Download or read book Infamous Cults written by Daniela Airlie and published by Daniela Airlie. This book was released on 2023-10-15 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Come with me and learn about the world’s most ill-famed and chilling cults, their leaders, and their followers. The strange and sinister stories of lesser-known cults will have you asking what triggers the cult followers’ unwavering loyalty to their often cruel leaders. You may know the story of the Manson Family, whose followers committed senseless acts of violence (including the tragic murder of actress Sharon Tate). But, many cult crimes occurred before and after Charles Manson and his followers hit newspaper headlines, and Infamous Cults covers them. I’ll tell the story of a horrific spate of gruesome ritualistic killings that occurred in Matamoros, a Mexican border town, in the mid-80s. These macabre murders were carried out by a cult called Narcosatanicos, a drug smuggling gang who believed their ceremonial sacrifices would make them untouchable. It’s a genuinely gory saga that has inspired horror films based on the story. You’ll learn about the story of a cult leader from Nebraska who encouraged down-on-their-luck farmers to join his commune. Little did his followers know just how sadistic their leader was. Then there’s the story of The Ant Hill Kids, a cult founded on preparing for the world’s end. The leader, a power-hungry man fueled by violence and a need for control, would drag his followers into a hellish nightmare. How many would make it out alive? This anthology of six selected biographies of cult leaders and their followers offers a shocking insight into the madness, manipulation, and murder surrounding them. I also ponder the answer to the question, why do people join cults?
Download or read book Cults written by Nigel Cawthorne and published by Quercus Publishing. This book was released on 2019-08-08 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inside story of the world's most notorious cults. The strange and sinister world of cults is a source of endless fascination. Their secrets, rituals and shadowy hierarchies make for some of the most disturbing and shocking revelations in history. Most chilling of all is the fact that many of their followers forfeit all independence in order to carry out the often sadistic bidding of a mysterious master manipulator - and continue to defend their leader to this day. From Charles Manson, who instructed his followers to murder seven people, including a heavily pregnant Sharon Tate, to Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult that carried out deadly terror attacks, and the People's Temple, these cults and their leaders transfix us with their extreme ability to commit savage acts of cruelty and depravity in the name of a self-appointed higher power. Many shocking and international cults are brought to life, including: - The Manson Family - People's Temple - Colonia Dignidad - Thuggees - Aum Shinrikyo - Skopsty - Raëlism - Heaven's Gate
Download or read book Cults written by Max Cutler and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-07-12 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for any true crime fan. Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it’s this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it’s that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics—the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast’s work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning—from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing. Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast’s founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.
Download or read book The World s Most Infamous Cults of All Time written by Conrad Bauer and published by . This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the most infamous cults throughout history and how they left their mark on our World. Since the beginning of recorded history, there have been cults-shadowy organizations led by figures who rose up to teach beliefs that went against the mainstream and then, through sheer charisma and power of personality, managed to accumulate a group of fanatic followers. From ancient acolytes of syncretic religious systems such as Manichæism to more recent cults such as the People's Temple and Heaven's Gate, people have lived and died for belief systems that most of us view as being flawed-if not downright dangerous, deadly, and diabolical. How do these cults get such dedicated disciples? How are they so tightly organized and controlled? Just what is it that makes a cult-a cult? Come along with us as we answer these questions and many more. Get ready to be mesmerized, stupefied, and bewildered, folks, because here in this book we will take a look at some of the world's most infamous cults. Scroll back up and order your copy today!
Download or read book Cults Coercion and Control written by Jamie King and published by Summersdale. This book was released on 2024-03-14 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Belief system or brainwashing? Captivated or captive? Community or cult? Uncover stories of the world's most infamous cults in this true crime compendium... Filled with stories of notorious cults, this book details their origins, beliefs, leaders, followers and victims, and uncovers the unthinkable horrors hidden by these "utopian" societies.
Download or read book World Famous Cults and Fanatics written by Colin Wilson and published by Magpie. This book was released on 2011-08-18 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dangerous madmen or divinely inspired prophets? From murdering religious sects like the Assassins and the Thugs, to the orgies of the little known Khlysty and the self-mutilations of the Skloptzi; including modern day killers like the vicious Manson Family and the violent racism of the Ku Klux Klan - this book shows how cults and fanatics had such a powerful effect on the world.
Download or read book Cults written by Nigel Cawthorne and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inside story of 50 0f the world's most notorious cults, including The Manson Family, Heaven's Gate and The People's Temple The strange and sinister world of cults is a source of endless fascination. Their secrets, rituals and shadowy hierarchies make for some of the most disturbing and shocking revelations in history. Most chilling of all is the fact that many of their followers forfeit all independence in order to carry out the often sadistic bidding of a mysterious master manipulator - and continue to defend their leader to this day. From Charles Manson, who instructed his followers to murder seven people, including a heavily pregnant Sharon Tate, to Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult that carried out deadly terror attacks, these cults and their leaders transfix us with their extreme ability to commit savage acts of cruelty and depravity in the name of a self-appointed higher power. 50 shocking and international cults are brought to life, including: -The Manson Family -People's Temple -Colonia Dignidad -Thuggees -Aum Shinrikyo -Skopsty -Raelism -Heaven's Gate.
