Hidden Cults
Episodes
Ep.52 Gloriavale Christian Community
03 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gloriavale is a remote Christian community in New Zealand, built on strict belief, total commitment, and a system that controls daily life from work t...
Ep.51 Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Hare Krishna movement, also known as ISKCON, began with one man arriving in New York with a message rooted in devotion to Krishna. A. C. Bhaktived...
Ep.50 Alamo Christian Foundation
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Alamo Christian Foundation started in Hollywood in the late 1960s, offering faith, purpose, and community to those searching for direction. Over t...
Ep.49 Remnant Fellowship
12 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight’s episode explores the rise, transformation, and ongoing controversy surrounding the Remnant Fellowship. What began in the 1980s as a faith-...
Ep.48 House of Prayer Cult (Achill Island)
05 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we travel to Achill Island off the west coast of Ireland to examine the controversial religious movement known as the House of Prayer...
Ep.47 Universe People
29 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we travel to the Czech Republic to explore one of the strangest UFO cults to emerge in modern Europe. Known as the Universe People, or...
Ep.46 University of Cosmic Intelligence
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Hidden Cults explores the University of Cosmic Intelligence, an online movement led by Rashad Jamal that grew rapidly through social m...
Ep.45 Church Universal and Triumphant
15 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we explore the rise, expansion, and controversy surrounding the Church Universal and Triumphant. Founded on the teach...
Ep.44 Fiat Lux (Uriella)
08 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we examine the rise and fall of Fiat Lux, a small but controversial European religious movement led by the self procl...
Ep.43 The Source Family (Father Yod)
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we examine the rise and fall of The Source Family, the Los Angeles commune led by Jim Baker, who renamed himself Fath...
Ep.42 The Bergholz Community (Samuel Mullet)
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we examine the rise and unraveling of the Bergholz Community, a breakaway Amish settlement in Ohio led by Samuel Mullet Sr. What bega...
Ep.41 Fountain of the World
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we examine the rise and violent collapse of the Fountain of the World, a California-based religious movement founded ...
Ep.40 EDUCO (Tony Quinn)
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tony Quinn built his reputation as a self help figure promoting discipline, personal responsibility, and inner change. Through EDUCO, those ideas were...
Ep.39 Love Has Won
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Love Has Won began as an online New Age spiritual movement centered on healing, ascension, and cosmic purpose. Led by Amy Carlson, who called herself ...
Ep.38 New Light of God
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In January 2020, police in rural Panama uncovered one of the most disturbing cult crimes in recent Latin American history. Hidden deep in the Ngäbe-B...
Ep.37 Odaeyang (Five Oceans) Cult
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1987, South Korea was shaken by the discovery of 32 bodies inside an industrial factory in Seoul. Among the dead were the leader of the apocalyptic...
Ep.36 The Family (Australia)
11 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, The Family operated in quiet isolation in Victoria, Australia, presenting itself as a spiritual community built on mysticism, discipline,...
Ep.35 The Twelve Tribes (Messianic Communities)
04 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we examine The Twelve Tribes, also known as the Messianic Communities. What presents itself as a peaceful, biblical w...
Ep.34 The School of Prophets
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The School of Prophets formed inside a fringe offshoot of Mormon fundamentalism, where a small circle of men claimed divine authority and the right to...
Ep.33 The House of Yahweh
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This chapter follows the unusual world built by Yisrayl Hawkins in Abilene, Texas, a place where strict prophecy, end-time anxieties, and absolute obe...
Ep.32 The Love Family
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode examines the rise and transformation of the Love Family, a commune founded in the late 1960s by a charismatic figure who called himself L...
Listener Stories: Terrence’s Life in The Way
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this powerful survivor story, sent in by Terrence, we hear his firsthand account of life inside The Way International, a group that began as a Bibl...
Ep.31 The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founded by Nigerian preacher T. B. Joshua, the Synagogue Church of All Nations rose from humble beginnings in Lagos to become one of the most powerful...
Ep.30 The Black Hammer Organization
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we explore The Black Hammer Organization, a radical political movement that promised liberation for the oppressed but...
Ep.29 Order of Nine Angles (O9A)
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chilling episode of Hidden Cults, we descend into the dark underworld of the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), a shadowy occult network that blends ...
Ep.28 Angel’s Landing
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a quiet Kansas compound called Angel’s Landing, self-proclaimed prophet Lou Castro promised salvation, wealth, and eternal life. His followers be...
Ep.27 Dhammakaya Temple
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 1970 on the outskirts of Bangkok, Wat Phra Dhammakaya grew from a modest meditation center into one of the most powerful and controversial ...
