5 Insane Cults You Won't Believe Exist

[@betsyjohnson9699]

The casual “in their basement” is such a great SOS from the writers and I’m surprised Simon didn’t pick up on their message for help. Free Danny!!!!!

[@alisonk5807]

There are 10,000 cults in the US and not one has tried to recruit me? I'm insulted.

[@briannam3140]

take it as a compliment. maybe they can tell ur too smart to fall for their manipulation lol

[@MSjackiesaunders]

Me, too!

[@ortizguard2816]

Yeah, cults aren't what they used to be.

[@gurrrn1102]

Are you sure?

[@dianapennepacker6854]

You never even had a Jehovah's Witness come? That is a borderline cult if I have ever seen one. The stories of ex members are just... Nope. Cults are not immune from using religion. I also don't believe belief of anything supernatural is necessary for a cult. Political groups to some gangs can be cults for sure with their own rituals.

[@Mlo-tn9yr]

As an SA survivor uni med is terrifying. You are so vulnerable right after something like that. For ages I genuinely believed I was being punished for something from a former life. It's really scary thinking back to just how vulnerable I really was. It would be so easy for a group like that to manipulate me. It's over a year later and I would give anything to be fully healed and moving past what happened to me.

[@diyeana]

I'm so sorry that someone did that to you. In your mind, you can tell yourself that it was 100% their fault, but it's so hard to make your body & soul believe. I hope you're able to find peace, love, and harmony throughout your entire being soon. Hugs

[@jorgelotr3752]

I must say that the thought line behind cargo cults is something that can be seen in many other belief movements (not necessarily religious) and even society as a whole: rather than accept obvios things that go against one's deep-rooted beliefs, they divorce result from cause and invent a new cause, to which the result is the only proof needed.

[@otacon5648]

Scientology?

[@JohnnyWednesday]

They will literally come for you if your comment gets more than 10 likes

[@Blinkerd00d]

Tom Cruise will drop in from the ceiling.

[@otacon5648]

Brainwashed go Brrrrrrrrrr

[@thepax2621]

Isn't that just a scam? 🤔 Like a few BS rules, story taken from science fiction... but most importantly... *Pay* ever increasing monetary amounts to "advance"

[@thepax2621]

Aren't they just a money scAm? 🤔

[@michaelthompson4384]

Why do these people always claim to be reincarnations of famous people and not some random farmer in Spain.

[@HoundMonkey]

Pretty sure my last life was as one of those 4,000+ year old trees in California and before that I was a glass sponge that lived for like 10,000 years... it explains why I dislike people and enjoy being alone in nature.

[@elainebenes7971]

Would you follow a random farmer in Spain?

[@michaelthompson4384]

@@elainebenes7971 I follow a random poor carpenter from Nazareth, so.

[@user-vo4wc2jz8g]

Random farmer in Spain you say... You have my undivided attention!!

[@guardsmanom134]

Probably because they are the most memorable. But hey, I'm supposed to be Einstein, and some random private from the war between the states, so... Idunno 🤷

[@Kaltagstar96]

Imagine being the Heaven's Gate people keeping their website online? That's got to be a real kick in the teeth for them not to get to join their cosmic crew up in the stars alongside ET.

[@danielhenry177]

"Stop touching me! Why are you drooling?" "Sorry love, it's a byproduct of my esoteric-ness"

[@magnificus8581]

You had me at "volkswagen bus" where do I sign up?

[@DeeBellwether]

most analytically thorough coverage of this subject i have encountered. thank you.

[@M-_-O]

The John Frum cargo cult is…. “adorably sad” and yes I know that makes me sound like an arsenole.

[@user-vo4wc2jz8g]

Jehovah's Witnesses have some all encompassing behavioural control. I was one for 30+ years and leaving was one of the most difficult things in my life.

[@abnurtharn2927]

Yea, my mother and that body of relatives is JW, so I feel you ❤

[@HKduane]

I’m sorry to here you went through that

[@dontneednoname2072]

4th generation and now ex-jw here, Congrats on breaking free too! I was lucky to have most of my immediate family members join me. I didn't even have to convince them! The Elders and Governing Body were such scum that they had had enough.

