The most shocking all-American cults of all time

Peoples Temple - When Congressman Leo Ryan traveled to the island to investigate, members of the group shot him, triggering the largest mass suicide in modern history. Jones convinced his followers that if they didn't take their own lives, the Temple would be dissolved. In total, 909 people died from cyanide poisoning.

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The Ku Klux Klan - The cult was originally founded by six men in Tennessee in 1865, with the intention of advancing the white race.

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The Ku Klux Klan - The right-wing extremist organization promotes white nationalism, white supremacy, anti-immigration, and antisemitism.

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The Ku Klux Klan - The group had four million members at its peak in 1924, and inspired other groups, including the Neo-Nazis.

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The Church of Scientology - The Church of Scientology was founded in New Jersey in the 1950s by Ron L. Hubbard. The beliefs were based on his book, 'Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,' in which he talked about purifying the brain with his crude psychotherapeutic technique known as "auditing."

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The Church of Scientology - The group has always been controversial, facing claims that they mentally and emotionally abuse followers with their teachings. They have also been under investigation for criminal activity, including financially scamming their members and infiltrating government organizations.

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The Church of Scientology - Several of the church's followers are celebrities, Tom Cruise being the most famously known member.

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The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - The FLDS Church is a Mormon fundamentalist organization formed by leader Warren S. Jeffs.

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The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - The spiritual leader is considered a prophet of God and is the only person in the community who has the power to perform marriage and reassign women and children to other men.

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The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - The community practices polygamy and underage women are often forced into marriages with older men.

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The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - In 2011, leader Jeffs was convicted of child sexual assault, and is currently serving a life sentence in federal prison. He was also convicted for accomplice to rape for arranging marriages between older men and underage women.

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The Westboro Baptist Church - The church was founded by Fred Phelps in Topeka, KS, and is known for extremist beliefs and provocative protests that aim to slander and disrespect others.

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The Westboro Baptist Church - They travel around the country picketing military funerals and holding anti-homosexual protests.

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The Westboro Baptist Church - Widely known as a hate group, the church believes that God hates homosexuals, politicians, soldiers, and other religious organizations.

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Branch Davidian - Formed by David Koresh in 1959, the group united over the belief that the end of the world was nearing.

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Branch Davidian - Members stockpiled guns, preparing for an alleged apocalypse. In 1993, ATF agents caught wind of the group's activities and raided the compound.

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Branch Davidian - The raid caused a 51-day standoff that escalated into a gun battle and explosion set off by members of the organization. In total 76 people were killed.

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Heaven’s Gate - Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles founded the cult in 1975, at the time called Human Individual Metamorphosis. The group traveled to the Colorado desert to await the alleged arrival of a UFO.

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Heaven’s Gate - After the UFO did not arrive, the group moved to San Diego, CA, and changed their name two more times before settling on Heaven's Gate.

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Heaven’s Gate - In 1997, 39 group members were found dead in matching clothes from cyanide poisoning.

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Jehovah’s Witnesses - In 1881, the organization started out as a bible study group in Pennsylvania by Charles Taze Russel, and was originally called Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society.

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Jehovah’s Witnesses - The Armageddon-based cult is one of the most well-known religious organizations, with a global member base of over eight million.

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Jehovah’s Witnesses - They believe that the solution for all problems endured by humanity is the establishment of God's kingdom on Earth, and are known for their door-to-door preaching. The group has made three false predictions of major biblical events and has faced allegations of sexual abuse towards children.

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The most shocking all-American cults of all time

The influence of cults have often had fatal consequences

08/03/18 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE cults

As humans, we tend to have a fascination with cults, as they initially attract people with ideals of a utopian community. However, what usually starts out with an enigmatic and charismatic leader wanting to unite a group of people, often turns into a tyrannical dictatorship with disastrous consequences. Many of them escape notice for several years and even decades, while others are at the center of media attention and continue to exert influence over millions of people.

America has a long history of terrifying and gruesome cults that took things too far and continue to shock us even today. Take a look at a few of them in the gallery!