Inside America’s Notorious Cults: Secrets and Shadows

Many of the most infamous cults in history, predominantly based in America, have firmly entrenched themselves in our collective consciousness. The fascination lies in understanding the formation of these groups, the enigmatic nature of their leaders, and the often tragic outcomes they encounter.

In her book 'Do As I Say,' Sarah Steel, the host of the podcast 'Let’s Talk About Sects', delves into the captivating allure of cults. She writes, "Cults prey upon vulnerabilities that are core to our species: our need for acceptance, to be part of a group, to connect, to feel safe. Cult leaders themselves manipulate, dominate and control because, sadly, those are also very human behaviors. If you know where to look, you’ll see cult-like behavior showing up in other parts of society too."

Join us as we take a look at three of the most notorious cults in modern American history. Who were their leaders, and what did they hope to achieve? How did they manage to convince their followers to obey their every whim and order?

Pictured: Jones receives a Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from Pastor Cecil Williams, 1977.

Photo by Nancy Wong, Wikimedia commons

In the summer of 1969, Charles Manson, leader of the infamous Manson Family cult, orchestrated a series of brutal murders, claiming at least nine lives (possibly a total of 35) and instilling widespread fear. Remember the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s and 90s? Some claim that the Manson Family was the cause of demonic paranoia in the U.S. during this time.

According to The Smithsonian magazine, the cult's commune at the Spahn Movie Ranch served as a backdrop, where Manson maintained control over his followers (primarily women known as "Manson girls") through a trade of housing for sexual favors.

The Manson Girls were generally young women or older teens, who were embracing the "free love" movement of the time. Charles Manson used these seemingly innocent young women to lure in men to join the "family". In fact, as pointed out by Biography.com, Manson's girls even convinced the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson to spend the summer of 1968 at Charles Manson's house!

While a prevailing narrative suggested that Manson aimed to incite a race war, the murders also reflected his resentment at being denied Hollywood stardom, particularly after record producer Terry Melcher distanced himself from Manson due to erratic behavior.

The gruesome murders, including that of pregnant Hollywood actor Sharon Tate (pictured) and Folgers Coffee heiress Abigail Folgers, occurred at a house where Terry Melcher once lived, which some experts believed symbolized Manson's fixation on Hollywood's perceived rejection.

Despite Manson's absence during the actual killings, he was convicted in 1971 on seven counts of first-degree murder, as he was deemed the driving force behind the atrocities.

Manson spent the remainder of his life in prison until his death in 2017 at the age of 83. The Manson Family murders remain highly sensationalized, inspiring blockbuster movies and books that continue to captivate audiences 50 years later.

Pictured: Manson at a medical facility in 1984.

In the 1950s, Jim Jones, once a respected civil rights leader, founded the Peoples Temple, a socially progressive and politically active church advocating for racial equality.

Despite Jones's early commitment to societal betterment, he would go down in history as a monster due to his actions during tragic events in Jonestown in 1978.

Photo: By Nancy Wong - Own work, Wikimedia Commons

In fact, as Rolling Stone magazine points out, Jim Jones' actions were so terrible that "Until the September 11th attacks, the tragedy in Jonestown on November 18th, 1978 represented the largest number of American civilian casualties in a single non-natural event."

The People's Temple reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, and some estimate that the cult had thousands of members and even the support of some politicians in San Francisco, such as Harvey Milk.

However, in 1977, Jones began to become paranoid as he faced accusations of financial fraud and abuse, which brought plenty of media scrutiny. To escape criticism and keep a hold of his congregation, Jones convinced his followers to relocate to Jonestown in Guyana, promising utopia.

However, the community turned into a nightmare as Jones, who was hooked on amphetamines and barbiturates, imposed rigid rules, conducted mock drills, and created a dire environment with scarce food.

The situation escalated when Congressman Leo Ryan and a delegation visited Jonestown in 1978 after several of the cult members' families asked the government to check on those living in Jonestown. When the group attempted to leave, Temple gunmen ambushed and killed Ryan and four others.

Pictured:  People's Temple follower Larry Layton (C) stands with police following his arrest on November 18, 1978, in the shooting of two members of Leo Ryan's delegation.

Following the murders, Jones ordered his over 900 followers to take their own lives, starting with the 300 children who lived in the community.

Jones' followers were forced to ingest a cyanide-laced drink. This tragedy coined the phrase "drinking the Kool-Aid," representing one of the largest non-natural civilian casualties in U.S. history (fact: Jones' followers actually drank Flavor Aid, not Kool-Aid). As for Jim Jones, he didn't drink the poison, but he was found dead with a shot to his head.

Heaven's Gate, led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles (known by their followers as Bo and Peep), gained notoriety as the first major American cult to use the internet for recruitment and web design to generate income.

According to Wikipedia, In 1972, Nettles and Applewhite initially crossed paths, embarking on a spiritual exploration. They identified themselves as the two witnesses of Revelation, gathering a following of several hundred individuals by the mid-1970s.

Applewhite even claimed he was a descendant of Jesus Christ and on an "Evolutionary Kingdom Level Above Human". By 1976, a select core group of a few dozen members ceased recruitment efforts and adopted a monastic way of life.

But how did Applewhite and Nettles convince their followers, the majority of whom were well-educated individuals, that they could transform themselves into extraterrestrials if they eschewed their humanness and reached the "Next Level" or "The Evolutionary Level Above Human"?

Well, many who studied the group agree that the general population was ripe with these kinds of alternative beliefs during the 1970s in America. According to the History Channel, by 1975, Nettles and Applewhite had become "fixtures of the alternative spirituality scene in California and Oregon."

The duo even opened a New Age store where they gave "classes" where they shared their belief that life on Earth was just an intermediate realm in which we must learn to battle evil, transcend our human physical forms, and transform into "perfect beings".

Photo: screenshot from '20/20'

Undoubtedly, the fact that the group never referred to themselves as Heaven's Gate, but as Benjamin Zeller points out in his book 'Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion,' the group went by the simple name of "The Class". Therefore, Nettles and Applewhite were simply teachers, and their followers were students, which makes it easier to understand how they attracted many well-studied group members.

However, things began to unravel in 1985 when Nettles passed away due to cancer. Her death just didn't make sense with the group's core beliefs. Applewhite and Nettles had told their students that they would be physically transformed into perfect beings while alive.

So, to adapt to the very real human death of Nettles, Applewhite adapted the teachings to fit the new reality, claiming that members of the group would actually need to get rid of their imperfect human bodies in order to complete the transfer to their "Next Level" alien body. This meant that Nettles had not actually died but rather passed on to the next level and was alive and well there in her alien body.

On March 26th, 1997, 39 members of Heaven's Gate orchestrated their mass "departure" from Earth by taking their own lives. They synchronized the event with the passing of the Hale-Bopp comet. They believed an alien spacecraft followed the comet.

Pictured: the Hale-Bopp comet, Wikimedia Commons

The world was shocked by the event and was keen to see what was behind the tragedy. Investigations revealed a combination of drug ingestion, alcohol, and suffocation using plastic bags over heads.

All 39 members who departed left "goodbye" videos and letters. Investigators found that several male members had undergone prior castrations, believed by Applewhite to facilitate platonic relationships, reflecting the cult's strict no-sex rules. In 2020, Vice reported that there are still four remaining Heaven's Gate followers.

Pictured: the home in San Diego where the cult members took their lives