Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Which Strange Cults Are Still Active Today

People Share Which Strange Cults Are Still Active Today
Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash

We like to think we've risen above the susceptibility for cults. We think we've seen enough documentaries, listened to enough podcasts, and heard enough horror stories about the broken lives and shattered families they leave in their wake, all in service of making some people at the top a little richer and a smidgen more powerful.

Then why are so man of them still around?


Reddit user, barbexaclone, wanted to know what cults you should be keeping an eye out for when they asked:

"[SERIOUS] What strange cult is still active today?"
 

You've definitely heard of these ones before, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to hang around for as long as they had.

The Only Church All Other Churches Hate

"Westboro Baptist Church."

"The TL;DR of them is that they are a small (70 person) 'church' in Kansas, US, started by lawyer Fred Phelps that became infamous for protesting military funerals because the gays are evil or some bullsh-t. Several members actually have law degrees so they can basically bully others out of pressing charges. I recommend you look them up."

Atomic-Buddha

The Dorks Who Never Go Away

"The KKK"

IAmJohnnyHardcore

"I live in idaho, used to live in Montana. the kkk is still very much alive and well. Especially in northwest Montana."

Kelly_Louise

"What are they up to now days? Slavery is over what is the point?"

Thekingdeviljin

"Slavery is over but racism isn’t"

aniloveslouis

The Ones Who Knock

"Jehovah’s Witnesses, of which I used to be a practicing member"

excusetheblood

"My girlfriend was one. I didn't know anything about it when I dated her but since I've learned its f-cking horrifying. I want to help her but her parents are big on it and i barely see her anymore. She would commonly be away from school being "sick" and even then switched to homeschooling."

RandomJellyfish134

You might never have heard of these ones before, either for their obscurity in your home country, or maybe it's because they disguise themselves as something a little more honest.

Name Changed, History Same

"Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that carried out a sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway in the 1990s. It's now known as Aleph with somewhere around 1600 members."

ohne_hosen

Glittery? Mummy?

"I just finished watching a podcast over this cult."

"Love Has Won is apparently still semi-active even after their cult leader was found mummified in glitter. There’s a branch of the original cult that split off and is now forming a new cult although it’s tiny."

SleepyxDormouse

We're Only In The Shape Of Pyramid

"Financial pyramid schemes like World Financial Group. Can't convince they aren't a cult. Shady business practices preying on family and friends for 'investments'."

YEGMusic43

"My boss pushed this on me. Boy was he embarrassed when I enlightened him about what they’re about"

bryanthebryan

"I almost lost my best friend to them. She went through all the training and even went to a couple of out of country conferences. I warned her early on and said don't ever ask me for money. Luckily, she realized pretty quickly it wasn't getting her any where. Sucks that they are still around today."

YEGMusic43

You can't be surprised when cults hang around long after they should have been ousted from society. They jump the legal loopholes, they pay the people they need, or sometimes, people just forget you're a thing.

Expect A Call From Cruise's Lawyer

"Scientology"

billybobjimmyjoe

"Scrolled way too far to find this."

"My new retirement plan is to take lots of drugs, write some really bad sci fi, then get tax exempt religion status and recruit an army of rich minions that pay me to abuse them. Worked for L.Ron."

Few-Cable5130

Weakened, But Still Hanging Around

"FLDS - fundamentalist mormonism. Child brides. Assigned marriages. Polygamy. Their cult leader is running the show from prison, where he rots. They still exist & still believe in him and their celestial heaven."

Zesty_Morton

"Yes, but their numbers are dwindling. He used to control all the finances through the church and since he is in prison it has gone to some sort of trust? I didn’t quite understand that part. But a lot of the residents were evicted from their homes. There’s a documentary series called Cults and Extreme Beliefs made by A&E. Crazy stuff."

MoonLover318

Got A Good Deal On Nike Shoes, Do You?

"Heaven's Gate has about 4 followers and an active website."

AudibleNod

"I forgot about them. I hear they're still responding to emails. Apparently the ones behind the site were asked to 'stay behind'."

barbexaclone

"Heaven's Gate truly was weird."

"Unique among cults is that (while their leader was alive anyways) they allowed members to leave. If you weren't happy, Heaven's Gate wouldn't try to keep you using any weird cult tactics."

AudibleNod

Keep your eyes up, because you never know when someone is going to ask you if you're happy with the way your life is going.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less