In 1903 a traveling preacher put down roots in Benton Harbor, Michigan to prepare for the end times. Then he built a sprawling amusement park. A traveling baseball team came next. “King Ben” charmed locals with his hugely successful endeavors, until accusations from his followers sent him into hiding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In Alabama, local Scottsboro man Glenn Summerford turned his back on a life of vice and became a regular church-goer who communed with God. A transcendent experience with a Copperhead snake in the ‘80s sparked a divine insight that grew into a movement… and later, a murder plot. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults ! Learn m...
They came to the edge of extinction in Tennessee, then had a revival in Island Pond, Vermont. The group led by Elbert Spriggs had roots in the Jesus Movement of the ‘70s, but in time, began to reflect the early Christian church of the first century. Critics fear the still-active group is brainwashing teenagers, abusing children, and exploiting the labor of its unpaid volunteers. Countdown to the CULTS book release! Parcast’s first book hits shelves July 12th. It’s an unflinching exploration of s...
In 1945, the Agape Lodge welcomed a new resident, and Jack Parsons began his attempts to summon the goddess Babalon. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more and grab your copy at www.parcast.com/cults ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
A trailblazing rocket scientist led a double life as an Aleister Crowley acolyte, jumping headfirst into the OTO after reading one of the famed occultist’s books in 1939. Jack Parsons was always daring and unorthodox — how could he be part of Caltech’s “Suicide Squad” if not? — and his forays into magick were no less extreme. Parsons rearranged his life and marriage in accordance with Thelemic teachings, turning his Pasadena mansion into the hotspot of the American OTO. Parcasters, we have excit...
He was called the King of Depravity, Wickedest Man in the World, and — by his own mother — The Beast. Aleister Crowley was a notorious occultist who rejected the religion of his childhood and devoted himself to a new kind of morality: “Do what thou wilt.” He joined the OTO in 1910, finding their beliefs — particularly around sex magick — aligned, but his initiation would prove to be a double-edged sword. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Denounced by local clergy, the Vatican, and even her own husband, Debra Geileskey was backed quickly into a corner. But Triple M was her empire. And she wasn’t going to lose everything without a fight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the early 1990s a devout Catholic and former school principal starts claiming she’s a divine prophet with a special connection to the Virgin Mary. Within a decade, Debra Geileskey has hundreds of followers in Australia, a monopoly over the town of Helidon, and donations pouring in for her “New Jerusalem.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By 2015, Grace Road Church had planted itself in Fiji to prepare for the apocalypse. They start a corporation and several businesses, allegedly all part of the Reverend’s “master plan” for the island. For loyal members and newcomers alike, the road to Paradise is paved with intense sermons, “cleansing” beatings, and confiscated passports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For much of her religious career, Okjoo Shin espoused mainstream Christian beliefs and stayed out of the spotlight – until she discovered a new way to interpret the Bible. Her followers grew to believe she was a divine figure who would be important in the end-times... so no one spoke up when her teachings became violent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Nitrous Mafia have been a fixture at Grateful Dead shows and other jam band concerts since the ‘90s. They deal nitrous oxide to fans who want a taste of euphoria, but critics claim the cutthroat racket is taking shows’ atmospheres from mellow… to menacing. This is the final episode in the special two-part series from Conspiracy Theories . Follow for new conspiracies every week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
In the 1960s a counterculture revolution was upending traditional norms of life, and the Grateful Dead were providing the soundtrack… and the drugs. Of course, this put them right in the crosshairs of the FBI. But while the feds had a file on the band, did they also have a deal together? Some say the disastrous Altamont Music Festival has all the markings of sabotage… Enjoy this special two-part series from Conspiracy Theories , a Spotify Original from Parcast! Learn more about your ad choices. ...