Download or read book Cults written by Max Cutler and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-07-12 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Gallery Book. Gallery Books has a great book for every reader.
Download or read book Hollywood Park written by Mikel Jollett and published by Celadon Books. This book was released on 2020-05-26 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** “A Gen-X This Boy’s Life...Music and his fierce brilliance boost Jollett; a visceral urge to leave his background behind propels him to excel... In the end, Jollett shakes off the past to become the captain of his own soul. Hollywood Park is a triumph." —O, The Oprah Magazine "This moving and profound memoir is for anyone who loves a good redemption story." —Good Morning America, 20 Books We're Excited for in 2020 "Several years ago, Jollett began writing Hollywood Park, the gripping and brutally honest memoir of his life. Published in the middle of the pandemic, it has gone on to become one of the summer’s most celebrated books and a New York Times best seller..." –Los Angeles Magazine HOLLYWOOD PARK is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer. We were never young. We were just too afraid of ourselves. No one told us who we were or what we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us in the air while we screamed. Then they’d disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion. ... So begins Hollywood Park, Mikel Jollett’s remarkable memoir. His story opens in an experimental commune in California, which later morphed into the Church of Synanon, one of the country’s most infamous and dangerous cults. Per the leader’s mandate, all children, including Jollett and his older brother, were separated from their parents when they were six months old, and handed over to the cult’s “School.” After spending years in what was essentially an orphanage, Mikel escaped the cult one morning with his mother and older brother. But in many ways, life outside Synanon was even harder and more erratic. In his raw, poetic and powerful voice, Jollett portrays a childhood filled with abject poverty, trauma, emotional abuse, delinquency and the lure of drugs and alcohol. Raised by a clinically depressed mother, tormented by his angry older brother, subjected to the unpredictability of troubled step-fathers and longing for contact with his father, a former heroin addict and ex-con, Jollett slowly, often painfully, builds a life that leads him to Stanford University and, eventually, to finding his voice as a writer and musician. Hollywood Park is told at first through the limited perspective of a child, and then broadens as Jollett begins to understand the world around him. Although Mikel Jollett’s story is filled with heartbreak, it is ultimately an unforgettable portrayal of love at its fiercest and most loyal.
Download or read book Cultish written by Amanda Montell and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power. What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . . Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day. Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.
Download or read book Into the Light Into the Dark written by Nathan Jolly and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-20 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A captivating collection of true crime tales, chilling cold cases, and interviews with members of some of the world's most infamous cults.
Download or read book Dangerous Cults In History written by L G Lazarus and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2023-04-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout history, individuals have sometimes found themselves joining destructive cults, in which a powerful leader is often held up as being divinely inspired. It's estimated that tens of thousands of people may be involved in cults of various sorts today, many of which lead to terrible suffering and tragedy. Let's take a look at some of the most dangerous cults in history. The Branch Davidians, led by the charismatic David Koresh, is probably one of the most famous cults of all time. This group was based out of Waco, Texas, and had several thousand members across the United States and other countries. The cult began to attract attention from the public and authorities when reports of child abuse and animal cruelty began to surface. The group stockpiled weapons and fortified their compound, which led to a 51-day standoff with the U.S. federal government which eventually ended in the deaths of Koresh and 80 of his followers. The People's Temple, led by Jim Jones, is another infamous cult. Jones began his ministry in Indianapolis, Indiana, and eventually relocated the church to a compound in Guyana, where it grew to over 1,000 members. In 1978, Jones orchestrated a mass suicide of more than 900 followers, leading to one of the greatest tragedies in cult history. Other dangerous cults include Aum Shinrikyo, based in Japan, which became notorious for its deadly gas attacks against innocent civilians. The Manson Family was another infamous cult, led by the charismatic Charles Manson. Though the group was eventually disbanded, Manson and his followers caused a lot of terror and chaos and led to the murder of several people. There have been countless other destructive cults over the centuries, and many of them have ended in tragedy or suffering for their members. Thankfully, through education and knowledge, we can help better protect people from becoming involved in these cults and help them see the truth behind the lies.
