10 Forgotten Cults That Were Stranger Than Fiction

1. The Brethren – The Cult That Renounced Everything (Even Names)

Also known as The Garbage Eaters, The Brethren was a doomsday cult founded in the 1970s by a mysterious man called Brother Evangelist, later identified as Jim Roberts. Their doctrine was simple yet extreme: reject materialism completely. That meant giving up homes, jobs, families, even personal names. Members took new biblical names and were required to own nothing—not even shoes in some cases.

They believed the apocalypse was imminent and wandered from city to city, scavenging food from dumpsters and preaching in public parks. They avoided modern medicine, education, and any connection to secular society. Children were often taken from schools and moved frequently to avoid detection.

What makes The Brethren particularly eerie is how invisible they tried to be. They didn’t want fame, power, or publicity. They simply wanted to disappear from society—and take their followers with them. Though the group still exists in small numbers today, its secretive nature and total renunciation of worldly life make it one of the most hauntingly quiet cults in modern history.

???? [Source – CultEducation.com / CBS News Investigation]

2. The Ant Hill Kids – Torture in the Name of Salvation

Founded in Canada in the late 1970s by Roch Thériault, The Ant Hill Kids began as a spiritual commune… and devolved into one of the most horrific cults of the 20th century. Thériault, a charismatic but delusional man, claimed he was a prophet who could protect his followers from the coming apocalypse.

At first, his teachings seemed rooted in strict Adventist principles—vegetarianism, no tobacco, hard labor. But as his power grew unchecked, the commune became a twisted dictatorship. He renamed everyone, controlled every aspect of their lives, and subjected them to incomprehensible abuse. This included forced amputations, beatings, and surgical experiments—performed by Thériault himself, who had no medical training.

He called them “The Ant Hill Kids” to reflect their diligence and obedience. But in reality, his followers lived in fear and torment, cut off from the outside world in the wilderness of Quebec.

Eventually, survivors escaped and told their story, leading to Thériault’s arrest. He was sentenced to life in prison, where he was later killed by another inmate. Few cults embody such a sharp descent from peaceful beginnings to psychotic tyranny as vividly as this one.

???? [Source – Canadian Encyclopedia / CBC Archives]

3. The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God – Uganda’s Apocalypse by Fire

In the 1990s, a breakaway Catholic cult in Uganda convinced hundreds that the world would end on January 1, 2000. Led by former sex worker Credonia Mwerinde and defrocked priest Joseph Kibwetere, the group promised salvation through strict obedience to the Ten Commandments—or at least their version of them.

They banned sex, soap, and most forms of conversation. Members communicated in whispers, fearing that speaking might lead to sin. The leaders claimed to receive visions from the Virgin Mary and demanded the sale of all possessions to prepare for the end.

When the apocalypse failed to arrive in 2000, dissent brewed. To silence unrest, the leaders organized a "farewell feast" on March 17. Over 500 people were locked inside a building that was then intentionally set ablaze. The fire killed nearly everyone, including children. Days later, mass graves were discovered, bringing the total death count to over 900.

Authorities called it a cult-led mass murder, not a mass suicide. The leaders vanished, and to this day, no one knows where Credonia Mwerinde went. This forgotten cult turned quiet faith into one of the deadliest manipulations of belief in recent history.

???? [Source – BBC / Human Rights Watch Report]

4. The Order of the Solar Temple – Death Through “Transit” to Sirius

The Order of the Solar Temple was founded in 1984 by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret, who blended New Age mysticism, freemasonry, and apocalyptic Christianity into a strange cocktail of prophecy and secret ritual. The cult's goal? To prepare humanity for the second coming of Christ by helping followers “transit” to a higher spiritual plane on the star Sirius.

They believed that death was not an end, but a gateway to enlightenment—and they took that idea literally. Members participated in elaborate ceremonies, wore white robes, and believed in a cosmic hierarchy that included previous lives and future planetary salvation.

