Meet five 20th-century cult leaders whose influence led to deadly consequences around the globe. At the time of his arrest, police discovered the preserved body parts of several of his victims within his home. Accessed March 1, 2023. All the guests and Tate herself were murdered by a combination of gunshots and stabbings. Working hard on the case, the newspapers soon proved that the kidnaping story, which she had told on her return, was highly fictitious, In sensational stories, they proceeded to trace her movements from the time she disappeared, through a love cottage interlude at Carmel with a former radio operator of the Temple, to her reappearance in Mexico. Due to their charisma and ability to convince others, cult leaders have become some of the more famous, or infamous, characters in history. This focus on sexual pleasure brought extreme views on free love, including pedophilia. Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults | Official Trailer | HBO Max. Heaven's Gate. A framed map of the lost continent of Mu inside the headquarters of the Lemurian Fellowship in Ramona, California. Despite this, some believers remain convinced of his spiritual power 40 years later. While Manson was associated with some of the most gruesome murders in Hollywood in the. Therefore, he would spend his life in prison to eventually die of illness at the age of 83. Although she managed to maintain a fairly constant following until her death from an overdose of sleeping powder in 1944, she never recovered from the vicious campaign that had been directed against her in 1926. Men.. Their unorthodox belief system is almost Gnostic, teaching that God and Satan battle by filling up the empty vessels of humanity with their respective wills. They would facilitate the start of this war by killing whiteys and placing evidence that would lead back to the African-American community. F our decades ago this Sunday, the Rev Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of an American cult in the Guyanese jungle, ordered his followers to murder a US congressman and several journalists,. Only Ryan and four others were killed in the attack, with nine others fleeing the scene. He was able to lure in many followers, especially women, into his cult. The Branch Davidians were a religious group with an alternative vision of the fundamentalist church. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. About 150 Angelenos were among those who left California in 1978 for Guyana . Deconsecrated in 1992, the building was supposed to be turned into condos when it was purchased and remodeled by the United International World Buddhism Association. After the sponsors revealed their presence, they were going to create a utopia based on universal employment with a short workweek, an economy of financial credit, and an artificial language. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the leaders of the cult, most of whom were anti-war, were convicted of violating the sedition statutes. The cult that Ashara was the leader of was named Aum Shinrikyo. However in 1915 and 1946 respectively, the . The jubilation, however, did not last long. While only five murders are confirmed to be his, the killer claimed to have killed 37. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order His group was incorporated in 1971 as a religious organization called the Fellowship of Friends. Soon, other former cult members came forward with complaints. We are starting off with the Japanese cult leader Shoko Ashara, who is responsible for the worst terrorist accident in Japan. Wikimedia. 3. The United States has seen its fair share of cults and cult-like organizations in the 20th and early 21st century. In the mid-70s, Jones moved the cult to Guyana. Ashara was formerly known as Chizuo Matsumoto but changed his name to be more in line with his self-image as Japans only fully enlightened master. While he was on a hiking trip near Mount Shasta in Northern California, Ballard relates. "When I used my knife, it brought psychological relief. The music betrays a self-aware, ironic humor that is rare in most other cults. In a lesser measure, the cultic aberrations of Southern California are an accidental by-product of its geographical location. Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie . Exhibits inside the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California. By 1978, the population of "Jonestown" had grown to nearly 1,000 people. Jones wanted to create an egalitarian utopian community. California has produced a number of Leaders who have made it big. They sought to create a network of homelands for minority groups in the US. the Reverend Mr. Mills abandoned New Thought, left California, and died the next year in Grand Rapids, a sound Presbyterian. 