Download or read book The Family written by Chris Johnston and published by Scribe Publications. This book was released on 2016-11-24 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The apocalyptic group The Family and their guru, Anne Hamilton-Byrne — one of very few female cult leaders in history — captured international headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Hamilton-Byrne, who some followers believed was Jesus Christ, was glamorous and charismatic — and, many allege, very dangerous. From her base in a quiet suburb, she recruited wealthy professionals to join her cult, including doctors, lawyers, nurses, architects, and scientists. She acquired children and raised them as her own, bleaching their hair blonde to make them look like siblings, and her group became surrounded by rumours of LSD use, child abuse, and strange spiritual rituals. In 1987, police swooped on The Family’s lakeside compound and rescued children who claimed they were part of Anne’s future master race. The children recounted terrible stories of near starvation, emotional manipulation, and physical abuse. But Anne could not be found, sparking an international police hunt that involved Scotland Yard, Interpol, and the FBI. Could they bring Anne to justice? Today, the elderly Anne has an estate estimated to be worth millions, with only one minor criminal conviction to her name. Her few remaining followers attend her nursing-home bedside. How did such a notorious group come to flourish? How did Anne maintain a hold over her followers? And why was she never fully brought to justice? Drawing on revelatory new research, including interviews with survivors, The Family tells for the first time in full the strange and shocking story of one of the most bizarre cults in modern history.
Download or read book Unsafe Sects written by Roger E. Olson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-08-29 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For some decades American (and other) culture has been obsessed with cults. But what does "cult" mean? How should a religious group be identified as a cult? Who joins cults and why? These and other questions are answered in this book. It provides a basic introduction to cults, "unsafe sects," especially from an orthodox Christian perspective. Here readers will also find accounts of the author's personal experiences of cults.
Download or read book Rebel written by Faith Morgan and published by Hodder & Stoughton. This book was released on 2021-06-17 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A rare, highly detailed insider account of a "family" designed to be shut off from the world. And of Morgan, a ferocious young girl who railed hard against it.' Sunday Times 'This is an unflinching and courageous memoir, exposing one of the world's most infamous cults. It's an inspiring, if at times upsetting, read.' Daily Express My name is Faith Morgan and I was born into the infamous Children of God cult, or 'The Family' as it came to be known. At age 19 I managed to escape and entered a world in which I had to learn how to live again. Rebel is my story. My teenage diary helps piece the story of my travels in Costa Rica, India, Greece, Mexico, and London together. Of the communes, the 'missions', the friendships and the relationships. And of course, my enduring faith: in Jesus, in the Prophet (cult leader David Berg), and in the inevitability of the coming end times, which I fully believed would arrive. But beyond the brainwashing and mistreatment is the extraordinary story of my family and the adventures of my early life which help me understand what happened and why, so it doesn't happen to others. The spirit of that defiant girl who escaped is still in there somewhere, and through telling my story I wish to look into the eyes of 'evil', with its many faces so I can send it on its way.
Download or read book Deadly Cults written by Robert L. Snow and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2003-11-30 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does a Vampire Cult differ from a Satanic Cult? How do seemingly normal or ordinary citizens suddenly find themselves committed to a group whose leader promotes criminal activities and isolation from families and friends? What should you do if a loved one becomes indoctrinated by a potentially dangerous cult? This book focuses on various cults and their often criminal belief systems. Most readers are shocked by stories of mass suicides and ritualized cult killings, but few understand how such crimes come to be committed. Snow, a seasoned police officer with experience working on cult crimes, examines those cults that commit offenses from murder and fraud to kidnapping and sexual assault. By providing specific accounts of dangerous cults and their destructive acts, Snow illustrates how seemingly innocent groups can turn pernicious when under the sway of a charismatic leader with an agenda, or when members take things too far. He offers advice on how to avoid falling victim to cult indoctrination, concluding with chapters on how to identify cults, how to protect yourself and your family, and what to do if a loved one is ensnared by such a group.
Download or read book Surviving Centrepoint written by Rachel C. King and published by Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited. This book was released on 2021-06-04 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortly before I turned 13, my life changed forever when my family moved to the notorious Centrepoint Community on Auckland's North Shore, then at its peak. Centrepoint was founded by Bert Potter, its 'spiritual leader'. He called himself God. During my four years there I was pressured into inappropriate and often frightening situations by many of its adult members. Like so many others, I have lived with the trauma and shame of these memories, but I have survived. This is my story. In this intimate and harrowing account, Rachel C. King tells her story of the years she spent in New Zealand’s notorious commune, Centrepoint, and life there under the rule of its cult leader and founder Bert Potter. Through the eyes of her young self, Rachel exposes the truth of life at Centrepoint — a hippie dream turned nightmare — with its bizarre rules, hierarchies and social controls. It was a place where children were given drugs, where free sexuality was mandated, including between adults and children, and where to resist was actively discouraged. She describes the fear and confusion of growing up in a corrupt world where wrong was right, and the grief of losing her childhood. She takes us inside the police case and court battle against one of her abusers, and the historic action that ultimately saw Potter and others charged with drug and child sex abuse crimes, and Centrepoint shut down. Surviving Centrepoint was first published under the pseudonym Ella James. Now, using her real name for the first time, Rachel shares her journey from physical hurt and emotional pain to the reality of survival and the healing power of telling the truth.
