11 CULTS YOU MUST AVOID
BY: JACOB HARRISONORIGINAL SITE: BANANA1015
Read More: 11 Cults in Michigan You Must Avoid
Cults are a terrifying thing. Truthfully, no one knows just how naive they are until they are sucked into a scam, but nothing hits quite as hard as being involved in a cult.
By their nature, cults prey on the weakminded, shortsighted and downtrodden - but anyone can realistically fall victim to a cult.
Unfortunately, many people mistakenly equate cult to the occult. While cults that are centered around the dark and terrifying exist, they aren't the ones that typically turn up in the news preying on innocent people looking for god or community. Because some people relate cult behavior with something typically scary like witchcraft and strange symbols instead of a perverse take on religion or some other inviting environment, they are ultimately left vulnerable by their naivety.
The most dangerous cults are those that feign a warm and welcoming environment that promises to nourish you to health and riches, often using tactics made popular by religious organizations to sell you on a false ideal. That in turn can lead some people to see all religions as cults, making for a certain circle of irony.
Cults can ruin your life, and the worst of them can threaten your life. They aren't limited to any particular area, though some are more prevalent in some regions than others.
Michigan is not without its cults, though it doesn't appear to have any that are strictly tied to the state. Still, there are plenty of examples in recent history of people finding themselves ensnared in a cult in the Mitten State.
The 11 cults with notable recent activity in Michigan are listed below in no particular order.
Don't fall for the tricks these organizations may try to sell you.
Hare Krishna
Followers of Hare Krishna typically hold to beliefs that include avoiding intoxication, gambling, illicit sex, and eating meat. It’s a branch of Hinduism that has establishments sprinkled across Michigan. Hare Krishna has controversies involving child abuse and brainwashing.
House of David
The House of David is located in Benton Harbor and holds extreme purity beliefs. Members are to abstain from sex, meat, alcohol, tobacco and can’t own property. Naturally, a sex scandal involving the group’s leader, Benjamin Purnell, crushed the church. Still, the community in Benton Harbor swears by the kindness of the church’s members. The scandal aside, the church is seen as a doomsday cult with restrictive practices that are too familiar with cult behavior.
Dominionites/
Deminionites have the least amount of information on the internet. The Christian politicized theology advocates for Christians to take full control of society and the government simply because it’s their god-given right to do. There is believed to be a sect in Detroit, but this group is either very new or very secretive.
Black Hebrew Israelites
Black Hebrew Israelites believe themselves to be the true descendants of the ancient Israelites, not Jews. The blatant anti-semitism is the largest problem of this following. Though largely non-violent, there are notable conspiracy theorist beliefs in the group that are particularly dangerous such as Holocaust denial.
Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church
One Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church in Gaylord was the subject of a four-part ID documentary. These churches are often proven to be an environment that protects child abusers, both physically and sexually. The hierarchy of these churches is entirely misogynistic. These churches can be particularly dangerous as they are prominent across the country and in some ways viewed as just another denomination of the Christian faith.
Scientology
There are several Churches of Scientology sprinkled around Michigan. Much of Scientology is shrouded in mystery, which is part of why the organization is considered a cult. With an authoritarian structure that works to isolate members and allegedly exploit their finances, they display some of the common traits.
Shen Yun
Shen Yun is controversial in a unique manner. It’s a traveling dance show with strong anti-China and anti-communist messages in their shows. The Chinese government bas the organization in its country, labeling it as a cult. Shen Yun has also been known to preach prayer over medicine to a negligent degree.
Shermanites
Centered at the Church at Carson City, Michigan, Shermanites are a tricky subject. The church members are rather isolated and hold to traditional values - men wear beards and lead the family while women wear long dresses and are treated as subordinates. However, sexual child abuse accusations against the late Lee Sherman, one of the group’s founders, are at the top of the complaints of cult behavior. Despite other examples of child abuse in the history of the church, the church claims not to condone these actions - though reporting the examples reported in several articles wasn’t on their priority list when they happened.
Twelve Tribes
The Twelve Tribes community calls itself an attempt to recreate the 1st-century church as described in the Book of Acts and has an establishment in Marshall. Twelve Tribes has often been linked to child labor practices, and physical and sexual abuse against children as well. Their teachings are also described as racist, misogynistic and homophobic.
Twin Flame Universe
The Twin Flames Universe is a belief that mixes Hindu, Buddhist and evangelical Christian beliefs and practices with the primary belief that everyone has a twin flame, effectively a soulmate. Naturally, this leads to problematic behaviors. Its leader, Jeff Divine was born in Lapeer, Michigan, and graduated from Western Michigan University. The organization is based in Michigan.
House of Judah
The House of Judah cult was tied to Michigan most notably in Allegan County where a mother involved in the cult beat her son to death.
Roughly 100 followers once lived on a 22-acre camp led by “prophet” William A. Lewis, who endorsed corporal punishment to an extreme within the framework of the religion. The cult moved to Alabama after the incident and Lewis died in 2004. The cult is believed to have died with him, though Lewis’s son denounces the claim of the religious group as a cult.
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