Aggressive Christianity was founded in 1981 as Free Love Ministries by Jim and Lila Green. Ah, Salem. So its not a small group, with both male and female followers. Cults differ from traditional religions as they tend to be closed off . The group departed for Lake Tahoe and was never heard from again. Throughout a network of affiliated organizations the Universal Service Corporation, the International Institute of Universal Research, and the International Legion of Vigilantes the leaders of Mankind United received $97,500 in 1930 from the sale of Arthur Bells revelation. On state occasions, she always appeared in the costume of an admiral of the fleet while the lay members of her entourage wore natty nautical uniforms. Then DeFreeze and his followers formed the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), which focused on ending racism, monogamy, the prison system, and capitalist institutions. Above: a Hobbit hut at the sanctuary. Marcus Delon Wesson (born August 22, 1946) is an American criminal convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder and 14 sex crimes, including the rape and molestation of his underage daughters. Six middle-class men found the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee. Some were relatively harmless, such as the notion that there was no hell and all humans would eventually be saved by Jesus Christ. At age 21, Rajneesh claimed to be spiritually enlightened. There are villains in both cults: hidden rulers, destructive forces, static elements that must be blasted into eternity. He married several of his daughters and nieces in home ceremonies, forcing each girl to read wedding vows with her hand on the Bible in the bedroom. He also claimed that a socialist Egyptian leader would become world dictator in 1986, that Armageddon would be fought in the late 1980s, and that Jesus would return in 1993. A keyword in the affirmations, chants, and adorations is blasted by the dynamic energy of Saint Germains purple light and the, atomic accelerator. A talented appropriator, Ballard had lifted ideas at random from a dozen sources in putting this strange creed together. Hupa Female Shaman As chiefs led in the political sphere of traditional native California life, shamans led in the sphere in which spiritual and physical health intertwined. California is known for its unusually large number of cults and dodgy religious movements. On the lovely 500-acre Point Loma tract soon appeared a School of Antiquity, a Theosophical University, a Greek theater, Rja Yoga College, and the Iris Temple of Art, Music, and Drama. Ive been documenting their headquarters and places of worship. While most residents of Hollywood have never heard of the place, Krotona left a definite cultural imprint on Southern California. Accessed March 1, 2023. The Source Family began to suffer negative social pressure following the Manson Family murders. Steve discovers the property has a connection with two cults, including one of the most famous cult leaders in American history. Pensions of $250 a month will be paid all who have worked 11,000 hours or have reached the age of sixty. 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. 1. These characteristics are crucial. From changing the milk-bottles of the newest baby to laying the last shingle on a bungalow, wrote one observer, her desire equals a Czars edict.. After settling down in a safe house in Concord, their culture was characterized by political indoctrination, military drills, and free sex. The Fourth Way states that most human beings are spiritually asleep and can only regain true consciousness through a process of self-remembering and refraining from expressing negative emotions. It described the plan of the hidden rulers as 40,000 principalities, one billion slaves, and death for all of the worlds educated and religious peoples. The following year, the SLA famously kidnapped Patty Hearst, who soon joined the group. As indicated, it is hard to cover the most famous leaders in just one article. The Isis Oasis sanctuary in Geyserville, California, is home to a group thats been around since the 70s and worships the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. Claiming to be omnipotent, Hell told a California legislative committee that, if he wished, he could go into a trance and be whisked off to the far corners of the earth. However, Jones wasnt satisfied and ordered the other Temple members to assassinate the group. A couple of attacks were carried out, but not all of them ended up in murders. Jeffery Dahmer committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. The radio station eventually stopped the broadcast as the content became more disturbing. .] After a failed career as a musician, Manson began amassing disciples that followed him to a ranch in the San Fernando Valley. Charles Manson Charles Manson was an American cult leader whose followers carried out several notorious murders in the late 1960s, resulting in his life imprisonment. Steve and Amy travel to Chatsworth, California, to help a terrified woman who believes her house is trying to kill her. One story states that the youngest members of the cult