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Let's Start A Cult
Let's Start A Cult episodes
- Cultiv8 Presents: The Bohemian Club & The Bohemian GroveThis week, the gals try and tackle the history and conspiracy theories surrounding the mysterious Bohemian Club, and their vacation spot - the Bohemian Grove. Tune in to hear all about the beginnings of the club, whose been involved, the Grove, and of course all things weird that are associated with it. As well, make sure you tune in regarding an important show update. Need a distraction? We got you.Podcast promo: A Little Wicked - Check them out!Please check out this link regarding how you can support Ukraine: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/ukraine-help-resources-donations/ (https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/ukraine-help-resources-donations/)Listener discretion is advised. Shout out to our Patrons Tom, Bailey, Angela, Jon, Alicia, Lynn, Sissy, Shadow, Courtney and Cheryl! Thank you for supporting Weird Distractions on Patreon. You can also support the show on Patreon and get monthly bonus episodes, behind the scenes footage, and more! We're also on Buy Me a Coffee if you want to support the show with a one-time donation. You can also find us on Redbubble for some Weird Distractions merch. If you want to provide feedback or even your own weird story to be read on air in an upcoming Listener Distractions episode - please email: [email protected]. If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing! It's the best way to support the show (for free). Thanks for listening!Weird Distractions is a proud member of the Cultiv8 network: https://www.patreon.com/cultiv8podcastnetwork/ (https://www.patreon.com/cultiv8podcastnetwork/)Resources:Book - “The Conspiracy Book: A Chronological Journey Through Secret Societies and Hidden Histories” - written by John Michael Greer - Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. - Published in 2018 - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/39859658-the-conspiracy-book (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/39859658-the-conspiracy-book)Wikipedia page - Bohemian Club - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Club#Founding (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Club#Founding)Wikipedia page - J. Robert Oppenheimer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer)Wikipedia page - List of Bohemian Club members - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bohemian_Club_members (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bohemian_Club_members)Wikipedia page - Joseph Coors - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Coors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Coors)Wikipedia page - Haig Patigian - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haig_Patigian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haig_Patigian)Wikipedia page - Manhattan Project - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project)Wikipedia page - Bohemian Grove - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove)All That’s Interesting article - “The Little Known History of Bohemian Grove, The Summer Camp for the Masters of the Universe” - by Katie Serena, Checked by Jaclyn Anglis - November 28th, 2021 - https://allthatsinteresting.com/bohemian-grove (https://allthatsinteresting.com/bohemian-grove)Vanity Fair article - “Bohemian Tragedy” - By Alex Shoumatoff - April 1st, 2009 - https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/05/bohemian-grove200905?currentPage=1 (https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/05/bohemian-grove200905?currentPage=1)Vanity Fair articles - “A Guide to the Bohemian Grove” - By Julian Sancton - April 1st, 2009 - https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/05/bohemian-grove-guide200905#:~:text=To%20join%20the%20Bohemian%20Club,patrician%2C%20Republican%2C%20and%20white (https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/05/bohemian-grove-guide200905#:~:text=To%20join%20the%20Bohemian%20Club,patrician%2C%20Republican%2C%20and%20white)Who Rules America website - “Social Cohesion and The Bohemian Grove,...56 min
- Bruno Gröning & The Circle of Friends w/ Lindsay Valenty
We did it, Fred! We finally found a cult that isn't horrible! Because today we are going to be talking about Bruno Groning and The Circle of Friends. A cult whose leader died before it formed but whose followers managed to create a worldwide cult that believes in positive thinking to heal its followers.
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59 min - Aum Shinrikyo | The Military Cult That Injured Thousands
In 1989, the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo officially recognized “Aum Shinrikyo” as a legitimate religious movement.
Little did they know that five years later, that same group would carry out a violent terrorist attack on the city, leaving 13 dead and a thousand others severely injured.