[@nobiazcustomsinc5030]

Na they have moral compass. And they remove members that explicitly refuse to follow their moral code. Thats not a cult lol Meanwhile not a single thing in their teachings is actually bad for you. Its always just ppl that didnt want the moral responsibilty or someone that "knows a JW" that try to shade them as being a cult

[@crystalweible152]

Congratulations! I hope you find your happiness!❤

[@cooltubes547]

As soon as I heard the imperium I was like no fuckin way. The inquisition would like to inspect you for heresy…😂

[@keithwald5349]

When choosing a cult to join, it's important to do your due diligence. Otherwise, you risk ending up in a really nutty one.

[@derekstein6193]

Agreed. If you must join a cult, join one that is at least reasonable and dignified, such as that russian one that worships Gadget from Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers.

[@MissBlueEyeliner]

As opposed to a slightly nutty one 😂

[@tims4502]

@@keithwald5349 yep, this. Make sure you join one that has a good coupon book or something

[@joppadoni]

My Cult is reasonable, no one has ever been abused or exploited. However.. My cult has only one member, me..🤣🤣

[@Sienisota]

Unfortunately cults are defined by their isolating and abusive behaviour. If the cult isn't nutty and unhealthy and punishing/shunning familiess for leaving? It doesn’t fit the criteria of a cult

[@Andrew-zq3ip]

Oh man, Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell... that takes me back.

[@normanhines5189]

I couldn't listen to him. His guests were just him doing funny voices through other audio equipment. Either that, or all his guests were the same person.

[@Bellpipe41]

It tickles me that past lives are always somewhat interesting. Nobody was ever a feudal serf who worked the land and died of typhoid aged thirty. What are the chances?

[@Damons-Old-Soul]

In my Roman Catholic Highschool class on morality and ethics, we did a deep dive into cults, mind control techniques, and comparing them with religion. After looking at both how cults keep members as well as the techniques they use, we couldn't find any significant difference between a cult and a religion. It really came down to how many people believed in it. This also helps to explain newer religions that came up the last 150 years. Most were considered cults when they started. *I am not calling ALL religion a cult! I AM saying that they can be hard to tell apart.*

[@alanhilder1883]

The Romans knew that these christians were a cult.

[@Rat-czar]

Typically if the group in question has one specific leader who’s given himself full control or power it’s a cult. Christianity doesn’t exactly fit that because the whole biblical narrative has used hundreds of different named individuals to build upon one canon. Whereas most cults we know about are very narrow and have small set of beliefs

[@jannetteberends8730]

I would think a way to distinguish one from another, is how easy it is to leave. With religions you just leave, life isn’t that different after leaving. With a cult it not so easy.

[@alanhilder1883]

@@jannetteberends8730 The religions may do "negative" actions like shunning or a number of other punishments. There may be "Positive" actions to try to bring you back to the fold, some blatant, some subtle. Those are the mainline, not extremist religions. There is worse from the extremists.

[@launiesoult3248]

Yes but Christianity is a cult

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:45 - Chapter 1 - Universal medicine 4:20 - Chapter 2 - Fellowship of friends 8:40 - Chapter 3 - John Frum 11:25 - Chapter 4 - Heavens gate 14:00 - Chapter 5 - Order of 9 angles

[@mattdavison284]

Imagine how lost and confused you’d have to be to fall head over heels for one of these cults..

[@nobiazcustomsinc5030]

@@mattdavison284 Dude....jonestown....Like how could that have happened?!

[@issabeganovic8822]

@@nobiazcustomsinc5030 You'd be surprised how far sweet-talking can get you in life...

[@Loralanthalas]

Yet, you spend how much on a "name brand" that will fall apart in a year? Do you think that the 2 political parties on America are the same thing & candidates just switch to whichever color they think will win? Or is red and blue actually different? How about unsupervised government employees? Do you think police are halfassed humans like the rest if us humans, or are they the shining high moral high horse pillars of the 1950s communities that we worship? Is younger actually sexier? Or did the lastest fashion industry leas you to beleive that. Because blue is NOT actually a boys color (until after 1920). Does it suprise you to know the average age of royals getting married in their mid 20s, not in their damn teens? Point is: we all beleive a lot of stupid shit. If you think you're not one if the "one born every minute", a salesman is already thanking you for your money.

