Begun by Charles Dederich in 1958, this California-based drug rehabilitation group used harsh methods and communal living. Allegations of abuse led to its decline in the 1980s.

Synanon

Established in 1935 by William Dudley Pelley, this American fascist group combined Christian beliefs with anti-Semitic ideology. It was dissolved during World War II due to government prosecution.

Silver Legion of America

Created by Philip Berg in the 1960s, this global organization popularized Kabbalistic teachings. It faced scrutiny for financial exploitation but remains active.

Kabbalah Centre

Led by Robert de Grimston in the 1960s, this UK-based group focused on apocalyptic themes and the duality of good and evil. It fragmented after internal disagreements in the 1970s.

The Process Church of the Final Judgment

Established by Claude Vorilhon in 1973, this movement focuses on extraterrestrial intervention in human development and cloning as a means to achieve immortality.

Raelian Movement

Established by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret in 1984, this international group believed in the coming end of the world and ascension to a higher plane. Over 70 members died in mass suicides or suspicious murders in 1994 and 1997 in Switzerland and Canada.

Order of the Solar Temple

Created by Wayne Bent in 2000, this New Mexico group, led by a self-proclaimed Messiah, believed in preparing for the apocalypse. Bent was convicted of sexual misconduct with minors in 2008, leading to the group's decline.

Lord Our Righteousness Church

Created by William Branham in the mid-20th century, this American Pentecostal sect emphasized prophecy and healing. The group fragmented after Branham's death in 1965.

Branhamites

Established by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) in the 1970s, this India- and Oregon-based group emphasized free love and meditation. In 1984, members poisoned a town with salmonella to influence local elections. The group dissolved after legal troubles.

Rajneesh Movement

Begun by Anne Hamilton-Byrne in the 1960s, this Australian group believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus and Buddha. It engaged in child abuse and isolation, and its activities were curtailed after a police raid in the 1980s.

The Family