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PODCAST

Hidden Cults

From silent compounds to subway attacks, from charismatic prophets to catastrophic ends, Hidden Cults is a documentary-style podcast that digs deep into the world"s most extreme, elusive, and explosive fringe groups. Each episode unpacks a different cult with investigative depth, emotional clarity, and gripping storytelling. You"ll hear the full timeline: from the origins and ideology, to the rise of control, to the final descent into chaos. We"re not here for the sensational. We"re here for the

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

31:44

Ep.46 University of Cosmic Intelligence

Hidden Cults ·

2026/03/22

This episode of Hidden Cults explores the University of Cosmic Intelligence, an online movement led by Rashad Jamal that grew rapidly through social media and conspiracy-driven spiritual teachings. Followers were told they were cosmic beings living in a false reality and were encouraged to separate from society and join a new spiritual mission. As the movement grew, it became linked to crimes, disappearances, and law enforcement investigations, eventually leading to Jamal’s arrest and conviction in

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43:58

Ep.45 Church Universal and Triumphant

Hidden Cults ·

2026/03/15

In this episode of Hidden Cults, we explore the rise, expansion, and controversy surrounding the Church Universal and Triumphant. Founded on the teachings of Mark L. Prophet and later led by Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the movement grew from a small spiritual organization known as The Summit Lighthouse into one of the most prominent Ascended Master movements in modern American religious history.Part 1 – The Making of the Messengers (1918–1961)Part 2 – The Summit Lighthouse (1961–1975) Part 3 –

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41:18

Ep.44 Fiat Lux (Uriella)

Hidden Cults ·

2026/03/08

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 proclaimed prophet Uriella. Born Erika Bertschinger in Switzerland, Uriella claimed that a horse riding accident awakened psychic abilities that allowed her to receive messages directly from Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other divine beings. What began as private revelations soon developed into a growing spiritual community in the Black Forest of Germany,

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38:42

Ep.43 The Source Family (Father Yod)

Hidden Cults ·

2026/03/01

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 Father Yod and later Ya Ho Wha. What began in 1969 as a successful health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip evolved into a tightly structured spiritual movement built on discipline, devotion, and absolute loyalty to its earthly spiritual father. We follow Baker’s transformation from Marine veteran and businessman to charismatic patriarch, tracing the

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22:31

Ep.42 The Bergholz Community (Samuel Mullet)

Hidden Cults ·

2026/02/22

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 began in 1995 as an attempt to form a stricter religious district gradually drew national attention after a series of beard-cutting attacks shocked both Amish society and the wider public. We follow the timeline from Mullet’s early leadership and disputed ordination, through the growing divide with other Amish bishops, to the events of 2011 that led to

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27:13

Ep.41 Fountain of the World

Hidden Cults ·

2026/02/15

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 in the late 1940s by Krishna Venta, born Francis Herman Pencovic. Set in Box Canyonin in Southern California, the group presented itself publicly as a humanitarian, communal sect devoted to Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, and Love, while privately centering around apocalyptic prophecy, and a leader who claimed to be Christ returned to Earth.Part 1 – The Man

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37:10

Ep.40 EDUCO (Tony Quinn)

Hidden Cults ·

2026/02/08

Tony Quinn built his reputation as a self help figure promoting discipline, personal responsibility, and inner change. Through EDUCO, those ideas were developed into a structured system presented as personal development rather than belief. This episode examines Tony Quinn and the organisation most closely associated with his teachings. Focusing on reported activity in Ireland and Italy, this episode looks at how Quinn’s philosophy is translated into hierarchy, authority, and expectation. Former

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40:43

Ep.39 Love Has Won

Hidden Cults ·

2026/02/01

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 “Mother God,” the group promised enlightenment, salvation, and liberation from a corrupt world. What followers found instead was isolation, psychological control, and a slow descent into delusion. As Carlson’s authority grew, belief hardened into obedience. Members cut ties with family, rejected medical care, and were encouraged to surrender money,

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29:29

Ep.38 New Light of God

Hidden Cults ·

2026/01/25

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-Buglé region, members of a small Pentecostal sect calling itself New Light of God were found to have tortured and murdered seven people, including children and a pregnant woman, in what they believed were acts of purification and exorcism.Part 1 – The Leaders Before the CultPart 2 – Formation of the GroupPart 3 – Belief System and AuthorityPart 4 – Life

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32:57

Ep.37 Odaeyang (Five Oceans) Cult

Hidden Cults ·

2026/01/18

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 movement known as Odaeyang and several members of her inner circle, including children. What first appeared to be an isolated tragedy quickly revealed the final collapse of a tightly controlled religious group built around end times belief, economic control, and absolute authority. This episode traces the rise and fall of the Odaeyang movement, also

