Cults: The Truth Behind the World's Most Shocking Cults

by Nigel Cawthorne

Overview

The inside story of 50 0f the world's most notorious cults, including The Manson Family, Heaven's Gate and The People's Temple

The strange and sinister world of cults is a source of endless fascination. Their secrets, rituals and shadowy hierarchies make for some of the most disturbing and shocking revelations in history. Most chilling of all is the fact that many of their followers forfeit all independence in order to carry out the often sadistic bidding of a mysterious master manipulator - and continue to defend their leader to this day.

From Charles Manson, who instructed his followers to murder seven people, including a heavily pregnant Sharon Tate, to Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult that carried out deadly terror attacks, these cults and their leaders transfix us with their extreme ability to commit savage acts of cruelty and depravity in the name of a self-appointed higher power.

50 shocking and international cults are brought to life, including:

• The Manson Family
• People's Temple
• Colonia Dignidad
• Thuggees
• Aum Shinrikyo
• Skopsty
• Raëlism
• Heaven's Gate

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529401660
Publisher:	Mobius
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	658,077
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Nigel Cawthorne is the author of a number of successful true crime and popular history books. His writing has appeared in over 150 newspapers, magazines and partworks - from The Sun to he Financial Times, and from Flatbush Life to The New York Tribune. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Aum Shrinrikyo - Supreme Truth 5

2 Freemasons 11

3 The Cooperites 17

4 The Knights Templar 22

5 The Order of Oriental Templars 27

6 The Rosicrucians 33

7 The Church of Satan 39

8 Theosophy 44

9 The Moonies 50

10 The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn 55

11 Scientology 60

12 The Process Church of the Final Judgement 65

13 The Manson Family 70

14 Druids 76

15 The People's Temple 82

16 Thugs 88

17 Seventh-Day Adventists 93

18 Wicca 98

19 The Branch Davidians 103

20 Hare Krishna 108

21 Heaven's Gate 113

22 The Order of the Solar Temple 118

23 Jehovah's Witnesses 124

24 The Rajneesh Movement 129

25 The Mormons 134

26 Zoroastrianism 139

27 Another 'Family' 144

28 The Gnostics, the Waldensians and the Cathars 149

29 Khlysty 154

30 The Assassins 159

31 Children of God 164

32 Nuwaubian Nation 169

33 Swedenborgianism 174

34 The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 179

35 Raëlism 185

36 Synanon 190

37 Voodoo 195

38 Move 200

39 The German Brethren 205

40 The Federation of Damanhur 211

41 Skoptsy 216

42 The Reichsbürger Movement 221

43 Odinism 226

44 The Palmarian Catholic Church 231

45 Colonia Dignidad 236

46 Opus Dei 241

47 The Thule Society 246

48 The Yazidi 251