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49 min - Cultiv8 Podcast Network Presents: The Belcher Island MassacreWhat better way to kick off the month of love then with a Canadian true crime case. This week, Alex and Christie discuss the horrid crimes that took place on the Belcher Islands, referred to as the Belcher Islands Massacre. Tune in to learn more about the area, and what took place in the 1940’s that changed a small community. Please note our deepest apologies if we mispronounced anything in this weeks episode! And, note a trigger warning is in effect for this weeks episode due to themes discussed. Need a distraction? We got you.Podcast promo: Leave the Lights On Podcast - Check them out!As discussed in episode 62 about the 215 bodies of Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation children recently found in Kamloops (and counting found in other provinces/locations), please check out: https://truenorthaid.ca/how-to-help-first-nations/. If you have any additional resources you'd like to share, please email: [email protected].Listener discretion is advised. Shout out to our Patrons Tom, Bailey, Angela, Jon, Alicia, Lynn, Sissy and Shadow! Thank you for supporting Weird Distractions on Patreon. You can also support the show on Patreon and get monthly bonus episodes, behind the scenes footage, and more! We're also on Buy Me a Coffee if you want to support the show with a one-time donation. You can also find us on Redbubble for some Weird Distractions merch. If you want to provide feedback or even your own weird story to be read on air in an upcoming Listener Distractions episode - please email: [email protected]. If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing! It's the best way to support the show (for free). Thanks for listening!Weird Distractions is a proud member of the Oracl3 network: https://theoracl3network.com/ (https://theoracl3network.com/) and the Cultiv8 network: https://www.patreon.com/cultiv8podcastnetwork/ (https://www.patreon.com/cultiv8podcastnetwork/)Resources:Wikipedia Page - “Belcher Islands” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belcher_Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belcher_Islands)Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Belcher Islands". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Jun. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/place/Belcher-Islands. Accessed 17 January 2022.Youtube video - “The Belcher Islands Massacre|Solved” - uploaded by user DeeDee Baum - November 4th, 2021Morton’s Musings website - http://jmortonmusings.blogspot.com/2014/03/when-god-and-satan-battled-in-barren.html (http://jmortonmusings.blogspot.com/2014/03/when-god-and-satan-battled-in-barren.html)Open Bible website - https://www.openbible.info/topics/falling_stars (https://www.openbible.info/topics/falling_stars)Spine Online - “The Coldest Winter” - by Kira Frazer for the Algonquin College School of Media and Design - http://www.spineonline.ca/screams-from-the-basement/2019/11/25/the-coldest-winter (http://www.spineonline.ca/screams-from-the-basement/2019/11/25/the-coldest-winter)Macleans article - “Revisiting a grisly mass murder in Canada’s North” - by Mike Doherty - January 5th, 2017 - https://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/lawrence-millman-revisits-a-grisly-mass-murder-in-canadas-north/ (https://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/lawrence-millman-revisits-a-grisly-mass-murder-in-canadas-north/)American Boating website - https://americanboating.org/safety_hypothermia_in_the_summertime.asp#:~:text=In%20water%20temperatures%20from%2070,unconscious%20in%201%2D2%20hours (https://americanboating.org/safety_hypothermia_in_the_summertime.asp#:~:text=In%20water%20temperatures%20from%2070,unconscious%20in%201%2D2%20hours)52 min
- James Ellison & The Covenant w/ Shots and Thoughts
In 1976, James Ellison moved to Arkansas, intending to establish a self-sustaining fundamentalist Christian commune made up of like-minded individuals who wanted nothing more than to dedicate themselves to God.
But by 1978 – a mere two years later – he and his followers had become domestic terrorists who believed in white supremacy and were willing to resort to violent means to overthrow the government of the United States.
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57 min - August Engelhardt & The Coconut Cult w/ The Dumb, Found Dead
Cults are not always sinister. Similarly, cult leaders are not always manipulative sociopaths. Sometimes, all they need is one deluded man. August Engelhardt, born with a silver spoon, was many things, and one of them was delusional, something he shared with other cults and their leaders. You might wonder the peculiarities of Engelhardt’s delusion. It is nothing other than the obsessive yet interesting relationship he developed with the fruit with one of the hardest shells. This is a man that decided to give everything up for a life of nudity and a diet consisting of nothing other than coconuts.