learned to have sex, which was deemed Gods way of expressing his love. Because of his emphasis on spiritual experience and moving away from any god, Rajneesh would deem himself a guru and practice meditation. Although Bonnie Nettles a.k.a. Another weird psychic cult in the area is the Spiritual Rights Foundation, founded by William Baldwin (aka Reverend Bill). While we've heard of the Manson Family, the beliefs they had were pretty crazy. When the person who was transmitted dharma by that disciple died, that persons body emitted light. One reporter from SFGate reported that he went to the Berkeley Psychic Institute for an aura healing and ended up with a male healing session in which he was asked nonchalantly if he wanted his balls drained. Ti passed away a decade before . After abandoning the restaurant in 1974, Baker toured the world with a group of followers in an unsuccessful bid to find a new home for the group. Some identify him with the rising number of tulkus (living Buddhas), who are granted certification for their enlightenment by bribing religious officials. It is not by chance, therefore, that the I AM cult has Hitlerian overtones, with such auxiliary organizations as the Minute Men of Saint Germain and the Daughters of Light.By the time an I AM audience repeats a chant the fourth time, the members are shouting with all the frenzy of a mob of Nazis yelling, Sieg Heil!. Even the older-type churches have been adopting measures unsanctioned in other parts of the country for a more effective hold upon their people.. James Warren Jones was an American religious leader whose name has now become synonymous with the phrase "Don't drink the Kool-Aid.". Escaped convict Donald DeFreeze (aka General Field Marshall Cinque Mtume) led this political cult of Berkeley radicals that was inspired by communist and South American revolutionary theory. Attracting thousands of visitors to the region, some of whom purchased real estate, the colony soon ceased to be regarded as heretical. Adherents are put through long hours of clairvoyant training, where they are encouraged to obey orders and not ask questions. Some countries have it listed as a legitimate religion while others recognize the group as one of the craziest cults around. The group refers to its dwellings as barracks and uses military uniforms and ranks for members. Niscience was founded in the 1950s and mixes aspects of Christianity with eastern religions. Below: the gate at the Aetherius Society. Bernstein treats former cult members, like those who were in NXIVM and Scientology. Bergs theology and style were largely derived from apocalyptic Adventist preaching tradition, influenced by his grandfathers involvement in the separatist Disciples of Christ church. A lengthy standoff would follow, which resulted in the burning of the compound. The first leader was David Koresh, who was the prophet of the Branch Davidians. He gave each girl a marital necklace and gold band. The cult of Rajneesh is known as Rajneeshpuram, a wildly creative community with thousands of cult members. Karen Zerby, the current leader as of 2016, has been accused of sexually molesting children. Between 1934 and 1941, more than 14,000 Californians joined the cult, most of whom were either elderly persons or individuals who had suffered severe economic losses.. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. Former members claim that Jones obliged any member to bring their whole family if they join the cult, hence the number of young children. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order The cult that he founded was called The Reformed New Testament Church of the Faith of Jesus Christ and was pretty largely made up of native Californians. He once prepared a map of the world entitled William Moneys Discovery of the Ocean. On this map San Francisco a community that he detested was shown poised on a portion of the earth that he predicted would soon collapse, precipitating the city into the fiery regions. According to a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC: From 1984 onward, Yi and his accomplices committed fraud by means of deception, causing losses of CNY 60.8 million ($7.32 million).. Originally the New Thought movement was centered in New England; in fact, it was called the Boston craze. Each article originally printed in this magazine is available here, complete and unedited from the historical print. The first murder conducted is nowadays known as the Hinman murder. It seems like just a random house in a wealthy neighborhood was picked. In Los Angeles, I have attended the services of the Agabeg Occult Church, where the woman pastor who presided had violet hair (to match her name) and green-painted eyelids (to emphasize their mystical insight); of the Great White Brotherhood, whose yellow-robed followers celebrate the full moon of May with a special ritual; of the Ancient Mystical Order of Melchizedek; of the Temple of the Jewelled Cross; of Sanford Church, food scientist, psychologist, and health lecturer; of the Bahai World Faith Center; of the Crusade of the New Civilization; of the Self-Realization Fellowship of America, which proposes to construct a Golden Lotus Yoga Dream Hermitage near Encinitas at a cost of $400,000. Indeed, the power of cult leaders is a terrifying reality. 