The World's Weirdest And Scariest Cults

The term 'cult' is tricky to define, since most of these organizations can also be deemed as religions. Therefore, cults are best understood when one takes into account the context in which they were founded and the driving force behind them.

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Most cults tend to be slightly weird--usually unwelcome in normal society. They consist of groups of people who adhere to the rules prescribed by the cult alone. Often, these cults are led by charismatic leaders who are nothing short of psychopaths. With that in mind, here are some of the world's weirdest cults.

Aum Shinrikyo

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This Japanese religious group--at one point--had enough sarin gas to kill 4 million people. When they attacked five trains in the Tokyo subway system, they killed 12 people and injured 54 others. As of 1998, the group was reported to have 9000 members within Japan and over 40,000 around the world.

Created by Shoko Asahara, the core of their beliefs is shockingly based on Buddhist scriptures. Police forces organized a raid of their facility, and Asahara was ultimately arrested but even without his leadership the cult regrouped under the code name of 'Aleph' in 2000.

Charles Manson and The Family

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"You haven't got long before you are all going to kill yourselves, because you are all crazy. And you can project it back at me, but I am only what lives inside each one of you."

Charles Manson, possibly one of the world's most famous cult leaders, said these chilling words when he was arrested. As founder of a group called 'The Family', he was responsible for serial murders in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their victims even included teenaged boys. Stranger yet, Manson claimed that Beatles' songs were part of his inspiration for the killings. He is now 74 years old and still in prison having been denied parole 11 times!

Scientology

It's likely that we may receive immense flak for saying this, but scientology is a cult in its own right. Though it has been categorized as a religion, it has been highly controversial from the start.

Their body of beliefs and practices were created by a science fiction author, L. Ron Hubbard. Scientologists believe that all humans are alien creations and are immortal. Their church has unimaginable amounts of money, and there have been many reported incidents of extortion and isolation if one dares to criticize it. Members also have to pay large sums of money to reach higher levels within the "religion." Famous members of the cult include Tom Cruise and Madonna.

Westboro Baptist Church

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Chances are you've heard of this independent branch of the Baptist church and its infamous and extreme stance against homosexuality. They've even gone so far as to picket funerals, desecrate the American flag, and refer to catholic priests as vampires and Dracula.

Headed by Fred Phelps, its permanent members mostly consist of his own family. As such, it is not the largest of cults--only about 40 people strong--but their extreme stance has earned them the reputation as a hate group. Their movements are even monitored by the Anti-Defamation League.

David Koresh and the Branch Davidians

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Technically this cult's beliefs were based on aspects of the Bible, and could thus be considered a sect of Christianity. However, they deviated so radically from their original doctrines that this is not a viable consideration anymore!

David Koresh aka Vernon Howell convinced his followers that he was their prophet and he was the last known leader of this sect. Members of this cult were known to indulge in child abuse, torture and many other heinous crimes. In 1993, after a 51-day stand-off with the FBI, Koresh and 81 members of his cult were killed in the infamous Waco incident.