Monday, February 20, 2017

Week 7 What is a Cult?

5 Worst CULTS to Ever Exist




 Published on Jun 19, 2016

5 Worst Cults to Ever Exist

A cult is defined as a group of people with religious beliefs and practices deemed as sinister or strange. 
Whenever we hear about them, we automatically think they are evil, their members nothing more than gullible people. Regardless of what we feel, their existence is a reality. 
The following 5 cults made headlines not just because of their strange beliefs but because they shocked and caused grief and death to thousands of people. These are five of the worst cults to ever exist. 

5. Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God


4. Grail Movement Cult
Originally started in the late 40s, the Grail Movement was established by the followers of Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, also known as Abd-ru-shin. Their core belief follows the principles of his book "In the Light: The Grail Message", and currently, there are over 10,000 members. 


3. Children of God


2. Heavens Gate
IN 1997 acting on an anonymous tip, police entered a hilltop mansion in California and found 39 dead people inside. This was the case that shaped people's notion of modern day doomsday cults – The Heaven's Gate.


1. Jonestown/ The Peoples Temple
It was a promised Utopia for members of The People's Temple of the Disciples of Christ or commonly, the People's Temple. But instead, their commune in Jonestown became a living hell for its many members and would leave the world shocked.

4 comments:

  1. exactamundo ... good comments Alexandra

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  2. This was extremely shocking to watch. I can't believe how many people were a part of these groups. It's hard to imagine so many people being susceptible to these ideologies. I also don't understand why the cult leaders killed and abused their members. I didn't know very much about cults, and I still don't understand where the leaders got these beliefs. I am also surprised that they were able to recruit so many people.

    Amelie Onate

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andrea Perez Power
    PID: 5058098

    The word “Cult” in itself sounds scary. I heard of the tragedy of Jonestown years ago from a friend and looked it up on youtube. The results were dreadful and it’s hard to believe that something so tragic happened just so recently. Although, I had never heard of the Heaven’s gate tragedy and although still minimal in comparison to Jonestown, the mere fact that individuals committed suicide by choice, thinking that there was something better on the “other side” is crazy to me. Individuals that have the power and skill to manipulate a multitude of people to kill others or even themselves are by far scarier than anything else.

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  4. It's an abomination of how cults exploit people, sometimes aiming for their desire for something to believe in (perhaps for purpose) and others for their need for belonging. Sometimes, once inside, our biases for group mentality and authority may blind us to what an outsider may consider obvious.

    Kyle Peche
    PID: 5865833

    ReplyDelete