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10 Most Infamous Cults in the World

The bizarre world of cults is nothing new if you care to watch your TV or just browse through the net. The unbelievable stories depicted on Netflix documentaries and shows, among other outlets are just an illustration of how bad they can get. While defining what a cult is could be difficult, most cults are characterized by distinct beliefs that are outside mainstream ideals or religions. Common characteristics include group living, brainwashing, abandonment of one’s family or friends, and extreme sexual practices among others.

 Most often have charismatic leaders that claim supernatural power or insight, and strict allegiance to their teachings. When a self-proclaimed messiah orders his congregants to commit suicide to move to some other level or sell off their property because some UFOs are coming, you know Karl Max was onto something when he cited religion as the opium of the masses. There have been numerous cults that have left the world shocked, and here are 10 of the most infamous to date.

1. The People’s Temple

Rev. Jim Jones (1977) by Nancy Wong-

The Jonestown Massacre is undoubtedly one of the most internationally infamous deaths as a result of cultic beliefs. Jim Jones, the man who orchestrated it all, was a charismatic preacher who founded the People’s Temple in Indianapolis. This was in the 1950s, and he drew a large following for his teachings on inclusivity and racial equality.

He also promoted socialist ideals and was interested in the likes of Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Vladimir Lenin. The establishment of the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project in Guyana began in the early 1970s, and Jones described it as a ‘socialist paradise.’ Hundreds of his followers relocated there in the hope of a utopian ideal, but this was short-lived.

 Subjection to intense labor with limited breaks, mind control, behavior modification practices, short supply of food, and torturous punishments for defiant followers among other problematic allegations soon made life difficult at the commune. Children were only allowed to see their biological parents at night and Jones was to be referred to as ‘father’ by both adults and children.

See also; 20 of the Most Famous US Pastors.

Following the pressure from former members and worried family members of the followers, then U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan took a flight to the commune to find out what was going on there. As fate would have it, Jones’ security men killed Leo and several other members who had joined him in a bid to escape. Later that same day (November 18, 1978), Jones made his followers drink a fruit juice filled with cyanide, killing more than 900! These included 276 children. Jones was found dead, on the same day, with a gunshot wound to his head.

2. Children of God

David Berg is the man behind the establishment of one of the most outrageous cults in California. The majority of his congregation was young people, who were easily enticed by his free-loving, anti-establishment ideals. They quit their jobs and lived communally in Berg’s house. This was in the 1960s, and by the early 1970s, the movement had more than 4,000 members and several international centers. One of Berg’s controversial attitudes was his encouragement of open sexual relationships.

The group was also accused of child sex abuse. ‘Flirty fishing’ was the use of sex by his young female followers to attract new members. It’s no surprise that by the late 1980s, sexually transmitted diseases spread like wildfire within the group, and the practices were formally discouraged. The group is still active albeit with a smaller membership, even after Berg died in 1994. It’s now known as The Family International.

Read also; Top 30 Facts about Christianity. 

3. Heaven’s Gate

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The 1970s cult had held several names including ‘Human Individual Metamorphosis’ and ‘Total Overcomers Anonymous’ before settling for ‘Heaven’s Gate’. It was a small group, and its two main leaders, Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles claimed that they were the two witnesses cited in Chapter 11 of Revelation in the Bible. Their preaching was centered on apocalyptic prophecies and a call to perfection to attain salvation.

The said salvation was to come in the form of a spaceship. Members gave up their possessions, family, friends, and sex, and sought to detach themselves from emotion. They lived as a group in seclusion. In 1997, scientists predicted that the Hale-Bopp comet was approaching Earth and the cult blew this out of proportion. A rumor that some UFO was following the comet only reinforced their belief that their salvation was imminent, and this was it. 39 members would later be found dead from an apparent suicide in March 1997.

5. Angel’s landing

When a man convinces hundreds that he’s an angel and goes on to sexually exploit their young daughters ‘to remain alive’, you’ve got to wonder how insane cults can get. This was brainwashing at its best, and Lou Castro (also known as Daniel Perez), executed it like a pro. He convinced his followers that he was a ‘centuries-old angel’, and could see the future.

His commune operations were mainly based in Wichita, Kansas. The lavish lifestyle started to draw attention when a cycle of ‘accidental’ deaths was noted in the commune. After a series of investigations, it turned out that the suspicious deaths had been murders of members, resulting in heavy insurance payments to Castro’s accounts. Castro was finally arrested in 2010 and charged with first-degree murder, rape, sodomy, and sexual exploitation of children, among other charges.

5. NXIVM

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It’s pronounced ‘nexium’ and is one of the most infamous ‘sex cults’ led by Keith Raniere. Allison Mack, a Hollywood actress known for her roles as Chloe Sullivan in the series ‘Smallville’, was one of his deputies. The organization branded itself as a marketing company, selling personal development seminars. Young women were recruited to what they were made to believe was a self-help group. This was later exposed as the DOS secret society within NXIVM.

