Cults and new religious movements have been used as a theme or subject in literature and popular culture, while notable representatives of such groups and their followers have produced on their own a large body of literary works. Image File history File links Attention_yellow. ... This article does not discuss cult in its original sense of religious practice; for that usage see Cult (religious practice). ... A new religious movement or NRM is a term used to refer to a religious faith, or an ethical, spiritual or philosophical movement of recent origin that isnt part of an established denomination, church, or religious body. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ...

Ancient

One of the earliest descriptions of a fictional cult leader who manipulated and exploited his followers was in "Alexander the False Prophet," a satire by Lucian of Samosata, a second century AD writer. The target of Lucian's work was Alexander of Abonoteichus, an oracle who, according to Lucian, built a following in parts of the Roman Empire and swindled many people and engaged, through his followers, in various forms of thuggery.^[1] Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:-( Vandalism is indisputable bad-faith addition, deletion, or change to content, made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the encyclopedia. ... Lucian of Samosata (c. ...

Early 20th century

Mark Twain wrote a highly critical book (1907) about Christian Science.^[2] Willa Cather, an investigative journalism before turning to literature, co-authored a detailed muckraking book (1909) on the same church.^[3] These and other works failed, however, to stop Christian Science from gaining a large measure of respectability in later years.^[4][5][6] Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 — April 21, 1910),[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, writer, and lecturer. ... Willa Cather photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1936 Wilella Sibert Cather (December 7, 1873[1] – April 24, 1947) is among the most eminent American authors. ...

Zane Grey, in his Riders of the Purple Sage (1912), a Western novel that would have a major influence on Hollywood, lambasts the Mormons and has his gunslinger hero rescue a wealthy young woman in the early 1870s from the clutches of elderly polygamists via exceedingly bloody gunfights. The novel contains a portrayal of the psychological conflicts of the young woman, raised a Mormon but gradually coming to the realization that she wants a supposedly freer life. The Mormon misdeeds depicted in the story take place on the southern frontier of Utah and there is no suggestion that Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City are involved. The harassment of the young woman reflects a popular literary theme in Victoria's England rather than Brigham Young's Utah — the orphaned young heiress besieged by unscrupulous suitors who often profess the Anglican or Catholic faith. Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and pulp fiction that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. ... i like western films The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name, most-often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... // The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,889 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... See also, Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

Dashiell Hammett's The Dain Curse (1929) revolves around a California circle. A.E.W. Mason, in The Prisoner in the Opal (1928), one of his popular Inspector Hanaud mysteries, describes the unmasking of a Satanist cult. Samuel Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. ... The Dain Curse is a novel written by Dashiell Hammett and published in 1929. ... Alfred Edward Woodley Mason (7 May 1865 - 22 November 1948) was a British author. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ...

Mid and late 20th century

Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein wrote two novels that deal with cult-like groups. A leading figure in his early "Future History" series (see If This Goes On--, a short novel published in Revolt in 2100 (1953)), is Nehemiah Scudder, a religious "prophet" who becomes dictator of the United States. By his own admission in an afterword, Heinlein poured into this book his distrust of all forms of religious fundamentalism, the Ku Klux Klan, the Communist Party and other movements that he regarded as authoritarian. Heinlein also stated in the afterward that he worked out the plot of other books about Scudder, but had decided not to write them in part because he found Scudder so unpleasant.^[7] (A Scudder-like dictatorship complete with sexual slavery for women would later become the theme of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985).) In Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), two cults are featured: the Dionysian church of the Fosterites, and the the protagonist Valentine Michael Smith's own Church of All Worlds. The motives and methods of religious leaders are discussed in some detail. Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... A future history is a postulated history of the future that some science fiction authors construct as a common background for fiction. ... If This Goes On— is a science fiction short novel by Robert A. Heinlein. ... Margaret Eleanor Atwood, OC (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian writer. ... The Handmaids Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985. ... Stranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1961. ... Stranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1961. ...