[@chrismead3150]

All joking aside, I have a friend whose mother covertly left a closed LDS (Mormon) sect/society with her 3 infant to toddler aged daughters in tow back in 2005....she was 16 years of age. Her story is truly amazing, horrifying, sad, and immensely inspiring all at once. It will soon be released in hardcover, and, I seriously hope will be a feature film soon after. Events like these have to be recorded, repeated, and made aware to the public consciousness so it can hopefully be stopped and not repeated through history

[@procopiusaugustus6231]

I’m fascinated with cults like Heavens Gate. That there are people willing to surrender their freedom (and lives) based on errant nonsense becoming willing slaves to Doe and his ilk boggles the mind.

[@BadMoonRising92]

However many followers they still have. You can actually email them and you will get a response, answer questions and explain their beliefs

[@sybariticcupboardrat3763]

My dad was in that cult back in the 70s. They targeted disaffected social outcasts and made them feel special, the enlightened and superior chosen few. And they promised an escape from the lives they hated. It wasn't the most controlling of cults, members could leave relatively easily which is one reason it stayed small. My dad was actually asked to leave. My guess is that he couldn't suppress his egotistical behavior and/or he couldn't follow the celibacy rule. Heaven's Gate utilized the familiar christian belief structure most americans are indoctrinated in, just gave it a futuristic reskin and recruited sci-fi enthusiasts. It's easier to get people to believe things they're already primed for.

[@garymaidman625]

The followers are usually people with submissive personalities who find something missing in their lives. The perfect mix for a charismatic, dominant personality to create a following.

[@rileyfuckingrifle]

"Do" actually

[@jmac1099]

I mean in reality, is it much different than churches?

[@gordwrath6811]

Make a video of the ONA please. Like on decoding the unknown.

[@jessicalypsojessicakyliemc9879]

"The only difference between a cult and a religion is the amount of real estate they own." - Frank Zappa

[@michab4083]

I always thought it was the number of believers ... But who am I to doubt Frank Z. ;-)

[@danielchirvasuta7132]

I've always said "...is if their leader is alive or dead"

[@alanhilder1883]

If it is the one I'm a member of, it is the true religion, if not, cult.

[@black5f]

Religions are just large cults.

[@Nick-v7b3l]

2 people we need right now, are Zappa and Carlin.

[@fletch9702]

"The world is full of cults" - close, so close. Just 1 letter.

[@germoto]

Celts? Ok, I’ll get my coat….

[@ChurchNietzsche]

​@@germotothink that L should be an N

[@diyeana]

​@@ChurchNietzschecents? 😂 (I get it, I'm kidding)

[@ryanwagner656]

the world is full off coats 😮

[@fletch9702]

@@ryanwagner656 ONE letter

[@rossclark4589]

Watched the first two, then KZbin jumped straight to a Dominos ad. Surely Pizzagate isn’t a thing 😂

[@Berengier817]

1:30 I'm the reincarnation of Robert Johnson from Nottingham, England. Who was I? Literally no one. I died in 1683 as a sheep farmer.

[@TheHarrip]

A sheep Farmer in 1684 was a legitimate great man. Not so much in 1683. Bit of a pauper. Unlucky you.

[@leofromfreo6602]

How come no-one wants to be reincarnated as a Leper?

[@garymaidman625]

If he was from the 17th century and was a farmer, his last name was probably farmer.

[@igor2301]

Fresh content the John Frum thing is fascinating.

[@jordanpeters3746]

I once has a relationship with a woman who was prone to being influenced by out of the ordinary religious beliefs. She became involved with a group called Eckankar .. who claimed to be able to teach their followers how to "Soul travel". Once one had mastered this one could become a "companion of God" ... one could actually get to meet God. She wanted me to become involved so that we could meet God together. She was brought up as a Christian and blamed God for the many problems she'd experienced throughout her life. When we got to meet God the plan was that we would assassinate him ... and take over.