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. Former members claim that Jones obliged any member to bring their whole family if they join the cult, hence the number of young children. A core membership of around 100 people survived and settled in Palomarin Ranch near Bolinas in Marin County. His Holiness taught a disciple how to transmit dharma on His behalf. He gained quite the following, including important people in the government and notable church members. Shortly after Judges death, Katherine Tingley was revealed as the Purple Mother. Berg died at the age of 75, but his legacy is still felt. One of Tates guests was killed with a knife swing and four gunshots in the chest. We hope that the world will someday realize [] the ideals of brotherhood, justice and equality that Jim Jones has lived and died for. 1. But some of Californias fringe spiritual groups are still out there little pockets of commune dwellers, transcendental meditators and UFO worshippers dotted around the state. . Whatever the nature of the influence, it was unquestionably persuasive: Dr. Mohn contributed $300,000 to the colony. In 1969, he had a vision that California was going to be hit by an earthquake and sink into the sea. The Temple has an auditorium with 5000 seats; a $75,000 broadcasting station; the classrooms of a university which once graduated 500 young evangelists a year; and, as Morrow Mayo pointed out, a brass band bigger and louder than Sousas, an organ worthy of any movie cathedral, a female choir bigger and more beautiful than the Metropolitan chorus, and a costume wardrobe comparable to Ziegfelds., Mrs. McPherson founded a magazine, The Bridal Call, and established 240 lighthouses, or local churches, affiliated with Angelus Temple. Among those who came to California was Mrs. Besant, who, acting on orders of her Master, purchased 465 acres in t he Oja i Valley as a home for the new sixth sub-race. Because Jones was afraid of the consequences, he activated the mass suicide plan for the members of the Peoples Temple. With already quite the following, Jim Jones and a thousand members of the Peoples Temple decided to flee the allegations and immigrated to Guyana. Bell claimed that he could be in multiple places at once and had access to ray guns that could knock out peoples eyeballs from miles away. He opened a sandal shop, followed by two health food restaurants. Members of the Manson Family. 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. There are villains in both cults: hidden rulers, destructive forces, static elements that must be blasted into eternity. Money was the leading Los Angeles eccentric from 1841 until his death in 1880. The family became an insular cult that was based on homeschooling, corporal punishment, and sexual abuse. Baker was an ex-Marine and jujitsu expert who moved to LA to audition for the role of Tarzan. California is known for its unusually large number of cults and dodgy religious movements. It was located in the middle of the jungle of Guyana, and inhabitants were expected to work long days without a lot of pay. At age 21, Rajneesh claimed to be spiritually enlightened. One acolyte said, I know this sounds insane, but I saw lightning bolts coming out of his ears.. Read more from, Saint Patrick's Day Is Like Christmas Now. He has claimed to be an angel in human form who communicates with 44 other angels, including Benjamin Franklin and Jesus Christ. After spending time in a Kentucky church, doing missionary work in Central America, and working at a Miami Salvation Army shelter, they felt disillusioned by the corruption of other churches and founded their own in Sacramento. If David Tormsen had to choose, he would definitely go with the Source Family. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? In the name of Jesus Christ, Jones confiscated passports and millions of dollars from Temple members. When the Guyanese troops reached Jonestown, the death total was set at 913, including 304 under the age of 18. As long as the tide of migration was made up of such people, there was no opportunity for the visionary or the faith-healer or the mystic. Above: a Hobbit hut at the sanctuary. however, do not get along well with those of Point Loma. Jeffery Dahmer committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . Its leader goes by the name of Charles Manson. Actor River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose on October 31, 1993, and his famous siblings were also raised for a time in The Children of God. Rev. Ive been documenting their headquarters and places of worship. Top 10 Most Historically Famous Shootouts. However, Baldwin referred to himself as a spiritual pimp and took sexual liberties with female members of his flock while denigrating the males. Mankind United reached its apogee with a few thousand members in 1939. I was a mistake of nature," he once said. 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.. But like all metaphysical and religious movements, New Thought traveled westward. Hearsts father eventually withdrew his $50,000 reward for her return as it became increasingly clear that she identified with the group and wasnt coming home. Known to local residents as Professor Money, Doctor Money,and Bishop Money, he had been born, so he contended, with four teeth and the likeness of a rainbow in the eye.. 20. AFTER Mrs. Tingleys appearance in Southern California, the region acquired a reputation as an occult land and theosophists began to converge upon it from the four corners of the earth. The former headquarters of Full Circle, a a guru-free, sacred space in Venice, Los Angeles, that was led by the actor Andrew Keegan of 10 Things I Hate About You fame. How old is the United States of America? Bohemian Grove is a restricted 2,700-acre (1,100 ha) campground at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California, United States, belonging to a private San Francisco-based gentlemen's club known as the Bohemian Club.In mid-July each year, Bohemian Grove hosts a more than two-week encampment of some of the most prominent men in the world. Living in a weird oval structure in San Gabriel, the approaches to which were guarded by two octagonal edifices built of wood and adobe. Members of the group follow a philosophy that they believe originated on Mu, which sank beneath the Pacific Ocean thousands of years ago. 