A Mormon priest-king sows discord among his followers, his island, and the people of Michigan. Who shot King Strang?

As a child, James Strang, set out to be a lawyer, a priest, a legislator, and a king. Bold ambitions for an American boy, but King Strang of Beaver Island met every one. In addition, he had at least 4 wives, in a plural marriage.

The Mel Lyman Family started as a group of bluegrass musicians and LSD aficionados who broke away from the liberal-hippie ethos of the 1960s to create a conservative community, in which adversity was served up with a healthy portion of sexism, hallucinogens, hard work, and severe discipline. Their main objective was to serve their leader, the bluegrass … Continue reading "Bluegrass Jesus and the Karma Police"

In Ancient Rome, men would gather in caves adorned with reliefs of a man slaying a bull and a lion-headed man wrapped in snakes. Who were they and what were their initiation rituals.

Discussion of John Humphrey Noyes, his religious conversion and his creation of a Christian paradise on earth, that included free love, mutual criticism and communal living.

Discussion of John Humphrey Noyes, his religious conversion and his creation of a Christian paradise on earth, that included free love, mutual criticism and communal living.