Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
In this episode we discuss a number of legendary and infamous cults, and the terrible atrocities they are known for.
The People’s Temple, lead by the notorious Reverend Jim Jones, was a socialist minded, tightly knit religious congregation. Though the People’s Temple and Jones himself was initially known for striving for social equality, this cult would unfortunately go down in history for a more sinister event. Jim Jones would lead his dedicated, or brainwashed, followers into what he called an act of ‘revolutionary suicide’ against the cruelties of the outside world. He convinced over 900 people to “drink the kool-aid,” in reality a mixed concoction of poison, resulting in the largest instance of mass suicide in modern history.
The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments was a strict religious cult that was based of the Roman Catholic church. The Movement was what is known as a doomsday cult, known for predicting the apocalypse and preparing its members for it. When the date of the end times came and went, the leaders of the movement were forced to make a new plan to prevent their mass of members from fleeing. Instead of admitting they were wrong, those in command would set plans in motion that would see that all of their followers would perish in a fiery trap that would claim the lives of over 300 innocent people.
The Order of the Solar Temple was a secret organization that traced its origins to the Knights Templar. This group celebrated a bizarre mix of ceremonies borrowed from Christianity, UFO religions, and the Freemasons. Just as this group was starting to unravel from the inside, a tragic series of suicides and murders would cause it to leave its mark as one of the strangest cults in history.
Scientology is a current religious group that has reached popularity over the years for its celebrity members and strange science fiction like beliefs. The darker side of this religious cult is its supposed use of brainwashing, fraud and financial means to force its members into submission and complete loyalty.
Check out all the podcasts available at Dark Myths
Dark Myths featured podcast of the Month: Pete’s Paranormal Chronicles
Mary Ann Cotton was a killer in the 1860’s and 70’s. Mary was a poisoner, using arsenic to kill off multiple husbands, friends, and over a dozen children. Her usual trick was to find a suitable man and quickly marry them, often times becoming pregnant right away. Shortly after marriage, she would convince her husband to take a life insurance policy with her as the benefactor. Mary would then poison the husband, and usually several of the children involved as well. This sadistic woman would repeat this process several times, until she had poisoned as many as 21 people before the authorities finally caught on to her act.
Finally we discuss the Goseck Circle. Discovered in Germany, it is possibly the oldest large structure in the entire world, being several thousand years older than the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. The exact purpose of the Goseck Circle baffled archaeologist for years. Some conjectured it was used as a fortification, or a place of worship, or even a setting for human sacrifice. The newest theory behind the Goseck Circle however could completely change the way historians view the people of the Neolithic Age.