Back in Time Today
Most people know about famous cults from history, but many strange groups still exist today. These modern cults often hide behind normal-looking websites and social media accounts.
Some focus on aliens, others on special diets or unusual beliefs about reality. Learning about these groups helps you recognize warning signs and stay safe online.
1. The Breatharian Institute of America
Breathing air instead of eating food sounds impossible, yet thousands follow this dangerous belief. Founded by Wiley Brooks, this group claims humans can survive solely on light and air through special breathing techniques.
Members pay hundreds of dollars for workshops teaching “pranic nourishment.” Several followers have been hospitalized for malnutrition and dehydration. Brooks himself was caught eating at McDonald’s, claiming junk food helps him “stay grounded” for his earthly mission.
2. QAnon Anonymous
Starting as an internet conspiracy theory, QAnon evolved into a cult-like movement affecting millions worldwide. Followers believe anonymous posts reveal secret government operations against elite criminals.
Members spend hours decoding cryptic messages and attending rallies. Families have broken apart as relatives disappear into online rabbit holes. The movement has influenced real-world violence and political decisions. Many followers quit jobs and relationships to focus entirely on “research” and spreading theories.
3. Love Has Won
Amy Carlson convinced followers she was “Mother God” reincarnated to save humanity from destruction. Her Colorado-based group lived together while she livestreamed daily rants about aliens and dimensional shifts.
Members gave up possessions and cut contact with families. Carlson’s body was found mummified in 2021, wrapped in Christmas lights with glitter makeup. Former followers described emotional abuse, sleep deprivation, and being forced to drink colloidal silver that turned their skin blue.
4. Twin Flames Universe
Jeff and Shaleia Ayan promise to help people find their perfect soulmate through expensive online courses. Their teachings claim everyone has one “twin flame” destined for eternal love.
Students pay thousands for coaching sessions and surrender personal decisions to the leaders. Many members stalk former romantic partners believing they’re “twin flames.” The group encourages gender transitions and name changes. Former members report financial ruin and destroyed relationships after following the couple’s increasingly bizarre demands and manipulative tactics.
5. MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way)
What started as men’s self-improvement movement became an online cult promoting extreme anti-women beliefs. Members swear off romantic relationships while sharing increasingly hateful content about females.
Forums feature daily discussions about women’s supposed inferiority and evil nature. Many followers isolate themselves from female family members and coworkers. The movement has inspired real-world violence against women. Members use coded language and recruit through gaming platforms and social media, targeting young men experiencing relationship difficulties or rejection.
6. The Flat Earth Society
Mark Sargent and Patricia Steere lead thousands who reject centuries of scientific evidence about Earth’s shape. Their online community holds conferences and creates elaborate theories explaining away space exploration.
Members spend fortunes on failed experiments trying to prove Earth is flat. Families split apart over the obsessive belief system. The movement combines religious fundamentalism with conspiracy thinking. Followers often progress to more extreme theories about government control and fake reality. Social media algorithms helped spread their message to vulnerable people seeking simple explanations.
7. The Unarius Academy of Science
Ruth Norman, known as “Uriel,” built a UFO religion promising alien contact and reincarnation teachings. Her California group expects 33 spaceships to land and establish an interplanetary confederation.
Members wear elaborate costumes and create videos about past lives on other planets. The group owns multiple properties decorated with alien themes and crystal formations. Followers pay for courses about cosmic consciousness and interdimensional travel. Norman died in 1993, but devoted students continue her mission, constantly updating predictions about when the aliens will finally arrive on Earth.
8. The Mankind Project
Weekend warrior retreats promise to transform modern men into authentic leaders through intense emotional exercises. Participants pay thousands for workshops involving nudity, physical challenges, and psychological pressure.
Men are encouraged to cut contact with unsupportive family members and recruit others. The organization uses shame and peer pressure to maintain control over members. Many wives report personality changes and financial problems after their husbands join. Former participants describe cult-like devotion requirements and leaders who exploit vulnerable men seeking purpose and masculine identity in modern society.
9. Sherry Shriner’s Alien Resistance
Sherry Shriner convinced followers that aliens, demons, and government shapeshifters control the world. Her online ministry sold “orgone energy” devices to protect against supernatural attacks.
Devoted listeners bought hundreds of dollars worth of special crystals and attended her Ohio meetings. Shriner encouraged followers to make homemade weapons and prepare for spiritual warfare. One member murdered another believer, claiming he was a reptilian alien. Shriner died in 2018, but her recorded teachings continue attracting conspiracy theorists seeking explanations for world events and personal problems.
10. The Sovereign Citizen Movement
Gurus like David Straight teach that secret legal knowledge can free people from taxes, laws, and government authority. Followers believe they can declare independence from all regulations.
Members stop paying taxes, driving with licenses, and following court orders. Many lose homes, custody of children, and face criminal charges. The movement attracts people struggling financially or legally. Seminars cost hundreds while promising magical solutions to legal problems. Violence often erupts when members confront police or government officials who don’t recognize their claimed sovereignty status.
11. The Gaia Community
Environmental spirituality mixed with doomsday predictions creates this earth-worshipping movement led by various New Age teachers. Members believe humanity must evolve or face planetary destruction.
Followers often abandon careers to live in eco-communes or prepare for civilization’s collapse. The group promotes expensive organic products and alternative healing methods. Children in these communities sometimes miss traditional education and medical care. Members frequently cut ties with non-believing family members. Leaders profit from selling survival gear, supplements, and spiritual retreats while predicting imminent environmental catastrophe requiring their guidance.
12. The Incel Movement
“Involuntarily celibate” men gather online to blame women for their romantic failures and develop increasingly extreme worldviews. Leaders like Elliot Rodger inspire followers through manifestos and videos.
Members create elaborate theories about genetics, attractiveness, and female psychology. The community encourages suicide and violence against women and successful men. Several mass shootings have been linked to incel ideology. Young men find the movement through gaming forums and social media. Mental health professionals struggle to help members who resist treatment and embrace victimhood as core identity.
13. The Raelian Movement
Claude Vorilhon claims aliens called Elohim created humanity and will return when we achieve peace. His international UFO religion promotes human cloning and sexual liberation.
Members pay for seminars about alien contact and donate money for embassy construction. The group made headlines claiming to clone human babies without providing evidence. Followers often get symbolic tattoos and participate in group meditation sessions. Rael encourages sexual freedom while collecting significant donations from devoted believers. Scientists widely dismiss the group’s cloning claims as publicity stunts designed to attract new members and media attention.
14. The Black Hebrew Israelites
Street preachers claiming African Americans are the true biblical Israelites attract followers through aggressive public demonstrations. Various leaders promote different versions of racial and religious supremacy.
Members often abandon mainstream jobs and relationships to focus on spreading their message. The movement includes multiple competing factions with different beliefs about race and religion. Some groups have been linked to violence and anti-Semitic incidents. Followers frequently engage in confrontational street preaching that leads to arrests. Young black men struggling with identity and purpose become primary recruitment targets for these controversial religious movements.