When teenage girls in the Order started getting pregnant in the early 2000s, Kamm claimed the babies were miraculously conceived from his “holy seed.” It was a lie, but by then, he had cemented control over every part of his followers’ lives. Now, he was selling them on his next vision: to lead the world after the apocalypse as the Father of All Nations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In Australia, an Easter Sunday vision set William Karr on a God-given path to start a family and fight the anti-Christ. Two decades later, in the 1980s, he had the beginnings of a religious movement, the attention of the Catholic Church, and a secret seventeen-year-old wife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the days count down to Hale-Bopp’s arrival, 39 people prepare for ascension. They’d abandoned their old lives, embraced a new ideology, weathered the death of a beloved leader… and finally, made themselves worthy of the Next Level. Now, the comet was coming. And with it, the spaceship that would ferry them onward. In March of 1997, they left everything behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
The group’s belief system had never been infallible. There had been adjustments along the way; revisions meant to keep the wheels turning whenever prophecies didn’t manifest. But then, in 1985, Bonnie Lu Nettles died. And her passing threw Heaven’s Gate’s whole world askew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1976 was a turning point for Heaven’s Gate. The spaceship that was promised had not arrived. Members were defecting. Nettles and Applewhite gathered their truest believers in Wyoming and made it clear: Things were going to be different from here on out. Much different. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When Bonnie Lu Nettles and Marshall Applewhite meet in Houston in 1972, it’s not for the first time — at least, not according to their birth charts. They’ve known each other in a past life. And in this lifetime, they have a joint mission. They set out, amid a wave of social and political upheaval, to find it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1986, Alice Lakawena formed the Holy Spirit Mobile Force. Their goals were utopian and their tactics were nonviolent. But going up against rival armies in Uganda with hardly any weapons eventually led to mass casualties — and Alice was all too ready to blame them on her soldiers’ lack of belief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On February 26, 1980, three former members of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple were shot and killed in their California home. Many believed it was an act of revenge by their former cult, but police suspected somebody else. From Today in True Crime , a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
In 1985, when Alice Auma was 29 years old, her life changed forever. The spirit Lakwena told her that she had to lead her followers to a new Uganda that was free from corruption. But in order to do that, she would need to create a holy army and take the country by force. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Ghost of Easterville In the fall of 2011, a 17-year-old model struck up an online relationship with NBA player Chris “Birdman” Andersen. But someone else was pulling the strings of their ill-fated romance. From Crimes of Passion , a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
When Jenelle Potter's crush, Billy Payne, started dating another woman, she used Facebook to spread rumors about the couple. But when a CIA agent contacted her parents, informing them that Payne was a threat to Jenelle's life, they took matters into their own hands. From Crimes of Passion , a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
An online love triangle between 18-year-old Tommy, 17-year-old Jessi, and 22-year-old Brian turned tragic when their romantic fantasy world collided with their harsh realities. From Crimes of Passion , a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Scott Caruthers’ community of “Next World Alien Lovers” in Maryland believed their leader when he told them he was an alien sent to save them from the apocalypse. But despite his insistence that he was a savior, Caruthers manifested doom at every turn — from a failed business plan that cost some investors everything, to a failed murder plot that put him and his followers behind bars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
In October 1869, a Baptist physician is visited by an angel during one of his alchemical experiments. She tells him a prophecy that changes his life, endowing him with an obsession for utopia and immortality. Cyrus “Koresh” Teed sets out to find followers, and though it takes decades, his movement finds its footing in Chicago. But where Koreshanity thrives, controversy follows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
The young co-founder of a church grew into a business tycoon who courted controversy until his death in 2014. Yoo Byung-eun built an empire on the backs of his devoted followers, who traded their money and labor for salvation. In 1987, a group associated with the church took part in a mass suicide. Nearly thirty years later, more than 300 people died in a ferry disaster that many believe Yoo Byung-eun was responsible for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
A religious group in Japan is led by a man who claims he is an interdimensional god named El Cantare, peddles spiritual vaccines online, and was once targeted for murder by a rival cult leader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By 2004, James King and Barbara Loran were well-versed in violating ethical boundaries. But that year, the church leader and his mistress crossed a new line when they groomed and seduced the 17-year-old daughter of two congregants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1990s Washington, James King held dozens of devoted followers in his thrall. He used emotional “processing” sessions to prey on women, while his mistress — a chiropractor who wanted to cultivate “Godlife” — became his number one recruiter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