Ep.26 The Shakahola Forest Cult
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2023, the world was horrified by the discovery of mass graves in Shakahola Forest, Kenya. Behind the tragedy was Paul Mackenzie, a self-proclaimed ...
Ep.25 The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA)
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1970s, deep in the Ozark hills of Arkansas, preacher James Ellison built a compound that fused apocalyptic Christianity with white supremacist ...
Ep.24 The Chicago Rippers
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1980s, Chicago was gripped by fear as women vanished and bodies were discovered mutilated in ways that suggested ritualistic violence. At...
Ep.23 The Great Eleven
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1920s, Los Angeles became home to a little-known but extraordinary cult led by May Otis Blackburn and her daughter Ruth. Claiming to receive vi...
Ep.22 The Brethren (The Road Ministry)
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 1971 by Jimmie T. Roberts, The Brethren, also called The Road Ministry or the “Garbage Eaters”, became one of the most secretive cult m...
Ep.21 The Way International
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 1942 by Victor Paul Wierwille, The Way International began as a small evangelical ministry in Ohio and quickly grew into a worldwide moveme...
Ep.20 Ant Hill Kids
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the remote wilderness of Quebec during the late 1970s, a small group of seekers followed a man who promised salvation. His name was Roch Thériault...
Ep.19 Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the lush hills of Uganda during the 1980s and 90s, a new religious group claimed to offer clarity in a time of social and political upheaval. Calli...
Ep.18 Synanon
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It began in 1958 as a radical experiment in recovery: a storefront in Santa Monica, a handful of addicts, and a tough-talking ex-alcoholic named Charl...
Ep.17 The Unification Church (The Moonies)
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we turn our attention to the Unification Church, more commonly known as “The Moonies.” Founded in Korea in the 19...
Ep.16 Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, is one of the most secretive and controversial offshoots of Mormonism. Built ...
Ep.15 The 7M TikTok Cult
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What looks like a dance collective on TikTok is, according to former members and family, something much darker. Behind the viral choreography and mill...
Ep.14 The Process Church of the Final Judgment
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1960s, a strange and secretive movement emerged from the fringes of Scientology and began preaching an apocalyptic message unlike anything the ...
Ep.13 The Narcosatanists (The Matamoros Cult)
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1989, a quiet ranch outside Matamoros, Mexico, revealed a nightmare. Police unearthed ritual altars, human remains, and evidence of a cult led by A...
Ep.12 NXIVM
27 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NXIVM promised empowerment. What it delivered was control, abuse, and branding. In this episode of Hidden Cults, we explore how a self-improvement gro...
Ep.11 The Rajneesh movement
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They came to rural Oregon dressed in shades of orange and red, following a spiritual guru who rarely spoke and a powerful woman who did all the talkin...
Ep.10 The Family International
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once known as the Children of God, The Family International began as a 1960s counterculture movement promising love, freedom, and a new way of life. B...
Ep.9 The Raëlian Movement
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A French racecar driver walks into a volcano and comes out a prophet. That’s how the story begins. What follows is one of the most unusual and contr...
Ep.8 The Nuwaubian Nation
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It started in Brooklyn as a small religious group focused on Black identity and spiritual truth. Over time, it grew into something stranger. The Nuwau...
Ep.7 The Manson Family
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the heat and haze of the 1960s, Charles Manson didn’t look like a cult leader. He looked like a drifter with a guitar and some big ideas. But beh...
Ep.6 The Peoples Temple
22 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Long before the tragedy in the jungle, The Peoples Temple looked like something good. Jim Jones preached equality. He fed the poor, welcomed the outca...
Ep.5 The Order of the Solar Temple
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It began as a secret society chasing spiritual enlightenment, and ended in ritual murder and mass death. In this episode of Hidden Cults, we uncover t...
Ep.4 Heaven’s Gate
15 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we dive deep into the haunting story of Heaven’s Gate, the first digital-age cult to orchestrate a mass suicide in ...
Ep.3 Aum Shinrikyo
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this harrowing episode of Hidden Cults, we dive into the chilling rise and catastrophic fall of Aum Shinrikyo, a doomsday cult that began as a frin...
Ep.2 The Branch Davidians
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What began as a fringe religious movement ended in a fiery siege that shocked the world. This episode of Hidden Cults explores the rise of the Branch ...
Ep.1 Scientology
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It began with a science fiction writer and a self-help book. Today, it's a billion-dollar religious empire with tax-exempt status, celebrity ambassado...
Introduction to Hidden Cults
24 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From silent compounds to subway attacks, from charismatic prophets to catastrophic ends, Hidden Cults is a documentary-style podcast that digs deep in...