3. The police also turned their attention to the discovery of the body of 16-year-old Willa Rhodes. The Diamond, in Chicago. ), One of the sources that Ballard used was a series of articles which William Dudley Pelley had published in 1929, entitled Seven Minutes in Eternity, written while Pelley was a resident of Sierra Madre, near Pasadena. December 24th, 1865: The Ku Klux Klan. It is the home of Edgar Holloway, the Man from Lcmuria, who claims to have flown to Ojai some years ago in a great flying fish. In 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult killed themselves in San Diego, California, with the goal of catching up to a UFO following the comet Hale-Bopp. A professional medium, his wife had edited a spiritualist magazine. Eventually, Blackburn was convicted of eight counts of grand theft but later released on $10,000 bail. Berg died at the age of 75, but his legacy is still felt. This initiated the downfall of the cult with several people being convicted for crimes while their leader Rajneesh was deported. Some victims were stabbed up to 50 times, leaving everyone in the house dead, including Tates unborn baby. On Blackburns orders, her body was placed in a bathtub with ice, salt, and spices with a promise that the girl would be resurrected in 1,260 days. The Cult. The Manson Family: Followers George Brich/AP Manson's followers were mostly young women. Nicknamed "The Butcher of Rostov," Andrei Chikatilo was convicted of the murder of 53 women and children in Russia between 1978 and 1990. Shoko. However, the most famous murder might be the murder of actress Sharon Tate and her three guests. One of the first known hate groups, this cult was (and still is) focused on the advancement of the white race as a whole. In the fire, no officers were hurt, but 80 members (including David Koresh) himself died. Outside of a preference for San Francisco, it seems like leaders of a cult might also be identified by screening everyone named David. The center existed from 2014 to 2017 but was forced to close as the result of rising rent. By 1968 he had become the leader of what is now known as the Manson Family. He opened a sandal shop, followed by two health food restaurants. Read on to find out about some of the most notorious, infamous cults in history. Stepping from the train, she walked out of the station on a carpet of roses. One of the reasons that the cult is so notorious is because of its sexual practices. Joness followers set up an agricultural commune in 1977 and named it after their leader: Jonestown. We were concerned that many could be misled into thinking the only solution would be to go to Green and they would build up a Jim Jonestype emotional dependence on him. (The more nefarious side of fringe spiritual belief is also becoming increasingly mainstream, as seen in the rise of QAnon.). Leaders of the orthodox faiths have repeatedly complained, with the exception of the Catholic Church, that established church practices and procedures have undergone various mutations in Southern California. The group began as an organization that brought white Berkeley students to lecture inmates on political science, black sociology, and African heritage. The Blackburn cult (aka the Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven) based its theology on a single line from Revelation: And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.. Many have criticized both organizations as cults. From Boston it moved to Hartford, then to New York, and finally spread to Chieago, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Jones, and the church he founded . A magnificent sense of showmanship enabled her to give the Angelus Temple throngs a sense of drama and a feeling of release that probably did have some therapeutic value. He made a great deal of failed prophecies, including that Comet Kohoutek would cause havoc on Earth in 1974. Born in 1931 in Indiana, he founded the People's Temple in the 1950s, proclaiming himself a messiah. Artistic depiction of Hassan is-Sabbah, the founder of the Hashishin. To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/six-of-the-most-famous-cult-leaders/. Despite this, some believers remain convinced of his spiritual power 40 years later. It states: We have pledged our lives to this great cause. Once 200,000,000 people have joined the organization, Mankind United will be in a position to ensure that no mortal will have to work more than four hours a day, four days a week, eight months a year, in order to earn a salary of not less than $3000 a year. Robert Burton was an elementary school teacher who sought enlightenment through the Quakers and philosophy when he became enamored of the Fourth Way teachings of early 20th-century Russian mystics George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky. Still, some attacks did end in murder. Jack the Ripper, the name given to this unidentified killer, was active in the Whitechapel district in London in 1888. Listen to the trailer for. she came to know the theosophist