🚨 Cult #5 - Heaven’s Gate - Another Mass Suicide 🚨 For the fifth #Cult I decided to go with one that rivals #JimJones and #ThePeoplesTemple because it too had a #MassSuicide … a much smaller one but even more bizarre as they basically choked themself to death. #HeavensGate was an American cult founded in the early 1970s by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles. The cult combined elements of Christianity with beliefs in UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Key points about Heaven's Gate include. Marshall Applewhite, also known as "Do" or "The Leader," and Bonnie Nettles, known as "Ti" or "The Teacher," founded the group. Heaven's Gate members believed that Earth was due for recycling (essentially a cleansing or renewal), and the only way to survive was to leave their human bodies and ascend to a higher level of existence. They thought this ascension would be facilitated by a spacecraft traveling with the Hale-Bopp comet. Members believed they were originally extraterrestrial beings who had taken on human bodies to learn and grow spiritually. They believed that the Hale-Bopp comet, visible at the time, was accompanied by a spaceship that would take their souls to the "Next Level." They aimed to transcend human existence and enter the "Next Level," a state of being beyond human limitations, akin to a spiritual or extraterrestrial realm. The group believed that Earth was about to be "recycled," meaning it would be wiped clean, and only those who transcended would survive. The cult members lived a highly regimented and communal lifestyle, renouncing family ties, personal possessions, and their human identities. They often wore identical clothing and hairstyles and adopted new names. They often dressed identically, wearing black Nikes and armbands that read "Heaven's Gate Away Team" during their final days. This uniformity was intended to eliminate individuality and promote group identity. Members lived together in shared houses, leading highly disciplined lives. They followed strict rules, including celibacy, a vegan diet, and renunciation of personal attachments and material possessions. The founders willingly castrated themself which led their followers to do the same but not by professionals. Which #Cults would you like me to cover next?

#Cult #4 is #ThePeoplesTemple led by #JimJones . Have you heard of this cult before? They seem to be the most notorious of them all. They moved to South America once the heat was on them. They built their own utopia and called it #Jonestown where a mass suicide took place taking the lives of over 900 people. What cult do you want to hear about next? #TrueCrime #CoveringCults

Cult #3 The Gatekeepers A religious militant group that demanded total obedience, leading to deadly consequences for dissenters. The Gatekeepers originated as a Bible study group in the early 1990s, led by Christopher Turgeon, who declared himself a prophet after claiming to have received a direct revelation from God. This small group quickly evolved into a religious cult with Turgeon at its helm, preaching extreme beliefs, including that death was a just penalty for certain sins, like homosexuality or an interest in astrology. The cult’s doctrine emphasized that Turgeon was a divine judge sent to purge the world of evil. As the cult grew, Turgeon’s teachings became increasingly apocalyptic and paranoid, particularly towards the government. The Gatekeepers isolated themselves from society, with members severing ties with their families and the outside world. Under Turgeon’s guidance, they engaged in low-level fraud schemes against individuals and businesses Turgeon deemed immoral. These acts were purportedly to fund the group’s activities and prepare for the apocalypse. The group’s criminal activities escalated, culminating in the murder of former member Dan Jess in 1998, who had left the cult and denounced Turgeon as a fraud. The killing was ordered by Turgeon after Jess threatened to expose the group’s illegal activities. Cult members Blaine Applin and Turgeon were eventually arrested for a separate robbery and linked to Jess’s murder through forensic evidence. Turgeon and Applin faced justice for their crimes, with Applin receiving a 101-year sentence and Turgeon 89 years for their robbery spree. Following these convictions, they were extradited to Washington for Jess’s murder trial, where Applin was sentenced to 39 years and Turgeon to 50 years in prison . #Cult #TheGatekeepers #BibleStudy #Extremist #TrueCrime

Cult 2 Cult # 2 is Knights of the Crystal Blade, As for the name “Knights of the Crystal Blade,” The leader explains in his letters, the crystal blade is “the word of God” and references Revelations 1:16 from the Bible: “In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.” They are defined as Apocalyptic, polygamous Mormons prosecuted for having child brides. Religion Mormonism Location Utah, United States
Other Names The Kingdom of God and His Law with the Keys of this Kingdom and Judgment on the Earth Now. The world of religious movements is vast and diverse, encompassing a plethora of beliefs and practices. While most religious groups operate within the bounds of societal norms and legal frameworks, there are instances where extreme ideologies give rise to controversial cults. One such group is the Knights of the Crystal Blade, a doomsday sect that gained notoriety for its alleged involvement in child bigamy and abuse. Origins of the Knights of the Crystal Blade. The Knights of the Crystal Blade was a digital-age cult that formed and grew in the shadows of social media. Founded by John Alvin Coltharp and Samuel Warren Shaffer, both in their mid-thirties, the cult’s ideology was a distorted pastiche of apocalyptic Mormon fundamentalism, polygamy, and millenarianism. They espoused a belief in an imminent end of the world, a cataclysm they linked to a “Muslim invasion,” positioning themselves as divinely chosen warriors preparing for these end times. John Coltharp played a pivotal role in shaping the group’s ideology. A self-proclaimed doomsday prepper, Coltharp held extreme beliefs and was known for his rigid adherence to fundamentalist Mormonism. His actions and teachings reflected a distorted interpretation of religious scripture, leading him to establish a cult that operated outside the bounds of mainstream society. Samuel Shaffer shared Coltharp’s radical beliefs and played a crucial role in expanding the cult’s influence. Shaffer, like Coltharp, believed in the imminent arrival of a cataclysmic event and subscribed to a fanatical interpretation of Mormon teachings. Together, Coltharp and Shaffer formed a formidable duo that would wreak havoc on the lives of innocent children. Coltharp and Shaffer positioned themselves as modern-day prophets, with a self-assigned mission to lead their followers through the supposed coming apocalypse. Their leadership was marked by authoritarian control, with teachings that emphasized their unique interpretations of religious texts, combined with a heavy emphasis on prophecy and revelation. They used their self-proclaimed spiritual authority to justify criminal acts under the veneer of religious righteousness. They made international news when they were accused of “marrying” each other’s daughters ages 7 and 8 to start a new society in the desert to wait out the apocalypse. #Cult #Knightsofthecrystalblade #crimesagainstchildren