Cults

A wave of comics have worked their way into a space where political and religious leaders once stood tall as bastions of hope.

After enduring years of torture and abuse, Cheryl Rainfield fled her tormenters. Now an award-winning author, she writes books to help other survivors.

Rioter Robert Sanford Jr. purportedly worked with a "cult deprogramming" expert over believing Donald Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories.

Spencer Schneider reveals what life was like in Sharon Gans' cult, in an exclusive Newsweek essay.

"He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, no question about it," Lansbury told the U.K.'s Daily Mail newspaper of Manson in 2014.

"It sounds like you are happy and secure in being who you want to be. It's not your fault that she can't see or accept that," one user said.

The victims of the Jonestown massacre were often portrayed as brainwashed sheep. In truth, many were murdered, including over 300 children. What began as an idealist experiment turned into a nightmare.

The Ryan visit has gone badly wrong for Jim Jones, who starts a sequence of events culminating in the largest-ever mass murder-suicide. This is the final day in Jonestown.

Congressman Ryan and journalists had been let in to see Jonestown, and the evening had gone well for Jim Jones. But then someone passed a journalist a note.

Leo Ryan is less than impressed with the People's Temple in Georgetown; meanwhile, Jim Jones talks about death.

As Leo Ryan and various journalists arrive in Guyana, the authorities try to block their progress while Jim Jones gloats.

Gene Chaikin was blackmailed back to Jonestown for the sake of his children - and Jones drugged him to keep him quiet.

Jim Jones kept Jonestown residents disorientated with the constant barrage of his voice over the P.A. system, and spouting fake news.

Jim Jones used various women to influence Guyanese officials - could they block Leo Ryan's visit?

Before the fatal Ryan visit, Jim Jones prepared his followers for a visit from an author.

Jim Jones wore his followers down with frequent talk of being invaded, of the hopelessness of their struggle, and his logical conclusion: suicide.

How best to kill 1,000 people? Various methods were discussed in Jonestown, but eventually the doctor worked it out by experimenting with cyanide on a pig.

Jim Jones gave strict instructions on cleaning up Jonestown before a U.S. consulate delegation visit - and told members exactly what to say.

Jim Jones appropriated the idea of 'Revolutionary Suicide' - the risks of fighting oppression - and turned into a murderous notion designed to induce total loyalty.

Jim Jones believed someone at Jonestown was trying to poison him, which is ironic given that he was planning to poison his entire congregation.

Jim Jones didn't want NBC in Jonestown partly because he had undergone a huge change thanks to his lifestyle of drink and drugs.

Jim Jones went to lengths to hide the fact that his Guyana experiment was an abject failure.

Jim Jones knew Congressman Ryan's visit could ruin Jonestown. "We prefer death to this kind of harassment," he told officials.

"The only difference between Jim Jones and Donald Trump is the fact that we now have social media," she said on CNN.

Mack, 38, called the leader of the group a "twisted man" in a letter apologizing to those she harmed.

The mummified corpse of a Colorado cult leader was found wrapped inside of a sleeping bag and covered in Christmas lights. Seven followers have been arrested.

UFOs, ascending to a higher power of being and abstaining from sex were all parts of the cult's teachings.

Catherine Oxenberg and Mark Vicente were some of the first to comment.

"What I thought I was learning was self-help and personal growth," she said of the group, which has been called a cult by some.

"These supporters of Mr. Raniere asked me to sign a petition," Knox explained in an email to an Albany publication. "I personally do not know enough about the case to make any judgments about whether his conviction is wrongful or not."