There, they were sexually and emotionally abused and trafficked as sex slaves. One of the bizarre practices was the permanent branding of the women’s pelvic area with Raniere’s initials. The group had a master/slave setup, with newer recruits being regarded as slaves. Blackmail was often used to restrain subjects from escaping or exposing the practices. Raniere was arrested in March 2018 and charged with sex trafficking, while Mack was arrested on April 20, 2018, for similar charges. Raniere was convicted on June 19, 2019, of all counts. Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering on April 8, 2019.

6. Order of the Solar Temple

Founded in 1984 by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret, this is one of the most bizarre ones yet. The two established it in Geneva, and with time managed to recruit a good handful of followers. Jouret was the self-proclaimed messiah, and he also claimed to be a reincarnation of one member of the Medieval Knights Templar. Di Mambro would later be exposed for ordering the killing of a baby whom he thought to be the anti-Christ!

Read also; 20 Most Chilling Child Murders to Date.

The two leaders claimed that the world would come to an end in the mid-1990s, and the cult was essentially a ‘doomsday cult’. Some members later left after realizing that it was a hoax, but many believed that indeed the end of the world was imminent. In 1994, the leaders believed that it was time, and members were asked to get ready to transition to a new world. How? You guessed it right. By suicide. 53 members committed suicide while others were murdered between October 4 and 5, 1994.

7. Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God

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The Uganda-based cult is one of the most infamous for the outrageous execution of the leaders’ ‘prophecies’. It was founded by four ex-Roman Catholic priests and two ex-nuns, who claimed that the Roman Catholic Church had neglected the Ten Commandments. The doomsday cult held that the apocalypse would occur on December 31, 1999. The leaders had predicted the date and urged followers to sell off their possessions.

They did, of course, but to their dismay, the prophecy didn’t materialize. The leaders then changed their prediction to March 17, 2000. Interestingly, the followers held on to the belief, and on March 16, they held a feast in anticipation of their transit to heaven. On March 17, an explosion at the church claimed hundreds of lives, but mass suicide was ruled out after the discovery of more bodies in other locations. The leaders were held to have murdered their members after yet another botched prophecy. They could not be traced.

8. Church of the Lamb of God

It’s no farfetched theory to hold that its foundation was borne out of a disagreement between brothers. Ervil LeBaron had been second in command at his brother’s church before he began preaching against him in the late 1960s. Ervil advocated for the blood atonement practice, which essentially required that the sinner’s blood is shed for their cleansing. Simply put the death penalty for whatever was deemed a sin in the congregation. His brother was against it.

Additionally, differences over the use of the commune land further deepened the divide. Ervil soon began to accuse his brother of acts against their faith, and proclaimed he was the true successor of their father. He then founded the Church of the Lamb of God in Chihuahua, Mexico. Ervil re-instituted blood atonement, and within a span of two decades, he had instructed his followers to murder over 20 people. In 1972, he had his brother killed. He was eventually arrested in 1979 and charged with murder.

9. Rajneeshpuram

Constructed by Sannyasins and dedicated to their Master BHAGWAN SHREE RAJNEESH. Photo by TedQuackenbush.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was a controversial yet influential Indian guru who moved to the U.S. in 1981. He established a commune in Wasco County, Oregon. He is best known for his promotion of sex, and an insatiable love for earthly pleasures. It’s often claimed he owned 89 Rolls Royce! That could be an exaggeration, however. By 1985, he had gained more than 2,500 followers.

He however faced numerous tensions and legal battles with the locals especially over land. The group became infamously known for orchestrating the first bioterrorist attack in the country’s history, in 1984. Ten restaurants were contaminated with Salmonella, in Dalles town, infecting about 750 people. Terror of a biochemical attack froze the town for a while. The motive is often cited to have been an attempt to incapacitate voters and influence the 1984 Wasco County elections. Rajneesh was soon deported for immigration fraud.

10. Branch Davidians

If you’ve watched the miniseries ‘Waco’ (2018), then you probably know a good deal about the infamous Branch Davidians sect. The group came into the spotlight after the 51-day 1993 standoff with the FBI in Waco, Texas. The standoff ended in a fatal fire that claimed more than 80 lives, and effectively terminated the sect’s existence.

David Koresh, the faction’s renowned leader, had been expelled from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church after a disagreement with the pastor. He joined the Branch Davidians and became good friends with then-leader Lois Roden. She named him as her successor, and as fate would have it, Koresh would later take the reins and introduce his controversial teachings. For one, he claimed all women in the congregation were his spiritual wives. These included married women and underage girls.

He became a self-proclaimed messiah and held that the apocalypse was coming. The church center was located at Mount Carmel. Koresh was suspected of child sexual abuse, but the members overlooked it in the guise of religious practice.

Koresh also started accumulating firearms and this is finally what caught the attention of the FBI, who raided the center in February 1993. The center was battered with tear gas in a standoff that lasted 51 days, and a fire broke out, killing Koresh and more than 80 members. The cause of the fire is still debated.

See also; The Lake Waco Murders: 10 Chilling Facts about Them.

Cults, bizarre or not, continue to intrigue most of us for their mysterious and often unbelievable practices. Many have endeavored to study their complexity and ability to distort reality for their unsuspecting victims. The saddest part is, many continue to fall prey, and this list is merely the tip of the iceberg.