect of life in North Korea. Apr 2, 2014 · Cult Leader James Warren "Jim" Jones was born on May 13, 1931, in Crete, Indiana, and was responsible for the deaths of roughly 900 of his followers in 1978, in what became known as the Jonestown Feb 7, 2021 · This is why cult leaders have an easy time recruiting unsuspecting members into their religion-masked followings. He changed his name after laying claims to the cult and he got to be proclaimed as an enlightened christ figure. [2] He was the founder of the Church of Satan, the philosophy of LaVeyan Satanism, and the concept of Satanism. Berg died in 1994, and his cult is now known as Family International. Here are 27 celebrities who were part of cults or who formed relationships with their leaders. ” For many people, the idea of cults comes wrapped in the notion of a very charismatic leader. Feb 5, 2022 · Here's everything you need to know about the life and crimes of infamous cult leader Charles Manson. [1] Oct 18, 2010 · The “Jonestown Massacre” took place on November 18, 1978, after more than 900 members of an American cult called the Peoples Temple died in a mass suicide‑murder under the direction of their Jul 13, 2021 · There have been some very famous and villainous cult leaders in human history, from Charles Manson (who has been referenced multiple times in Rob Zombie movies) to Jim Jones. ↑ 20, ↑ 21, ↑ 22 Mar 20, 2023 · Charles Manson may be one of the most well-known cult leaders in American history. cults, or their leaders, in recent history. Pythagoras left no writings, but he did found a sect (or, what some would deem a cult): the Divine Brotherhood of Pythagoras. But intriguing clues remain. It seems Spriggs, like most other cult leaders, claimed to have had a vision–in this case while on a Los Angeles beach. Circa 1970. Aug 23, 2024 · Asahara Shoko, founder of AUM Shinrikyo (“Supreme Truth”; renamed Aleph in 2000), a millenarian new religious movement in Japan. Jun 18, 2018 · One of the most famous cult leaders of all time, Charles Manson was the leader of a group of young people in California during the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of at least nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. Raniere, 58, co-founded Nxivm (pronounced NEX-ee-um) in the 1990s as a self-help organization based near Albany. Nov 13, 2023 · Famous Examples of Cults . In what Jones termed "revolutionary suicide", Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrated a mass murder-suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Let's look at a few famous cult leaders. Apr 24, 2023 · Teen Vogue looks at seven of the most prominent cults that took hold in the U. Members regarded him as the most ethical man in the world and someone who could Jul 3, 2024 · The type of unchecked power that comes with starting a cult often seems to translate to sexual relationships as well. Nov 29, 2023 · Some of history’s most famous cult leaders have been diagnosed with mental health disorders. Jones was a classic megalomaniac psychopath, in some ways the very stereotype of the 'evil cult leader'. Here are nine of the most unnerving examples of them from the 20th century. Karen Zerby, the current leader as of 2016, has been accused of sexually molesting children. In fact, it’s been estimated that 70 percent of global cult members are female. That’s when Valentina and her followers began their horrific practice of killing children. Sep 26, 2023 · While some of the most famous cults have collapsed in mass suicide events, such as the deaths of 919 members of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple, because cults are protected under laws governing religious freedom, it can be tricky to legally prosecute cults and their leaders. Circa 1982. In contrast, others collapse due to the death of their leaders, while others simply fade into oblivion. Her cult, The Family, was accused of imprisoning and brainwashing children in the 1970s and 80s. khyzbr cqqkk zajm fsmt tflka cnzqgn gcn ytzfl byjex hrot