Cults

Sun Myung Moon was the son of farmers who converted from Confucianism to Christianity when he was about 10 years old. As he grew older, he became so devoted to his religion that he founded his first church, Kwang-Ya, in his mid-twenties. A decade later, he would found the Unification Church and develop it into a multi-billion dollar global business empire. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Humphrey Noyes’ Oneida Community practiced polyamory long before the free love movement of the 1960s. But his pioneering community had a darker side to it. We’ll uncover the alarming practices intended to serve the perverse sexual needs of Noyes and the community leaders, including a sexual initiation policy for young children, a eugenics program, and incest. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Humphrey Noyes grew up crippled by social anxiety. He overcame his anxiety when he began preaching and came to embrace Perfectionism. He would later declare that he would be the leader in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. By converting his siblings, their spouses, and his own mother, he was on his way to starting the Oneida Community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Twelve Tribes has numerous communities still active around the world. Since its founding in the early 1970s, the group has run afoul of law enforcement for issues involving child labor and abuse. Are the allegations unfair discrimination against its believers as they claim, or is something more sinister going on? 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elbert Eugene Spriggs Jr. felt he could never live up to his strict Christian father's expectations. After three failed marriages and numerous jobs, Spriggs had a revelation that his duty was to bring people to God - but to do that he wanted to establish a new church...one where he would make the rules. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jimmie T. Roberts lead a religious cult known as 'The Brethren' and targeted vulnerable college students looking for belonging. Joining the group was easy, but day-to-day life was harsh. Leaving was next to impossible. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Although he had a lonely childhood and grew up impoverished, Jimmie T. Roberts found feelings of comfort and belonging in religion. We dive deep into Roberts’s life as we examine how he persuaded his devoted followers to sacrifice their possessions, jobs, and families for the sake of salvation. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ma Anand Sheela orchestrated Rajneeshpuram’s movement from India to Oregon. As Rajneesh himself faded into the shadows, the cult’s grabs for political power led to wiretapping, poisoning, fraud and murder plots. We examine how Sheela was driven towards chaos by her husband’s death, and Rajneesh’s high expectations. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prophesied to die young and surviving near-death-experiences, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh felt discomfort with his own mortality from a young age. Over time, his spiritual studies and strong beliefs about capitalism and sexuality led Rajneesh to become a charismatic cult leader. This charisma attracted Ma Anand Sheela, the woman who rose from a 20-year-old devotee to a powerful leader in the cult that launched a deadly bioterrorism attack on over 750 Americans. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices