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The article explains what a cult is. The types of organizations that have been created. It takes you back to the beginning where it all started. Afterwards it explains the different types of cults, there are two types of them. The first one isn’t considered much of a cult but more of a religion. And there’s the second one where these cults are destructive and chaotic.

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About Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints Find overviews, news, and opinions on hundreds of today's important social issues. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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People join cults for different reasons. There are different types of cults, Buti found these  two types of them ineressting. The one that seem to get everyone’s attention are one ones who are destructive and chaotic. And there is the other cult which isn’t considered much of a cult but more of a religious culture. There is a difference between the two. A cult is a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. A religious culture is a particular system of faith and worship towards a god or gods.

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There is no right answer to what is a cult. Not everyone thinks, looks and speaks the same. But one thing thing they do demand for sure are requirements. These cults can be created to have their own faith. Others are about racism and crime. But these clans all have one thing in common. It has a belief system that has the answers to all of life's questions and offers a special solution to be gained only by following the leader's rules.

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Cults have made headlines around the world for many years and continue to fascinate in documentaries and popular podcasts.

The stories behind these cults' origins, leaders and demises are riveting - and often disturbing.
Warning: Some images in this gallery are graphic in nature.

School of Prophets: From polygamy to death row

Ron Lafferty was convicted of murdering his brother's wife and her toddler in 1984. Lafferty, a member of a renegade polygamist cult called the "School of Prophets," killed the woman because of her opposition to plural marriage. Lafferty claimed he committed the killing after a revelation from God.

Lafferty was sent to Utah's death row; he died there in November 2019.

NXIVM: The founder

NXIVM founder Keith Raniere was accused of running an abusive sex cult through his Albany-based seminar company.

He denied the charges after his March 2018 arrest, but a judge ordered him held without bail until trial.

NXIVM: The accusations

Before Raniere's arrest, in 2017, a New York Times exposé accused NXIVM of fronting a cult called "DOS" or "The Vow." The Times reported that female cult memberswere branded, used as sex slaves, punished by their "masters" and blackmailed.

Here, attorneys representing Raniere prepare to hold a news conference after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges in March 2018. He pleaded not guilty.

NXIVM: Arrests

"Smallville" actress Allison Mack (seen here) was subsequently accused of recruiting "DOS" slaves by convincing women they were joining a female empowerment group that would help them overcome weaknesses.

Mack was arrested and indicted on federal charges, including sex trafficking. She initially pleaded not guilty.

NXIVM: A guilty plea

On April 8, 2019, Allison Mack appeared in a Brooklyn federal court to enter a guilty plea for two racketeering charges in connection with her involvement with the NXIVM cult.

NXIVM: The end?

Here, a courtroom sketch shows Raniere at a hearing in April 2018. The following March, Raniere faced new charges of exploiting a child and possessing child pornography.

He was found guilty on all counts on June 19, 2019. In October 2020, a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison.

Angels' Landing: Daniel Perez

For 15 years, Daniel Perez - a self-described "seer" who claimed to be a 1,000-year-old angel - led a traveling group of mostly women from state to state. Perez told his followers that he needed to have sex with young girls to stay alive.

Over the years, Perez collected millions of dollars in life insurance policies from members who died.

The 2003 drowning death of 26-year-old Patricia Hughes at the group's compound outside of Wichita, Kansas, was originally ruled an accident. But when police received new witness testimony, they arrested Perez on suspicion of murder.

Prosecutors alleged that Perez forcibly drowned Hughes to collect a life insurance policy after her death.

He pleaded not guilty.

Angel's Landing: A conviction

Following his 2015 trial, Perez was convicted of 28 crimes, including first-degree murder, rape, aggravated assault, and sexual exploitation of a child, among others.

He was sentenced to life in prison.

The Manson Family: Multiple killings

In all, nine people were murdered in several separate attacks. Manson was convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder. He was imprisoned until his death in 2017. Other members of the cult are still in prison.

In this photo, the body of one of the victims, actress Sharon Tate, is taken from her house in California in 1969. She was eight months pregnant.

Children of God: Rose McGowan's escape

Actress Rose McGowan was also born into Children of God. During her childhood, her family lived in Italy with other members of the group.

McGowan has said that when her father learned Berg was advocating for child-adult sexual relations, he packed up his three daughters and escaped to the U.S.

Aum Shinrikyo: Followers

The cult attracted young, elite universitystudents and graduates who believed that the apocalypse was near and that they would be the only ones to survive.

Aum Shinrikyo: Sarin gas attack

In 1995, members carried out a sarin nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system, possibly in an attempt to bring about the apocalypse, and possibly to keep authorities from shutting down the group. Thirteen people died, and thousands were injured in the attack.

Thirteen members of the group received death sentences. The first seven, including leader Shoko Asahara, were hanged in early July 2018, and the remaining members were executed later that month.

Matamoros cult: Ritual human sacrifices

Five drug smugglers were arrested in connection with the murders.

They told police they thought the human sacrifices would protect their drug smuggling operations.

Order of the Solar Temple: Bodies found

In 1994, a man who spoke against the cult was killed in his home, along with his wife and baby.

Days later, two Solar Temple buildings in Switzerland went up in flames. Investigators found 48 bodies inside. Some were shot, some were found with bags over their heads and some had been injected with tranquilizers.

Joseph Di Mambro's gun was found during the investigation. He and his family were among the dead.

Branch Davidians: The compound

Koresh's followers took over the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, also known as Mount Carmel. Koresh kept "spiritual wives," some of whom were underage.The government also had eyes on the group because they believed Koresh was stockpiling weapons.

Branch Davidians: The blaze

In 1993, the ATF and Texas National Guard raided the Waco compound. The raid led to a shootout that left four agents dead, followed by a 51-day standoff with the FBI.

On April 19, federal agents launched tear gas to try to force people out. Soon after, the compound erupted in a massive blaze. Eighty-two people, including Koresh, died.

Russian doomsday cult: A suicide attempt

Kuznetsov (pictured here with followers) reportedly attempted suicide when his doomsday prophecy didn't come true. His current whereabouts are unknown.

First published on June 15, 2018 / 2:32 PM

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Cults have made headlines around the world for many years and continue to fascinate in documentaries and popular podcasts. The stories behind these cults' origins, leaders and demises are riveting - and often disturbing. Warning: Some images in this gallery are graphic in nature.

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When it comes to cults everyone has different opinions on them. Some believe in them and others don’t. I personally believe that these cults can be dangerous one way or another. As much as I would try to respect their “Religion”. And I’m not talking about  religions that involves a god. I’m talkin about the ones that create their god because they think they are the “chosen one”. I do believe they can be harmful at one point. They believe they are doing the right thing, it's like they are being manipulated and brainwashed.

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About Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints

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About Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints Find overviews, news, and opinions on hundreds of today's important social issues. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Mind control, or "brainwashing" as it's commonly referred to by the media, is often viewed by many psychologists as science fiction. However, interrogators stressed that mind control is being used by cults to recruit and maintain followers. And can have dangerous and lasting psychological consequences. Cults that use mind-control techniques have been able to do so with impunity. Plus the people who are victims of these techniques get no treatment.

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Holding a briefcase filled with the explosive C4, Kerry Noble entered a church for gay men in Kansas City, Mo., in 1984 with intentions of blowing it up. He waited for his opportunity as he sat among a crowd of about 60 people.

"All I had to do was hit the timer and walk out," Noble said. "About 10 or 15 minutes later, there'd be an explosion, and everyone would die."

Noble thought he was going to start a revolution. As a cult leader of the Covenant, Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), he was on a mission for his organization, which had come to hate homosexuals, blacks and Jews.

But as Noble sat among the crowd, he put a face to his enemy. And his "enemy" appeared no different than anyone else. He thought of the consequences--of what would have amounted to the largest terrorist attack in America at the time. Then, he picked up the briefcase and left.

Noble joined other former cult members and experts at APA's 2002 Annual Convention in Chicago during the session "Cults of hatred" to speak out on the effects of mind control and destructive cults. Panelists made a plea to the association to form a task force to investigate mind control among destructive cults.

"Extreme influence [such as mind control and cults] has remained dormant in the field of psychology," Alan W. Scheflin, professor of law at Santa Clara University, told the audience.

Mind control, or "brainwashing" as it's commonly referred to by the media, is often viewed by many psychologists as science fiction. However, panelists stressed that mind control is being used by cults to recruit and maintain followers and can have dangerous and lasting psychological consequences.

Cults that use mind-control techniques "have been able to do so with impunity, and the people who are victims of these techniques get no treatment," Scheflin said.

In fact, psychologists who do treat someone claiming to be a mind-control victim from a destructive cult might face a malpractice action. "There are no legitimate treatments that are scientifically validated that appear in peer review journals, although they are effective clinically," Scheflin said. "Therefore, they are vulnerable to challenge in the courts. That has to stop. There is no reason why people who are true victims of mind control or people who think they are victims and are wrong should not receive treatment when they need it or want it."

The time is now for psychologists to investigate cults and their impact, Scheflin said, especially in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. To fully understand the psychological factors that lead to terrorism, he added, the answers might lie in understanding cults.
The cult mentality
Panelist Deborah Layton also encouraged more help for mind-control victims. "It can happen to the best of us," Layton said.

At age 18, in the early 1970s, Layton's need for belonging attracted her to the Peoples Temple, a group that offered her a sense of comfort and answers to life. The leader, the Rev. Jim Jones, made her feel like she was joining the Peace Corps. A few years later, Layton went to Jonestown, the Guyana village where Peoples Temple followers went to escape racism and persecution. However, the peaceful settlement appeared more like a "concentration camp," surrounded by armed guards, where food was scarce and followers were required to work long hours.

She escaped from Jonestown in 1978 and reported to police about activities there, such as mass suicide drills and people being held against their wills. Her prediction of a mass suicide came to fruition a few months later when 913 followers drank lethal cyanide punch or were shot to death.

Layton felt ashamed at being warped into a cult. "If I could tell this story and explain it to the world, then maybe I could take myself out of the muck of shame," Layton said.

Steve Hassan, a former cult member and licensed mental health counselor who specializes in helping those in destructive cults, says recovery from a cult's mind control can be facilitated if victims attain the proper information, support and interventions from former cult members.

As for Kerry Noble, the CSA cult grew out of a small, pacifistic church he joined in 1977, which over four years gradually changed its religious philosophy. In 1978, the organization spent $52,000 on weapons. By 1981, the church had become an armed, extremist hate group.

Noble had a four-day armed standoff with the federal government in 1985 and spent two years in prison. But, he said understanding the psychology behind mind control helped him in his eight-year battle to recover. "I've learned that hate is a learned behavior," Noble said.

Cults often use behavior modification on followers, such as thought- stopping techniques and instilling an "us-versus-them" mindset, Hassan said. With thought-stopping techniques, members are taught to stop doubts from entering their consciousness about the cult, often with a key phrase they repeat. Phobia indoctrination is also used, where cults play on a person's irrational fears, with threats such as the person will develop cancer or go insane if he ever leaves or questions the group.

"Just as we can do short-term deep effective therapy to teach people about phobias and help them to get over their phobia, we can do the same with cult mind-control victims," Hassan said.

A destructive cult is an authoritarian regime, which uses deception when recruiting as well as mind-control techniques to make a person dependent and obedient, he said.

Al Qaeda fulfills the criteria for a destructive cult, Hassan said. "We need to apply what we know about destructive mind-control cults, and this should be a priority with the war on terrorism. We need to understand the psychological aspects of how people are recruited and indoctrinated so we can slow down recruitment. We need to help counsel former cult members and possibly use some of them in the war against terrorism."
A legitimate field of study?
In 1986, a group of psychologists formed a task force--Deceptive and Indirect Methods of Persuasion and Control (DIMPAC)--and submitted a report to APA that condemned cults for using brainwashing. But APA's Board of Social and Ethical Responsibility for Psychology found the report "unacceptable," lacking in scientific evidence, relying too much on sensational anecdotes and providing insufficient information for APA to take a position on the issue.

But Scheflin maintains that for the last 100 years society has been given clear signals that this is a legitimate field of study, and psychology needs an organized response. For example, in the 1880s and 1890s, hypnosis was found to be used to implant false memories. In the 1920s, police were believed to use "third-degree" interrogation techniques, where pain and suffering was inflicted on criminal suspects. During the Moscow Trials in the 1930s, innocent political ideologists were forced to confess to being traitors. In the 1950s and 1960s, Chinese Communists allegedly used brain washing techniques during the Korean War.

"These subjects are incredibly unappetizing and very difficult to grapple with, but they are an essential part of the psychology of the human mind," Scheflin said. "We need to stop this germ from spreading."

In a 1980 survey, 54 percent of high school students in the San Francisco Bay area reported at least one recruiting attempt by a cult member, and 40 percent reported three to five contacts, according to a study of more than 1,000 students by APA President Philip G. Zimbardo, PhD, and Cynthia F. Hartley. Those numbers are expected to have increased with electronic media growing as a recruitment tool for cults.

Cults exist at every layer of society, said Stephen J. Morgan, a faculty member with the American Management Association/Management Centre Europe in Brussels, Belgium. Morgan was an international leader for an extremist political cult in the 1980s, which operated in 31 countries with 25,000 operatives. While holding office in the British Labour Party, Morgan worked as a spy in carrying out activities against the state.

About 10 years ago, Morgan left the organization and regained his self-identity. Today, he lectures all over the world on mind control by terror cults. At APA's convention, he stressed the importance of a deeper understanding of cults in understanding terrorism. Cult leaders are usually psychopaths with a desire for power and often take ideas from politics, religion and psychology to fulfill their purpose, he said. Through mind control, they are able to filter their thoughts and behaviors into "fanatical faith and belief" among followers.

"We need to bring the panelists' experiences together with your expertise," Morgan told psychologists in the audience. "It is a question of our health and safety as a nation."

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Holding a briefcase filled with the explosive C4, Kerry Noble entered a church for gay men in Kansas City, Mo., in 1984 with intentions of blowing it up. He waited for his opportunity as he sat among a crowd of about 60 people. "All I had to do was hit the timer and walk out," Noble said.

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Difference between a cult and being in a religious culture

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When you say the word cult everyone quickly thinks about religion. Which is true but they seem to forget that there are many types of cults. Some are religious, political or "self-improvement", but they can also be publicly described as martial arts, yoga, business, UFO, and therapy groups and even sexual abuse. Humiliation and mind control or “brainwash” seem to be the key for them to have you locked in place. Cults tend to operate in a similar way, they exist at all levels of society and take a wide variety of forms.

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Sex cult leader Keith Raniere, has been convicted in New York of charges including racketeering and sex trafficking.

For 20 years, Raniere was the leader of Nxivm (pronounced nexium), which claimed to be a self-help group and to have thousands of followers.

They described being forced to break off previous relationships and of suffering physical and sexual abuse. Some were forced to have abortions. A "slave and master" system saw women forced to hand over "collateral" - often humiliating photographs - to show their commitment.

The revelations have shocked many people and made headlines around the world. But, in reality, Nxivm reveals a great deal about how cults work.

Cults are structured like the layers of an onion, with the most acceptable elements closest to the outside, followed by increasing layers of secrecy and abuse as recruits move closer to the centre.

In the case of Nxivm, the outer layers saw seemingly harmless self-improvement programmes used to recruit members' friends, family and colleagues. But at its core, Raniere exerted extreme levels of control, allegedly culminating in sexual abuse, violence and the branding of his initials on female followers.

Bringing leaders to justice

The authorities were alerted to Nxivm's activities as far back as 2003, according to Forbes. But the New York Times reported early attempts to follow up complaints were rebuffed by officials, who said the women were acting consensually, or that technicalities prevented legal action.

