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The Black Hebrews
The Black Hebrews or Black Hebrew Israelite are different from Jews of color. They are a racist group that believe that they are one of the " Twelve Tribes" that are mentioned in the bible. They "identify specifically with the biblical Israelites" and believe that any other religion like Jews or Christians follow a false religion and are spies for Satan. Also, they think that God will only let colored people of their racist religion be let into heaven and that white people should suffer. -
Revival of the Ku Klux Klan
The second coming of the KKK was brought up by William J. Simmons, and the cult peaked in the 1920s when the members exceeded 4,000,000. Unlike the first Klan, the second added bias against Roman Catholics, Jews, foreigners, and organized labor unions.They were forced under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, however they still committed violent crimes in the southern communities. While they aren't as violent, they were still as prejudice. -
The Family International
Founded in 1968 by David Berg, The Family International was a religious movement that followed Christian morals. They seemed like a normal religious group but an investigation in the 1980s found that they had a controversial practice of liberal sexual practices which revolved around the abuse of children. Today this group still exists, but they have had a shift towards focusing on missionary and humanitarian activities such as speaking against child abuse. -
Asatru Folj Assembly
While this "cult" is not violent they are still a hate group. Asatru Folk Assembly are people who value old and traditional Norse mythology and are the largest hate group of neo-Völkisch people. neo-Völkisch people believe in a specific type of Norse mythology that strays far from the traditional mythology and Asatru seek to protect the origins. -
Manson
Famous Charles Manson was accused of killing at least 9 and for having erratic behavior. He has a few followers which were primarily woman and they are thought to have done the killings. Manson wanted to get into hollywood but was rejected, then killing five people inside a house that used to belong to Terry Melcher and instead, killed two women, a pregnant Hollywood actor Sharon Tate and Folgers Coffee heiress Abigail Folgers. Manson went to trial and was found guilty and would die in prison. -
Nuwaubians
Dwight York was the founder and leader of the "United Nation of Nuwaubian Moor" and claimed that he was the "God of outer space." Their focus is on Egyptian beliefs and the existence of extraterrestrial beings. York had a following that said that " White people are devils"..." Only born to be killers." They are a racist group that also believes that white people are less than human and shouldn't exist. On top of racist ideologies the leader was sentenced to prison for rape of the women and kids. -
The Ant Hill Kids
Roch Theriault is the founder of The Ant Hill Kids. He created a nudist cult that he forced into the forests where he called himself a modern Moses. He was known as being a brutal leader who would randomly attack his followers. Roch was especially interested in mutilation, torture, and games of dominance. His worst crime was makeshift surgery in the middle of the woods. Solange Boilard was in pain and he cut her open and ripped out her organs with his own hands. She died later in the woods. -
Rajneesh International Foundation
Founder Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was an Indian man who brought over 5,000 followers into a small town and promoted free love which became chaotic and led to one of the largest bioterrorism attack in America. During a fight between the small town and the large cult, Raineesh brought thousands of unhoused people to vote in his favor, however that failed. Additionally, Raineesh and his followers poisoned a restaurant getting over 700 people sick. -
The Raëlian movement
The Raëlian movement was founded in 1976 in France by Claude Vorilhon. They believe in extraterrestrial beings and often claim to have seen UFOs. They were a hippy like group that sexuality played a large role in their beliefs. Vorilhon believed that there is no such thing as a wrong way for love and this is connected to sexual abuse towards children and young woman. In top of this, in 1997, the Raëlian movement founded Clonaid, an organisation dedicated to human cloning, as it was popular. -
Jonestown
Jim Jones' name alone is a synonymous for the largest mass suicide that left over 900 people dead. He was committed to a society free of racial segregation and poverty. The majority of people who joined his church were Black Americans, women and children. He and his dedicated followers moved to the jungles of Guyana and created a town called Jonestown. Over 900 of Jones' followers committed suicide by drinking a cyanide-laced drink and this became the origin of the phrase "drinking the Kool aid" -
The Nation of Yahweh
Hulon Mitchell Jr., founded the Nation of Yahweh in 1979, and took up the name Yahweh ben Yahweh. He and his followers beloved that African Americans are the true Israelites. He convinced his followers that they needed to commit racial violence such and beating, killing, and even cutting off the ears of white people, according to some people. -
Satanic Panic
The Satanic Panic was a movement of religious extremism that began around 1980 and was part of a wider period of sweeping moral panic. Many people feared that children would be abused during satanic rituals Jack chick, an evangelical christian, often wrote linking Satanism to progressive movements like the anti-war and gay rights movements. A doctor by the name of Rebecca Brown published a book promoting Satanic ritual abuse ideals which only furthered the panic of rising Satanism. -
The Order of the Solar Temple
The Solar Temple was founded in 1984 by Luc Jouret and they believed in a higher spiritual realm, a "cosmic orde" and they were scared of the apocalypse. They had elaborate ceremonies to make themselves pure so that they can make it up to the star Sirius. As a result, an estimated 75 people committed suicide or were murdered. -
NXIVM
Founded in the 1990s by Keith Raniere was marketed as a self-help support group. It was later discovered that this group was known for their psychological manipulation and sexual exploitation of women. When they faced legal issues they were charged with identity theft, extortion, forced labor, sex trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction of justice, and child exploitation. Many of the high-profile members were imprisoned and the NXIVM were disbanded. -
The Church of the Last Testament
In 1991 Sergei Torop claimed that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ and soon founded the Church of the Last Testament. They followed strict diets and later the Russian government arrested Torop and claimed that he had done physiological harm to his followers after a woman in the group claimed to have seen a "Triangular UFO" -
The Branch Davidians
David Koresh, their leader, claimed to be the final prophet and established The Branch Davidians. Their headquarters were located at the Mount Carmel Center. The Davidians believed in the end of the world and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ would happen soon. In 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms ATF sought to arrest Koresh because they believed that he has illegal weapons which started a firefight and resulted in the deaths of four ATF agents and six Davidians. -
The Taliban
The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist nationalist and pro-Pashtun movement, calling themselves "Taliban" which is the Pashto word for "students." Before 9/11 the Taliban was a safe space for al-Qa‘ida which allowed them to be able to train terrorists who later caused the infamous 9/11 attack. They are well known for their advancements in Afghanistan. Suicide has risen by 78% in the country. August 7-10th they attacked Kabul in quick succession causing the death of 60 people, being the deadliest. -
Aum Shinrikyo
A Japanese terrorist cult, Aum Shinrikyo, was founded by Chizuo Matsumoto in 1986. They believed in a mixture of Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, and Christian belifes. Their most known attack was on March 20th, 1995. They caused the deaths of 14 people on the Tokyo Subway by gas. This happened because they had failed at infiltrating the government and their plan of killing as many leaders had failed. Many of the membersand the founder were convicted of numerous crimes. -
Heaven's Gate
Heaven’s Gate was founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles, who went on to call themselves Bo and Peep. They believed that the end was near and they needed to be pure to ascend to the next level. Basically they believed that the next level involved being abducted by aliens. After the death of one of the founders, Applewhite theorized that death was necessary to ascend. On March 26th, 1997 police found the bodies of 39 members. Today this remains the largest mass suicide in America. -
ISIS
ISIS emerged from the Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah, founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004. They are an extreme terrorist group that follows the sharia and Islamic law. ISIS is known for many movements that inspired numerous terrorist attacks around the world, including the Paris attacks of 2015, the Brussels bombings of 2016, the Orlando shooting of 2016, and the New Orleans attack of 2025.