American Cults: Cabals, Corruption, and Charismatic Leaders

Description

America has spawned hundreds of cults. Charismatic leaders periodically burst into the news for the most awful of reasons. We are awash with stories of brainwashed members' struggles to leave. Meet the messianic leaders, see the indoctrination and manipulation, look at their beliefs, and read the stories of some of America's most notorious, eccentric, and unusual cults! From false religions and offshoots of traditional religions to political, financial, sexual, and hate groups,American Cults: Cabals, Corruption, and Charismatic Leaders looks at 40 groups and leaders, including their histories, deceits, manipulations, and twisted ideologies. Some rely on systems of obedience, submission, and dependency. More than a few have mystifying beliefs. Others are dark and murderous. You'll encounter curious, bizarre, and sometimes upsetting stories of ... Charming, manipulative, and exploitative leaders--Jim Jones, Jim Baker, David Berg, David Koresh, and many, many others. The breakaways from traditional religions--Father Divine and the Peace Mission, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Westboro Baptist Church, the Gospel of Prosperity, and many more. Political, Ponzi, metaphysical, and science schemes--the cult of the scientific method, pyramid schemes, political cults, the Unification Church, and much more. Aliens, extraterrestrials, and the cosmos--Church of Scientology, Ra�lians and Heaven's Gate, to name a few. End-times and doomsday cults--rapture beliefs, Edgar Cayce, the Ant Hill Kids and more. Racial, radical, and social media cults--QAnon, Ku Klux Klan, Oath Keepers, Antifa, and others. Sex, perversity, and submission--NXIVM, Sullivanians, Rajneesh, and many more. American Cults looks at why America is such a fertile ground for cults, how some people got caught in their webs, and how some managed to escape! With more than 120 photos and graphics, this tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography provides sources for further exploration, and an extensive index adds to its usefulness. Cover About Jim willis Also from visible ink press Contents Introduction: Crystal Balls and Conspiracies Prologue: What Makes a Cult Possible? In the Beginning: Why Is America Such a Fertile Field for Cults? Lip-Service Religion Rebelliousness Entrepreneurship Religious Freedom Evolving Social Media Infatuation with Conspiracy Theory Living on “The Eve of Destruction” Offshoots: Breaking Away from Traditional Religions Cyrus Teed and the Koreshan Unity Father Divine and the Peace Mission Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church Jim Bakker, The PTL Club, and the Return of Jesus The Evangelical Church, Politics, and the NRA Joshua, Jesus, MUHAMMAD, and the Implications of Jihad David Berg and the Family International: From Teens for Christ to Grown-up Cult The Watchtower Society and Jehovah’s Witnesses Westboro Baptist Church Jane Whaley, the Word of Faith Fellowship, and the Gospel of Prosperity David Koresh and the Branch Davidians Science, Politics, Economics, and Metaphysics: A TRICKY LINK The Cult of Scientism The Dogma of Politics Multi-Level Marketing Cults (MLMs): Pyramids, Ponzis, and Profits The World of Metaphysics: “It Seems to Me …” Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church Eckankar: Discovering God The Universe and Beyond: Answers from the Final Frontier The Christian Rapture, Carl Jung, and Flying Saucers The Church of Scientology Raëlians and the Elohim: Intelligent Design for Atheists Into the Universe: Latter-day Saints and the Colonization of the Cosmos Heaven’s Gate: Help from Above? Prophets of the End Times: Telling the Future for Fun and Profit From 666 to the “Seventy Sevens”: What Does the Bible Really Say about THE END? From Nostradamus to Edgar Cayce and Beyond The Doomsday Clock Roch Thériault and the Ant Hill Kids The Rise of Racial Religion Cults and Social Media From the Ku Klux Klan to White Nationalism The New Militia Movement Nuwaubian Nation: From Black Supremacists to UFOs Social Media and the Rise of Hate Groups Spoofing the Movement: Fun with Cults QAnon: Political Conspiracy and Religious Icons Sex in the City: The Dark Potency of Cults Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh: Coming to America Keith Raniere and NXIVM: The Case of the Self-Styled Revered One Sullivanians: Sex as a Way of Life Conclusions: What’s Ahead for Individual Freedom? Is Every Organization a Cult? Leaders, Followers, and Pathology What’s Ahead for Individual Freedom? Epilogue: How Do I Get Out? Further Reading Image Credits Index