William Quan Judge, over whom she soon acquired an extraordinary influence. A church survey made in Los Angeles points up the real problem: For the most part, it states, the newly developing religious teachers are sincerely trying to serve their followers, and prove to be strong influences because traditional habits do not reach the people in this community. Saint Germain, appearing out of the void, tapped him on the shoulder and offered him a cup filled with pure electronic essence.After drinking the essence and eating a tiny wafer ot concentrated energy, Ballard felt himself surrounded by a White Flame which formed a circle about fifty feet in diameter.. He called himself Je Vam Marc Sus Pire and named one of his sons Jeva, a portmanteau of Jesus and vampire. The cult broke up when two nieces returned with relatives to retrieve their children. The Manson Family was a commune and cult created by Charles Manson in California in the 1960s. Once, or perhaps more than once, he married a three-year-old girl which he claimed was born for that purpose. The story of Krotona has been well told, in novel form, by Jane Levington Comfort (From These Beginnings, 1937). On May 23, an overenthusiastic disciple drowned in the Pacific while attempting to find her body. [Italics mine.] Good Old Salem. Aimee, who was not so much a woman as a scintillant assault, first appeared in California at San Diego in 1918. While Mrs. McPherson never contended that she could heal the sick, she was always willing to pray for them and she was widely known as a faith-healer. Certain basic themes appear in the I AM and Alankind United cults. Daughter Willa, a priestess called the Tree of Life, died of a tooth infection in 1925. The creators of the cult, Guy W. Ballard and his wife Edna Ballard, came to Los Angeles from Chicago around 1932. 3 Silvia Meraz Moreno Murdered Her 10-Year-Old Grandson As A Ritualistic Sacrifice Santa Muerte, a female deity from Mexican folklore, is the cult leader in this particular tale. It also encouraged the notorious flirty fishing and love bombing means of recruitment. The unknown serial killer operated in Northern California from 1968 to the early 1970s. (The sources are documented in an interesting volume: Psychic Dictatorship in America by Gerald B. Bryan, published in Los Angeles in 1940. The cult had a belief system that combined elements of Tibetan and Indian Buddhism, as well as Hinduism, Christianity, the practice of yoga, and the writings of Nostradamus. Baker was soon leading meditation sessions in his restaurant and developing his own teachings. In one 1981 interview, he was asked if he was Jesus Christ. From San Diego Mrs. McPherson came to Los Angeles in 1922 with her Four Square Gospel: conversion, physical healing, the second coming, and redemption. The first murder was conducted when someone was leaving the property. In addition to his satanist activities, Aquino was a military . The People's Temple was begun by charismatic leader Jim Jones in the 1950s in Indianapolis, USA. By Major Dan February 28, 2016 Updated: February 14, . Though he was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist, he later claimed that God was speaking through him and that the End Times were nearly here. Money was the leading Los Angeles eccentric from 1841 until his death in 1880. He wrote a religious text called In the Light of the Light for the Dark, which stated that he and his family were vampires and that incest. In reality, Bell was exploiting his followers for cash while hanging out in luxurious residences and spending his nights at popular bars and clubs. A sanctuary in downtown Los Angeles for students of the I Am movement, a religious organization that has been around since the 1930s. The ideology is often portrayed as Japanese Buddhism, meaning that combined elements of other religions formed a whole new branch of Buddhism. Will your building hold up in a major earthquake? The idea of free love was sold under the idea of saying yes to life, but it often resulted in unwanted actions. . TheC-word: what are we saying when we talk about cults. About 150 Angelenos were among those who left California in 1978 for Guyana . Paper hanger, stock salesman, and promoter, Ballard had been obsessed, since his childhood in Newton, Kansas, with visions of gold and jewels. Charles Manson is best known for giving the orders that led to the brutal murder of Sharon Tate and her friends in 1969. Photographs of Ballard, our beloved messenger,sold for $2.50; phonograph records, which recorded the music of the spheres and lectures of Ballard, sold for $3; a Chart of the Magic Presence brought $12; a steel engraving of the Cosmic Being, Orion, better known as the Old Man of the Hills, retailed for $2; the Special I AM Decree binder was listed at $1.25; I AM rings at $12; a special electrical device, equipped with colored lights, called Flame in Action, sold, in varying sizes, for $50 and $200; and, finally, a New Age Cold Cream preparation was available for the faithful. Was active in the Pacific while attempting to find her body in a Major earthquake with eastern.... 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