"Aum Shinrikyo" - Shoko Asahara

Under the backdrop of the Great Depression, Guy and Edna Ballard successfully milked over a million people out of their valuables, life insurance, and savings. They would be taken to court for fraud—but their teachings and movement would live on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Feb 202042min

In 2011, Teal Swan began making YouTube videos claiming she was an extrasensory alien tasked with healing the world of its miseries. Her followers hoped that by taking her counsel, they could attract happiness into their lives. Instead, they were drawn into a belief system that preached that death was delicious, and suicide: the ultimate reset button. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Jan 202056min

On the last Sunday of every month, Parcast Rewind replays a classic episode of Cults that you might have missed!  Accused of imprisoning and brainwashing children, Anne Hamilton Byrne convinced her almost 500 followers that she was the female reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Jan 202034min

In the 1920s, the House of David baseball team was taking the nation by storm with their entertaining style of play. However, there was more to the group than just their athletic abilities. They were members of a cult led by a man named Benjamin Purnell, and he was harboring some very dark secrets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Jan 202039min

Benjamin Purnell arrived in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1913, claiming to be the seventh and final messenger of God. He planned to build a compound for his followers to wait for the end of the world, but he had an enigmatic past, where he learned to abuse the power he was given. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Jan 202043min

Sherry Shriner believed Satan disguised himself as Jesus and subsequently tricked the world into praising him. So she became the virtual leader of an online Reptilian ET Cult that believed demonic, alien reptiles were sent by Satan to take over the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Jan 202046min

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: When the cult moved to Hawaii, James Baker never expected his penniless followers to find him. But once it became clear that they were willing to follow to the bitter end, he began planning a dramatic exit of epic proportions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Dec 201956min

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: When James Baker started his health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip in the 1970s, he had no intention of creating a spiritual commune. But opportunity knocked, and soon, he was the leader of a yoga-based cult in Hollywood Hills that launched Baker to wealth and fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Dec 201953min