Cults are also featured in science fantasy and horror novels. In That Hideous Strength (1945), C.S. Lewis describes the National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments, or "NICE", a quasi-governmental front concealing a kind of doomsday cult that worships a disembodied head kept alive by scientific means. This head, who/which is plotting to turn the Earth into a dead world like the Moon, has been interpreted as a symbol of secularism and materialism. Lewis' novel is notable for its elaboration of his 1944 address "The Inner Ring." The latter work criticizes the lust to "belong" to a powerful clique--a common human failing that Lewis believed was the basis for people being seduced into power-hungry and spiritually twisted movements.^[8][9][10] That Hideous Strength is a 1945 novel by C. S. Lewis, the final book in Lewiss theological science fiction Space Trilogy. ... Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ...

In William Campbell Gault's Sweet Wild Wench (Fawcett, 1956), L.A. private eye Joe Puma investigates the Children of Proton, a fictional cult that has attracted the support of the daughter of a wealthy businessman.^[11]

In Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon (1994), the heroine battles against a Goddess-worshipping cult led by a radical feminist with supernatural powers and a taste for human sacrifice. Elizabeth Hand (b. ...

Gore Vidal's Messiah (1955) depicts the rise of a cult leader, while Vidal's Kalki (1978), a science-fiction novel, recounts how a small but scientifically adept cult kills off the entire human race via germ warfare. Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (born October 3, 1925) (pronounced , occasionally , , etc) is an American author of novels, stage plays, screenplays, and essays. ... In Hindu traditions, Kalki (Sanskrit: कल्कि; also rendered by some as Kalkin and Kalaki) is the tenth and final Maha Avatara (great incarnation) of Vishnu the Preserver, who will come to end the Kali Yuga, (The Age of Darkness and Destruction). ...

Since the advent of the anti-cult movement in the 1970s, numerous thrillers have been written in which the hero, often a private detective, rescues a young person from a cult and/or uncovers nefarious murders plotted by a cult. For examples lurid and nuanced, see the references to The DaVinci Code and Lost Angel in the next section below. A private investigator, or PI, is a person who undertakes investigations. ...

21st century

Popular French author Michel Houellebecq’s 2005 science-fiction novel, The Possibility of an Island, describes a cloning group that resembles the Raëlians.^[12] Michel Houellebecq (pronounced ) (real name Michel Thomas), born 26 February 1958, on the French island of Réunion is a controversial, award-winning French novelist. ... The Possibility of an Island is a recent (2005) novel by controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq, set within the ambience of a cloning cult that resembles the real-world Raelians. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of something. ... A gathering of Raëlians in South Korea Raëlism is an UFO religion that is known by the names of Raëlian Church, MADECH from 1974 to 1976,[1] and International Raëlian Movement afterwards. ...

Dan Brown's controversial runaway best-seller, The DaVinci Code (2003), portrays a hero and heroine in flight from an assassin who belong to the Catholic organization Opus Dei. Opus Dei has disputed the accuracy of the portrayal as has much of the media. For example, the villain in The Da Vinci Code is a monk, but there are no monks in the real Opus Dei.^[13][14] Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is an organization of the Catholic Church that emphasizes the Catholic belief that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. ...

Paul Malmont's The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (2006) portrays a young L. Ron Hubbard as one of three 1930s pulp fiction writers who fight the forces of evil in a novel that nostalgically mimics the pulps. Although Malmont portrays the young Hubbard and future Scientology founder as having a tendency to pad his resume (a charge that has been made by biographers of the real Hubbard), Malmont's Hubbard is in most respects a sympathetic character as well as being a hero of the action. Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 – 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was an American fiction writer,[1][2][3], former United States Navy officer and creator of Dianetics and founder of the Church of Scientology. ... Pulp magazines, often called simply the pulps, were inexpensive text fiction magazines widely published in the 1920s through the 1950s. ... Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ...