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41:32

Ep.36 The Family (Australia)

Hidden Cults ·

2026/01/11

For decades, The Family operated in quiet isolation in Victoria, Australia, presenting itself as a spiritual community built on mysticism, discipline, and devotion. Led by Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the group drew in educated professionals and vulnerable seekers, all while hiding a disturbing reality behind closed doors. At the center of the cult were children, many were adopted through falsified documents, raised under strict psychological control, subjected to punishment, and taught to believe Anne was

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34:19

Ep.35 The Twelve Tribes (Messianic Communities)

Hidden Cults ·

2026/01/04

In this episode of Hidden Cults, we examine The Twelve Tribes, also known as the Messianic Communities. What presents itself as a peaceful, biblical way of life centered on family, shared work, and spiritual purity has, for decades, drawn serious concern from former members, child welfare agencies, and investigators across multiple countries. The story spans from the group’s beginnings in the 1970s counterculture movement to the tightly controlled communal living environments that followed. We look

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36:50

Ep.34 The School of Prophets

Hidden Cults ·

2025/12/28

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 receive revelation. At the center were brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, whose apocalyptic beliefs grew darker and more rigid as they withdrew from outside influence. What began as a pursuit of purity soon twisted into a violent ideology. In 1984, the Lafferty brothers carried out two brutal murders they claimed were commanded by God, shocking their

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36:14

Ep.33 The House of Yahweh

Hidden Cults ·

2025/12/21

This chapter follows the unusual world built by Yisrayl Hawkins in Abilene, Texas, a place where strict prophecy, end-time anxieties, and absolute obedience shaped everyday life. The House of Yahweh presented itself as the only path to truth, but former members describe a community where personal choices, relationships, and even thoughts were pulled into the orbit of one man’s revelations. We trace how Hawkins reworked ancient texts into a modern warning, how followers were drawn in by promises of

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43:58

Ep.32 The Love Family

Hidden Cults ·

2025/12/14

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 Love Israel. What began as a small Seattle counterculture group grew into a large spiritual community that blended Christianity, communal living, strict hierarchy, and a belief in personal purification. Members surrendered their possessions, took new names, and lived under tight control that shaped their relationships, marriages, and identities. Across

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36:59

Listener Stories: Terrence’s Life in The Way

Hidden Cults ·

2025/12/09

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 Bible study movement and grew into one of America’s most controversial religious organizations. Born into the group as a third-generation member, Terrence recounts life within the fellowship, its strict control over members, and its denial of key Christian doctrines. He describes the pressure to conform, the emotional toll on families, and the manipulation

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44:24

Ep.31 The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)

Hidden Cults ·

2025/12/07

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 and controversial megachurches in Africa. Millions tuned in to his televised healings and prophecies, believing they were witnessing divine intervention. But behind the spectacle were troubling questions about manipulation, secrecy, and control. This episode of Hidden Cults investigates how SCOAN built a global following through miracle crusades,

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39:08

Ep.30 The Black Hammer Organization

Hidden Cults ·

2025/11/30

In this episode of Hidden Cults, we explore The Black Hammer Organization, a radical political movement that promised liberation for the oppressed but spiralled into paranoia, violence, and control. Founded by a young activist with a gift for rhetoric and a thirst for revolution, the group drew in disillusioned followers with talk of anti-colonial struggle and communal living. What began as an online movement soon became a real-world experiment in isolation and fear. From the creation of “Hammer

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57:47

Ep.29 Order of Nine Angles (O9A)

Hidden Cults ·

2025/11/23

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 Satanism, neo-Nazism, and paramilitary ideology into one of the most dangerous and elusive movements of the past fifty years. From its roots in the 1970s Britain under the enigmatic figure David Myatt to its global spread across online extremist circles, O9A has inspired acts of violence, ritual murder, and infiltration plots reaching far beyond its

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47:07

Ep.28 Angel’s Landing

Hidden Cults ·

2025/11/16

In a quiet Kansas compound called Angel’s Landing, self-proclaimed prophet Lou Castro promised salvation, wealth, and eternal life. His followers believed he was an angel in human form, until a suspicious death exposed a hidden world of manipulation, insurance fraud, and abuse. This episode unravels how Castro built a kingdom of control through fear, charisma, and the illusion of divine power, and how the truth finally tore it apart.Part 1 – The Angel of KansasPart 2 – Life in the CommunePart 3 –

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