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00:00:00 – 00:14:38
The video explores various controversial and destructive cults, highlighting their origins, beliefs, practices, and the devastating impacts they had on society. The Rajneesh movement, founded by a scholar in the late 1960s, initially promoted free thought but eventually became notorious for criminal activities and relocated from Oregon to India. The Order of the Solar Temple, inspired by the Knights Templar and founded in 1984 in Geneva, attracted disillusioned individuals and ended tragically with mass deaths.
Raelism, a UFO religion established by Claude Varian in 1974, claims humans were created by extraterrestrials called Elohim. Aum Shinrikyo, founded by Shoko Asahara in Japan in 1987, combined various religious elements and became infamous for the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. The 12 Tribes, emerging from the 1970s Evangelical Jesus movement in Tennessee, and Happy Science, founded by Ryujo Okawa in 1986, have faced criticism over authoritarian control and controversial practices.
Other groups discussed include the FLDS community led by Warren Jeffs, noted for illegal polygamy, and Superior Universal Alignment, implicated in the deaths of 19 boys in Brazil. The Family International, formerly known as Children of God, gained infamy for sexual exploitation and child mistreatment. Lastly, NXIVM, initially a self-help group, evolved into a criminal organization under Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman, who coerced women into branding and sex trafficking, resulting in Raniere's 120-year prison sentence. Despite legal actions, remnants of these groups persist.
00:00:00
In this segment of the video, the narrator discusses disturbing cults. First, the Rajneesh movement, founded by a controversial scholar in the late 1960s, is highlighted. The movement promoted free thought, meditation, and sexual freedom but faced opposition, leading to crimes and eventual relocation from Oregon back to India. After Rajneesh’s death in 1990, the movement, now called Osho, remains active. Next, the Order of the Solar Temple, founded in 1984 in Geneva and inspired by the Knights Templar, is covered. It attracted the upper middle class disillusioned with conventional churches and believed in apocalyptic events requiring higher existence. Many members died in the mid-90s through murder or suicide.
00:03:00
In this segment, the video discusses various cults and their beliefs. It starts with a cult obsessed with death, considering it an illusion, and promises followers a new world through fire. Despite this, it maintains between 140 and 500 members. Realism or Raelism, a UFO religion founded by Claude Varian in 1974, believes humans were created by extraterrestrial beings called Elohim through genetic experiments. The group holds that these beings were mistaken for gods and that figures like Jesus and Muhammad were created by them. Rael, the final prophet, claims that the Elohim will return to Earth during the Age of Apocalypse and share their knowledge. As of 2017, Raelians counted around 18,000 members.
The video then moves to Aum Shinrikyo, a doomsday cult founded in Japan by Shoko Asahara in 1987. This cult combines elements from various religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Nostradamus’s prophecies. Initially, it promoted practices like yoga, but it later turned criminal, involving extortion, murder, and forced membership. Notoriously, it conducted the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack, resulting in over a thousand injuries. Despite the execution of prominent members in 2018, the cult still had active members as of 2019, with around 20 living an austere lifestyle focused on spreading their master’s teachings.
00:06:00
In this segment, the video discusses two controversial religious groups: the 12 Tribes and Happy Science. The 12 Tribes, founded during the 1970s Evangelical Jesus movement in Tennessee, aims to recreate the early Christian Church but is known for authoritarian control, child labor, and allegations of corporal punishment and racism. Happy Science, established in 1986 by Ryujo Okawa, teaches a path to happiness through seminars and training, with followers worshipping Okawa as a supreme god. However, it faces criticism for unsubstantiated claims, high membership fees, and inflated follower numbers.
00:09:00
In this segment, the video discusses various controversial religious groups and their actions. It starts with the FLDS community, led by Warren Jeffs, highlighting their continuation of polygamy despite its illegality and historical events such as the 1953 arrest in Arizona and the 2008 raid in Texas. Jeffs continues to lead despite being imprisoned for life due to crimes against minors. Another group, Superior Universal Alignment, led by Valentina de Andrade, believes in extraterrestrial warnings and was involved in the disappearance and deaths of 19 boys in Brazil. Despite some members being sentenced, Andrade was acquitted, and the cult remains active online. The Family International, formerly Children of God, founded by David Berg, faced controversy for using sexual methods for recruitment and numerous child mistreatment allegations. The group emphasizes a strained interpretation of biblical teachings involving sexual interactions.
00:12:00
In this segment of the video, the discussion centers on the harmful practices of two groups: The Family International (TFI) and NXIVM. TFI is noted for its troubling impact on members, including celebrities like River and Joaquin Phoenix and Rose McGowan, before they left the group. NXIVM, founded by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman in 1998 as a self-help group, later evolved into a more sinister organization. It featured a subgroup called The Vow, where women were branded with Raniere’s initials and coerced into sexual relations and recruitment. In 2018, Raniere and five female members faced charges including extortion and sex trafficking, leading to Raniere’s 120-year prison sentence. Despite this, some offshoots of NXIVM remain active.