Mike Doogan's detective thriller Lost Angel (2006) takes place at a fictional Christian commune in Alaska called Rejoiced. At first, the reader is led to believe that the group is a cult, but gradually it emerges that many members are reasonable people who routinely (if quietly) disobey the commune's founder and nominal leader (an elderly man with psychopathic tendencies), regard him as an embarrassment, and are horrified when his crimes are revealed.

Literary works by founders of new trends or movements

Aleister Crowley, founder of the English-speaking branch of the Ordo Templi Orientis and briefly of a commune (the "Abbey of Thelema") in Sicily, was a poet anthologized in The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse (1917) and a novelist (Diary of a Drug Fiend (1922) and Moonchild (1929)). Crowley died in 1947. His autobiography, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, was republished in 1969 and attracted much attention. Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:-( Vandalism is indisputable bad-faith addition, deletion, or change to content, made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the encyclopedia. ... Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947; the surname is pronounced // i. ... Lamen of the Ordo Templi Orientis Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) (Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. ... Diary of a Drug Fiend (1922) (ISBN 0-87728-146-7), was Aleister Crowleys first published novel. ... Moonchild, the 1929 edition. ... Cover of The Confessions of Aleister Crowley by Aleister Crowley. ...

Nicholas Roerich, the founder of Agni Yoga, was a travel writer and poet as well as being an important painter who expressed his spiritual beliefs through his depiction of the stark mountains of Central Asia.[26] Guests from Overseas, 1899 (Varangians in Russia) Nicholas Roerich, (October 9, 1874 - December 13, 1947) also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (Russian: Николай Константинович Рёрих), was a Russian painter and spiritual teacher. ... Agni Yoga, also called the Teaching of Living Ethics or (in Russian) the Zhivaya Etica, is an esoteric teaching founded by the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich (Nikolai Konstantinovitch Rerikh) and his highly adept empathic wife, Helena Roerich (Elena Ivanovna Rerikh). ...

L. Ron Hubbard was an important figure in the golden age of science fiction and also wrote Fear (1940), a ground-breaking psychological thriller that influenced later writers such as Stephen King. Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 – 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was an American fiction writer,[1][2][3], former United States Navy officer and creator of Dianetics and founder of the Church of Scientology. ... Fear is a powerful biological feeling of unpleasant risk or danger, either real or imagined. ... Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror novels. ...

G.I. Gurdjieff, the Greek-Armenian mystic and spiritual teacher who introduced and taught the Fourth Way, authored Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, a curious melange of philosophy, humor and science-fiction that some regard as a masterpiece,^[15] which is also included in Martin Seymour-Smith's 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written, with the comment that it is "...the most convincing fusion of Eastern and Western thought has yet been seen.";^[16] Meetings with Remarkable Men, a minor literary classic; and Life is Real Only Then, When 'I Am', the incomplete text of this All and Everything trilogy. Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (January 13, 1872 - October 29, 1949), the Greek-Armenian mystic and teacher of dancing born in Alexandropol, Armenia (then of the Russian Empire, now Gyumri, Armenia), traveled to many parts of the world (i. ... In his early lectures, as documented by P.D. Ouspensky, G.I. Gurdjieff described his approach to self-development as a Fourth Way [1][2], in contrast to teachings that emphasize the development of the body, mind, or the emotions separately, Gurdjieffs exercises worked on all three at the... This is the first of a three volume set written by G. I. Gurdjieff. ... Martin Seymour-Smith (b. ... The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written: The History of Thought from Ancient Times to Today (Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ, 1998, ISBN 0806520000) is a book of intellectual history written by Martin Seymour-Smith (1928 - 1998), a British poet, critic and biographer. ... Meetings with Remarkable Men is the second volume of the All and Everything trilogy written by Greek-Armenian mystic G. I. Gurdjieff, as well as its G. I. Gurdjieffs personal autobiography. ... Life is Real Only Then, When I Am is the incomplete text of the Third Series of All and Everything by G. I. Gurdjieff. ... All and Everything Ten Books in Three Series by G. I. Gurdjieff including Beelzebubs Tales to his Grandson, Meetings with Remarkable Men, and Life is Real Only Then, When I Am. In his prospectus for All and Everything, printed at the beginning of each part of the trilogy, Gurdjieff...