This illustrates a key problem in prosecuting the leaders of cults: members often say they are acting under their own free will.

Even if current or former members want to press charges, many feel too afraid because of possible repercussions, or the stigma attached to having been a member.

In many countries, a lack of robust laws against psychological manipulation, or a concrete legal definition of a cult, means it can be difficult to bring cases to court.

In France, the About-Picard law forbids individuals or groups from engaging in activities designed to create physical or psychological subjection. Similar laws have been enforced in Luxembourg and Belgium, but these countries are the exception.

In 2015, the UK brought in a new law around coercive control, which criminalised the psychological abuse of a person for the benefit of the perpetrator. This applies even in the absence of physical violence, or if the victim refuses to testify.

At present, this law only applies to intimate, or family relationships. But many survivors say the coercive behaviours like isolation, control of relationships, monitoring and humiliation also occurs in cults.

Same structure, different forms

The Nxivm case has become famous due to its high profile membership - including actress Allison Mack and heiress Clare Bronfman.

However, while cults tend to operate in a similar way, they exist at all levels of society and take a wide variety of forms.

Some are religious, political or "self-improvement", but they can also be publically described as martial arts, yoga, business, UFO, and therapy groups.

Arguably, many terrorist and extremist groups use similar isolating processes to recruit and indoctrinate members.

Some followers are not recruited, but are born or raised within the group.

Many of these ex-members are now speaking out about their experiences of abuse in groups such as the Children of God, the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, the Twelve Tribes, and others.

Successful convictions for child abuse are slowly being won.

The traits of cults

Run by a charismatic, authoritarian leader, or leadership group, who seeks extreme levels of control over followers

Uses a hierarchical pyramid structure with layers of secrecy surrounding the leader. Followers are socially, psychologically and sometimes physically isolated

Leader's behaviour is justified by a totalitarian belief system that claims to have all the answers

A brainwashing process takes place. Total immersion in the group leaves no time or space for self-generated relationships or activities

The group alternates an apparently loving or attentive approach with escalating levels of stress or fear. This could be implemented through sleep or food deprivation, apocalyptic predictions, or threats of violence or sexual abuse

This process of coercive control creates followers who are controlled by or for the leader without regard for their own needs

Raising the alarm

A typical response to the Nxivm trial coverage may be to say: "That would never happen to me."

But recruitment doesn't start with being abused or branded.

It starts with an offer of something the person might be interested in: physical, psychological, political, financial, or spiritual benefits that someone they consider a friend or colleague is recommending.

In most cases, it appears that certain situations make people more vulnerable to joining a cult, rather than any particular characteristic or personality trait.

Victims may have gone through a recent upheaval, such as a relationship breakdown or moving to a new area. This can make them more open to starting a new friendship, or activity which could ultimately be cult-related.

It is only after the process of isolating and immersion culminates in the loss of a person's sense of self that it becomes extraordinarily difficult for them to work out what is really going on.

Greater awareness of how coercive control works could give people the tools to recognise, and therefore avoid, this type of manipulation.

One way of doing this could be through prevention education in schools and universities, to help protect people from these predatory groups.

In the UK, an extension of the coercive control law beyond family and intimate relationships would also put authorities in a stronger position.

It is steps like this that could help society take action against the leaders who are running psychologically controlling, abusive groups.

Dr Alexandra Stein is an honorary research fellow at London South Bank University. She spent a decade as a member of a political cult and specialises in the social psychology of cults and totalitarianism.

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Keith Raniere Nxivm trial: Why it's so hard to stop a cult

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Sex cult leader Keith Raniere, has been convicted in New York of charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. For 20 years, Raniere was the leader of Nxivm (pronounced nexium), which claimed to be a self-help group and to have thousands of followers. They described being forced to break off previous relationships and of suffering physical and sexual abuse.

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There is no right answer or a good explanation on why these people decide to join a cult. As you can read from the article source, most of the people are looking for an escape from reality. They want something they cannot find in the real world. So they decide to join or create these “worlds” where they can do whatever they want, they make it look so easy, safe and maybe even fun. But everything comes with a consequence.