[@CaptHollister]

That would be a good storyline for a book

[@jordanpeters3746]

@@CaptHollister According to the Sci-fi author Brinsley Le Poer Trench (who was a member of the British House of Lords) our God is really just a minor God who was given a licence by the higher Gods to create a perfect world here on Earth. The licence is due to run out soon ... what will the higher Gods do with our God's failed experiment?

[@TM10000]

I have never been able to figure out why I wouldn't be able to get people to follow me out of a burning building yet droves blindly follow all kinds of lunatics and their strange doctrines.

[@meh7348]

That last one is actually pretty damn scary if you do some research on them.

[@waynesteffen3262]

0:23 Good one, Simon! 😂😅😊

[@stuartmcpherson1921]

When in New Guinea in the 70s we sometimes flew oveer cargo cult airfields. From above looked like mnormal runway with aircraft next to it. Runways had long grass and the aircraft were decoys similar to hunters using decoy ducks to get others to land there.

[@paulohenriquearaujofaria7306]

I like the way Simon performs narrativa." 2006 there was supposed to be a nuclear war, you don't misremember, it didn't happened".

[@curtislindsey1736]

YES!!! I love the cult content. I was raised Southern Baptist so I can relate😂

[@chrisleneil]

Argh, my childhood! Potlucks & lock-ins 🫥

[@jerryrichardson2799]

Lol!

[@jg6022]

This is hilarious cause Simon definitely gives off a cult leader vibe...

[@crystalweible152]

Would it be a cult if I preached "Do to others as you would do to yourself."? I try to be nice to everybody, but I realize that I must take care of myself first. I am constantly looking to expand my humanity by kindness. I have 3 true "Ride or Die" people. I am surrounded by my husband and pets and like it that way.

[@Rohvannyn]

Back when Christianity was new, the Romans did consider it a cult.

[@matthewfarrell1763]

That ethic runs into issues when you look at self destructive behaviour. I mean, just coz someone is willing to snort a line of coke and and whack the weasel for an hour straight, doesn't mean it's okay to surprise someone else by doing it to them!

[@NeilCWCampbell]

Careful they'll hurt you for such ideas.

[@coltclassic45]

Yay, a TST shout out! Thanks Simon!

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"When a cult grows up, it becomes a culture." -- Jan Shipps

[@lapsedgoth]

All the factions in 40k and you choose to base your cult off *gags* the imperium of man? The mechanicum is right there! Crazily sitting right next to the imperium, being properly feral.

[@Dualbladedscorpion7737]

And don't forget the gene stealer cults oh boy, they're surely something else.

[@Strider91]

Well, here we go. . .now I have to learn everything there is to know about Cargo Cults. Thx factboi

[@gabriellebernard198]

In new York we have the Hasidim. They meet every criteria of cult.

[@gweebara]

That is a pretty stinking good episode... I don't watch a lot of side projects but this one was good

[@tims4502]

Whatever happened to the carpet cleaning cult from NY in the mid 90’s? For some reason they took a hard pass on George Castanza and recruited his boss.

[@igor2301]

Sad people are gonna think Seinfeld just made that up.

[@kyledabearsfan]

Only difference between religion and cults are public acceptance and tax breaks

[@JamesDavy2009]

I believe that Venn diagram is a perfect circle.

[@Talisguy]

"The cult incorporated Neo-Nazi beliefs and militant Islam." ...So there's no coherence to their ideology beyond "being dicks," then. I don't know how else that sentence could possibly be true.

[@PaulZyCZ]

In the 19th century some French author came up with anti-Jewish book, which he made up, but claimed to be true. Something about secret world-ruling cabal. Of course Russians refined this further, then used it when useful (Stalin). It's been cited heavily by Nazis (SA handbook) and islamists like Hezbollah or Huttihs.

[@simonmeadows7961]

If one were to refer to a specific famous, celebrity-endorsed cult as being particularly litigious, would they sue you for calling them litigious?

