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Roch Thériault was a Canadian cult leader and convicted murderer. Thériault, a self-proclaimed prophet under the name Moïse, founded the Ant Hill Kids in 1977. They were a doomsday cult whose beliefs were based on Seventh-day Adventist Church beliefs. In April 1978, Thériault was removed from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Thériault maintained multiple wives and concubines, impregnating all female members as a religious requirement, and fathering 26 children. Thériault's followers, including 12 adults and 22 children, lived under his totalitarian rule at the commune and were subject to severe physical and sexual abuse.
3HO , also known as Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere or Sikh Dharma International, is a controversial American organization founded in 1969 by Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, also called "Yogi Bhajan". Its adherents are popularly referred to as the Sikh Dharma Brotherhood. While referred to as the 3HO movement, "3HO" is strictly speaking the name only of the movement's educational branch. Scholars have defined 3HO as a new religious movement.
Harbhajan, popularly known as Yogi Bhajan and Siri Singh Sahib to his followers, was an Indian-born American entrepreneur, yoga guru, and spiritual teacher. He introduced his version of Kundalini yoga to the United States. He was the spiritual director of the 3HO foundation, with over 300 centers in 35 countries. He was accused posthumously of sexual abuse by several dozen of his female followers; an investigation called the Olive Branch Report found the allegations most likely true.
The United Nation of Islam (UNOI) is a black American religious movement based in Kansas City, Kansas. It was founded in 1978 as an offshoot of the Nation of Islam by Royall Jenkins, who continued to be the group's leader until he died in September 2021 of complications resulting from Covid-19. He styled himself "Royall, Allah in Person". Since its founding, the group has undergone numerous name changes and is currently known as the Value Creators.
Piara Singh Bhaniara also known as Baba Bhaniara, was a Dalit religious leader from Punjab, India. He established a breakaway Sikh sect in the 1980s, which was opposed by orthodox Sikhs as insulting to their faith. In 2001, his followers published their own holy text Bhavsagar Granth, and allegedly insulted the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib. This sparked violence against Bhaniara's followers. The Punjab government banned Bhavsagar Granth, and arrested and jailed Bhaniara.
The Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness is a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious corporation, incorporated in California on June 25, 1971. Before incorporation, the group was founded in California in 1968 by John-Roger. The church has about 5,000 active students in 32 countries, mainly the United States.
Frederick Philip Lenz III, also known as Rama, Zen Master Rama and Atmananda was an American spiritual leader, writer, software designer, and record producer. He founded what he termed "American Buddhism", which incorporated the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, Zen, Vedanta, mysticism, and New Age ideas.
The Family, also known as the Santiniketan Park Association or the Great White Brotherhood, was an Australian New Age group formed in the mid-1960s under the leadership of Anne Hamilton-Byrne. The group taught a mixture of Western and Eastern religious doctrines, with Hamilton-Byrne claiming to have been a reincarnation of Jesus. It has widely been described as a cult.
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Keith Allen Raniere is an American cult leader who was convicted of a pattern of racketeering activity, including human trafficking, sex offenses and fraud. Raniere co-founded NXIVM, a purported self-help multi-level marketing company offering personal development seminars and headquartered in Albany, New York. Operating from 1998 to 2018, NXIVM had 700 members at its height, including celebrities and the wealthy. Within NXIVM, Raniere was referred to as "Vanguard".
Clare Bronfman is an American heiress, convicted felon and former leader of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult based near Albany, New York. She is the youngest daughter of billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram liquor chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr. After a brief equestrian career, Bronfman began involvement in NXIVM, a business engaged in criminal activities during 1998–2018, which led to indictments on federal charges, including sex trafficking.
Holy Hell is a 2016 American documentary film by Will Allen about his experiences as a member of the Buddhafield cult for 22 years. The cult's leader, who has several names but is typically called Michel, is claimed to have abused his followers. The film uses footage Allen shot during his capacity as the group's videographer and new footage of interviews with former members and of the group in Hawaii.
Wild Wild Country is a Netflix documentary series about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), his one-time personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela, and their community of followers in the Rajneeshpuram community located in Wasco County, Oregon, US. It was released on Netflix on March 16, 2018, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. The title of the series is drawn from the Bill Callahan song "Drover", which features prominently in the final episode, and it also echoes the comments of Jane Stork about first seeing the ranch, shown at the beginning of episode 2: "it was just so wild, so rugged, but vast—really wild country".
The Grace Road Church (Korean: 은혜로교회) is a South Korean quasi-Christian new religious movement and cult founded in 2002.
Sexual abuse by yoga gurus is the exploitation of the position of trust occupied by a master of any branch of yoga for personal sexual pleasure. Allegations of such abuse have been made against modern yoga gurus such as Bikram Choudhury, Kausthub Desikachar, Yogi Bhajan, Amrit Desai, and K. Pattabhi Jois. There have been some criminal convictions and lawsuits for civil damages.
The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) is a Bhakti Yoga spiritual and religious organization, grounded in Hindu Vaishnava principles, founded by Chris Butler in 1977, based in Hawaii, United States. Its theology is broadly based on Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana.
Batsh*t Valley is a 2019 two-part episode of the acclaimed Emmy Award-nominated mockumentary series Documentary Now!.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Yuan, Jada (September 2, 2016). "The Totally Insane Story of Holy Hell Director Will Allen's Escape From a Cult". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- ↑ Jacobs, Matthew (2016-05-27). "Life Inside This Cult Was Beautiful, Until It Wasn't". HuffPost. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- 1 2 3 Wang, Evelyn (2016-05-27). "This Is What It's Like to Spend Almost Half Your Life in a Cult". Esquire. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- 1 2 O'Neill, Ann (September 2016). "The search for a Speedo-wearing guru". CNN. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- 1 2 Valentini, Valentina (19 January 2016). "Inside Sundance's Holy Hell, With Exclusive Photographs of Cult Life at Buddhafield". HWD. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Holy Hell, directed by Will Allen (2016).