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/. Others were dodgier, such as the notion that sex and masturbation were gifts from God and that cult members should masturbate while fantasizing about having sex with Jesus. Under his leadership, the Los Angeles Fellowship was a flourishing institution from 1904 to 1911, with over a thousand members, a large organizational apparatus, and its own orchestra, schools, and magazine. According to claims in a 1997 lawsuit: Burton spoke openly about his sexuality in the form of jokes at all-male dinners. One article described the hierarchy in the church as: God. Originally the New Thought movement was centered in New England; in fact, it was called the Boston craze. Unfortunately, Mrs. Tingley became involved in a serious scandal in 1923, as a result of which she abandoned Point Loma and went, to Europe. But the real genesis of Ojai as an occult center may be traced to the publication, in the early twenties, of a magazine article by Dr. Ales Hrdlika predicting the rise of a new sixth sub-race. It seems that psychological tests given in California schools had revealed the existence of a surprising number of child prodigies; ergo, California was the home of the new sub-race. 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. Ashara had long hair and a long beard, wore bright robes, and practiced meditation while sitting on satin pillows. The book also promised to reveal lost measurements leading to all of the worlds gold and oil deposits, which were apparently stolen from Noah by his son Ham. However, in 1972 capital punishment would be abolished by the state of California. He ordered his followers to drink a punch that was induced with cyanide. Married to a Mexican woman, Money was a quack doctor, an economic theorist, and the founder of the first cult in the region. A couple of attacks were carried out, but not all of them ended up in murders. Early in his career he took tip cudgels in behalf of American labor and those racial minorities which were having hard going in the Far West. On meeting in Southern California, strangers are supposed to inquire, tirst, Where are you fromt" and second, How do you feel? Invalidism and transiency have certainly been important factors stimulating cultism in the region. Here are nine of the most unnerving examples of them from the 20th century. We have all chosen to die for this cause.. He lost his vision due to an illness, which changed his outlook on the world. Later the charges against her were dropped. Using the principle of the ray machine, power plants would be created capable of exterminating a million people at a single blast. And if you needed deliverance, you just had to attend a Jim Green service. What is a cult? By developing the nerve agent sarin, the cult believed that they could wear off the potential disastrous attacks. Ah, Salem. A sign in the parking lot of the Self-Realization Fellowships complex in Hollywood. 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. Source: Getty Images. Buxom middle-aged usherettes, clad in flowing evening gowns, with handsome corsages of orchids and gardenias, bustled around at the morning services in a tabernacle that literally steamed with perfume. Stepping from the train, she walked out of the station on a carpet of roses. L. Ron Hubbard in Los Angeles, California, 1950. Krotona. A sanctuary in downtown Los Angeles for students of the I Am movement, a religious organization that has been around since the 1930s. Also, he had a very liberating view on sexuality and multiple wives, which would become problematic about his cult. The bookstore at the Aetherius Society, an organization founded in the 50s by a man who claimed he was able to channel messages from an interplanetary parliament in outer space. What made the cult's beliefs deviate from mainstream religion was its fine blend of promiscuous sex and worship of Jesus Christ. And then the Ballards began to sell things: a monthly magazine called The Voice of the 1 AM; various books, such as The Magic Presence, the I AM Discourses, the I AM Adorations, Affirmations, and Decrees; and the Ascended Master Discourses. The group was welcomed with open arms, and some church members asked Ryan to get them out of Jonestown. However, two cult leaders should still be mentioned before concluding. 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. In late March of 1995, members began releasing a poisonous nerve gas called sarin on five crowded subway trains. A window display at the Unarius Academy of Science in El Cajon, California. He felt stomach pains and was allegedly hustled out while being told that something had gone wrong. One of the most high-profile former cult members is actor Joaquin Phoenix, whose family traveled with the cult around South America. While scouting for land for the group in Montana, they were picked up by a driver who talked to them about Christianity, and they felt the drawing presence of Jesus.. The idea was to let people think that non-organic food was bad for them while influencing a local election. 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