[@maryseflore7028]

Scientology, you mean?

[@lolwhutization]

Unimed is a paid healthcare provider here in Brazil, I didn't come into this video expecting to have a cult with the same name

[@rickbezoski682]

2006?! Damn I knew I missed something big that year.

[@Plaprad]

Didn't miss much. Was pretty shit to be honest. Not to mention the drinks were overpriced.

[@Elemarth]

I don't think cargo cults belong in this video. They're cults in the definition of small/specific religions, not in terms of control over members.

[@Tony-dp1rl]

Most of them don't hold a candle to Mormonism

[@diyeana]

Right? One Doomsday Cult, coming right up! 😆 Especially if you look back at the first 50 years or so, and how they try to make excuses or gaslight you.

[@davidvavra9113]

Surely this well is far from dry

[@stephanhuebner4931]

For the first half minute I wondered if this is a video about Christianity. 😛 I mean, the description is spot-on.

[@soggycracker5934]

You REALLY had to work in an insult to Warhammer?!?! Who hurt your writers?

[@The-Random-Hamlet]

Fun Fact: 9 is the sacred number of Tzeentch (From 40K) and the Order of 9 Angle definitely sounds like a Tzeentch plot.

[@RustyJones-j3h]

"I've been in many cults. Both as a follower, and a leader. You have more fun as a follower...but, you make more money as a leader." - Creed Bratton

[@Bubbaist]

I’d like to know how they define cult, because everyone seems to have their own definition. Billy Graham’s son… can’t remember his first name… had a list of cults, and their definition of cult was, “Anything that takes us away from Jesus.” So, basically every other religion. They had the Mormon church on that list until Mitt Romney ran for president, then it suddenly stopped being a cult.

[@jessicalypsojessicakyliemc9879]

"The only difference between a cult and a religion is the amount of real estate they own." - Frank Zappa

[@OrlaFae-z2k]

I'm no means an expert, but having been raised in a cult, I looked into it. There's the BITE Model (written by a cult expert) which defines the features of a cult. There's the view that a cult is any structured belief system that hasn't been around long enough to be accepted as a religion (which personally I don't disagree with. I mean if you're looking at it purely from a scientific perspective, no religion that I'm familiar with makes claims entirely within what can be scientifically proved. So from that perspective, there's some supernatural element that when viewed in the right light, can be perceived as a cult-ish belief). I watched a documentary where a cult expert said that there were defining features of a cult (you just can't call anything a cult), so I'm guessing that that is based on the something like the BITE Model, and they implied it had to cause serious harm. While I don't disagree with that perspective at all, I do wonder how much harm needs to be experienced for the form of harm to be considered enough. Afterall, if people in any religion or cult are happy in their beliefs and practices, but they somehow discover that their beliefs are false, I wonder how many of them would end up feeling pain and suffering at the lies they followed, and the beliefs and practices that controlled their lives. I mean just because someone is happy in their beliefs, doesn't mean they don't deprive themselves of experiences (like sex before marriage) or experience feelings of shame or judgement from their congregation should they do something they aren't supposed to. I speak from experience here, but it's easy to justify these things and dismiss your struggles through a strong belief that these struggles are coming from a place of good, but when you realise you've been controlled and manipulated by your beliefs, the smaller struggles that initially didn't harm you as much suddenly become a lot more abusive and toxic! And then when that's put into context, the stuff that caused you a lot more pain and suffering becomes even more painful and severe! So that makes me wonder what has to be considered "bad" in order to be a cult? Because you don't have to know that you're being harmed, in order for that harm to be real and hurting you in some way! For years after leaving the cult environment I was in, where I was doing ongoing therapy, I never for a second believed I was being abused! I scoffed at the idea when my therapists asked me! Plot twist: I was, and it was bad enough to give me CPTSD. Just because you don't understand that you're being harmed, or that others on the outside of what you're experiencing don't perceive it either, doesn't mean it's not there or real!

