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Let's Start A Cult

Let's Start A Cult

Cultiv8 Podcast Network

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Join me (not in a cult sense), Josh Schell, as we dive into the dark and interesting world of cults! I will take you on a journey of how cults form, who their leaders are, and how they almost always come to an end.
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Top 10 Let's Start A Cult Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Let's Start A Cult episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Let's Start A Cult for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Let's Start A Cult episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Let's Start A Cult - The Lafferty Brothers' School of Prophets | A Family Cult
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11/16/21 • 42 min

When Allen Lafferty walked into his home on the evening of July 24, 1984, he never expected to find the carpet and drapes soaked in blood. Nor did he imagine that he would be the first to find the corpses of his beloved wife and daughter.

Staring at their remains, Allen soon came to realize that those responsible for destroying his family were none other than his older brothers, whom he had looked up to all his life.

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Sources for this episode include “Under the Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer, The Deseret News, The Detroit Free Press, True Crime Daily, Kuer 90.1, Grunge, CBS News, KSL TV, The Salt Lake City Weekly, the State of Utah v. Ronald Watson Lafferty (2001), and a Medium article titled “Brenda and Erica Lafferty: Revelation and Death” by Madeline O’Brien.

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Super excited to kick off 2022 with this much-anticipated cult!

The Church of Scientology may be controversial; however, its devotees have nothing but praise for its teachings. For instance, actor Tom Cruise once called it “a beautiful religion,” while fellow actor John Travolta publicly stated that it was only being criticized because it “really works well.”

For many, though, the Church of Scientology is nothing but a dangerous cult that brainwashes people, charges them exorbitantly for their membership, and never lets them leave.

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When Ann Fitzgerald met a group of New Age devotees at a festival in London, she thought that she had found a set of like-minded and supportive friends. Never did she imagine that she would spend the next decade in their grip, working 16-hour shifts without being paid a single dollar.

Ann, however, was far from the group’s only victim.

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Sources for this episode include The Famous People, the World Religions and Spirituality Project, The Laughing Man Institute official website, the Hermes Far Eastern Shining official website, The Daily Telegraph, Cult Education, and The Apologetics Index.

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Cults are not always sinister. Similarly, cult leaders are not always manipulative sociopaths. Sometimes, all they need is one deluded man. August Engelhardt, born with a silver spoon, was many things, and one of them was delusional, something he shared with other cults and their leaders. You might wonder the peculiarities of Engelhardt’s delusion. It is nothing other than the obsessive yet interesting relationship he developed with the fruit with one of the hardest shells. This is a man that decided to give everything up for a life of nudity and a diet consisting of nothing other than coconuts.

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The Dumb, Found Dead:

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Let's Start A Cult - Multi-Level Marketing | The Cults Of The Business World
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10/05/21 • 58 min

In‌ ‌today’s‌ ‌episode‌ ‌of‌ ‌Let’s‌ ‌Start‌ ‌a‌ ‌Cult‌ ‌we‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌discussing Multi-Level‌ ‌Marketing‌ ‌companies ‌or‌ ‌pyramid‌ ‌schemes.‌ ‌From‌ ‌leggings‌ ‌to‌ ‌essential‌ ‌oils‌ ‌and‌ ‌kitchen‌ ‌knives,‌ ‌these‌ ‌predatory‌ ‌brands‌ ‌have‌ ‌manipulated‌ ‌countless‌ ‌individuals,‌ ‌causing‌ ‌them‌ ‌to‌ ‌destroy‌ ‌personal‌ ‌relationships‌ ‌and‌ ‌lose‌ ‌their‌ ‌life‌ ‌savings.‌ ‌ ‌

With‌ ‌tactics‌ ‌reminiscent‌ ‌of‌ ‌actual‌ ‌religious‌ ‌cults,‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌MLMs‌ ‌operate‌ ‌is‌ ‌definitely‌ ‌disturbing.‌ ‌

Go to HelloFresh and use the code HFAFF80 for $80 off ($50 - $20 - $10) Including Free Shipping on First Box!

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Sources from this episode include the Management Study Guide, Fundera, Investopedia, The Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, the subreddit “anti-MLM,” BBC News, The Snapping Point, Bustle, Vice, Go Banking Rates, Behind MLM, and The Balance (Small Business).

