The Cult News Network

He grew up in a scary cult, but today he’s one of Hollywood’s hottest och richest actors

Published January 21, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Cult Crimes Tagged Children of God, cult leader, cults, Joaquin Phoenix, Moses David Berg, River Phoenix

He’s one of Hollywood’s most compelling actors today, known for disappearing into roles that haunt and mesmerize. But his childhood was anything but ordinary. Born into a family that rejected conventional life, his parents abandoned the comforts of California to…[Continue Reading...]

Where Is Larry Ray Now? What to Know About the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult Leader’s Life in Prison

Published January 20, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Cult Crimes Tagged cult leader, Larry Ray, Lawerence Ray, prisone sentence

When the Sarah Lawrence sex cult leader was convicted in April 2022, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams had a clear message: "Larry Ray is a predator. An evil man who did evil things." Lawrence "Larry" Ray was convicted of 15 criminal…[Continue Reading...]

Task force raids major Unification Church facility, investigates Shincheonji recording

Published January 20, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Cult Crimes Tagged cults, police raid, South Korea, Unification Church

A joint prosecution-police task force investigating allegations of collusion between religious groups and politicians raided the Unification Church’s Cheon Seung Jeon again on Tuesday. The search and seizure came a week after the task force carried out raids on major…[Continue Reading...]

50,000 Shincheonji Followers Joined People Power Party, Testimony Says

Published January 20, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Uncategorized Tagged cults, People Power Party, Shincheonji, South Korea

An internal testimony has emerged claiming that 50,000 Shincheonji followers collectively joined the People Power Party from November 2021, when the party’s presidential primary took place, until 2025, during the tenure of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, amid an investigation…[Continue Reading...]

Fifth person arrested in murders connected to cult-like Inland Empire group

Published January 20, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Cult Crimes Tagged California, cults, His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, murder charges

A 44-year-old man was arrested in Tennessee this week in connection with the killing of a missing member of a “cult-like” religious group in the Inland Empire, authorities said. Ramon Ruiz Duran Jr., 44, was captured in Nashville on Jan.…[Continue Reading...]

Unification Church leader allegedly distributed luxury watches to senior aides

Published January 19, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Cult Crimes Tagged government investigation, South Korea, Unification Church

The Unification Church is facing fresh scrutiny following allegations that its leader Han Hak-ja distributed dozens of luxury watches to senior aides just weeks before a special counsel probe, raising suspicions that the gifts were meant to erase or conceal…[Continue Reading...]

‘Brainwashing’: the shocking case of a Native American healer accused of sexual abuse

Published January 18, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Cult Crimes Tagged Brainwashing, criminal charges, cult leader, Nathan Chasing Horse, Nevada

After learning she was of Lakota descent around 1996, Melissa Leone, who was adopted, hungered to connect to her Native American tribe. “I was grabbing a hold of any and all connections that felt good or safe,” she said. Leone…[Continue Reading...]

Tylor Cosgrove notes that conspiracy theories spread wider in times of uncertainty, including during war, economic downturn and widespread hardship. He looks at the type of personalities that are drawn to them

Published January 18, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Uncategorized Tagged conspiracy theories, conspiracy theorists, research, true believers

A prominent explanation for this is that conspiracy beliefs serve underlying psychological needs. These include providing answers when things are unclear or uncertain, providing a sense of control by identifying a powerful group to take action against, and for social…[Continue Reading...]

Data from 28,000 people reveals which conspiracy debunking strategies tend to work best

Published January 17, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Uncategorized Tagged conspirach theories, interventions, research

A new comprehensive analysis suggests that while conspiracy beliefs are deeply entrenched, they are not entirely resistant to change. The findings indicate that specific intervention strategies, particularly those involving direct fact-checking and alternative explanations, can achieve modest reductions in these…[Continue Reading...]

The Colombian Cult Worshiping an ‘Alien Jesus’

Published January 17, 2026 By admin

Categorized as Uncategorized Tagged Colombia, cult leader, cults, Jah Kelium Zeus Induzeus, Vegetal Sakroakuarius Temple

Deep within the thickets of the Santander department, a remote Colombian cult pledges its future to a figure who claims to be a reincarnation of Jesus. The cult, known as the Sakroakuarianos, operates out of a compound called the “Vegetal…[Continue Reading...]