[@dianapennepacker6854]

Personally cults to me are obsessive, possessive, dominating, manipulative, desirous and fanatical. All religions can have sects or cliques that drift into cults. Faith and dedication are not the same as cult like behavior. Yet it isn't just limited to religion. Any organization including politics can become cultists. I also think cults demand dedication.

[@andiward7068]

Religions let you leave. Cults threaten, intimidate and punish those who (try to) leave and require remaining members to cut contact, even if family members or face retribution themselves.

[@bethanywicker8990]

Franklin Graham

[@bipolarminddroppings]

Heaven's Gate was the wildest nonsense I've ever seen. Dude literally cut off his member, and some of his followers did the same thing but didn't get it done by a professional...

[@joelellis7035]

Guess I'm out of luck for all of the Unimed medicinal techniques. I remember the Heaven's Gate cult. I was on a military field exercise around that time and we could see the Hale-Bopp comet at night. One of our member asked if that was supposed to be the comet that all those people wanted to go to.

[@Peter-or8oc]

Reminds me of Scientology !

[@seanbordenkircher7854]

That Heaven's Gate guy, Marshall Applewhite, that guy's eyes are just dead and empty. No one is at the controls. I've never seen eyes like that.

[@bobactuary]

John Frum came from the typical way people in the military would introduce or distinguish people. John is a common name. There may be "John from Chicago", "John from Ohio", "John from ...", etc. What the natives heard repeatedly was "John from...", which could become "John Frum". They build monuments from wood to resemble airplanes and such, machines that were introduced to the primitive villages. They hoped such prosperity would return.

[@billfoster7951]

It's still unclear to me. What's the difference between a religion and a cult?

[@maiaallman4635]

As far as I could figure out, if the group becomes big enough, it is seen as a religion. Many people have commented on this video that Islam should be counted as a cult, but that is fails to meet the definition as Islam can not be described as fringe or small.

[@migmit]

There used to be, maybe still is, a cult in Russia worshipping Gadget Hackwrench. Yes, that mouse from Chip&Dale. As many gods have human avatars, so does Gadget. One of the best known avatars is Kaywinnith Lee Frye aka Kaylee, from Firefly. Others include Florence Ambrose from Freefall and Bonnie Barstow from Knight Rider.

[@nattycasper2022]

No way😂😂😂

[@michaelmoore7975]

@2:23 Sounds like "womb manipulation" from _The Road to Wellville._

[@M-_-O]

Is that the movie with Hugh Dancy? Hey… y’know… if it’s him… lol but yes I think that’s where some of these cults get their ideas, from old quackery. and (they feel) it legitimizes them because they have something to point to from the past like “10 things Modern Doctors Don’t Do so they can keep you on the Expensive Pill Mill” or “Why Don’t Modern Doctors Prescribe This?!?!”

[@michaelmoore7975]

@@M-_-O Yes, there is also a scene where patients stand in a circle and laugh loudly for a bit. Nowadays you can find certain groups of people doing the same. Incidentally the Kellog character (was a real person) played by Anthony Hopkins, who not only invented breakfast cereals, also was among the 1st to promote a vegetarian diet. Give me Laudanum or Give Me Death! (likely both)

[@M-_-O]

@@michaelmoore7975 oh I’ve made a mistake. “Road to Wellville” had Matthew Broderick and Anthony Hopkins as Kellog. “Hysteria” is the one with Hugh Dancy.

[@michaelmoore7975]

@M-_-O Nope you're good. I get you. Cheers!

[@michaelmoore7975]

@M-_-O Hysteria=hilarious BTW.

[@JaelaOrdo]

Putting heavens gate in the thumbnail isn’t the best idea for a “cults you won’t believe exist” video. Family Guy parodied them in their first season in the 90s.

[@ChocoLater1]

Forgot to mention Apple company

[@RarelyReplies]

I briefly joined The Reasonablists when I lived in Pawnee Indiana. Still have my flute.

[@joppadoni]

Where do you keep said flute? And does it cause sitting difficult?🤣

[@RarelyReplies]

@@joppadoni that “joke” says more about you than you realize. I have no doubt you’re the type of guy that laughs at his own jokes at others just look awkwardly.