But in 1994, things turned dark. After internal dissent and failed prophecies, leaders orchestrated a series of ritual “transits.” In Canada and Switzerland, over 70 members were found dead, many burned or shot, in what investigators called murders staged to look like mass suicides. Some were drugged. Some were executed. Fires were started with timed ignition devices.

Even more disturbing: children were among the dead, including infants who, according to Di Mambro, had “impure souls.” The Order continued to exist in secret cells for years afterward. The horror of the Solar Temple isn’t just in the deaths—it’s in how coldly organized spiritual murder was disguised as salvation.

???? [Source – TIME / Swiss Federal Police Report]

5. The Aetherius Society – When Aliens Became Gods

In 1954, London taxi driver George King was meditating in his flat when he heard a voice proclaim, “Prepare yourself. You are to become the voice of Interplanetary Parliament.” Thus was born the Aetherius Society, a still-active cult that believes in benevolent space beings guiding humanity’s spiritual evolution.

According to King, these extraterrestrial “Cosmic Masters” hailed from Venus, Mars, and Saturn and included figures like Jesus and Buddha—who were, in fact, advanced alien avatars. King became their earthly spokesman, claiming regular telepathic communication with a Venusian called Aetherius.

Followers believe that these beings protect Earth from cosmic catastrophes and that mankind can help by participating in “spiritual energy transmissions”—rituals that involve chanting and pointing copper rods at maps to direct positive vibrations toward natural disaster zones.

Still active in the UK and U.S., the Aetherius Society remains one of the most eccentric UFO-based cults. While its teachings seem harmless—almost sweet—they reflect a post-WWII anxiety about technology, war, and meaning in the atomic age. Somehow, King turned a spiritual void into a cosmic drama starring himself.

???? [Source – Aetherius.org / Smithsonian Magazine]

6. The Superior Universal Alignment – Murder in the Amazon

In the late 1980s, a cult began to spread in Altamira, Brazil, under the leadership of Valentina de Andrade, a self-styled prophet who claimed to receive messages from extraterrestrials. Her doctrine? That children born after 1981 were soulless and evil, and would bring chaos to Earth.

Operating under the name Superior Universal Alignment, she attracted local politicians, businessmen, and even police officers. Together, they formed a shadow network that began abducting and murdering young boys.

Between 1989 and 1993, 19 boys were kidnapped. Several were mutilated, and five were killed. Survivors told horrifying tales of torture and cult-like rituals. When the truth emerged, the public was stunned—not just by the brutality, but by how many respected figures were involved.

Despite the evidence, Andrade was never convicted of the murders. She continued preaching her alien-inspired theology, claiming the killings were committed by rogue followers who “misunderstood her teachings.”

The cult may be forgotten internationally, but in Brazil, the name Superior Universal Alignment still evokes fear. It is a chilling example of how a bizarre belief system can evolve into real-world horror, hidden under the guise of salvation.

???? [Source – Human Rights Watch / Brazilian Federal Records]

7. The True Russian Orthodox Church – Underground Fanatics in the Forest

Deep in the forests of the Nizhny Novgorod region in Russia, a splinter group of Orthodox believers formed the True Russian Orthodox Church—also known as the “Heavenly Jerusalem” sect. Led by the intensely reclusive Pyotr Kuznetsov, a former architect turned prophet, the group split from mainstream Orthodoxy in the early 2000s over fears that the Russian Orthodox Church had been “corrupted by the Antichrist.”

Kuznetsov preached an apocalyptic vision, warning his followers that the world would soon end in fiery judgment. To survive, members withdrew completely from society—building an underground bunker where dozens lived for months without electricity, running water, or sunlight. They banned radio, TV, processed food, and even certain words. Mirrors were prohibited, as vanity was a sin. Vaccines and medical care? Absolutely forbidden.

