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Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity which derive their doctrine of practice and belief from the life and teachings of John Wesley. Originated as a revival movement within the 18th-century Church of England and became a separate denomination after Wesley's death. 80 million adherents worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodism -
Mormon
Started by Joseph Smith
An angel first showed him the location of gold plates in 1823, buried in a nearby hill, but he was not allowed to take the plates until 1827.
Smith translated the golden plates with divine assistance to become the Book of Mormon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism -
Jehovah's Witnesses
The group emerged from the Bible Student movement founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.68 million adherents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses -
Scientology
L. Ron Hubbard had a bet with someone he could make a religion. And then he did. -
Unification Church (Moonies)
The Unification movement, also known as the Unification Church (UC), is a worldwide new religious movement whose members are sometimes colloquially called "Moonies". It was officially founded in 1954 under the name Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) in Seoul, South Korea by Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012), a Korean religious leader also known for his business ventures and engagement in social and political causes. -
Peoples Temple
Founded by Jim Jones. Combined elements of Christianity/Communism/Socialism with an emphasis on racial equality. At its peak, the Temple boasted 20,000 members (though 3,000–5,000 are more likely). Best known for the mass murder of Nov '78, in Guyana, when 909 people died at "Jonestown" (Jones ordered his congregation to drink a concoction of cyanide-laced, grape-flavored Flavor Aid). Resulted in the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act prior to the September 11. -
Branch Davidians
The Branch Davidians are most associated with the Waco siege of 1993, a 51-day standoff between Branch Davidians and federal agents. The conflict ended when the group's compound was destroyed in a fire. 10 people were killed during the initial raid, and 76 during the final assault. -
Hare Krishna (International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON))
A Hindu religious organisation founded in NYC by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Its core beliefs are based on the Hindu scriptures and was formed to spread the practice of Bhakti yoga, the practice of love of Krishna, the Supreme Lord. Today, it has around a million members worldwide. It is banned in Singapore. In the 90s its leaders admitted to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children who were sent to live in their boarding schools in the US and India in the 70s and 80s. -
Manson Family
A desert commune/cult in CA in the late 60s and early 70s led by Charles Manson. With about 100 followers (mostly young, middle-class women) who lived an unconventional lifestyle. The Family believed Manson was a manifestation of Jesus and in his prophecy of an imminent, apocalyptic race war. They gained international attention after the murder of actress Sharon Tate and four others on August 9, 1969. Group members were also responsible for a number of other murders/assaults/petty crimes/thefts -
Children of God
Originally named Teens for Christ and it later gained notoriety as The Children of God (COG). It was later renamed and reorganized as The Family of Love, which was eventually shortened to The Family. It is currently named The Family. David Berg, would eventually pervert Teens for Christ into his own international religious cult, exploiting young people to accomplish it. Horrific reports of sexual violence, incest, and brainwashing haunt the religious organization, which still operates today. -
Rajneesh Movement (Osho)
Rajneeshees or "Orange People" follow the Indian mystic Rajneesh (Osho). In Oregon, the commune Rajneeshpuram in the early 80s, tried to take over a nearby town and later the county seat. Some leaders were arrested and convicted for the US's first recorded bio-terror attack. Salmonella was deployed, poisoning several hundred people. Rajneesh was deported in 1985 as part of his plea deal. Headquarters returned to India. The Oregon commune was destroyed in September 1985. -
Heaven's Gate
Heaven's Gate was an American UFO religious millenarian cult based near San Diego, California. It was led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles. On March 26, 1997, members of the Sheriff's Department discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group in a house in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe. They had participated in a mass suicide, a coordinated series of ritual suicides, in order to reach what they believed was an extraterrestrial spacecraft following Comet Hale–Bopp. -
The Faizrakhmanist movement (Catacomb Sect)
A sect of Islam based in Russia founded by Faizrakhman Sattarov, a Russian Muslim who calls himself a prophet. They follow an extreme version of religious separatism. Aug 2012: Russian police found an eight-level complex of underground chambers beneath Sattarov's home, occupied by 38 adults and 27 children who lived in dug-out rooms described as being like catacombs. Four members of the sect were charged with cruelty against children, who showed symptoms of anaemia and tuberculosis -
United Nation of Islam
he United Nation of Islam (UNOI) is an African American religious movement based in Kansas City, Kansas. It was founded in 1978 as an offshoot of the Nation of Islam by Royall Jenkins, who continues to be the group's leader and styles himself "Royall, Allah in Person". Since its founding, the group has undergone numerous name changes and is currently known as the Value Creators. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nation_of_Islam -
Order of the Solar Temple
A cult and religious sect that claims to be based upon the ideals of the Knights Templar. Started by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret in Geneva. The OTS is perhaps most notorious for being associated with a series of murders and mass suicides in 1994 and 1995 that claimed several dozen lives in France, Switzerland and Canada. -
Aleph (Aum Shinrikyo)
Aleph, formerly Aum Shinrikyo, is a Japanese doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been responsible for another smaller sarin attack the previous year. The group has never confessed; they claim that those who carried out attacks did so secretly, without being known to other executives and ordinary believers. -
Church of Euthanasia (CoE)
Founded by Rev Chris Korda and Pastor Kim in Boston. It is "a non-profit educational foundation devoted to restoring balance between Humans and the remaining species on Earth." One commandment: Thou Shalt not Procreate. Four main pillars: suicide, abortion, cannibalism (of the already dead), and sodomy. Stresses population reduction by voluntary means only. Notorious for its conflicts with pro-life Christian activists. Slogans: "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself"and "Eat a Queer Fetus for Jesus" -
Tree of Life
Gabriel Cousens, an ordained rabbi, founded the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in AZ; a health retreat for raw food education, fasting, and nutrition. 1994: CA and NY revoked his license to practice. 1998: Charles Levy died after being treated at the center for 5 days. Cause of death: gas gangrene infection caused by "bovine adrenal fluid" injections given by Cousens as part of a treatment for fatigue. Autopsy also found that he had hepatitis, encephalomyelitis, and coronary atherosclerosis. -
NXIVM
Recruiting platform for a secret society (variously called "DOS" or "The Vow"), in which women were branded and forced into sexual slavery. Self-described American multi-level marketing company[2] based near Albany, New York, who offers personal and professional development seminars through its "Executive Success Programs" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NXIVM -
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Love Has Won (Mother God/Galactic Federation of Light/ 5D Full Disclosure)
Led by Amy Carlson "Mother God" who described herself as the creator of the universe. The group had 12-20 full-time members who lived with Carlson at the time of her death. On April 28, 2021, the mummified corpse of Carlson (45) was discovered in the mission house near Crestone. It seemed she had been dead for several weeks. The body was found in a sleeping bag wrapped in Christmas lights, the face covered in glitter, in what authorities stated was a makeshift shrine.