[@Slikx666]

Soon the flat earth brigade could be on that list, they're bonkers.

[@christieosborne1661]

Scientology should be on the list!!!

[@hearingthesmells2500]

Sorry guys 🙌 I have to restructure our beliefs. My bad 😅

[@hashfors]

What about the whistler cult.. I’m the leader and Simon is our god..

[@JohnnyWednesday]

*I'm* the leader - cult warrrrrrrr!!

[@hashfors]

@@JohnnyWednesday 😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬

[@coffeelover5780]

Fact boy

[@PeachM0de]

Y’all are just ass kissers

[@MSjackiesaunders]

😂😂😂😂

[@ryanm7832]

I always took the cult threat as a leftover hype from the 80s, not a real big deal. But, at 34 years old, I learned the hard way. After enduring a ton of trauma/stress, and being isolated for several months due to mental instability, I began seeking out heathen/norse pagan groups that WERE NOT racist or prejudiced (there are too many of those hateful groups misappropriating my ancestors' culture for their hate and bigotry; Vikings weren't racist, and in fact, the collective Scandinavians were some of the most socially progressive cultures on the planet). I found one, called Awaken the North, and stayed at the fringes for several months, just chatting with people in the Discord. Eventually, I applied to join the leadership team as the Chair of Religious Studies; just a helper for the Chancellor of Religious Studies, no voting power. Anyway, things went well for several months; I didn't realize it at the time, but I was being "love bombed," so I felt welcome and went above and beyond for the organization, taking on extra duties and projects because I believed in the mission and loved the people. There were minor issues that I decided to overlook for awhile, but eventually, it came to a head when I challenged a decision to delete all my holiday posts (would create posts for each of the Norse holy days, published on all the social media accounts and main website) for Midsummer, because of a "spacing issue" (copy and pasted to Discord and lost formatting; it was a very minor issue, limited to one instance). After prompting, it was then "because I didn't submit the form" (a proofreading/editing process, because many members with writing tasks weren't educated and often published poor products; I was the exception, I NEVER published a SINGLE mistake, and the form was only recently created, a few weeks before I made my Midsummer posts. Anyway, since I butted heads with the President's girlfriend, who was given the role "President's Assistant" and given full access and authority to pretty much do whatever she wanted, I was then ostracized; the President and his girlfriend would blatantly ignore me, in private messages and in the group chat, a complete 180 from just a few weeks before that. A couple months after that incident, the President posted a vague, insulting lecture about gossiping amongst each other and I DMd him to inquire about it; I had been out of the group chat for a bit to avoid the drama and stress that happens there. He responded in a group message saying that everyone who messaged him directly was attempting to engage in gossip and we all needed to take time in deep reflection on our behaviors and how they affect others. I simply left the group chat, as many others had done before, without issue, and immediately messaged him to explain that I just can't deal with the added stress and drama, so I was leaving the group chat for a bit but not abandoning my duties. He acted like a supportive friend in private, but was purging my access to everything and telling everyone I had "rage quit"; found out hours later from several council members. And then I started getting tons of messages from people that had left before me, and several who had come and gone before I ever joined, who wanted to offer me support and explained the things that had caused them to leave and revealed a slew of terrible allegations. I didn't take point in the following events, but I planted seeds and sowed rebellion, and revealed the allegations to the council, who then launched an investigation and failed to remove him from power because it required a unanimous vote (despite not voting on my dismissal at all). Turns out, some of those allegations had almost come out, but he quickly suppressed them; after leaving, I and the others, realized it was a cult. He led with an iron fist, suppressed any information that ran contrary to his agenda, was guilty of being an aggressive pervert (multiple accounts of SH, over several years; including cheating on his wife with a former member of the group, and harassing other members), love bombed people into doing anything for him, and then tried to keep them so busy with their work that they didn't have time to talk or ask questions. Luckily, I got out before I suffered any real damage, but many, many others weren't so lucky. I tried to go after him, to have him face justice for his crimes, but I finally gave up on it after many of the victims asked me not to because they were so sick of rehashing things and didn't want to deal with the headache of going public. He's still leading AtN, but over 60% of his council abandoned him, an organization that had merged with them so they could continue working on military bases under AtN's charter abandoned him, and they haven't filed taxes in 3 years, so they lost their 501c3 status, but continued selling courses to obtain ordination despite those courses not offering any actual, accredited ordination (and the majority of the content being copy and pasted from wikipedia, on top of being plagued by errors). So, to summarize, I used to thing cults weren't an actual threat to society. But after the events of the last year, I've come to realize that they are real, and really dangerous, because they prey on disadvantaged or hurting people. They even got me, a 34 year old man with experience in corrections/law enforcement and the military, and current college senior with a 3.8 GPA. Nobody is immune, everyone should be wary, or at least be taught what to look for so they can recognize it when it happens.

