10 Infamous Cults That Don't Exist Anymore
10 Infamous Cults That Don’t Exist Anymore
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re exploring the most controversial and notorious cults in history that aren’t around anymore. We will be including groups whose followers formed splinter cults following the main one becoming defunct.
Love Has Won
After finding a New Age forum and becoming convinced she was a deity, Amy Carlson left her three children, her husband, and most of her family to join a cult. Around 2014, she formed Love Has Won. Carlson stated that she’d lived hundreds of lives, including being Cleopatra, Gaia, and Harriet Tubman. She also claimed she could cure serious diseases, such as cancer. However, Love Has Won wasn’t as peaceful as the name suggested, as the group was accused of being abusive. In 2021, the police discovered Carlson’s mummified body at the cult’s residence. She’d passed away weeks before from a mix of reasons. While the main cult ended, some followers continued with new groups, including Joy Rains and 5D Full Disclosure.
NXIVM
Founded by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman in 1998, NXIVM, on the outside, seemed like a multi-level marketing scheme with its self-help classes. Yet deeper into the organisation was a sinister abuse cult. Known as DOS, the group had Raniere as a “master over women.” This included branding the inductees and blackmailing members. One of the higher-ups in the cult was actor Alison Mack, who helped Raniere “recruit” members. In 2017, whistleblowers, including actor Sarah Edmondson, went public with what NXIVM was hiding, causing the cult to face severe legal consequences. This included Mack, who turned witness against Raniere, being sentenced to three years, Salzman received 42 months in jail, and Raniere was sentenced to 120 years.
The True Russian Orthodox Church
Also known as the Penza Recluses and the Heavenly Jerusalem, the True Russian Orthodox Church was formed by Belarusian Pyotr Kuznetsov, who broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church. After walking across Russia, informing everyone about the upcoming apocalypse, followers began to join Kuznetsov’s mission, as long as they avoided processed food, didn’t touch money, and didn't watch TV. In November 2007, up to 35 members of the cult entered a cave in Nikolskoye, Russia, to pray and await the end of the world. When the authorities attempted to get them out, the cult threatened violence. It wasn’t until May 2008, when the last members left the cave after multiple had perished within. Kuznetsov was sent to a psychiatric hospital in the aftermath.
Rajneeshpuram
In 1981, after decades as a controversial spiritual leader in India, Rajneesh, also known as Osho, took his movement to Wasco County, Oregon. The community, known as Rajneeshpuram, soon began to clash with its neighbors. The cult members planned to take political power in The Dalles, something they’d been successful with at nearby Antelope. However, when Rajneeshpuram believed they wouldn’t get the votes, they took action to reduce the number of voters. In 1984, the members poisoned food at several restaurants with Salmonella. This caused over 750 people to be infected. Many of the members fled the country to avoid prosecution. However, after being publicly condemned by Rajneesh, many of the members were extradited back to the US and sentenced to jail for years.
The Manson Family
Attracted by the hippie, communal living, around 100 people joined the Manson Family, which was formed in 1967. Yet once there, the members quickly fell under founder Charles Manson’s sway. Charismatic and known to famous people in California, he convinced his followers that they were the original Christians, making them believe he was a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Manson, inspired by The Beatles' song “Helter Skelter,” prepared his followers for an apparent race war. In 1969, the Manson Family began taking lives, at least nine altogether. The victims included stuntman Donald Shea, actor Sharon Tate, and hairstylist Jay Sebring. Following many arrests and the trial beginning in 1970, several members were sentenced to jail, including Manson, who died in 2017 while imprisoned.
The Order of the Solar Temple
Led by Joseph Di Mambro with Luc Jouret second-in-command, the Order of the Solar Temple was formed in Switzerland in 1984. Advertising themselves as an extension of the Knights Templar with New Age ideas, it’s estimated that the cult grew to over 440 members at its peak across the world. However, the Temple fell out of favor after several scandals, including purchasing illegal weapons and faking apparitions during ceremonies. In 1994, Di Mambro sent out letters, encouraging followers to take the lives of “traitors” within the cult and their own to transition to the next life. In multiple events between 1994 and 1997, there were massacres in Canada, France, and Switzerland, where over 70 people lost their lives, including Di Mambro and Jouret.
The Branch Davidians
Formed in 1955 by Benjamin Roden after splintering from the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, the Branch Davidians came into power struggle when he passed. One of the followers, David Koresh, believing himself to be a prophet, splintered off and formed his own group. In 1987, his followers forcefully took over the Branch Davidians' compound, Mount Carmel Center in Texas, also incorporating the movement’s name. After reports of abuse and the cult stockpiling weapons, in February 1993, the authorities attempted to serve a search warrant. Instead, they were met with armed resistance that became known as the Waco Siege, despite taking place outside of the Texan city. The stand-off lasted until April when a fire broke out at the compound. Altogether, over 80 perished, including Koresh.
The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
In 1989, after separating from the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda, Joseph Kibweteere and Credonia Mwerinde formed the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. With a fanatic approach to the Ten Commandments, the MRTC later took up an apocalyptic approach, claiming the end of the world was on December 31st, 1999. They encouraged their members, who were estimated to be thousands, to sell their possessions and give the money to them. However, when the apocalypse didn’t happen, the members were furious. The MRTC chose a new date, March 17th, 2000. While partying that day, the building was set ablaze. Further bodies were found elsewhere, with over 900 people killed. The leaders, including Kibweteere and Mwerinde, escaped and their whereabouts are unknown.
Heaven's Gate
In 1974, Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles formed Heaven’s Gate. With a mixture between Christianity, New Age, and ufology ideologies, the group believed they’d ascend to heaven, or the “Next Level,” with aid of an alien spaceship. The cult resonated with many, bringing in a couple of hundred followers, with dozens in the core group. However, after Nettles passed away in 1985, Applewhite shifted Heaven’s Gate’s doctrine. Instead of physically moving to the “Next Level,” their souls would transfer to new bodies in the afterlife. In 1997, with Comet Hale–Bopp approaching the Earth, Applewhite believed a UFO in its wake would transition them to the “Next Level.” Nearly 40 people took their lives at a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California, including Applewhite.
The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ
In 1955, Jim Jones, armed with left-wing, racial equality, and Christian ideologies, formed the Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ. The message resonated with many, as thousands became members. However, after clashing with the government and fearing a raid on their headquarters by the police, Jones relocated his base from San Francisco, California, to Guyana, where he created Jonestown. In 1978, US Representative Leo Ryan and multiple journalists arrived at Jonestown to investigate allegations of abuse within the cult. However, as Ryan and his group attempted to leave with defectors, Temple followers opened fire, taking their lives, while several managed to escape. Shortly after, Jones ordered his followers to drink a fatal concoction. Over 900 perished, including Jones.
Are cults always bad or are there ones that do good? Let us know below.