Ayn Rand, founder of Objectivism, was the author of two best sellers, The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957).]].^{[17][18][19][20]} Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] best known for developing Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the novella Anthem. ... Objectivism is a philosophy[1] developed by Ayn Rand that encompasses positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. ... The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ... Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA. It was Rands last work of fiction before concentrating her writings exclusively on philosophy, politics and cultural criticism. ...

Eli Siegel, the founder of Aesthetic Realism, was a highly regarded poet. His "Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana" (1925)[27]. (republished in Siegel's 1957 book having the same name^[21]) was described as his "major poem" by William Carlos Williams, who wrote that Siegel "belongs in the first ranks of our living artists."^[22] Among other critics and poets who praised Siegel's work were Selden Rodman^[23] and Kenneth Rexroth; the latter wrote that "it's about time Eli Siegel was moved up into the ranks of our acknowledged Leading Poets."^[24] Eli Siegel (August 16, 1902–November 8, 1978), poet and critic, founded the philosophy Aesthetic Realism in 1941. ... Aesthetic Realism is the philosophy founded by the American poet and critic Eli Siegel in 1941. ... William Carlos Williams Dr. William Carlos Williams (sometimes known as WCW) (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963), was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. ... Kenneth Rexroth (December 22, 1905 – June 6, 1982) was an American poet, translator and critical essayist. ...

Fred Newman, founder of social therapy, is a prolific playwright.^[25] His work includes Sally and Tom (The American Way) (1995), a musical (with Annie Roboff) about the slave-master romance of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson.^[26] Fred Newman is a controversial philosopher, psychotherapist, playwright and political activist. ... Sally Hemings (Shadwell, Albemarle County, Virginia, circa 1773 or 1773 – Charlottesville, Virginia, 1835) was a quadroon slave owned by Thomas Jefferson. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ...

Important non-fiction writers among founders of movements

Helena Blavatsky, the Russian adventuress who founded Theosophy, wrote The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled, and had an immense cultural and intellectual influence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, indirectly helping to stimulate the Indian nationalist movement, the interfaith ecumenical movement, parapsychology, the genre of the occult thriller, and what today is called the New Age movement. Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Hahn (also Hélène) (July 31, 1831 (O.S.) (August 12, 1831 (N.S.)) - May 8, 1891 London, England), better known as Helena Blavatsky or Madame Blavatsky was the founder of Theosophy. ... Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: θεοσοφία theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, a book originally published as two volumes in 1888, is Helena P. Blavatskys magnum opus. ... Isis Unveiled, a master-key to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology, published in 1877, was Helena Petrovna Blavatskys first major book. ... The word ecumenical comes from a Greek word that means pertaining to the whole world. ... Parapsychology is the study of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis (Parapsychology, n. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ...

Rudolf Steiner (d. 1925), founder of Anthroposophy, was an important writer in a variety of fields (his collected works total 350 volumes) and an influence on such figures as novelist Herman Hesse and philosopher Owen Barfield. Through his writings and lectures, Steiner stimulated the development of the cooperative movement, alternative medicine, organic farming, the Waldorf schools, and "eurythmy" in modern dance. Rudolf Steiner. ... Anthroposophy, also called spiritual science, is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,[1] which states that anyone who conscientiously cultivates sense-free thinking can attain experience of and insights into the spiritual world. ... Hermann Hesse Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German author, and the winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in literature. ... Owen Barfield (November 9, 1898–December 14, 1997) was a British philosopher, author, poet, and critic. ... Eurythmy is a movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century. ...

Psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich, who in his later years founded a psychotherapy cult around the idea of orgone energy, is widely regarded as a major inspirer of the sexual revolution, a forerunner of the interdisciplinary field of psychohistory, and an influential theorist and clinician of early psychoanalysis.^[27][28][29] Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897 – November 3, 1957) was an Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. ... Dr. Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897–November 3, 1957) was an Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, who was trained in Vienna by Sigmund Freud. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Psychohistory is the study of the psychological motivations of historical events. ... Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the work of Sigmund Freud. ...

"Tract" literature

Several authors have been prolific tract writers and although their writings have not influenced contemporary culture to the degree of a Reich or Blavatsky they have stimulated many to join their churches or movements and have expressed ideas that have been adopted and adapted by writers and spiritual "entrepreneurs" outside of their own circles. Examples include JZ Knight, founder of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, whose popular Ramtha books have done much to spread the practice of spirit channelling among New Agers; and Elizabeth Clare Prophet of the Church Universal and Triumphant who, with her late husband Mark Prophet, wrote over 75 books on the "Ascended Masters" and similar topics. Other examples include the late Herbert W. Armstrong of the Worldwide Church of God, whose books on Biblical prophecy and British Israelism were widely read for over a half century; and conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche — the author of over 500 books, articles and published speeches which have had a significant if often subterranean influence on various movements of the left and right as well as on the media in some countries. Tract may be a reference to: tract (anatomy), a bundle of nerve fibers following a path through the brain, or a collection of related anatomic structures (e. ... Judy Z. Knight (born Judith Darlene Hampton on March 16, 1946, in Roswell, New Mexico) is a self-proclaimed spiritual medium as well as the CEO of JZK, Inc. ... The organization known as Ramthas School of Enlightenment [[1]] is based in a small rural town called Yelm, in Washington state in the United States. ... Ramtha is an entity that JZ Knight, an American self-claimed spiritual medium claims to channel. ... According to Websters Dictionary: the practice of professedly entering a meditative or trancelike state in order to convey messages from a spiritual guide. ... Elizabeth Clare Prophet, 1984 Elizabeth Clare Prophet (born April 8, 1939) is an American who became the leader of the new religious movement The Summit Lighthouse, an organization encompassing the branches of Church Universal and Triumphant, Summit University, Summit University Press, and Montessori International, after her husband, Mark L. Prophet... The Church Universal and Triumphant is a New Age new religious movement and organization founded by Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. ... Herbert W. Armstrong (31 July 1892 – 16 January 1986) was the founder of the Worldwide Church of God and an early pioneer of radio evangelism, taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon. ... The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) is a Christian church based in Glendora, California, USA. Joseph Tkach Jr. ... British Israelism (sometimes called Anglo-Israelism) is a complex set of theories, not necessarily compatible with each other, that have in common the idea that some ancient British people and/or royal lineages were direct lineal descendants of Lost Tribes of Israel. ... Lyndon LaRouche at a news conference in Paris in February 2006. ...

Television and other media

In an episode of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Norman Lear's 1976-77 soap opera parody, one of Mary Hartman's neighbors joins the Hare Krishnas and his family decides to have him deprogrammed. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (sometimes abbreviated as MH2) was a 1976-1978 syndicated prime-time soap opera parody produced by Norman Lear and directed by Joan Darling. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Lyndon LaRouche has been spoofed several times on The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and in the comic strip Bloom County. An episode of the science-fiction series Sliders depicts a parallel universe in which LaRouche is President of the United States. Lyndon LaRouche at a news conference in Paris in February 2006. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Bloom County was a popular American comic strip by Berke Breathed which ran from December 8, 1980 until August 6, 1989. ... Sliders is a science fiction television series that ran for five seasons from 1995 to 2000. ...