[@russa5332]

MAGA should be at the top of the list

[@Humandriver5280]

Simon: Tell us how to start a profitable cult.

[@wreckingopossum]

Imagine there's a parallel universe where all of humanity except Apollo was destroyed in 2006.

[@pjsparrow5904]

When two of my obsessions collide. Simon and Warhammer 40K😂

[@mattkluth8325]

Orange cult

[@issabeganovic8822]

There's nothing better to help my hope for humanity fall than learning that people are still into drum circles like discount chopped beef.

[@1981mrdavid]

I remember in 97 when the media tried to say the leader of Heaven's gate cult was the guy in Metalica's Enter sandman video.

[@muthesquirrel]

Anyone remember that weird, small cult formed around the idea they were reincarnated Final Fantasy characters?

[@rucertain]

Scientology needs to be included

[@Magdalena8008s]

Theres a 6 or 8 part documentary that CNN made on Heavens Gate that is spectacular. It features a guy who was kicked out a few days before the event so hes alive. Point is. So intriguing because a part of him is still a believer in a way. But super smart and knows how absurd it is. And the amount of footage they have is crazy. They filmed basically every moment of the cults life.

[@DwarfstepchildofWyrd]

I'm the reincarnation of "Unknown Homeless Man" who died during the Great Chicago Fire. Not from the fire, though, but because I thought charcoal was food. I'mma get it this time around though! I learned my lesson for sure! No more charcoal for me! Just my daily shots of bleach for purification.

[@rened.5998]

It's on of those calming videos, you really should watch before going to sleep.😂😢😳

[@Ainar86]

Bonus points for a 40k reference, double bonus points for calling the Imperium "space n@zis"! XD

[@murderface1628]

"... Possibly from a basement" 😹😹😹😹

[@TwoHawksHunting]

I was living in California when the Heaven's Gate death cult members were discovered in a Mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego. 14:48

[@Richard-vw8no]

I can think of a political party that fits the bill.

[@lollandgibbons878]

Watching this while painting my Warhammer 40K minis only for you to mention at cult called the imperium 😂😂😂

[@abnurtharn2927]

Some of this would fit better into the shadows.

[@fochiqui]

Trump 2024 is wild. So I believe all these

[@merlebarney]

I’m not in a cult. The dear leader says so.

[@Nose4a2]

I wish I could make my own positivity cult. Mostly just to get paid by encouraging other people to do things that were already in their own interest

[@garyclark3843]

Nine Angles? No Saxons?

[@jeffapplewhite5981]

Damn California does that to you!

[@whyjnot420]

Most annoying cult in the world atm: Just Stop Oil

[@Elemarth]

"possibly from the basement" thrown in there like Sideprojects viewers have any idea what he's talking about

[@AdamtheRed-]

That nuclear war in '06 was pretty bad, amIright? I was completely vaporized.

[@alinaanto]

Yeah, forget Mad Max! We are all living in the post-apocalyptic world now! 😂

[@AtheistOrphan]

So was I, but I got better.💥

[@ShawnMichaelBeck]

@@AdamtheRed- I know I remember too

[@GrinninPig]

Asterisk, so long as you've never seen a KZbin

[@caroljo420]

Heaven's Gate founder is one of my Mandella effect problems.I remember him as Applethwaite, not Applewhite!!!