The shocking truth about some of the most disturbing, criminal cults that have ever existed. How did Charles Manson inspire his "family" to launch a campaign of murder? What twisted ideology lay behind horrific events like the Waco Siege, the Aum Shinrikyo's poison-gas attack on the Tokyo metro, and the mass suicides and murders of Jonestown? Why did the suicidal members of Heaven's Gate believe doomsday was at hand? How did the idealistic commune of Rajneeshpuram collapse into shocking controversies, involving biological terrorism and attempted murder? Cults Uncovered explores these and many more strange and disturbing factions and sects from all over the world to expose terrifying stories of manipulation, coercion, abuse, and murder.
Why did Egyptian cults, especially those dedicated to the goddess Isis and god Sarapis, spread so successfully across the ancient Mediterranean after the death of Alexander the Great? How are we limited by the established methodological apparatus of historiography and which innovative methods from other disciplines can overcome these limits? In this book, Tomáš Glomb shows that while the interplay of different factors such as the economy, climate, and politics created favorable conditions for the early spread of the Isiac cults, the use of innovative quantitative methods can shed new light and help disentangle the complex interplay of individual factors. Using a combination of geospatial modeling, mathematical modeling, and network analysis, Glomb determines that, at least in the regions of the Hellenistic Aegean and western Asia Minor, the political channels created by the Ptolemaic dynasty were a dominant force in the local spread of the Isiac cults. An important contribution to the historiography of the ancient Mediterranean, this book answers the specific question of “how it happened” as well as, “how can we answer it beyond the limits of the established methodological apparatus in historiography.”
Were Atlantis and Lemuria factual places? Who built the pyramids and for what purpose? How advanced was the technology of ancient cultures? All this and more is covered in Exposed, Uncovered, & Declassified: Lost Civilizations & Secrets of the Past—the latest in the all-original series that is already sparking lively debate. Erich von Däniken, best-selling author of Chariots of the Gods, examines the Egyptian pyramids, studying their astronomical implications and what message they were meant to convey. Thomas G. Brophy, PhD, focuses on the mysterious Nabta Playa site in southern Egypt and its connection to African history. Intrepid explorer of ancient America Frank Joseph covers archeological scandals and attempts to suppress evidence, including the Smithsonian’s “loss” of Maya skulls discovered in the Aleutian Islands. Researcher Steven Sora, author of The Lost Colony, delves into evidence that Scotland’s Picts originated in North America and were connected to the ancient Micmac tribe of the Americas. Philip Coppens of the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens explores an ancient Celtic network of roads that may be connected to a 4,000-year-old land-based reproduction of Atlantis. Scholar and mystery explorer Oberon Zell-Ravenheart brings together the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life, the great deluge, and the sinking of Lemuria. Marie D. Jones & Larry Flaxman (11:11: The Time Prompt Phenomenon) explore what ancient civilizations knew about sound and resonance, and how they may have used them to build megaliths and pyramids, and achieve altered states. Journalist Nick Redfern reveals the U.S. government’s abiding interest in our ancient past, religious mysteries, and enigmatic artifacts. Evidence of these ancient mysteries is everywhere—if you know what to look for. Whether you’re a believer, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, Exposed, Uncovered, and Declassified: Lost Civilizations & Secrets of the Past is sure to entertain and educate.
This Element offers a theoretically informed examination of the manner in which religion, especially alternative and emergent religious and spiritual movements, is managed by law and legal mechanisms in the authoritarian theocracy of Iran. It highlights how these phenomena have been affected by the intersection of law, politics, and Shiʿi theology in recent Iranian history. The growing interest of Iranian citizens in new religious movements and spiritual currents, fostered by the cultural diffusion of Western writings and ideas, is described. The development of religious diversity in Iran and a corresponding loss of commitment toward some Islamic doctrines and practices are of considerable concern to both the Iranian religious and political establishments. This has led to social control efforts over any religious spiritual movement differing from the regime's view of Islam. Those efforts, supported in large part by Western anticult ideas, culminated in the passage of a piece of stringent of legislation in 2021. The Element closes with applications of theorizing from the sociology of law and of religion.
Holy Treasure and Sacred Song explores the complex interplay between relic cults and the liturgy in medieval Tuscany. Drawing on documentary, literary and visual evidence rarely considered together, it reveals that liturgical texts, music, and ritual were integral to the clergy's well-informed promotion of saints buried in their churches.
The mysterious is all around us... UFOs, extraterrestrial encounters, baffling disappearances-Mysteries Uncovered investigates, without prejudice, some of the most notorious, disturbing, and enduring mysteries ever recorded. - UFO activity: the Roswell Incident, the Phoenix Lights, the Rendlesham Incident... - Alien abduction: the Barney and Betty Hill case... - Uncanny events: the missing crew of the Marie Celeste, the lost colony of Roanoke, the fate of Amelia Earhart... - Notorious disappearances: the cases of Lord Lucan and "D.B. Cooper"... For every instance rationalized away, there is another that defies explanation...
How does a Vampire Cult differ from a Satanic Cult? How do seemingly normal or ordinary citizens suddenly find themselves committed to a group whose leader promotes criminal activities and isolation from families and friends? What should you do if a loved one becomes indoctrinated by a potentially dangerous cult? This book focuses on various cults and their often criminal belief systems. Most readers are shocked by stories of mass suicides and ritualized cult killings, but few understand how such crimes come to be committed. Snow, a seasoned police officer with experience working on cult crimes, examines those cults that commit offenses from murder and fraud to kidnapping and sexual assault. By providing specific accounts of dangerous cults and their destructive acts, Snow illustrates how seemingly innocent groups can turn pernicious when under the sway of a charismatic leader with an agenda, or when members take things too far. He offers advice on how to avoid falling victim to cult indoctrination, concluding with chapters on how to identify cults, how to protect yourself and your family, and what to do if a loved one is ensnared by such a group.
Pentecostalism is a growing movement in world Christianity. However, the growth of Pentecostalism in South Africa has faced some challenges, including the abuse of religion by some prophets. This book first names these prophets and the churches they lead in South Africa, and then makes use of literary and media analysis to analyse the religious practices by the prophets in relation to cultism. Additionally, the book analyses the “celebrity cult” and how it helps promote the prophets in South Africa. The purpose of this book is threefold: First, to draw parallels between the abuse of religion and cultism. Second, to illustrate that it is cultic tendencies, including the celebrity cult, that has given rise to many prophets in South Africa. Last, to showcase that the challenge for many of these prophets is that the Pentecostal tradition is actually anti-cultism, and thus there is a need for them to rethink their cultic tendencies in order for them to be truly relevant in a South African context.