In a Simpsons episode titled "The Joy of Sect", the said family are drawn into a sect known as the Movementarians, who have claimed the tangible possessions of many of Springfield's residents after brainwashing them with false promises. An unimpressed Marge tries desperately to deprogram her family with the help of Willie (who offers to "kidnap him (Homer) for fifty, deprogram him for a hundred, and kill him for five hundred") and Reverend Lovejoy, a Christian priest. They end up kidnapping him, knocking him unconscious, and finally "deprogramming" him with beer. Simpsons redirects here. ... The Joy of Sect is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Marjorie Marge Simpson (née Bouvier) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons and is voiced by Julie Kavner. ... Groundskeeper Willie (a. ... Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. ... Voiced by Harry Shearer, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy is the local minister in the long-running animated TV show The Simpsons. ...

The X-Files episode Via Negativa dealt with a murderous religious cult leader.^[30] The X-Files is a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. ... This is a list of episodes from the television show The X-Files, with plot synopses for each episode. ...

The Family Guy episode Chitty Chitty Death Bang deals with a fictional cult that parodies elements of Heaven's Gate and Peoples Temple.^[31][32] Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... Chitty Chitty Death Bang is the third episode from season one of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. ... Heavens Gate is a movie that came out in 1981 and is widely considered the biggest Hollywood flop of the 1980s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Television show The 4400 features the cultish 4400 Center, led by messianic figures Jordan Collier and Shawn Farrell. The 4400 is a science fiction television program produced by the USA Network and Sky One. ... The 4400 Center Seized. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Arabic: ,  ; Aramaic:  ; the Anointed One) at first meant any person who was anointed with oil on rising to a certain position among the ancient Israelites, at first that of High priest, later that of King and also that of a prophet. ... Jordan Collier is a fictional character on the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400. ... Shawn Farrell is a fictional character in the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400. ...

A "Growing Up Gotti" episode in 2005 featured a Social Therapist (follower of Fred Newman and Lenora Fulani)^{[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]} intervening in the family problems of Victoria Gotti and her teenage sons.^[42] Growing Up Gotti was an American reality television series that appeared on A&E on Mondays at 9:00 PM EST. The show followed the life of Victoria Gotti, daughter of late Mafia boss John Gotti, and her three sons with ex-husband Carmine Agnello, Carmine Gotti Agnello, John Gotti... Fred Newman is a controversial philosopher, psychotherapist, playwright and political activist. ... Lenora Branch Fulani (b. ... The Gotti family. ...

The Society of Light is a fictional religious group in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX which appeared in episodes 53-104. The Society of Light ) is a fictional cult in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX in Japan) appearing between episodes 53-104. ... Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX ), is an anime spin-off of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. ... Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX ), is a spin-off of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga series. ...

The South Park episodes The Return of Chef and Super Best Friends dealt with cults. In "The Return of Chef", Chef joined the "Super Adventure Club", and in "Super Best Friends", the foursome joined the "Blaintologists", who revere David Blaine as a messianic figure. The episode Trapped in the Closet (South Park) was a parody of Scientology. This article is about the animated television series. ... The Return of Chef episode 1001 (#140) of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park and aired on March 22, 2006. ... Super Best Friends is episode 504 of the Comedy Central series South Park, aired on July 4, 2001. ... David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, USA) is an American illusionist and stunt performer. ... Trapped in the Closet is episode 912 (#137) of the Comedy Central series South Park, originally aired on November 16, 2005. ... Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ...

In Vanished, a 2006 thriller series on Fox TV, a drug rehabilitation cult conducts kidnappings and murders in furtherance of nebulous political and occult goals. The series bombed and was taken off the air before it completed its run. Vanished is an hour-long American television drama produced by Twentieth Century Fox. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

Le Nouvel Observateur is a weekly French news magazine. ... ... Mary Poppins is a series of childrens books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. ... Martin Seymour-Smith (b. ... The X-Files is a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning writer and producer best known for his work on “The X-Files” television series. ... The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo, New York metropolitan area and its surrounding suburbs. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Chip Berlet. ... Clouds Blur the Rainbow: The Other Side of New Alliance Party is a non-fiction book by Chip Berlet, published in 1987 by Political Research Associates. ...

See also