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58 min - The Church of Scientology Part 2: The Indoctrination Process
For many, Tom Cruise is a good-looking actor who rose to fame after starring in blockbusters like “Top Gun,” “Mission Impossible,” and “Risky Business.”
But for Scientologists, Tom Cruise is a demigod who has become “Operating Thetan VII.” According to them, this status has allowed him to gain a wide range of superpowers, such as telekinesis, leaving his body at will, and controlling the behaviour of other living things – including humans.
In fact, former Scientologist and actress Leah Remini once said, quote, “Being critical of Tom Cruise is being critical of Scientology itself. You are a person who is anti– the aims and goals of Scientology. You are evil.” End quote.
It’s crazy to think that a belief system created in the 1950s managed to become so powerful that it was able to turn an ordinary human being into a deity worshipped by members.
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47 min - The Church of Scientology Part 1: The Story of L. Ron Hubbard
Super excited to kick off 2022 with this much-anticipated cult!
The Church of Scientology may be controversial; however, its devotees have nothing but praise for its teachings. For instance, actor Tom Cruise once called it “a beautiful religion,” while fellow actor John Travolta publicly stated that it was only being criticized because it “really works well.”
For many, though, the Church of Scientology is nothing but a dangerous cult that brainwashes people, charges them exorbitantly for their membership, and never lets them leave.
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55 min - The Hermes Far Eastern Shining Cult | Curing The World One Grift At A Time
When Ann Fitzgerald met a group of New Age devotees at a festival in London, she thought that she had found a set of like-minded and supportive friends. Never did she imagine that she would spend the next decade in their grip, working 16-hour shifts without being paid a single dollar.
Ann, however, was far from the group’s only victim.
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Sources for this episode include The Famous People, the World Religions and Spirituality Project, The Laughing Man Institute official website, the Hermes Far Eastern Shining official website, The Daily Telegraph, Cult Education, and The Apologetics Index.
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47 min - Let's Start A Cult Presents: Best & Worst Of 2021 | Capitol Riots, Musk, and MoreHey Wikimaniacs! It's my (Josh's) final episode of 2021! Crazy right? Still feels like 2020...Anyways, I thought it would be fun to do a recap of all the wild and crazy things that happened this year. We touch on some very real topics in this episode but it's incredibly fun and we have our good friend Lindsay from Ye Olde Crime and Pineapple Pizza Podcast! She has some excellent takes and it's always fun having her on. So go check out her podcasts after listening to this episode! Enjoy and I hope you all have a happy holiday and a wonderful New Year!00:00 - Introductions, 08:36 - Capitol Hill Riots, 22:40 - Social Media, 37:26 - Elon Musk and Billionaires, 50:16 - Kim and Kanye, 53:01 - Residential Schools, 01:07:45 - Canada's Election, 01:10:58 - COVID, 01:20:48 - Our New Years Resolutions, 01:29:06 - OutroConsider being a Patron!The biggest benefit to you Wikimaniacs is that we have a combined https://www.patreon.com/cultiv8podcastnetwork (Patreon)! Signing up for only $5 will not only get you access to this show a week early and ad-free, but it will also get you a week early and ad-free episodes of Let's Start A Cult and The Dumb, Found Dead! A god damn it that's not all because you will also get access to John's new series Kaba, where he dives into cryptids, spooky stories, and creep folklore.So sign up today and help support yuh bois in starting something fun and exciting!Lindsay's Podcasts:https://www.yeoldecrimepodcast.com/ (Ye Olde Crime)https://www.pineapplepizzapodcast.com/ (Pineapple Pizza Podcast)Follow Us For Memes:https://twitter.com/redditonwiki (Twitter)https://www.instagram.com/redditonwiki/ (Instagram)https://www.tiktok.com/@redditonwikipod? (Tik Tok)https://www.redditonwiki.com/ (Website)Images used:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/609815605785223562/https://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/Trumps%20angel_2866991 hr 33 min
About Let's Start A Cult
From the publisher's feed
Join me (not in a cult sense), Josh Schell, as we dive into the dark and interesting world of cults! I will take you on a journey of how cults form, who their leaders are, and how they almost always…
come to an end.