In 2007, the group made headlines when they threatened mass suicide if police entered the bunker. After weeks of negotiations, a partial collapse and toxic fumes forced the members out. Kuznetsov, who had remained above ground, was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Today, the sect has dwindled but not disappeared. It serves as a chilling example of how spiritual separatism and fear can spiral into near-total psychological imprisonment.

???? [Source – Moscow Times / BBC Russian Service]

8. The Process Church of the Final Judgment – Satan, Jesus, and German Shepherds

Emerging in the 1960s from the countercultural fringe of London, The Process Church of the Final Judgment was founded by Robert and Mary Ann de Grimston, two former Scientologists. They created a theology that was equal parts esoteric, psychotic, and fashionably apocalyptic.

Their central belief? That Jesus, Lucifer, Jehovah, and Satan were all equal aspects of the same divine power, and that true enlightenment came from reconciling with all four. This message was delivered via stark black robes, goat-headed logos, and intense public rituals held in urban centers like New York and San Francisco.

The media often linked the group to Charles Manson, who allegedly had ties to the Process’ Los Angeles chapter. While no evidence ever confirmed this, the church's unsettling imagery and doctrine ensured they stayed under scrutiny.

By the 1970s, the group splintered. Some members moved to Utah, where they shockingly rebranded as an animal rescue organization—yes, you read that right—and began operating the Best Friends Animal Society, now one of the largest no-kill shelters in the U.S.

It’s one of the strangest transformations in cult history: from doomsday theology and Satanic symbolism… to saving puppies.

???? [Source – Rolling Stone / Process.org Archives]

9. Chen Tao – The Cult That Awaited God in a Spaceship

The Chen Tao (True Way) cult began in Taiwan but moved to the United States in the 1990s, settling in Garland, Texas—chosen because it sounded like “God Land.” Led by former professor Hon-Ming Chen, the group mixed UFO beliefs, Christian eschatology, and Chinese folk religion into a melting pot of cosmic confusion.

Their most infamous prophecy? That God would appear on television across North America at 12:01 a.m. on March 31, 1998, speaking through Channel 18 to all humans. Soon after, members believed they would be picked up by a flying saucer and taken to a higher dimension.

When the date came and went without divine programming or spacecraft, members were shaken—but surprisingly nonviolent. Chen apologized for the error, stating that "the spirit world must have changed its plan." A few followers remained loyal, but most dispersed.

Though relatively harmless, Chen Tao demonstrates the sheer power of charismatic delusion—and how cults often survive failure by reinterpreting it as spiritual mystery.

???? [Source – New York Times / Cultwatch.org]

10. The Church of the SubGenius – Satire That Became Serious

Not all cults are deadly—some begin as jokes that spiral out of control. Founded in the late 1970s by Ivan Stang and Philo Drummond, the Church of the SubGenius started as a satirical jab at religion, capitalism, and conspiracy culture. Its icon was a smug pipe-smoking cartoon figure named J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, and its mantra was “Slack.”

Members believed that a secret alien race called the Xists would arrive on July 5, 1998, to rapture the “SubGenii” and destroy non-believers. Members were encouraged to question everything, laugh at dogma, and embrace absurdity as enlightenment.

What began as parody soon gained traction as people found real spiritual comfort in the group’s irreverent style. Over time, some joined without knowing it was a parody—proving the blurred line between faith and farce.

While the Xists never arrived (as predicted), the church lives on in zines, festivals, and the hearts of those who find transcendence in divine nonsense. In a world of serious cults, the SubGenius dared to ask, “What if belief was the biggest joke of all?”

???? [Source – Church of the SubGenius Archives / Vice Magazine]

Conclusion:

Cults don’t just reflect the madness of their leaders—they reveal something about the times and people that followed them. From alien saviors to apocalyptic bunkers, from god-television to dog-worshipping prophets, these forgotten cults may have vanished from headlines, but they remain disturbingly relevant.

Because if there’s one thing stranger than fiction, it’s the real people who gave everything to believe it.