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

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Let's Start A Cult - Bruno Gröning & The Circle of Friends w/ Lindsay Valenty
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03/01/22 • 59 min

We did it, Fred! We finally found a cult that isn't horrible! Because today we are going to be talking about Bruno Groning and The Circle of Friends. A cult whose leader died before it formed but whose followers managed to create a worldwide cult that believes in positive thinking to heal its followers.

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Let's Start A Cult - The Ripper Crew | Chicago's Satanic Cult
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08/27/21 • 61 min

The Ripper Crew, a group that terrorized Chicago with a series of abductions and horrific killings between 1981 and 1982. Later, it would be revealed that they would eat the amputated breasts of their victims as part of their sickening Satanic ritual.

They may have committed these horrific murders but one of the cult’s members has since been released from prison. Even their leader will be eligible for parole in a few years’ time, despite the authorities describing him as worse than the infamous Charles Manson.

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Sources for this episode include All That’s Interesting, a Medium article by Lisa Marie Fuqua titled “The Ripper Crew Satanic Cannibal Cult Murders,” Listverse, Murderpedia, Windy City Ghosts, The Chicago Tribune, and CBS Chicago.

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Let's Start A Cult - Aum Shinrikyo | The Military Cult That Injured Thousands
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02/15/22 • 49 min

In 1989, the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo officially recognized “Aum Shinrikyo” as a legitimate religious movement.

Little did they know that five years later, that same group would carry out a violent terrorist attack on the city, leaving 13 dead and a thousand others severely injured.

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Let's Start A Cult - Saul Newton and The Newton Institute
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10/19/21 • 50 min

After graduating from Harvard University in the early 1970s, Paul Sprecher decided to head to the Big Apple, in search of exciting opportunities. Instead, he stumbled upon a group led by an increasingly erratic authoritarian, who sought to impose his views about sex and the nuclear family on his hundreds of devotees. Surprisingly enough, its ranks included prominent celebrities from that decade, as well as other high-profile figures, most of whom were only too happy to give up their salaries to fund their leader’s various whims. Follow us on the socials: https://twitter.com/lets_cult (Twitter) https://www.facebook.com/letsstartacultpod (Facebook) https://www.instagram.com/lets_cult/?hl=en (Instagram) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChcl9qrvKAsXJTaBfVgKILQ (YouTube) https://www.letsstartacultpodcast.com/ (Website) Mr. Bunker's Conspiracy Time Podcast: https://twitter.com/mrbunkerpod (Twitter) https://www.instagram.com/mrbunkerpod/ (Instagram) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZQnqJox67N4p18eZq6Yzw (YouTube) https://www.mrbunkersconspiracytime.com/ (Website) Sources for this episode include Ranker, The Journal News, The New York Post, Gothamist, Penn State University, and the website “I Love the Upper West Side.” This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Dynamo - https://www.voxnest.com/dynamo/privacy-policies Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Support this podcast
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Let's Start A Cult - Heaven's Gate

Heaven's Gate

Let's Start A Cult

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11/17/20 • 72 min

Cults are built on logical, semi-believable premises that often involve religion and the leader as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. It is these messages that draw hundreds of people in, causing them to commit horrific acts on others and on...

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FAQ

How many episodes does Let's Start A Cult have?

Let's Start A Cult currently has 41 episodes available.

What topics does Let's Start A Cult cover?

The podcast is about Society & Culture, True Crime and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Let's Start A Cult?

The episode title 'The Lafferty Brothers' School of Prophets | A Family Cult' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Let's Start A Cult?

The average episode length on Let's Start A Cult is 51 minutes.

How often are episodes of Let's Start A Cult released?

Episodes of Let's Start A Cult are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of Let's Start A Cult?

The first episode of Let's Start A Cult was released on Sep 23, 2020.

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Josh Schell

@letsstartacult

Sep 12

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Check out my podcast on cults if you're interested in learning how cults come to be and how they operate!

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Dillon M. Hubbell

@dillon

Sep 13

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This is an excellent podcast!

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Dana Nydia Cindy

@CrimeDiner

May 19

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