In the chapters that follow, readers will see similarities in the ways the cult leaders of every era have attracted and seduced their followers… how their near-total command over others drove them to test the limits of such control, and then-either out of boredom or sadistic curiosity, or because they, too, had begun to believe their own fantasies-to go beyond that to claim a godlike power over life and death. We take the time to step back and look at the types of manipulation they employed and pay close attention to the unconscious drives that have led so many to the outer limits of behavior, whether serial murder, sexual deviance, or mass suicide. From the beginning, we’ve not just looked at the raw data of cult leaders’ lives and that of their followers but also examined their psychologies and motivations (although we are not psychologists). Thanks to our weekly podcasts, we have a catalog of case studies at our fingertips. It’s not unusual, at the conclusion of one report, to think that we’ve finally discovered the worst that cults can offer, only to be rocked to our core by something far worse. That outpouring of interest has kept us searching in the annals of extreme beliefs for the cults that will satisfy this fascination, week after week. We released our first Cults podcast in September 2017, and from that premiere episode-which debuted at number one on Apple’s podcast charts-and every week since, we’ve been surprised by the intense response to these histories, with more than 55 million downloads over the past four years, with no sign of letting up. Belief and belonging can be intoxicating when acting in unison, along with the feelings they inspire when amplified by community.īut what about those rare moments when the dark side of human nature takes hold?Īt Parcast, our focus from inception has been on the small subset of these close societies of dedicated believers known as cults and the frighteningly charismatic figures who lead them. It’s part of our DNA as social creatures who depend on each other to survive, and the organizing principle that keeps religion and politics going. The need to belong is a powerful instinct. When this appetite for belief combines with the need to belong, great things can happen: nations are born, temples and cathedrals rise, astronauts land on the moon. Read moreĮveryone wants to believe in something or someone: a higher ideal, a god on Earth, a voice from heaven, an intelligence beyond our own. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence. In these pages, Parcast’s founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning-from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing.Ĭults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. Parcast’s work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics-the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Perhaps it’s this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it’s that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for any true crime fan.Ĭults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose.
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